Superman's "Ark of Space"
Revisiting the first extended telling of the tragedy of Krypton and the heroism of Superman's parents
In my earlier post, “Saving the World in the Superman Movie of 1978,” discussing the first published telling of Superman’s origin, written by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in Action Comics #1 (1938), I wrote:
The Siegel/Shuster panel doesn’t say anything about Superman’s father trying to save the world where Superman was born. But in the movie, Jor-El (played with magnificent gravitas by Marlon Brando) tells Krypton’s ruling council that “we must evacuate this planet immediately” because, according to his data, “This planet will explode within thirty days.” The council refuses to heed his warning, and so Krypton’s civilization is consumed by a seismic cataclysm which culminates in the explosion of the planet.
However, the story of Superman’s father trying to save Krypton did originate with Siegel and Shuster.
After Superman’s comic book stories became a smash hit and a cultural phenomenon, the character got his own daily newspaper comic strip in 1939. In the first twelve episodes of that strip (included below), Siegel and Shuster elaborated on Superman’s origin story.
After the birth of Superman (whose given name is mentioned for the first time and spelled “Kal-L”), his father (here also named for the first time, and spelled “Jor-L”), “Krypton’s foremost scientist,” searches for the cause of Krypton’s recent series of “terrible earthquakes.” On the “fifth day” of his researches, “Jor-L learns the terrible truth.” He tells his wife, “Lora, Krypton is doomed! Its going to crumble and die! And as it does, all of its inhabitants will perish!”
Jor-L resolves to “build a ship… an ark of space! We’ll transport our planet’s entire populace to another world!” Just like in the 1978 movie, Jor-L presents his findings and evacuation plan to Krypton’s council and asks for its support, but is disbelieved and refused.
Lora encourages Jor-L to try on his own to develop the technology to execute his rescue plan. He identifies Earth as “the only nearby planet capable of supporting life” and so chooses it as the relocation spot for Krypton’s civilization. But, just as he is about to launch a prototype ark on a test flight to Earth, Krypton enters its death throes.
Jor-L tells Lora that the prototype ark has room for one passenger. Lora, in an act of maternal self-sacrifice, says, “If only one can escape, then it must be our child!” And so baby Kal-L is delivered to Earth where he becomes Superman.
In this first extended telling of the tragedy of Krypton, Jor-L could not complete a great “Noah’s ark” for his whole family and civilization. But in trying, he did create a miniature ark. And Lora placed their son in that vessel so he could be saved from destruction, like Jochebed placing her son Moses in an “ark of bulrushes” and sending it down the Nile to save him from being killed by the Pharaoh.
Kal-L, like Moses, was saved by his parents and so was able to grow up and realize his heroic potential.