Original Art for final page of the Mon-El Origin Story from Superboy No. 89, George Papp, 1961
Artist: George Papp (Penciller)
12 Comments - 2,435 Views - 4 Likes
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DescriptionThis historic page contains the famous account of how Superboy saved Mon-El's life, after his friend from Daxam had received a lethal exposure to lead, by projecting him into the Phantom Zone until a cure could be found. Such was the sad ending of the story in which Mon-El first appeared and in which his origin was ultimately explained (unfortunately a little too late to keep him from being nearly killed by his suspicious, jealous, "little brother"). Who would have thought? Mon-El wasn't trying to steal Lana Lang away from Clark Kent but instead was just completely out-of-touch with his own reality. And Superboy -- not only was he completely wrong when he concluded that Mon-El was his big brother from Krypton, his own insecurities resulted in his poisoning and nearly killing his newly found sibling. This near disaster from Superboy's brotherly competition and adolescent angst took place fourteen months before Peter Parker and his spider bite supposedly revolutionized comic book storytelling through the introduction of some hard reality to the comics. I don't know which was worse, Uncle Ben's death or Mon-El's having to spend a thousand or so years in oblivion, all the while being taunted by a bunch of brilliant but insane jerks. But I digress.This was only the second time the Phantom Zone was used as a story element in a D.C. comic. More importantly, the introduction of Mon-El and his becoming stranded in the Phantom Zone, with no one but Kryptonian criminals for company, was the prelude to the Legion of Super-Heroes series, which began a little more than a year later in Adventure Comics No. 300. For me, the Legion series was one of the highlights of the Silver Age of comics, if not the entire history of comics. That, along with the fact that I learned to read in large part due to my love of the Mon-El origin story [I bought Superboy No. 89 new, off the twirling rack at our local market - well, my mother may have paid the dime, but I picked it out for purchase]. And all of that is why this particular comic book original is one of my most prized possessions. I wouldn't trade it for all the Spider-Man art in existence. Oops, I think my D.C. bias may be showing. Whatever... The Legion RULES! Social/Sharing |
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Comments on this Artwork
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John Yon
Member Since 2006
Posted on 5/29/2006
Wow...I can't believe I'm seeing this...a wonderful page that's very historic!!!
Glen Cadigan
Member Since 2006
Posted on 8/1/2006
I can't believe that the original art to that issue still exists! Unbelievable!
Steve M 
Member Since 2006
Posted on 2/20/2007
I can't believe this one either! Let me know if you ever decide to sell this one.
Alex Johnson
Member Since 2006
Forum Moderator
Posted on 4/11/2009
Great page from one of my favorite stories by an artist that I think is greatly unappreciated. Great stuff.
Fred's CAF Gallery
Member Since 2003
Posted on 4/23/2013
("Farewell brother that you almost were!") - Mon-El's 1000 year saga begins! This page is AWESOME!
Timothy Finney
Member Since 2006
Posted on 4/24/2013
As a Legion fan, this story and this moment in particular has always felt like one of the BIG ones. As for the art, in my younger days, I appreciate Papp's work now more than ever.
Timothy Finney
Member Since 2006
Posted on 4/24/2013
Timothy Finney wrote:
As for the art, in my younger days, I appreciate Papp's work now more than ever.Oops, I think I meant to write that Papp's art seemed a bit old fashioned in my younger days, but now I appreciate his skills more than ever. (I should learn to edit before I click the send button. Ah well, the art is no less awesome for my mistake.)
Mike W
Member Since 2007
Posted on 4/24/2013
Truly a museum-worthy piece! Congratulations, my friend!
Suat Tong Ng
Member Since 2009
Posted on 9/25/2013
Sheesh - I just saw this. This is really something for the fans and I like your description!
David Grisez
Member Since 2009
Posted on 8/29/2017
Seeing this page (and the other Superboy # 89 pages), makes me appreciate CAF even more. Where else can you see all of this wonderfulness? Wow x infinity.
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