Superman: Secret Identity
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| Superman: Secret Identity | |
 Cover of Superman: Secret Identity #1, art by Stuart Immonen. |
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| Publisher | DC Comics |
|---|---|
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Prestige format mini-series |
| Publication date | January-April 2004 |
| Number of issues | 4 |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Kurt Busiek |
| Artist(s) | Stuart Immonen |
Superman: Secret Identity is a four-issue mini-series of 48 pages each in prestige format, written by Kurt Busiek and illustrated by Stuart Immonen. The first issue was published in January 2004, and the limited series ran until April 2004. The title was not released under the Elseworlds banner, but is regarded as a non-canonical story. The story describes the life of Clark Kent, a man in a world in which the superheroes are alive only in the comics, who suddenly gains the powers of Superman.
Contents |
[edit] The story
[edit] Superman: Secret Identity #1
A young boy is born to David and Laura Kent, in the small town Picketsville, Kansas. They name him Clark, after the fictional superhero Superman, something for which Clark has not been grateful. He receives his always Superman-related gifts with a smile and puts up with being the butt of many jokes, including that of the local bully Mike. When home, he usually retreats to what his father has dubbed the 'Fortress of Solitude', a typewriter in a tractor out in the fields, where Clark sits and writes.
One night, during a weekend camping trip, he wakes from a bad dream to find himself floating in mid-air. Discovering that he now has the powers of Superman allows him to avoid his tormentors at school and fly all over the world in the weekend. He does not reveal his powers to his parents, although he starts to question his origin. Eventually, while out flying, Clark happens onto a flood and saves someone from drowning, flying off before he can be spotted. He decides to continue using his powers for good. After a few more rescues and a blurry far-away photograph, the phenomenon is tracked down to his hometown of Hopefield, with both reporters and government agents asking questions. With the appearance of a true Superboy, Clark is pestered even more, and the questions about his powers still aren't answered.
He decides to approach Wendy Case, the reporter who wrote the first story on him. Clark keeps his secret identity by interviewing at night, and proves his existence by performing superhuman stunts. Wendy offers Clark a deal, wherein she will exclusively handle his debut, and they can investigate his powers even better. Clark is prepared to accept her offer, but stops when he catches Wendy taping him with a concealed video-camera. Clark uses his heat vision to destroy the camera and angrily leaves. He decides that he will go public with his powers at the town's Halloween carnival.
Dressed in a Superboy outfit, he watches the carnival descend into chaos when an explosion causes the gas lines to burst. Clark rescues people caught in the blast, finally coming across his longtime friend and crush Cassie trapped under a massive beam. Clark is lifting the beam so that she can escape, when a group of reporters (including Wendy) come upon the scene. Clark, deciding it best to keep his secret identity, pretends to drop the beam. His actions are described as a lucky break. Wendy Case is revealed to have set the explosion and Superboy becomes regarded as a hoax. Clark becomes a local hero, earning the respect of his former bully Mike. Although Mike and Cassie become a couple, Clark is finally content with his life.
[edit] Superman: Secret Identity #2
Years later, Clark has moved to Manhattan, where he is a writer for The New Yorker. While his colleagues tease him about his name from time to time, he genuinely likes his job. He continues saving lives dressed as Superman, using the idea that nobody would believe someone saying he had been rescued by Superman (government agents continue to investigate his exploits though).
One day Clark is called in by his boss. Fearing that he is getting fired, he is pleasantly surprised to learn his boss has gotten him an appointment with a publisher. She points out, however, that his work is 'all head, but no heart', and that he is like an alien observer. Reeling from a potential book deal, he accompanies his colleagues to a café for beers and burger, unaware that they have set him up to introduce him to a woman called Lois. She storms out and he follows her, telling her that he's quite familiar with the usual set-ups, being named Clark Kent. She introduces herself as Lois Chaudhari. He decides to ask her out, and at the end of the evening, the two kiss. They start a relationship, though he feels guilt for not telling Lois of his secret.
