History ComicBook / Supreme

Moore's incarnation of Supreme was a much more overt homage to Superman, and particularly to the pre-''[[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]]'' version of the character. Over the course of the initial twelve-part story arc "Story of the Year", Supreme reconnected with the people and places from his new backstory: his small-town upbringing, his history as a [[ComicBook/{{Superboy}} child superhero]] and teen membership in a [[ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes superhero team from the future]], his childhood sweetheart, his younger and more innocent DistaffCounterpart [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} relative]], his membership in [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica various]] [[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica super-teams]], and finally his [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor scientific arch-nemesis with an alliterative name ending in X]]. At each stage his memories would be shown as flashbacks, written and drawn in the typical comic-book style of the time period they took place in. Meanwhile in the present day, Supreme in his civilian identity (along with his equivalents of [[Characters/SupermanLoisLane Lois]], [[Characters/SupermanJimmyOlsen Jimmy]] and Perry White) worked at a comic book company, where their conversations provided meta-commentary on contemporary comic-book trends and even on things happening around them in their own story. In short, Alan Moore's run on ''Supreme'' was a loving homage to the comic books of the [[MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] and [[MediaNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] which had fallen out of fashion in part because of Moore's own work in pioneering the [[MediaNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]].

Created in 1992, Supreme was originally a grim NinetiesAntiHero who had a very similar power set and appearance to [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks classic]] ComicBook/{{Superman}}, but none of his morality or humility. Supreme was violent, brutal, aloof, and with a massive ego: he made no attempt to connect with humanity or [[SecretIdentity live as a human]], and was convinced that [[AGodAmI he was a god]]. Within the Creator/ImageComics SharedUniverse he was one of the first superheroes to emerge publicly, originally becoming active during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII where he fought against Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan – soon after the war ended he left Earth to go explore the universe. Fifty years later, after making a name for himself throughout the universe as a mighty warrior, he returned to Earth to find it now overrun by superheroes of all kinds. Although he still battled supervillains and took down criminals, he considered himself unquestionably above humanity, and the general public feared and distrusted him.

Moore's incarnation of Supreme was a much more overt homage to Superman, and particularly to the pre-''[[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]]'' version of the character. Over the course of the initial twelve-part story arc "Story of the Year", Supreme reconnected with the people and places from his new backstory: his small-town upbringing, his history as a [[ComicBook/{{Superboy}} child superhero]] and teen membership in a [[ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes superhero team from the future]], his childhood sweetheart, his younger and more innocent DistaffCounterpart [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} relative]], his membership in [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica various]] [[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica super-teams]], and finally his [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor scientific arch-nemesis with an alliterative name ending in X]]. At each stage his memories would be shown as flashbacks, written and drawn in the typical comic-book style of the time period they took place in. Meanwhile in the present day, Supreme in his civilian identity (along with his equivalents of [[Characters/SupermanLoisLane Lois]], [[Characters/SupermanJimmyOlsen Jimmy]] and Perry White) worked at a comic book company, where their conversations provided meta-commentary on contemporary comic-book trends and even on things happening around them in their own story. In short, Alan Moore's run on ''Supreme'' was a loving homage to the comic books of the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] and [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] which had fallen out of fashion in part because of Moore's own work in pioneering the [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]].

* ShoutOut: Many of them to Superman. One of the more subtle ones is when we see Supreme on "Other Earth" with weakened powers, he is actually very close to [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age Superman]] in power set and strength: able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, for example, rather than being capable of flight. The [=WW2=]-era team of [[BakerStreetRegular Baker Street Regulars]] called the Junior Supreme Squad is also a shout-out to teams such as the Newsboy Legion.

* UnInstallment: The original ''Supreme'' series was deliberately identified in its indica (and on the first issue's cover) as "''Supreme'' volume 2". Creator/RobLiefeld wanted to eventually create a "volume 1" that would cover Supreme's exploits during World War II – this never ended up happening, with the glimpses of Supreme's [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] adventures being limited to occasional flashback stories.

