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As Clark Kent and Lois Lane reveal their engagement plans
to colleagues, Lex Luthor fakes his own death. A creature
of rock is freed from deep beneath the ground, and begins
to beat a path of destruction between cities. After revealing
the truth about himself to Lois, Clark flies away to intercept
the beast as Superman. He finds the Justice League of superheroes
already fighting the creature the media has dubbed Doomsday.
They have sustained heavy casualties and one of them is dead.
Soon a spectacular one-on-one battle is underway. Doomsday
is finally stopped, but the unthinkable happens and Superman
is pronounced dead, dying in the arms of Lois. After a city-wide
funeral cortege, the body is laid to rest in a secure tomb
deep beneath the streets of Metropolis, funded by LexCorp.
When Superman's body is stolen foster father Jonathan Kent
suffers a heart attack. However, the shape-changing Supergirl,
under the current guidance of Lex Luthor, locates and returns
it - only for it to go missing once more. Jonathan recovers,
revealing to wife Martha that he has brought Clark back with
him. Suddenly Metropolis has four quite different Supermen:
The Man of Steel, The Last Son of Krypton, the Cyborg Superman,
and Superboy. But which one, if any, is the real Superman...?
Doomsday
And Beyond was one of three Superman radio serials
created by script writer/director Dirk
Maggs, and to my mind the best. Doomsday attempts
something different with the established situations, and reveals
a vulnerability which doesn't rely on the all too convenient
presence of Kryptonite (although it does make a minor appearance
at the end).
Maggs's
script adaptation was from stories by Dan Jurgens, Karl Kesel,
Jerry Ordway, Louise Simonson and Roger Stern, which were
still running in the comics at the time of the first broadcast
on BBC Radio 5 in 1993. Quite a coup. The entire production
was mixed in digital Dolby surround sound, the first time
this had been achieved for a radio dramatisation, and dragging
the BBC reluctantly into a world of new technology - a far
cry from a box of gravel and clinking tea cups.
All
of the voice performances are good, with the mainplayers reprising
their roles from the aforementioned previous Supes serials.
Stuart Milligan is Superman, William Hootkins Lex Luthor,
and the ever-reliable and often-utilised Lorelei King as Lois
Lane. Burt Kwouk (from the Peter Sellers Pink Panther films)
even has a guest role as Doctor Teng.
Superman:
Doomsday And Beyond was first released on twin cassette
in 1993, and in America under the title Superman Lives!
The story was last heard on the BBC when Radio 1 repeated
the serial in 1994 to a much larger listening public. Now
for the first time, and well overdue, we have Doomsday
on a 3-CD set, and finally get to hear the quality layered
sound as it was originally intended (warts and all, as Maggs
is fond of saying - doing himself an injustice, I think).
As I only received copy discs for review purposes I can't
comment on the packaging, but I would hope for some nice liner
notes, giving first time listeners a little background information.
That aside, this audio movie is well worth a listen, even
if you don't like Superman (which I don't particularly).
Doomsday
has no doubt been released to coincide with this summer's
Hollywood Superman movie, but Dirk Maggs won't mind
that and neither should you. Enjoy, and wait enthusiastically
for Dirk's even better Batman: Knightfall, also released
on CD for the first time next year.
Ty
Power
For
a more detailed review of Superman: Doomsday And Beyond
and other Dirk Maggs releases visit Ty
Power's website.
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