Superman 2020 | Superman 368 | Deadly New Year--2021

 Superman 354, cover dated December 1980, offered readers a glimpse 40 years into the future with the back-up feature "Superman 2020."  Superman 2020 introduced us to "Superman III," the grandson of the familiar Kal-El/Clark Kent Superman.  The story of Superman III would continue as a back-up in subsequent issues of the Superman comic.  In this blog, we'll take a look at the Superman that might have been...


Superman 368: "Deadly New Year--2021" Clark Kent reports for Galaxy News on New Year's Eve 2020.  Each year, the floating city of New Metropolis must touchdown on Earth for a systems check, so the New Met City Council decides to land the city at precisely midnight on New Year's Eve, in the same way the "ball" drops in Times Square.  However, when the doors to the domed city open, none of the New Metropolitans come out.  Upon entering the city, onlookers learn that all of the citizens appear to be dead!

New Met air controller Jon Hudson (secretly Superman III) 'plays possum' among the bodies, using his super-hearing to listen to the plans of The Purists, an organization opposed to cross-mating of Earth-people with aliens.  The Purists spread panic by yelling about the killer plague which has proven deadlier to the city of New Metropolis than the Legionnares' Disease [sic] of the 1970s of the Maldavian Flu of 2014.  

Fortunately, Jon Hudson has introduced a counter-microbe which forces the people into a state of suspended animation.  He uses his super-breath to freeze all ground transportation, preventing mass panic.  He also threatens to drop the Purists from a high altitude in order to make them reveal the location of the plague antidote.  "You're bluffing, Superman!  It's well-known you'd never take a human like [sic]!"  "Really?," Superman III replies.  "You must have me mixed up with my grandfather!"

When another Purist smashes the container of antidote, Superman III inhales every last particle, then exhales the contents across the city.  

The story ends with Clark Kent resuming his newscast: "Hoping your news isn't bad news!  Thank you and Good Year!"  A caption box teases a new adventure coming soon, starring Superman 2021.  

Look for the final Superman 2020, er, 2021 story in the new year!

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