Moore's incarnation of Supreme was a much more overt homage to Superman, and particularly to the pre-''[[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]]'' version of the character. Over the course of the initial twelve-part story arc "Story of the Year", Supreme reconnected with the people and places from his new backstory: his small-town upbringing, his history as a [[ComicBook/{{Superboy}} child superhero]] and teen membership in a [[ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes superhero team from the future]], his childhood sweetheart, his younger and more innocent DistaffCounterpart [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} relative]], his membership in [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica various]] [[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica super-teams]], and finally his [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor scientific arch-nemesis with an alliterative name ending in X]]. At each stage his memories would be shown as flashbacks, written and drawn in the typical comic-book style of the time period they took place in. Meanwhile in the present day, Supreme in his civilian identity (along with his equivalents of [[Characters/SupermanLoisLane Lois]], [[Characters/SupermanJimmyOlsen Jimmy]] and Perry White) worked at a comic book company, where their conversations provided meta-commentary on contemporary comic-book trends and even on things happening around them in their own story. In short, Alan Moore's run on ''Supreme'' was a loving homage to the comic books of the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] and [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] that Moore's own work in pioneering the [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]] had left by the wayside.

Created in 1992, Supreme was originally a grim NinetiesAntiHero who had a very similar power set and appearance to [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks classic]] {{Franchise/Superman}}, but none of his morality or humility. Supreme was violent, brutal, aloof, and with a massive ego: he made no attempt to connect with humanity or [[SecretIdentity live as a human]], and was convinced that [[AGodAmI he was a god]]. Within the Creator/ImageComics SharedUniverse he was one of the first superheroes to emerge publicly, originally becoming active during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII where he fought against Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan – soon after the war ended he left Earth to go explore the universe. Fifty years later, after making a name for himself throughout the universe as a mighty warrior, he returned to Earth to find it now overrun by superheroes of all kinds. Although he still battled supervillains and took down criminals, he considered himself unquestionably above humanity, and the general public feared and distrusted him.

* {{Crossover}}: Gladiator/Supreme by Keith Giffen. It's a one-shot comic where Gladiator (another Superman Expy) of the [[Franchise/XMen Shi'ar Imperial Guard]] fights Supreme (here depicted as a crazy KnightTemplar) for trying to exterminate one of the Shi'ar's client races.

** In Supreme #14, An insane Supreme gets knocked into the shelf at a toy store, where you can see figures of [[{{Franchise/Transformers}} Optimus Prime]], [[{{Franchise/DragonBall}} Goku]], [[{{Franchise/StarWars}} Boba Fett]], [[{{ComicBook/FantasticFour}} The Thing]], [[{{WesternAnimation/ThunderCats1985}} Lion-O]], [[{{Franchise/TrollDolls}} a Troll doll]], Liefeld's own [[{{ComicBook/XMen}} Cable]] and X-Men foe Mojo, [[{{Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes}} Doctor Zaius}}]], and even [[{{Franchise/Superman}} Superman]] himself.

* CastOfExpies: Apart from a few Creator/RobLiefeld characters who survived the retcon (namely Diehard of ''ComicBook/YoungbloodImageComics'' fame), and a couple of guest-starring [[ComicBook/TheSavageDragon Erik Larsen]] characters, pretty much ''everybody'' in the story is a barely-disguised version of a Silver Age DC hero or villain: Supreme is Superman, Supremium is Kryptonite, Suprema is Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}, Professor Night is Franchise/{{Batman}}, Twilight is Comicbook/{{Robin}}, Darius Dax is Comicbook/LexLuthor, Diana Dane is Comicbook/LoisLane, Emerpus is Bizarro, Shadow Supreme is the Reverse Flash, Optilux is ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}, Glory is Franchise/WonderWoman, Doc Rocket is Franchise/TheFlash, Black Hand is the Golden Age Franchise/GreenLantern, Roy Roman is Comicbook/{{Aquaman}} with some Comicbook/{{Namor}} thrown is as evidenced by his SdrawkcabName, the Fisherman is Comicbook/GreenArrow... And even the Larsen characters, Superpatriot and Mighty Man, are used as an Ersatz ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and an Ersatz [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] respectively.

* GreatGazoo: Szasz, the Sprite Supreme, his version of Mr Mxyzptlk. Also, Professor Night (Franchise/{{Batman}}) and Roy Roman (ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}) have their own sprites: Nite-Mite and Qyrk, paralleling Bat-Mite and Qwsp.

