The K-Metal from Krypton is a Superman story scripted and drawn by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1940. Introducing concepts such like Kryptonite and developments like Clark Kent learning about his origin and revealing his secret identity to Lois Lane, it changed forever the History of the Man of Steel...or it would have done so if DC had allowed the story to be published. The K-Metal from Krypton would remain forgotten for forty-eight years -the only evidence of its existence being four pages drawn by Shuster, belonging to an unidentified unpublished story, which were published in the first volume of Jim Steranko's History of Comics (1970)- until Mark Waid found a carbon-copy of the complete script in a box in the DC archives.
Being extremely knowledgeable about comic-book history, Mark Waid realized its historic importance: Kryptonite was introduced first in 1943 on The Adventures of Superman radio series and made its way to the comics in 1949. Superman first learned he was an alien from a dead planet called Krypton the same year. And Lois Lane would not learn his real identity in mainstream continuity until the early 1990s. But if Jerry Siegel had gotten his way, those developments would have happened only two years after the character's first appearance.
Waid typed a copy of the original script, and since most of the original artwork had disappeared, he spent the 90's unsuccessfully trying to convince DC to get the story re-drawn and published. In 2003, Waid told the story in the magazine Alter Ego #26, sharing details of the script and a few surviving pages. The owner of the Superman Through the Ages website decided to hunt down the script excerpts and the surviving artwork, and in collaboration with artists Angel Criado, Bob Rivard, Shane Foley, Randy Sargent and Jon Bogdanove, managed to recreate the whole issue.
The restored comic can be read here
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The story (which according comic historian Will Murray was intended for Superman (1939) issue #8) begins when Perry White orders Clark Kent to get a statement from Professor Barnett Winton on a meteor approaching Earth. As he interviews Prof. Winton in his laboratory, and is told that the meteor comes from a planet called Krypton which exploded many years ago, Clark feels weirdly weak and tired. Back at his office, Clark writes his article, reporting that the meteor is incredibly unlikely to collide with Earth, and asks White for a less dull assignment. White obliges Clark by sending him and Lois to interview a crime lord called "Rocks" Gordon. Unfortunately, the gangster quickly figures out Clark and Lois are reporters and kicks them out of his office.
Back at the Daily Planet, a furious Perry White angrily decides the pair cannot be trusted with anything serious, so he will give them a ridiculously easy assignment: covering the opening of the new exhibit at the Metropolis Museum of Art. Upon arriving at the museum, Clark and Lois meet John Manners, nephew of recently deceased mining entrepreneur and art collector Craig Matthews, as well as art critic Daryl Bronson. While talking to both men, Clark and Lois learn John is penniless because his uncle's business partners Gizzard and Buzzard have inherited his whole wealth. He has only been left with the "Hidden Gold"; an apparent worthless painting exhibited in the museum.
Suddenly, a gang of masked thieves burst into the museum and steal the "Hidden Gold". In the aftermath of the theft, Bronson invites Lois to his house, and Clark - who has ascertained the gangsters' identities thanks to his X-Ray Vision - decides to change into Superman and pay "Rocks" Gordon a visit.
Meanwhile, the Krypton meteor is already swinging around Earth. Suddenly, Superman starts feeling dizzy and weak. Soon after, he loses his powers. As he wonders whether his career is over, Superman remembers he felt a similar dizziness while talking to Prof. Winton, who hinted he had a secret which he was not ready to reveal yet. Clark visits and persuades Prof. Winton to tell him his secret: during a scientific expedition, he found a weird radioactive meteorite. As he analyzed its puzzling properties, his research discovered the meteorite came from Krypton, a planet inhabited by a super-advanced form of life. As the professor talks, Clark Kent comes to a startling realization: he came from Krypton.
Clark leaves and heads towards Gordon's apartment, wondering what he will do now his powers are gone: keep fighting for justice as Superman or living quietly as ordinary reporter Clark Kent? After some instants, Clark decides he will go on fighting as Superman no matter what.
Meanwhile, Lois figures out that Gordon is the leader of the masked art thieves, and Bronson is in cahoots with him. Apparently, the painting is hiding a secret worth millions of dollars, and both men are willing to kill to get it.
Tropes:
- Blasting It Out of Their Hands: When Lois notices Gordon's henchman "Crusher" is drawing his gun to kill her and Bronson, she quickly grabs and hurls a vase, hitting his hand and forcing him to drop his weapon.
- Brought Down to Normal: Probably the earliest example in Superman comics. Clark loses his powers due to the K-Metal's radiation. Permanently, as far as he knew at the time. After a brief hesitation, Clark decides he cannot stop fighting for justice, depowered or not.
- Buried Alive: Daryl Bronson and "Rocks" Gordon had made a deal to steal a painting hiding a map to a gold mine and split the profits. However, as soon as he grabs the painting, Gordon tries to get Bronson murdered. Mad with rage, Bronson forces Gordon and his men at gunpoint to walk into the mine. He then blows up the entrance and decides to wait outside as they run out or air.
- Complexity Addiction: Clark Kent, who has just been depowered, is eavesdropping a meeting between "Rocks" Gordon and his henchmen when another gangster clocks Clark unconscious from behind. Gordon's minion "Crusher" wants to shoot him on the spot while he lies unconscious, but his boss decides to take him to a hidden mine alive and kill him in there, assuming that it will be easier to get rid of the body.
