A new Superman movie, directed by James Gunn, hits the big screen this month, and I am cautiously optimistic about it. That said, each time a new film featuring Superman comes out, it is inevitably compared to 1978’s classic Superman: The Movie, starring Christopher Reeve. I think most folks would tell you that no film built around the Man of Steel has fully lived up to Richard Donner’s masterwork (with the possible exception of 1980’s Superman II, which is really just a continuation of the first film).
Recently, I have been reading a novel that came out in 1978 as a kind of tie-in to the movie. Superman: Last Son of Krypton by Elliot S. Maggin was published with a cover featuring Christopher Reeve as the title character and 16 pages of photographs from the film.
The book, however, is decidedly not a novelization of the movie. While Maggin had hoped his story would become a movie, he instead found himself sharing insights into Superman’s character with Mario Puzo (famed author of The Godfather and screenwriter for the film series drawn from the novel), who wrote the screenplay for Superman: The Movie.
As a sort of consolation prize, Maggin convinced Warner Books to let him write up his tale of Superman’s adventures as a novel. Superman: Last Son of Krypton came out the same day as Superman: The Movie and was a bestseller. Maggin would go on to write a second Superman novel titled Miracle Monday. Published in 1981, this second book also featured Christopher Reeve on the cover—and like its predecessor, it is not directly connected to the Superman movies.
Superman: Last Son of Krypton tells a quirky story involving Albert Einstein, an alien named Towbee who speaks in rhymes, and the Guardians of the Universe (familiar particularly to fans of the hero known as Green Lantern), as well as stalwarts of many a Superman story like Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Lex Luthor. Archrivals Superman and Luthor must team up to retrieve an essential document of Einstein’s that disappears from earth.
Maggin’s prose is briskly paced and his joy in playing in the Superman sandbox is evident. His story may not have the gravitas of Superman: The Movie, but the film and the book strike similar tones when it comes to the more humorous moments.
Superman: Last Son of Krypton has not become a cultural touchstone like Donner’s film, but I am delighted to have a lovely copy in my collection that I picked up on the cheap in a used bookstore. I hope to eventually have an original copy of Miracle Monday to place beside it on my shelf.
I was also delighted when I discovered that Maggin recorded the full book (and Miracle Monday, too) and posted it as a podcast called “Elliot Makes Stuff Up.” In addition to the text of the novels, Maggin shares stories about their creation. He is an amenable audio companion, if not a polished reader of audiobooks.
If you are excited about the latest iteration of Superman on screen, or a lover of any of the film adventures from Donner’s Superman: The Movie through Zack Snyder’s DC Extended Universe releases, I bet you would enjoy Maggin’s take on the character, too—whether you read it on the page or let Maggin read it to you.