* PersonalityPowers: Suggested to be at work when the series does the obligatory Superman's-Pal-Jimmy-Olsen-gains-weird-superpowers plot. Comicbook writer Billy Friday, exposed to Violet Supremium, begins sprouting extra limbs, rapidly becoming an ungainly mess that collapses under its own weight. Supreme remarks that it reminds him of [[KudzuPlot the way Friday plots story arcs]].

** Earlier, we have Billy Friday, a British Comicbook writer and parody of Comicbook/JimmyOlsen who's been transformed by some Supremite into an ever-growing mass of arms, and is considerably growing more and more complex by the second. Then we get this:

* {{Expy}}: Evening Primrose is a combination of Catwoman and Poison Ivy to match Professor Night's Franchise/{{Batman}}.

** The ''Professor Night'' serial has been going on since 1939, which is the same year Franchise/{{Batman}} debuted in ''ComicBook/DetectiveComics''. This fits with Professor Night being an {{Expy}} of Batman.

* IncrediblyLamePun: Darius Dax muses on this after he learns about [[spoiler: Jack Lancome becoming Jack O'Lantern.]]

* SetRightWhatOnceWasWrong: The timeline is out of whack and it must be fixed.

* CastOfExpies: Apart from a few Creator/RobLiefeld characters who survived the retcon (namely Diehard of ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}'' fame), and a couple of guest-starring [[ComicBook/TheSavageDragon Erik Larsen]] characters, pretty much ''everybody'' in the story is a barely-disguised version of a Silver Age DC hero or villain: Supreme is Superman, Supremium is Kryptonite, Suprema is Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}, Professor Night is Franchise/{{Batman}}, Twilight is Comicbook/{{Robin}}, Darius Dax is Comicbook/LexLuthor, Diana Dane is Comicbook/LoisLane, Emerpus is Bizarro, Shadow Supreme is the Reverse Flash, Optilux is ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}, Glory is Franchise/WonderWoman, Doc Rocket is Franchise/TheFlash, Black Hand is the Golden Age Franchise/GreenLantern, Roy Roman is Comicbook/{{Aquaman}} with some Comicbook/{{Namor}} thrown is as evidenced by his SdrawkcabName, the Fisherman is Comicbook/GreenArrow... And even the Larsen characters, Superpatriot and Mighty Man, are used as an Ersatz ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and an Ersatz [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] respectively.

* NaiveEverygirl: Suprema, by virtue of having been in what amounts to a coma for decades, is not very worldly for her age. As it happens, a lot of people besides Supreme quickly get annoyed with her because she tends to be very pushy. While she was in ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}'', the only person who could stand her was Twilight and that was because they were old friends.

* EvilIsSexy: Slaver Ant isn't bothered walking around bare naked, in her high heels and pink shapely body, and stealing others children.

* MyGreatestFailure: Supreme [[spoiler:accidentally killing his best friend, mentor and priest during an arguement about violence.]] Remembering it breaks his [[AGodIAm delusions of grandeur]] and he even calls himself a bad person.

Created in 1992, Supreme was originally a Grim NinetiesAntiHero who had a very similar power set and appearance to [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks classic]] {{Franchise/Superman}}, but none of his morality or humility. Supreme was violent, brutal, aloof, and with a massive ego: he made no attempt to connect with humanity or [[SecretIdentity live as a human]], and was convinced that [[AGodAmI he was a god]]. Within the Creator/ImageComics SharedUniverse he was one of the first superheroes to emerge publicly, originally becoming active during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII where he fought against Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan – soon after the war ended he left Earth to go explore the universe. Fifty years later, after making a name for himself throughout the universe as a mighty warrior, he returned to Earth to find it now overrun by superheroes of all kinds. Although he still battled supervillains and took down criminals, he considered himself unquestionably above humanity, and the general public feared and distrusted him.

In 1996, Creator/AlanMoore took over as writer on the series with complete freedom to do whatever he liked with it. Moore opted to [[ContinuityReboot reboot]] the series and its main character entirely, keeping only Supreme's name, appearance, power set, and original human identity of Ethan Crane. Furthermore, he introduced an element that would come to define the series going forward by making the reboot part of the story itself: Moore's debut in issue #41 saw the newly rebooted Supreme discover that his universe had gone through periodic "[[CosmicRetcon revisions]]" across his lifetime, and that all past incarnations of himself and his associates ended up in a limbo dimension called [[ComicBookLimbo the Supremacy]].

