Superman: Lois and Clark -- Where Did He Get That Costume?

When the pre-Flashpoint Superman makes his post-Flashpoint debut in an ongoing, monthly title in October, he'll be sporting a new look...and we're not just talking about the beard.

Although we'll get to that.

Kal-El,the last son of a Krypton much different from the one seen in the post-Flashpoint DC Universe, came to a now-gone version of Earth and over the first 18 years of his life, developed powers and abilities far beyond those or mortal men.

He saved Metropolis for years, died and was resurrected, married Lois Lane and, when a dome dropped over Gotham and he was trapped there during Convergence, he and Lois conceived a child, born amid that conflict.

Following the events of Convergence, that Superman is back...and he's been hiding among us for nearly a decade, according to series writer Dan Jurgens.

When he re-emerges for this monthly, titled Superman: Lois and Clark, he'll have a wife, a kid...and a snazzy new costume.

But...it's not entirely new. We've seen a lot of Superman suits over the years, and some of them bearing striking resemblances to the Lois and Clark suit.

We'll be looking not only at the cover to Superman: Lois and Clark #1, due in stores this October (both versions -- the "red" final version and the "blue" early version that made its way online as well), but also a number of stories that may have informed the new costume's design.

Like...

Time and Time Again

In the early '90s story Time and Time Again, Superman is infused with chronal energy and sent pinballing through the timestream.

The same thing later happened to the post-Flashpoint version of Booster Gold, although notwithstanding a stop over in All-Star Western, it seems most of his pinballing wasn't actually in time, but space, as he was moving between the worlds under the Convergence domes.

At any rate, Superman's unstable chronal energies ended up thrusting him through time whenever there was a big explosion -- the first of which sheared off his cape and significantly darkened his costume. The result? A costume not unlike the one seen in Lois and Clark #1 -- especially if you look at the "blue" version of the cover, which has a red "S" on the costume.

It's our understanding, though, that silver will be the logo actually seen in the book.

Under a Yellow Sun

Clark Kent's novel was turned into an original graphic novel in the '90s, and featured a suspiciously super character wearing an all-black bodysuit and performing good deeds under cover of total anonymity.

This, of course, was similar to the pre-Superman backstory given to Clark following John Byrne's revamp in the '80s.

That this version of Lois and Clark have been hiding out incognito in the post-Flashpoint world for a decade should in no way raise comparisons to the guerilla nature of Under a Yellow Sun's do-gooding.

The Reign of the Supermen!

Following Superman's death in 1992, the creators were forced to find a creative way to bring him back from the dead that didn't feel like a cop-out. With four ongoing Superman titles at the time, and four distinct creative teams, each had some good ideas, not all of which totally gelled.

So eventually, everyone was given a chance to tell a fairly distinct (but interconnected) story, all of which would eventually dovetail into one big finale. Each of the four series got a "Superman" of their own, none of whom was the real deal. Eventually, Superman would be revealed to have been saved by The Eradicator, a Kryptonian artifact and artificial intelligence that had served mostly as an antagonist to the Man of Steel throughout the early '90s.

The Eradicator had revived Superman's body using an egg-shaped "regeneration matrix," and the outfit he wore to allow him to more effectively absorb the matrix's energies was the black-and-silver number at top left. A fan favorite, it was quickly discarded in favor of the classic blue-and-red Superman suit, although it would pop up a few more times during the '90s and even got its own toy at one point.

with an all-black body and a silver S-shield (and Dan Jurgens involved), this is likely the suit that will be referenced the most by continuity wonks looking for a point of comparison.

Superman Beyond

It's worth noting that in all likelihood, this version of Superman created the "S" shield along with Pa Kent in Smallville (as seen in John Byrne's The Man of Steel. For that reason, changes the logo as seen on the Superman: Lois and Clark cover wouldn't completely invalidate the shield (which in some versions of the mythology, including the post-Flashpoint world, is the family crest of the House of El).

So when you see something like the Superman Beyond costume (at top, center), you can appreciate that -- yes, it's an S -- so as long as it's recognizable as both an "S" and as the emblem of the Man of Steel, it's totally fine.

The Superman Beyond suit uses that to fine effect -- and it shares a color sceme with the new suit, as well as the lack of a cape.

Kingdom Come

Kingdom Come, one of the most popular Elseworlds stories ever told and a big part of the Convergence story where Lois and Clark had their baby, featured a Kal-El who was living in isolation at the Fortress of Solitude -- beard and everything.

Later in the Kingdom Come story, he would re-emerge in a darker version of the traditional Superman costume, complete with an "S" that looks very much like the one Lois & Clark's Superman now wears (except red, not silver, making it virtually idencital to the logo worn in the "blue" cover).

...And, yes, like in Time and Time Again, a massive explosion toward the end of Kingdom Come does mangle Superman's cape and leave him capeless and his costume blackened.

Man of Steel (the movie, not the comic)

If you look at the "blue version" of the cover, you can see a bit more clearly that there appears to be some detailing around Superman's torso and connecting to his belt. While it isn't totally clear whether that design element remains in the final cover, it's certainly not clear that it didn't stay intact.

That bit of detailing feels actually quite a bit like the thin, silvery lines that you see in the Man of Steel (movie) costume, and so calls to mind the costume at left.

Clearly inspired by the suit in Reign of the Supermen!, a version of which almost made it to the screen in Tim Burton's Superman Lives, this suit was only seen in a brief dream sequence in the Zack Snyder film, but was aggressively merchandised and seen on t-shirts, toys, advertisements and more.