Earth Day 2020 Reading: Superman for Earth (1991)

1990s Superman associate, Professor Hamilton, appears to help Superman by
analyzing some river water samples. (17)

Back in April 1991, I had nearly completed my 5 month student teaching internship at, what was then, Frederick Douglass Middle School and was on the verge of graduating from college with my Bachelor's of Arts degree in English Literature and Secondary Education. I recall distinctly working with my middle school students on writing poetry and analyzing "The Trail is Not a Trail" by Gary Snyder from the Earth Day anthology, Poetry for the Earth: A collection of poems from around the world that celebrates nature, edited by Sara Dunn with Alan Scholefield. 

At some point during those weeks, while at the local comic book shop, I picked up a Superman one-shot simply because it was a Superman comic book. Back then I was a true fanboy-completionist, acquiring just about any mainline "super-titles" I could, and there were many. As it so happened, this one-shot had a message I had explored while in college, environmentalism. This year, with Earth Day falling on a Wednesday, and there still being no New Comic Book Day (making these last four weeks unprecedented in my comic book collecting days), it is a perfect time to revisit an issue that checks all the boxes of an excellent comic book read.

Beautiful cover by legendary
Superman writer-artist Jerry
"Da Ordster" Ordway.

Superman for Earth (1991) is that rare cape comic book one-shot that, even 19 years later, maintains its relevance, while still dovetailing into the most current characterization of the main characters. Like most  good contemporary Superman stories, this one focuses heavily on the relationship between Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Set chronologically after Lois and Clark’s engagement in Superman #50 (1990), but before their eventual marriage in another one-shot, Superman: The Wedding Album (1996), there are a number of character interactions that suggested key events later.

Nearly 20 years later, Clark's concern over his genetic compatibility with Lois, a wonderfully written and illustrated scene early on in this comic book, foreshadows a significant characterization shift for both in 2020 continuity. Now, the realization of this potential to have a child together has become part of the mainstream comic book line. (SPOILER: The two do have a biological son in current continuity.) The ongoing humanizing effect Lois (and Ma and Pa Kent) has on Clark continues to be fulfilled in the current series published by DC Comics. While Superman is inherently empathetic, it is his affection for family and friends that moves him to be better. As a result, Superman for Earth works  very well as both a Superman comic and as a public service announcement of sorts regarding environmental issues. It is Lois' upcoming assignment for the Daily Planet covering an ecology symposium that sparks Clark's interest in environmental issues.

Initially, Superman takes on local reclamation projects in Metropolis. (10)

Superman for Earth's only story has an alternate title, "To Save a World", and is written by Roger Stern with art by Kerry Gammill and Dennis Janke. With a beautifully rendered cover by Jerry Ordway (reminiscent of his excellent Power of Shazam! series' covers), this one-shot has a veritable "Dream Team" of creators from Superman's "Triangle Days". It is clear that this was intended as a weak throwaway in the vein of other well-intentioned specials, but a very well-written (and researched) and illustrated Superman story that uses Clark Kent's greatest super power, his humanity, to deal with the sorry state of the Earth's environment. It is also a reminder that being a superman is not enough to solve all of the the world's problems.

Superman quickly learns that the issue is much larger, and multi-faceted,
than even he can handle alone. (24)

Throughout the 48-page story, Superman engages with a wide range of individuals who are in some way responsible for environmental degradation. These chief "adversaries" share a common trait of being large corporate entities including an oil company in Metropolis thoughtlessly disposing of corrosive waste and Portuguese lumber organization participating in an illegal clear-cut of pristine forests. It key to the story's, larger theme that those individuals directly involved in the acts that potentially cause harm to Earth's ecology are not overtly the "villainous" corporate giants. In most instances, those directly committing the various harmful acts are themselves simply doing "a job" with little, if any, "evil" intent.  A subtext to Superman's journey of discovery is the reality the we, the reader, and he, the most powerful man in the universe also, share responsibility for the fate of our planet.

The dreaded NIMBY (Not-in-my-backyard) is one environmental enemy Superman
had not expected to encounter. (page 29)

When visiting Ma and Pa Kent, Clark sees that the issue is more than waste
disposal, but also sprawl and endangered species. (32)

Superman for Earth is not completely devoid of familiar comic book tropes such as the revelatory dream connecting the hero's origin to the concern at hand. In a powerful 5-page sequence, Clark dreams first of revisiting his home planet of Krypton during its final days. These days of environmental destruction brought on, in part, by Kryptonian hubris then dissolve into Earthly nightmare of ecological disaster,which includes another wonderful character moment when Superman chides the cockroaches who come out to ravage the last human survivor that with, "I might have known that you would survive!" (37) This vision prompts Superman to acknowledge the necessity of moving beyond individual heroic feats and to address the entire planet by speaking at the ecology consortium being covered by Lois.

Ultimately, Superman addresses the ecology consortium and requests the
help of every inhabitant of Earth. (41)

A comic book about superheroes dealing with environmental issues could go wrong in many different ways. In the able hands of comic book creators like Stern, Gammill and Janke, who have worked with Clark/Superman and his supporting characters so well previously, the potentially biased, preachy pitfalls are deftly avoided. Superman for Earth reads as a worthy contribution to Clark's growth as a superman dealing with very terrestrial issues as a man without being able to rely on his otherworldly powers. It also hits the mark by revealing the numerous ways in which a wide range of human behaviors negatively impact the ecology of our plant without pointing the finger at any individual group or party. In the end, Superman figuratively point's his finger at both he and the reader, suggesting the key to change is for each of us to take this responsibility seriously.

Superman for Earth concludes with a list of organizations readers can
contact to follow Superman's lead.