Moore's incarnation of Supreme was a much more overt homage to Superman, and particularly to the pre-''[[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]]'' version of the character. Over the course of the initial twelve-issue story arc "Story of the Year", Supreme reconnected with the people and places from his new backstory: his small-town upbringing, his history as a [[ComicBook/{{Superboy}} child superhero]] and teen membership in a [[ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes superhero team from the future]], his childhood sweetheart, his younger and more innocent DistaffCounterpart [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} relative]], his membership in [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica various]] [[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica super-teams]], and finally his [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor scientific arch-nemesis with an alliterative name ending in X]]. At each stage his memories would be shown as flashbacks, written and drawn in the typical comic-book style of the time period they took place in. Meanwhile in the present day, Supreme in his civilian identity (along with his equivalents of [[Characters/SupermanLoisLane Lois]], [[Characters/SupermanJimmyOlsen Jimmy]] and Perry White) worked at a comic book company, where their conversations provided meta-commentary on contemporary comic-book trends and even on things happening around them in their own story. In short, Alan Moore's run on ''Supreme'' was a loving homage to the comic books of the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] and [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] that Moore's own work in pioneering the [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]] had left by the wayside.

In 1996, Creator/AlanMoore took over as writer on the series with complete freedom to do whatever he liked with it. Moore opted to [[ContinuityReboot reboot]] the series and its main character entirely, keeping only Supreme's name, appearance, power set, and original human identity of Ethan Crane. Furthermore, he introduced an element that would come to define the series going forward by making the reboot part of the story itself: Moore's debut in issue #41 saw the newly rebooted Supreme discover that his universe had gone through periodic "[[CosmicRetcon revisions]]" across his lifetime, and that past incarnations of himself and his associates ended up in a limbo dimension called [[ComicBookLimbo the Supremacy]].

Moore's incarnation of Supreme was a much more overt homage to Superman, and particularly to the pre-''[[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]]'' version of the character. Over the course of the initial twelve-issue story arc "Story of the Year", Supreme reconnected with the people and places from his new backstory: his small-town upbringing, his history as a [[ComicBook/{{Superboy}} child superhero]] and teen membership in a [[ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes superhero team from the future]], his childhood sweetheart, his younger and more innocent DistaffCounterpart [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} relative]], his membership in [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica various]] [[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica super-teams]], and finally his [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor scientific arch-nemesis with an alliterative name ending in X]]. At each stage his memories would be shown as flashbacks, written and drawn in the typical comic-book style of the time period they took place in. Meanwhile in the present day, Supreme in his civilian identity (along with his equivalents of [[Characters/SupermanLoisLane Lois]], [[Characters/SupermanJimmyOlsen Jimmy]] and Perry White) worked at a comic book company, where their conversations provided meta-commentary on contemporary comic-book trends and even on things happening around them in their own story. In short, Alan Moore's run on Supreme was a loving homage to the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] and [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] of Comic Books that Moore's own work in pioneering the [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]] had left by the wayside.

With Liefeld departing Image Comics after only two issues had been published, Moore's run on ''Supreme'' then bounced over to Maximum Press (under the temporary title ''Supreme: The New Adventures'') and then to the new imprint Awesome Comics. After issue #56, the title went on hiatus for a year before being relaunched under the title ''Supreme: The Return''. Six issues later, Awesome Comics collapsed and the series was over, leaving Moore's run open-ended.

Originally, Supreme was a Grim NinetiesAntiHero who had a very similar power set and appearance to [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks classic]] {{Franchise/Superman}}, but none of his morality or humility. Supreme was violent, brutal, aloof, with a massive ego, made no attempt to connect with humanity or [[SecretIdentity live as a human]], and was convinced that [[AGodAmI he was a god]]. Within the Creator/ImageComics SharedUniverse he was one of the first superheroes to emerge publicly, originally becoming active during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII where he fought against Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan – soon after the war ended he left Earth to go explore the universe. Fifty years later, after making a name for himself throughout the universe as a mighty warrior, he returned to Earth to find it now overrun by superheroes of all kinds. While he still battled supervillains and took down criminals, he considered himself unquestionably above humanity, and the general public feared and distrusted him.