Later, seeing a civilian in danger, Clark is lured into a trap and is captured. He awakes in a government facility with scientists attempting to extract samples from his invulnerable skin. Clark manages to escape and finds bodies of various others marked with powers, including babies in a dissection lab. Clark evacuates the occupants and destroys the building. Afraid, Clark hides in his apartment for four days before forcing himself to go out into the world. As a precaution, he decides to wear glasses (much like Superman) to prevent from being recognized from a distance. Clark publishes his first book, with people commenting on a more 'alive' tone to his writing that still retains his unique perspective. He continues his rescue work, but is more cautious and remains wary of Superman sightings on the Internet. After a row with Lois, Clark angrily leaves, but patches it up with her and reveals his secret in the process. She swears to keep his secret and the two are more in love than ever, and Clark is no longer alone, ready to face whatever lies ahead.
[edit] Superman: Secret Identity #3
Years later, Clark has become a successful author and lecturer, while continuing his heroic exploits in secret. The government still keeps track of him. When Lois reveals she is pregnant, Clark worries about the effects of his powers on the children. As the birth nears (with Clark and Lois now expecting twins), Clark decides to make a deal with the government. The first meeting is a disaster as Clark hesitates when Agent Malloy asks him why he wants this deal; the government agents around them attack Clark and he is forced to flee. Clark decides to try again by pulling a series of stunts among the higher levels of the government, leading to a pre-arranged meeting at the top of the Washington Monument. Clark and Malloy come to terms. Clark will take non-politically motivated missions for the government; in return, the government will leave Clark and his family alone.
As the twins are about to be born, Clark is called on a mission to rescue a group of hostages, grudgingly accepting that it is the way it will have to be. He rushes back to the hospital, where he joins his wife and his two daughters. Cradling his two daughters, he swears that not only will they not receive the names 'Kara', 'Lana' or 'Lori', he will keep them safe, no matter what it takes.
[edit] Superman: Secret Identity #4
Many years later, the two daughters, Carol and Jane, have come home for the holidays, bearing Superman-related gifts to tease their father, who is now fifty-seven. Clark has become an accomplished writer, and Lois a famous designer. Clark steps out for a moment to fly around, one of his Christmas traditions, as Lois sits outside waiting with eggnog for him, her Christmas tradition.
Clark and Lois have noticed his powers fading, and Clark still has not uncovered the origin of his powers. Clark continues his government missions, becoming friendly with Malloy despite the game of finding Clark's identity. Clark is called less and less often; he speculates that they have their own super powered agents. This spurs him to again continue his research. Over the years he has slowly assembled a book about his origins. Using his x-ray vision, he uncovers records of pre-World War II eugenic programs, nerve gas accidents, chromosomal changes reports, anomaly on the solar changes, and a series of meteor strikes around the world in 1988, including Kansas. Clark believes that the meteor showers released unknown chemical compounds and radiation into the water table and his subconscious may have shaped his powers to the Superman archetype.
As the girls grow up, Clark and Lois sometimes test them to see if they had gained any powers but eventually stop, thinking it unfair to their children. One day, as Clark attempts to stop a tornado in South Australia, it dissipates and he hears what sounds like the faint sound of two laughing girls. He concludes that they may have developed powers like himself. Rather than confront them, he leaves a manuscript of his book on superhumans on the table. Eventually, he finds two pairs of hands helping him to stop a derailing train, who reveal themselves to be his daughters, who admit their powers manifested in their teens.
The next surprise in store for Clark is the retirement of Agent Malloy, who reveals that he had uncovered Clark's identity long ago, though he had never told anybody. With the superhuman situation changed, Clark retires alongside Malloy. The two leave each other on good terms.
Many years later, Clark lives in a world that openly accepts the superhumans amongst them, resulting in advancements in every area of science. Clark has become the grandfather to Perry, Jimmy and Clark (Jane's children), noting that as ever, the Kent sense of humor breeds true. Clark publishes his book of research on his origins, though he keeps his family out of it. He still flies with his daughters, as well as Perry at times, who has since also discovered his powers. Clark looks at the sunset, retired from the superhero work, and he looks back on his life, content, and flies to the east, to look at another sunrise.
[edit] Superboy of Earth-Prime
On the world of Earth-Prime, there lives a Superboy akin to the Clark Kent of this world. Both are brought into a world without other superheroes, and they become the first and only (although Clark would later be joined by others).
Kurt Busiek, the writer of Superman: Secret Identity, stated in the introduction to the collected volume of this series, that his inspiration for this story was the original appearances of Superboy-Prime in DC Comics Presents during the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths.
