| "The Mirror Crack'd..." | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Man of Steel | |
| Title: | "The Mirror Crack'd..." |
| Volume: | 1 |
| Number: | 5 |
| Cover price: | 75¢ |
| Cover date: | December, 1986 |
| Publisher: | DC Comics |
| Credits | |
| Ex. Ed: | Dick Giordano |
| Writers: | John Byrne |
| Pencilers: | John Byrne |
| Inkers: | Dick Giordano |
| Cover artists: | John Byrne |
| Cover inker: | John Byrne |
| Colorists: | Tom Ziuko |
| Letterers: | John Costanza |
| Editors: | Andrew Helfer |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | Man of Steel #4 |
| Next: | Man of Steel #6 |
"The Mirror Crack'd..." is the title to the fifth issue of the Man of Steel comic book limited series published by DC Comics. This series serves as a jumping-on point for readers to learn about the revised origin of Superman in the Post-Crisis publishing continuity. The story was written and illustrated by John Byrne with inks by Dick Giordano. It was colored by Tom Ziuko with lettering by John Costanza. The story was edited by Andrew Helfer. This issue shipped with a December, 1986 cover date and carries a cover price of .75 cents per copy (US).
Synopsis[]
Superman apprehends a thug wearing a LexCorp designed super-battle suit. He flies the goon to Lexcorp's Hong Kong branch office and presents him to Lex Luthor. Luthor claims that the suit was stolen from him and he bears no responsibility for any attacks made against Superman's person by whoever was wearing it at the time, and a side-effect of the suit's use renders the user too brain-damaged to testify to the contrary. Still carrying the goon, Superman flies back towards Metropolis.
Lex meanwhile consults with one of his scientists, Doctor Teng, who is overseeing a classified program known as Project: Changeling. By scanning Superman's DNA, Teng hoped to construct a perfect clone duplicate of the Man of Steel – one that would be completely subservient to Lex Luthor. However, Teng did not take Superman's alien biology into account and the Superman clone crystallizes, transforming into a twisted Bizarro mockery of the true Superman. Disgusted by Teng's failure, Lex orders the creature destroyed. Bizarro escapes however and flies towards Metropolis.
Some time later, Bizarro arrives in town and begins demonstrating behavioral patterns similar to that of Superman. He assists a disabled ambulance and saves the blind Lucy Lane from committing suicide. He then steals a cheap business suit and attempts to walk to the Daily Planet as if he were one of their employees.
Clark Kent notices the strange creature, and quickly changes into Superman. The two begin fighting on the streets of Metropolis, until Lois Lane arrives to witness the destruction. Bizarro shares many personality traits with Superman, including a fondness for Lois Lane. He leaves Superman be, and whisks Lois away in his arms. He flies her to Lois’s apartment and meets Lucy Lane for a second time.
Superman recovers from Bizarro's most recent attack and discovers that his foe’s skin secretes a chalky, white residue. Analyzing the dust with his microscopic vision, Superman learns that Bizarro is in fact an android.
He tracks his adversary back to Lois's apartment and the two foes begin fighting once again. They fly directly towards one another, but once they collide, Bizarro's body explodes into a cloud of white dust. Miraculously, the dust settles over top of the blind Lucy Lane, completely restoring her eyesight.
Appearances[]
Featured characters
Supporting characters
Villains
Minor characters
Races
Locations
Items
Powers
Notes & Trivia[]
Lex & Doctor Teng work on their creation.
- Superman was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster. He first appeared in Action Comics #1 in June, 1938.
- This issue is reprinted in the Superman: The Man of Steel, Volume 1 trade paperback collection.
- Many elements from this re-imagined origin story have since been excised from continuity in lieu of the Jeph Loeb continuity overhaul from 2001.
- This story takes place eight years prior to Crisis on Infinite Earths.
- This is the first and last appearance of the first Post-Crisis Bizarro.
- Jimmy Olsen appeared last in Man of Steel #2. He appears next in Adventures of Superman #424.
- Lex Luthor appeared last in Man of Steel #4. His next chronological appearance takes place in Swamp Thing, Volume 2 #52.
- Lois Lane last appeared in Man of Steel #4. She appears next in Superman, Volume 2 #1.
- This is the first appearance of the Post-Crisis Lucy Lane. The details surrounding her blindness are expanded upon in World of Metropolis #3.
- This is the first appearance of Lex Luthor's Warsuit. It bears a strong resemblance to the special armor worn by the Pre-Crisis Lex Luthor of Earth-One. Interestingly, in the splash page, it appears as if Superman was confronting Lex Luthor in his pre-Crisis battle armor.
- Lex Luthor and Doctor Teng's creation is never referred to as Bizarro in this issue. However, Who's Who: Update '87 #1 provides an entry for the android under the name Bizarro.
- All of the other covers for the Man of Steel limited series spotlights a feature character walking towards the reader's point of view. The cover to this issue however, shows Bizarro walking away from the reader. This gimmick is keeping in line with the Pre-Crisis stereotype of Bizarro as a mixed-up, backwards creature.
- The storyline from this issue is loosely based on the origin of the Pre-Crisis Bizarro Superboy as first published in Superboy #68. In the original story, the object of Bizarro's affections was a woman named Melissa, not Lucy Lane.
- This marks the first moment in Post-Crisis continuity when someone learns that Superman is an alien; prior to this, the Kents and Clark had assumed that he was a mutated human from a foreign space program.