Warning: contains potential spoilers for Superman: Father of Tomorrow #1!
DC has released new images of Superman’s father, Jor-El, who is getting both a new origin and his own book. Throughout Superman’s 80+ year history, Jor-El has occupied a revered position within the lore. Numerous Superman comics have portrayed his father as a great and noble man, of good character and possessing a vast intellect.
There have been depictions of Jor-El that bucked this trend, many of them appearing in DC’s Elseworlds imprint. This line put a DC-style spin on Marvel’s What If? by placing its biggest heroes in new settings and contexts. For example, Speeding Bullets showed what happened when the Wayne Family discovered Kal-El’s rocket.
Elseworlds recently made a comeback at DC Comics, and the imprint is once again taking a bold new look at Jor-El. Superman: Father of Tomorrow, which debuts later this year, shows what happens when it is Jor-El, and not his son, who escapes Krypton’s destruction. Writer Kenny Porter and artist Danny Lore are taking Jor-El in an exciting new direction.
Jor-El Comes to Earth, and Becomes a Hero in Father of Tomorrow
Jor-El Finds Unlikely Allies in the Kent Family
Now, DC has shared a first look at Superman: Father of Tomorrow #1 with AIPT. Included in the preview are a handful of variant covers, each showcasing Jor-El’s new costume and gimmick. In Father of Tomorrow, the adult Jor-El escapes Krypton, and finds refuge on Earth. There, he meets Martha and Jonathan Kent, who teach him what it means to be human.
DC’s first look also included preview pages. While the pages are unlettered, they are a wonderful showcase for Danny Lore’s dynamic art. In the pages, Ma and Pa Kent are shocked at first to find this strange visitor from another planet. Yet as the preview concludes, Jor-El has settled into life on the Kent’s farm.
DC’s Elseworlds and Absolute Lines Have Already Given Fans New Takes on Jor-El
Father of Tomorrow Will Be The Boldest Take on Jor-El Yet
In Superman: Father of Tomorrow, Porter and Lore are flipping the script on Jor-El. Since Jor-El’s debut in the Superman daily comic strip in 1939, he has usually perished with Krypton. As noted earlier, several Elseworlds stories diverged from the classic portrayals, and some of these have become classic Superman stories.
Superman Is Officially Losing an Essential Piece of Lore After 81 Years
Few characters have lore as iconic as Superman. Now, after 81 years, DC is officially destroying one of the most defining pieces of his mythology.
One of these revisionist takes on Kal-El and his family came in 2010’s Superman: The Last Family of Krypton. Written by the legendary Cary Bates, the book begins with the entire El family coming to Earth, and attempting to steer the planet in a new direction. DC’s new Absolute Superman features a blue-collar, working-class Jor-El.
Superman: The Father of Tomorrow promises to be the most daring approach to Jor-El yet. He escapes Krypton as an adult, and much like his niece Supergirl, Jor-El watches his planet die. Father of Tomorrow will no doubt explore the trauma resulting from this, and how it shapes Jor-El on Earth.
Jor-El Is a Key Part of the Superman Mythos
Father of Tomorrow Is Another Win for DC’s Elseworlds Line
Danny Lore’s designs for Jor-El in Father of Tomorrow are epic. They leave no question in the reader’s mind as to Jor-El’s heroism. Jor-El exudes nobility in the variant covers and preview pages. His exchanges with Pa Kent show the humanity that is taking root within him and that will make Jor-El a great hero.
His exchanges with Pa Kent show the humanity that is taking root within him and that will make Jor-El a great hero.
It remains to be seen how Jor-El’s presence on Earth, without Superman, will play out, but Father of Tomorrow hints at great things. Jor-El is a foundational part of the Superman mythos, and DC is shaking that aspect up, giving him a new costume and a new, and awesome, mission.
Superman: Father of Tomorrow #1 is on sale May 27 from DC Comics!
