Last Son of Krypton Read online

  By the time they reached the shelter, powerful winds began to blow across the fields. The corn was pushed flat to the ground. The trees groaned and creaked. The weather vane suddenly snapped off the roof. It landed nearby on the ground, nearly hitting Martha and Clark.

  Martha screamed again for her husband. She pulled open one of the storm shelter doors. It was low on the ground. Short wooden steps led down to a shelter built under the house.

  “Jonathan!” she yelled again. “Where is your father?” Martha cried to Clark.

  The little boy stared up at her face, puzzled. He could tell she was frightened. Things were falling around her, scaring her.

  Clark was reminded of something that had happened far away. He didn’t like it when people were afraid.

  Finally, Martha saw Jonathan step out of the barn. “Here!” she yelled, waving her arms. “We’re back here.”

  Jonathan ran toward her.

  The sound of moaning metal grew louder than the storm.

  Jonathan stopped and turned. He glanced at the silo that stood between the barn and the house.

  The metal tower was rocking slowly back and forth. It began to pull away from its cement floor.

  Another, louder, groan filled the air.

  Jonathan was frozen with surprise as he watched the silo fall onto the ground.

  Then he started running again. “Hurry! Hurry!” Martha yelled to him.

  She turned to Clark, to push him into the storm shelter. The boy was gone.

  Martha looked up at Jonathan. She wanted to yell at him, but the winds were too loud. He would not hear her saying that Clark was missing.

  Then she saw him. Clark had wandered around the side of the house. He stood directly in the path of the rolling silo. In a moment, the metal tower would crush him.

  Martha started to run after him. She knew she was too far away to reach him in time. There was nothing else she could do. Suddenly, the silo was on top of Clark.

  The boy raised his little hands. His tiny fingers reached out and grabbed the metal. The silo stopped. The tower buckled in at the point where Clark was standing.

  With a determined shove, Clark pushed the silo away from him. It rolled harmlessly across the cornfield.

  Martha ran toward Clark and grabbed him. Jonathan joined them. Then all three hurried to the storm shelter and bolted the door behind them.

  While the winds screamed above them, the family sat in the dim light of a small lamp. Martha never let go of Clark.

  His arms stayed wrapped around her neck. Jonathan gazed at his newly adopted son.

  “You did see what happened, didn’t you, Martha?” he asked quietly.

  Martha nodded, tears in her eyes. “We rescued Clark, and now he rescued us,” she replied.

  Jonathan took off his glasses and wiped them with a rag. “He’s just a baby now,” he said. “Think of what he could do when he grows up.”

  “We’ll be good parents,” said Martha softly. “We’ll raise him up as best we can.”

  Jonathan nodded. Then he reached over and patted the boy’s shoulder. “You’re a good boy, Clark,” he said. “You did good, son.”

  The little hero looked up and smiled.

  WHO IS SUPERMAN?

  As young Kal-El grew, he quickly discovered that his extraordinary abilities didn’t end with superstrength. The yellow sun of Earth fueled his muscles with a variety of superpowers, including X-ray vision, bulletproof skin, and the ability to fly. Instead of using his powers against others, Kal-El chose to become Earth’s guardian. He became Superman, the Last Son of Krypton. As the world’s greatest super hero, he defends the planet against danger and the forces of evil.

  - Martha Kent created the iconic blue and red costume for her adopted son. The invisible, solar-charged aura around Superman’s skin protects the suit from damage.

  - Although blessed with great powers, Superman also has some weaknesses. The Man of Steel cannot defend himself against magic. He is also powerless against kryptonite, a radioactive material from his home planet Krypton.

  - The Man of Steel must protect his super hero identity. He spends most of his day as Clark Kent, a mild-mannered reporter for the Metropolis newspaper the Daily Planet.

  - Every super hero needs a hideaway. Superman’s secret base, the Fortress of Solitude, is located where no one will find it: the Arctic Circle.

  Michael Dahl is the author of more than 200 books for children and young adults. He has won the AEP Distinguished Achievement Award three times for his non-fiction. His Finnegan Zwake mystery series was shortlisted twice by the Anthony and Agatha awards. He has also written the Library of Doom series and the Dragonblood books. He is a featured speaker at conferences around the country on graphic novels and high-interest books for boys.

  John Delaney is an award-winning storyboard artist, director, animator and design artist with over 20 years of experience in both live-action production and animation. For the past 15 years John has also worked as a comic book artist for DC Comics and Bongo Comics. He has pencilled a wide variety of characters such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Justice League, as well as shows like Dexter’s Laboratory, Scooby-Doo, Futurama, The Simpsons, and many more.

  Lee Loughridge has been working in comics for over 14 years. He currently resides in sunny California in a tent on the beach.

  chamber (CHAYM-bur)—a large room

  cocoon (kuh-KOON)—a protective covering

  combine (KOM-bahyn)—a harvesting machine used for cutting grain in the field

  cooing (KOO-ing)—making sweet and soft sounds

  council (KOUN-sil)—a group of people chosen to watch over a city

  phase (FAZE)—a temporary stage in a cycle

  shattered (SHAT-urd)—broke into tiny pieces

  supercomputer (soo-per-kom-PYOO-tur)—a very fast, powerful computer that is used for complex calculations

  troopers (TROO-pur)—a soldier in an army

  weather vane (WETH-er VEYN)—a device that uses a rod and a rotating pointer to indicate the direction of the wind

  1. Why do you think the Kents decided to keep their discovery a secret? Do you think some secrets are okay? Explain your answer.

  2. In the story, Brainiac escapes the planet Krypton before it explodes. What do you think will happen to him? Will Superman and Brainiac ever meet?

  3. At the end of the story, the Kents know that Kal-El will grow up to do great things. Discuss some things you know about Superman that weren’t described in the story. What are his other superpowers? Who are some of his enemies?

  1. This book only tells the story of Superman as a child. Write your own story about Superman as a teenager or an adult.

  2. Describe your own origin story. Where were you born? What were your first words? If you don’t know, ask a parent or guardian for help. Once you’ve collected the information, write a story about it.

  3. Many books are written and illustrated by two different people. Write a story, and then give it to a friend to illustrate the pictures.

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  Published by Stone Arch Books,

  A Capstone Imprint

  1710 Roe Crest Drive

  North Mankato, Minnesota 56003

  www.capstonepub.com

  Copyright © 2013 DC Comics.

  SUPERMAN and all characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics 2013.

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  STAR13231

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dahl, Michael.

  Last Son of Krypton / by Michael Dahl; illustrated by John Delaney.

  p. cm. — (DC Super Heroes. Superman)

  ISBN 978-1-4342-1155-2 (library binding)

  ISBN 978-1-4342-1370-9 (pbk.)
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br />   ISBN 978-1-4342-6591-3 (ebook)

  [1. Superheroes—Fiction.] I. Delaney, John, ill. II. Title.

  PZ7.D15134Las 2009

  [Fic]—dc22

  2008032418

  Summary: The distant planet Krypton faces total destruction. Before it explodes, the scientist Jor-El and his wife Lara send their only son into outer space. Later, the child’s rocket crashes into a Kansas cornfield where a farmer and his wife discover the boy and his strange powers.

  Art Director: Bob Lentz

  Designer: Bob Lentz