![]() There were statues of his childhood best friends, the Legion of Super-Heroes. Most importantly, the Fortress became home to the Bottle City of Kandor, a city from Krypton shrunken down by the villain Brainiac. In addition, there was an alien zoo, a legion of Superman robots, and the projector into the Phantom Zone, which housed Krypton’s worst criminals. There was a giant statue of his birth parents Jor-El and Lara, holding up the planet Krypton. And, of course, Kryptonian criminals like General Zod.ĭuring the Silver Age of Comics, and into the Bronze Age, Superman’s Fortress was both a museum dedicated to his Kryptonian heritage, and a tribute to his many adventures. Of course, no one on Earth but someone with Kryptonian strength could lift said key, making the Fortress only accessible by Superman and his cousin, Supergirl. The only way to turn the lock on that door was with an equally giant metal key, located just outside. This Fortress was built into an Arctic cliff, and was safeguarded by a giant iron door. The Fortress as we know it today really first appeared in Action Comics #241, in “The Super-Key to Fort Superman,” back in 1958. The pulp adventurer Doc Savage had a Fortress of Solitude located in the frozen north, and DC Comics very liberally took the name and concept. The term “Fortress of Solitude” first appeared in Superman #58 1949, as Superman’s sanctuary located in “the polar wastes.” Interestingly, the name “Fortress of Solitude” actually predates Superman. In those days, Superman’s Kryptonian heritage was more of an afterthought, a mere explanation for how he got his powers. ![]() It first appeared in Superman #17 in 1942, and it didn’t make many appearances. This “Secret Citadel” was located in a mountain range outside of Metropolis. But originally, it was just a mountain cave where Clark stashed his belongings he didn’t have anywhere else to house. Today, we think of Superman’s Fortress as an ice palace, far away from humanity in the Arctic. DC Comics Superman’s Golden Age “Secret Sanctuary” DC Comics But what is the history of Kal-El’s majestic home away from home? And how did its media representations change from the source material, and then change the comics in return? Let’s take a deep dive into the history of Kal-El’s iconic tribute to his long-lost world. And now, it’s playing a big part in the series Superman and Lois on the CW. We’ve seen it in comics, TV shows, and in feature films. Superman’s Fortress of Solitude has been a staple of the Man of Steel’s mythology for decades.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |