Meet Dan Jurgens, the Minnesotan who pitched idea to kill Superman
Meet Dan Jurgens, the Minnesotan who killed Superman
Dan Jurgens pitched the idea to kill the "Man of Steel" to DC Comics to replace a Superman/Lois Lane wedding story line that got postponed.
EDINA, Minn. (FOX 9) - Dan Jurgens pitched the idea to kill the "Man of Steel" to DC Comics to replace a Superman/Lois Lane wedding storyline that got postponed.
The world’s first superhero
What we know:
Since Superman made his debut in Action Comics No. 1 in 1938, he's appeared in comic books, TV shows and movies, fighting for truth, justice and a better tomorrow.
But after decades of facing off against villains like Lex Luthor, a man from Minnesota did what no amount of kryptonite ever could.
"Yes, I'm the man who killed Superman," said comic writer and artist Dan Jurgens.
Doomsday for Big Blue
The backstory:
Jurgens grew up in Ortonville and worked as an artist for DC Comics in the 1980s, illustrating titles like the Justice League, Batman and Green Arrow.
But after several years writing and drawing Superman, he pitched a signature storyline that helped define the cultural icon.
"He is, as far as I'm concerned, and I think many people, the preeminent hero in comics. Any time you do something that people remember for decades, it is nice," said Jurgens.
Jurgens says in 1992, DC Comics was planning a comic book tie-in with the TV show, "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman," where the two characters get married.
But when the company postponed that idea, the creative teams behind the "Man of Steel" comics had to come up with another storyline and decided to do the unthinkable: Kill him off.
"When someone we are close to dies, that's really when we realize, I think more than anything, how much they meant to us. By taking Superman out of the comics, we were able to talk about his importance to the world," said Jurgens.
Jurgens created a new bad guy named Doomsday, he describes as mayhem on legs, intent on death and destruction just for the sake of it.
After trading blows with the creature across the country for several issues, Superman dies in the arms of the love of his life in "Superman 75," which Jurgens wrote and drew.
"At first, there was a lot of outrage, you know? You're going to kill Superman. Nobody can do that. How can you do that? Columnists were writing opinion pieces about what does it mean to have Superman gone and things like that," said Jurgens.
A super moment
What they're saying:
All the attention turned the "Death of Superman" into a pop culture moment, with fans lining up at comic shops to get a copy of the crossover event.
It sold six million issues, becoming the best-selling comic of the year, but it also helped restore Superman's relevance at a time of declining comic sales and the popularity of violent anti-heroes like Wolverine and the Punisher.
"I think by making that statement about who Superman is and was, and what he means to us, that kind of recasts the character in their eyes," said Jurgens.
Of course, DC Comics eventually brought Superman back, but his death has become a signature staple of the Kryptonian's canon and has been adapted in several mediums.
"It's one thing to have your story interpreted, but as a director tries to kind of recreate the stuff you drew on screen, on a screen that is 30 feet, 50 feet wide. it's just like, whoa, that's big, and again, it shows how it can endure," said Jurgens.
Up, up and away
Local perspective:
All these years later, Jurgens is still working on Superman projects loosely tied to the new movie.
He says as a creator, it’s his job to add to the tapestry of stories around a character to make it richer than it was before. And he hopes his contributions to Big Blue will last as long as the "Man of Tomorrow."
"I think I have a unique relationship with the character and still have plenty of things to say with him," said Jurgens.