Kryptonite

Published stories revolving around the origin of the Superman character occurred in three separate decades of comics. Volume one of the Superman Chronicles from 1938-1939 depicted the origin of Superman as the remainder of an enhanced race of aliens from the planet Krypton which was destroyed in a freak explosion. This explanation took no more than a few panels and was not constituted as a major topic in even a single issue of volume one. This is perhaps due a lack of anticipation by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel of Superman's growing popularity, causing the creators to leave the origin ambiguous while focusing on the creative feats of daily superhero routine as a hook to attract young people to their comics.

It was not until a full decade later (1948) when DC Comics published an entire series of back-to-back issues in which the entirety of Superman's youth is discussed. By this point in the history of Superman comics a boom of popularity had been generated across the country, establishing a readership demand that became a driving factor of the topics to be chosen for each issue. In the first issue of this series, the timeline of Superman's life from before the destruction of Krypton until the conception of Clark Kent as a reporter is given in detail. This interval of his life is the only example of dynamic character development that occurs throughout any published Superman comics since the original volume. Other issues focus on the unwavering integrity of a hero who has no trouble with identity or self-reflection. By focusing on the development of his character in an entire issue, they open up a discussion that allows readers to connect with Superman's character on a deeper level than before. His plight as an orphan and the loss of his foster parents exhibit the first time that he is unable to save someone dear to him, rendering him vulnerable. His foster father's dying words are a plea to his son Clark asking for an oath to serve humanity as a beacon of justice and compassion. It is in this way that the establishment of motive is grounded within the identity as Superboy becomes Superman, thus reinforcing the formula of superhero-ism along with the discovery of his alien powers.

Exposing the vulnerability of Superman through the death of his parents (both couples) sparked a new level of understanding between reader and protagonist in superhero comics. The utterly indestructable image of Superman is replaced with that of a hero whose emotional stability is at question with such tragic loss throughout his childhood. As a means of exploring alternative corridors of character vulerability, DC comics published another issue of Superman over another decade later (1961) in which Superman "hypothetically" falls victim to the clever methods of Lex Luthor. Even though the authors adamantly assure the readers that such a conclusion could never be truly achieved, they establish a clear threshold of mortality in the character of the famed hero. By creating yet another level of relatability between reader and protagonist, the authors of this issue were able to draw the audience into a character that contains more dimensions than a flawless, perfect, and sometimes careless image of the superhero archetype that was maintained throughout volume one of the Superman Chronicles.