In 1996, Creator/AlanMoore took over the series, with permission to {{retcon}} anything he didn't like. Moore threw out most of Supreme's history and reinvented him as an explicit Superman homage, complete with his own scientific archnemesis with a name ending in X, a younger and more innocent DistaffCounterpart, a superteam similar to the Franchise/{{Justice League of America}}, and so on. Moore's run on the series was heavy on the meta-text: his first issue is ''about'' the fact that the entire series is being {{retcon}}ned, with Supreme watching in amazement as some cosmic force recreates the world around him, and meeting a parade of earlier Supremes who were cast out of continuity by earlier retcons (most of which Moore had just made up for the occasion). As he explores his new history over the following issues, it's filled in via means of a series of flashbacks that are each written and illustrated in a contemporary comics style (for example, a flashback set during the 1960s resembles a [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] story). The fact that Moore's Supreme is now a noble figure (much like Superman) instead of his former dark self is linked to the fact that, in the new continuity, Supreme spent the eighties and nineties pursuing a quest in outer space and thus missed the [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Age of Dark Superheroes]] entirely. Another layer of meta-commentary is brought in by Supreme's new civilian identity: he and his newly-acquired equivalents of Lois Lane, Perry White, and Jimmy Olsen work at a comic book company. Their conversations frequently reflect contemporary trends in the comic book industry, and even (sometimes without their entirely realising) things happening around them in their own story.

A new run of Supreme by ''ComicBook/TheSavageDragon'' creator Erik Larsen came out in 2012. It began with an adaptation of Alan Moore's final script, and from there went on to present a balance between the original anti-hero vision of the character and Moore's revisioning, with the plot focusing on the escape of Liefeld's Supreme from ''Supremacy'' into the revisioned world. The series was cancelled after four issues due to low sales.

* WholePlotReference: The Suprema back-up story in issue #52 is a retelling of [[Myth/NorseMythology the myth of Thor and Loki encountering the giant Utgard-Loki]].

* CastOfExpies: Apart from a few Creator/RobLiefeld characters who survived the retcon (namely Diehard of ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}'' fame), and a couple of guest-starring [[ComicBook/TheSavageDragon Erik Larsen]] characters, pretty much ''everybody'' in the story is a barely-disguised version of a Silver Age DC hero or villain: Supreme is Superman, Supremium is Kryptonite, Suprema is Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}, Professor Night is Franchise/{{Batman}}, Twilight is Comicbook/{{Robin}}, Darius Dax is Comicbook/LexLuthor, Diana Dane is Comicbook/LoisLane, Emerpus is Bizarro, Shadow Supreme is the Reverse Flash, Optilux is ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}, Glory is Franchise/WonderWoman, Doc Rocket is Franchise/TheFlash, Black Hand is the Golden Age Franchise/GreenLantern, Roy Roman is Comicbook/{{Aquaman}} with some Comicbook/{{Namor}} thrown is as evidenced by his SdrawkcabName, the Fisherman is Comicbook/GreenArrow... And even the Larsen characters, Superpatriot and Mighty Man, are used as an Ersatz ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and an Ersatz [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] respectively.)

* CastOfExpies: Apart from a few Creator/RobLiefeld characters who survived the retcon (namely Diehard of ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}'' fame), and a couple of guest-starring [[ComicBook/TheSavageDragon Erik Larsen]] characters, pretty much ''everybody'' in the story is a barely-disguised version of a Silver Age DC hero or villain: Supreme is Superman, Supremium is Kryptonite, Suprema is Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}, Professor Night is Franchise/{{Batman}}, Twilight is Comicbook/{{Robin}}, Darius Dax is Comicbook/LexLuthor, Diana Dane is Comicbook/LoisLane, Emerpus is Bizarro, Shadow Supreme is the Reverse Flash, Optilux is ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}, Glory is Franchise/WonderWoman, Doc Rocket is Franchise/TheFlash, Black Hand is the Golden Age Franchise/GreenLantern, Roy Roman is Comicbook/{{Aquaman}}, the Fisherman is Comicbook/GreenArrow... And even the Larsen characters, Superpatriot and Mighty Man, are used as an Ersatz ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and an Ersatz [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] respectively.)

