Beyond the typical Lois Lane escapades, Superman Family #193 from 1979 throws readers into a bizarre “imaginary tale” that’s less a parallel universe and more of a Matrix-style computer simulation within Superman’s own Fortress of Solitude. Gerry Conway and Kurt Schaffenberger deliver a story that takes a sharp left turn into the unexpected, asking: what if Superman’s mother, Lara, was the Kryptonian who landed on Earth first?
Lara as Supergirl in Superman's simulation
This isn’t just a simple gender-swap scenario. The simulation, explicitly set in the 1930s (a nod to the then-shifting timeline of Superboy’s activities), reveals Lara adopting the Supergirl persona instead of Jor-El becoming a Superman figure. This immediately raises questions about Superman’s perception of his parents. He considers his mother “the more direct” parent, a surprising statement given the usual emphasis on Jor-El’s scientific prominence in Kryptonian lore. What aspects of Lara’s character have been overlooked in traditional Superman narratives? It’s commendable that Superman, within his own simulation, acknowledges a potential bias in assuming his father would automatically be the hero figure.
The narrative thickens as we learn that in this simulation, both Jor-El and Lara arrived on Earth as infants. In a tangled web of adoptive families, Jor-El is raised by the Kents, becoming Pa Kent’s brother, while Lara is taken in by the Clarks, making her the sister of Clark Kent’s mother, Martha Clark.
Jor-El and Lara as infants found by the Clarks and Kents
The comic quickly breezes over the details of their arrival, simply stating they landed together and were found by the Clarks – not initially the Kents. The visual similarity between Martha Clark’s mother and the familiar Ma Kent design adds a layer of deliberate, perhaps unsettling, visual foreshadowing amidst the already complicated family tree.
Then comes the narrative punchline: the story’s premise is essentially, “What if Superman’s parents were committing incest?”. This revelation is delivered with a jarring directness, turning the whimsical “imaginary tale” into something deeply uncomfortable.
Supergirl's shocked reaction to the simulated plot
Supergirl’s in-story reaction mirrors what many readers likely felt – shock and disbelief. Adding to the oddity, Jor-El in this simulation, despite possessing Kryptonian powers, chooses not to be a hero but instead emulates Lex Luthor in his ambitions. At least his villainy doesn’t involve weaponized capes this time, a humorous callback to another bizarre comic book plot.
In a scene that reflects the era’s understanding of science, Supergirl questions the possibility of proving familial relations, a concept predating widespread knowledge of DNA. She then recounts Jor-El’s own origin story, highlighting his inaction with his Superman-level abilities, seemingly placing the blame for Superman’s occasional “worst” tendencies squarely on Jor-El’s side of the genetic pool.
The story concludes with the unsettling implication that Jor-El and Lara, the last two Kryptonians in this simulated scenario, might engage in a relationship, a disturbing echo of incestuous themes. One can only imagine the psychological labyrinth Superman might enter after witnessing this digital family drama unfold.
A trivia note further complicates matters: the comic subtly avoids delving into how Jor-El and Lara arrived on Earth as babies, perhaps wisely sidestepping a potentially even more convoluted backstory involving Jor-El’s father, also named Jor-El, sending them in rockets. The layers of Jor-Els and familial confusion are already plentiful in this narrative.
Historical Significance: 0/10. This “imaginary tale” barely registers as historically significant, even within the realm of Superman lore.
Silver Age-ness: 10/10. The sheer absurdity of Superman creating a Matrix-like simulation exploring incestuous themes firmly plants this story in the realm of Silver Age comic book weirdness.
Does it stand the test of time? 0/10. The central premise of Superman’s parents potentially being siblings is unlikely to resonate positively with modern audiences, making this a bizarre footnote in comic book history rather than a timeless tale.