- Death by Secret Identity: "Rocks" Gordon and his gang are buried under a stone avalanche shortly after seeing Clark Kent taking off his clothes and revealing his Superman costume.
- Disney Villain Death: When Superman finally confronts Bronson, the villain fearfully steps back, forgetting he is standing on the edge of a cliff, and falls off, landing on a pile of rocks and dying.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: Kryptonite is not called Kryptonite yet but K-Metal, and its effects are significantly different from its future appearances. Just for starters, it nullifies Superman's powers rather than killing him, and humans gain Kryptonian powers upon touching it.
- Get Out!: Clark and Lois try to get an interview with the gangster "Rocks" Gordon, but as soon as the man learns they are journalists, he shouts "Reporters OUT!" as one of his bodyguards shoves the couple out of the door.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: When tinkering with Craig Matthews' will, Gizzard and Buzzard let John Manners keep the "Hidden Gold", figuring out that they could mock him for owning a worthless picture. When John learns his painting hides a map to a gold mine, he swears to sue his uncle's ex-partners for every last cent.
- Internal Reveal: Superman learns that he came from Krypton, a fact which readers had known since the first panel of Action Comics #1.
- Karmic Death: Bronson dies when he falls off a cliff and lands on the same rocks which he pushed off when killing Gordon and his gang. Looking down at the corpse, Superman deems it a fitting fate.
- Kryptonite Factor: Superman runs into Kryptonite and feels its negative effects for the first time in his history.
- Left Hanging: The story ends with a disturbing cliffhanger: the fragment of K-Metal secretly kept by Professor Barnett Winton has been stolen. The final panel has Clark Kent wonder who and why stole the K-Metal, and the final speech box hints at the appearance of a new, unnamed foe. Unfortunately, Jerry Siegel would never have the opportunity to follow up on that plotline, and Superman's fans will most likely never know the answers.
- Leonine Contract: John Manners discovers his uncle's business partners, Gizzard and Buzzard, forged his uncle's will to con him out of his inheritance, but he doesn't have enough money to sue. The duo offer $4,000 if John drops all charges, and he is about to sign when Clark and Lois arrive and reveal he owns a gold mine. Immediately John drops the pen and declares he will sue every single cent out of them.John Manners: "I tell you— I've uncovered evidence that definitely proves you two scoundrels bilked me out of my inheritance!"
Gizzard: "You have, eh? Lot of good it will do you!"
Buzzard: "Remember— Court trials are costly. And money happens to be something you possess very little of!"
Gizzard: "Tell you what we'll do. We'll give you $4,000 if you'll drop all charges against us."
Buzzard: "Just sign here!"
John Manners: "You've got me under a barrel. There's nothing else I can do." - Loves My Alter Ego: Unbuilt Trope. Lois finally finds out about Superman's secret, and she is understandably pissed off at Clark deceiving her for as long as they have been coworkers. She agrees to work with him for the good of humanity, though, and Clark hopes she will eventually calm down.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: "Rocks" Gordon attempting to murder him drives Daryl Bronson so mad that he murders Gordon and his entire gang.
- Never My Fault: When John Manners learns he is now rich enough to sue thanks to his uncle's painting, Gizzard and Buzzard are quickly to blame each other for letting him inherit the "Hidden Gold".
- Secret Identity Change Trick: Subverted. Circumstances (temporary power loss) trapped Clark Kent, Lois Lane and two thugs in a mine with a dwindling oxygen supply. Unable to easily sneak off to change, Clark simply opened his shirt in front of everyone. The two thugs were said to be too dazed to notice what was happening, but Lois was lucid enough to notice and Superman even confirmed to her that she was not hallucinating due to lack of air. Apparently, the plan was to have Lois brought in on Clark's secret permanently, but the idea was vetoed by National Comics (and thus the story was never published).
- Secret Test of Character: Craig Matthews left the "Hidden Gold" picture as inheritance to his nephew John Manners without telling anything about the map hidden underneath the painting because he figured that if John was smart enough to figure it out, he deserved the inheritance.
- Shooting Superman:
- After Superman removes the rocks blocking the mine's entrance, Gordon orders his men to shoot him. Shortly after, Superman swoops down on Bronson, who warns him to keep back and away before shooting his gun. Naturally, Superman ignores the bullet.
- Subverted when Gordon's gang were shoving Clark into the mine to execute him. Shooting Superman could have worked then because he was still depowered, but they did not know that.
- Ungrateful Bastard: The criminal gang of "Rocks" Gordon, who were dying of asphyxia after being trapped in a mine, are saved by Superman...whom they futilely try to kill as soon as they crawl their way out of the mine.Superman: "No sooner do I give them life when they're back to their old tricks!"
Gangster: "Shoot them down" - You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Deconstructed. Aware of the "Hidden Gold"'s secret, Bronson makes a pact with Gordon to steal the painting in exchange for 50% of the mine's profits. As soon as his gang has stolen the picture, though, Gordon attempts to get Bronson killed. Nonetheless, Gordon's henchman fails and get Bronson enough mad to kill Gordon and his entire gang.