In 1996, Creator/AlanMoore took over the series, with permission to {{retcon}} anything he didn't like. Moore threw out most of Supreme's history and recreated him as an explicit Superman homage, complete with his own scientific archnemesis with a name ending in X, a younger and more innocent DistaffCounterpart, a superteam similar to the Franchise/{{Justice League of America}}, and so on. Moore's run on the series was heavy on the meta-text: his first issue is ''about'' the fact that the entire series is being {{retcon}}ned, with Supreme watching in amazement as some cosmic force recreates the world around him, and meeting a parade of earlier Supremes who were cast out of continuity by earlier retcons (most of which Moore had just made up for the occasion). As he explores his new history over the following issues, it's filled in via means of a series of flashbacks that are each written and illustrated in a contemporary comics style (for example, a flashback set during the 1960s resembles a [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] story). The fact that Moore's Supreme is now a noble figure (much like Superman) instead of his former dark self is linked to the fact that, in the new continuity, Supreme spent the eighties and nineties pursuing a quest in outer space and thus missed the [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Age of Dark Superheroes]] entirely. Another layer of meta-commentary is brought in by Supreme's new civilian identity: he and his newly-acquired equivalents of Lois Lane, Perry White, and Jimmy Olsen work at a comic book company. Their conversations frequently reflect contemporary trends in the comic book industry, and even (sometimes without their entirely realising) things happening around them in their own story.

In 1997, Creator/AlanMoore took over the series, with permission to {{retcon}} anything he didn't like. Moore threw out most of Supreme's history and recreated him as an explicit Superman homage, complete with his own scientific archnemesis with a name ending in X, a younger and more innocent DistaffCounterpart, a superteam similar to the Franchise/{{Justice League of America}}, and so on. Moore's run on the series was heavy on the meta-text: his first issue is ''about'' the fact that the entire series is being {{retcon}}ned, with Supreme watching in amazement as some cosmic force recreates the world around him, and meeting a parade of earlier Supremes who were cast out of continuity by earlier retcons (most of which Moore had just made up for the occasion). As he explores his new history over the following issues, it's filled in via means of a series of flashbacks that are each written and illustrated in a contemporary comics style (for example, a flashback set during the 1960s resembles a [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] story). The fact that Moore's Supreme is now a noble figure (much like Superman) instead of his former dark self is linked to the fact that, in the new continuity, Supreme spent the eighties and nineties pursuing a quest in outer space and thus missed the [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Age of Dark Superheroes]] entirely. Another layer of meta-commentary is brought in by Supreme's new civilian identity: he and his newly-acquired equivalents of Lois Lane, Perry White, and Jimmy Olsen work at a comic book company. Their conversations frequently reflect contemporary trends in the comic book industry, and even (sometimes without their entirely realising) things happening around them in their own story.

* ExpendableClone: There are shades of this whenever multiple incarnations of Supreme appear. The miniseries ''Legend of Supreme'' ends with him fighting and killing a clone of himself. The final story arc on "Other Earth" also sees [[spoiler:our Supreme, still de-powered, switch bodies with a powered alternate-timeline version of himself; that alternate Supreme, in the original's body, is later killed.]] Averted in the flash-forward issue #25, where the alternate-universe Supreme survives.

* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: Supreme's {{Superhero Sobriquet|s}} are alliterative like "Gilded Goliath" or the "Ivory Icon".

* AlliterativeName: Darius Dax, Diana Dane, Judy Jordan

* GeniusLoci: Gorrl, [[UpToEleven the Living Galaxy]]

* {{Reconstruction}}

* CreateYourOwnVillain: [[spoiler: Inverted. Darius Dax inadvertently creates Supreme with a StableTimeLoop.]]

** “Blue rose” will immediately ring a bell for fans of ‘’Series/TwinPeaks’’, where the FBI designates strange and bizarre cases (including reality being rewritten) as “blue rose” cases.

** In one issue, Suprema encounters a demon with seven heads, each embodying one of the SevenDeadlySins. They don't get on with each other very well.

* MultipleHeadCase