Superman: Birthright
| Superman: Birthright | |
|---|---|
Cover from Superman: Birthright #1
Art by Leinil Francis Yu. |
|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date(s) | September 2003 – September 2004 |
| No. of issues | 12 |
| Main character(s) | Superman (Clark Kent) |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Mark Waid |
| Artist(s) | Leinil Francis Yu |
| Collected editions | |
| (hardcover) | ISBN |
Superman: Birthright is a twelve-issue comic book limited series published by DC Comics in 2003 and 2004, written by Mark Waid and drawn by Leinil Francis Yu.
Originally, this series was meant to be a non-canon version of Superman, showcasing his origin and updating him for the 21st century. Soon after, it was decided to make the series canon, and thus it replaced John Byrne's The Man of Steel series as Superman's canonical origin story. This editorial position lasted until the 2005–2006 Infinite Crisis crossover event, and the release of the new origin story; Superman: Secret Origin in 2009.
The story begins with a retelling of the destruction of planet Krypton. Jor-El laments the fact that his world accomplished "miracles no one will remember" while he is busy preparing infant Kal-El's voyage. Kal-El's shuttle pod fires into space moments before the planet's destruction. Jor-El and his wife Lara regret that they will never know if Kal-El survives the journey.
Time winds forward to present day West Africa, where an ethnic conflict between the fictional Ghuri and Turaaba clans is claiming lives (this conflict is very reminiscent of the Hutu and Tutsi wars in Rwanda). Clark Kent, a freelance reporter in his early twenties, arrives to cover the conflict, and to meet with the Ghuri political leader and human rights activist, Kobe Asuru.
They first meet as Kent is forced to protect Asuru from an assassination attempt. Kent deflects a hail of bullets away from Asuru, but in the chaos and confusion of the firefight, is able to deflect suspicion of his superhuman powers. Over the course of several days, Clark and Asuru establish a rapport and become friends. Asuru emphasizes the Ghuri tradition of honoring ancestors through wearing symbolic clothing and working for human rights. While Clark and Kobe establish a quick connection, Kobe Asuru's sister Abena is suspicious of Kent's motives and at one point accuses him of cultural imperialism and acting in a condescending "white savior" manner to the Ghuri.
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Wikipedia