Superman makes CNN!

[ClayinCA]

No, you're thinking of Mark Waid's Birthright from 2003. It was John Byrne's 1986 reboot that established Jonathan and Martha Kent as being alive and well in Superman's adult life, in contrast to the pre-Crisis continuity in which they'd both died while he was still Superboy living in Smallville. That's been the official DC Universe continuity ever since, although Birthright tweaked various elements of it (and some of those tweaks were later retconned out of existence in one of the reality-remaking "Crisis" miniseries).

Christopher has got this exactly right.

As far as I know, the only versions of Superman in which Jonathan Kent has died while Martha has lived on have been the feature film series, Smallville, and the 2007 Superman: Doomsday DVD animated feature. In everything prior to 1978, both Kents died before Clark went to Metropolis. In everything else post-1986, to the best of my knowledge, both Kents continued to be part of Clark/Superman's life in the present day. (See the 1988 Ruby-Spears animated series, Lois & Clark, and the DC Animated Universe as well as the comics.)

You left out one, I think: in the first episode of the George Reeves series, "Superman on Earth," Pa Kent dies, leaving an adult Clark to bid goodbye to his still-living Ma (interestingly, their names were "Eben" and "Sarah" at that time, not "Jonathan" and "Martha," IIRC, these names came from George Lowther's prose Superman novel of the Forties).

What they don't tell you is that in Action Comics #871, Superman turns back the world and doesn't allow this to happen.

No, actually, Superman and Lois will make a deal with Neron to sacrifice their marriage in order to save Pa Kent's life. This will make things "better."

 

[Christopher]

According to Wikipedia, Pa Kent was originally nameless and Ma Kent was named Mary (in Superman #1 in 1939). As you say, the 1942 Lowther novel called them Eben and Sarah, and the Reeves series later followed suit. The retold origin story in 1948 called them John Kent and Mary Clark Kent (and in this version, Mary died first, then John). In the same year, the Kirk Alyn movie serial named them Eben and Martha. In the comics, John became Jonathan in 1950 and Mary became Marthe (later Martha) in Superboy in 1951. Presumably it was their appearance as regular characters in Superboy that standardized their names from that point onward.

 

[gastrof]

I believe they also killed him in "All Star Superman", so he's been offed twice in the last year.

Not quite the same.

The All-Star issues are a storyline to themselves, a separate continuity that has nothing to do with the regular DC Comics universe.

This recent occurence is "real" for the mainstream storylines.

This time, we might hear The Flash or Green Lantern expressing their condolances to Superman in the next issue of their books.

This time, Jonathan's "really" dead. (Unless someone wakes up in the shower at the start of the next issue. )

 

[gastrof]

According to Wikipedia, Pa Kent was originally nameless and Ma Kent was named Mary (in Superman #1 in 1939). As you say, the 1942 Lowther novel called them Eben and Sarah, and the Reeves series later followed suit. The retold origin story in 1948 called them John Kent and Mary Clark Kent (and in this version, Mary died first, then John). In the same year, the Kirk Alyn movie serial named them Eben and Martha. In the comics, John became Jonathan in 1950 and Mary became Marthe (later Martha) in Superboy in 1951. Presumably it was their appearance as regular characters in Superboy that standardized their names from that point onward.

Hey, Chris...

Did the Kirk Alyn serials depict the father's death, or did they sort of skip over that?

I've always said the first example of the mother being left a widow before Clark becomes Superman was the George Reeves TV show, but in the back of my mind I've wondered if maybe the Kirk Alyn serials might have done the same thing, making them the first example.

Do you know?

 

[gastrof]

No, actually, Superman and Lois will make a deal with Neron to sacrifice their marriage in order to save Pa Kent's life. This will make things "better."

And nobody will remember that Superman recently put his glasses on in public, revealing that he was really reporter Clark Kent?

 

[Brian]

Not directed at anyone here, just an observation... It's interesting how so many people can accept reboot after reboot in Superman (and other comics) without blinking an eye. They can even deal with different continuities going on at the same time. But the thought of rebooting Star Trek is somehow blasphemy, lol.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

According to Wikipedia, Pa Kent was originally nameless and Ma Kent was named Mary (in Superman #1 in 1939). As you say, the 1942 Lowther novel called them Eben and Sarah, and the Reeves series later followed suit. The retold origin story in 1948 called them John Kent and Mary Clark Kent (and in this version, Mary died first, then John). In the same year, the Kirk Alyn movie serial named them Eben and Martha. In the comics, John became Jonathan in 1950 and Mary became Marthe (later Martha) in Superboy in 1951. Presumably it was their appearance as regular characters in Superboy that standardized their names from that point onward.

John and Mary Clark Kent were also the adoptive parents of Earth-2's Superman (a variation on the Golden Age Supes). They both died before Clark moved to Metropolis and got his job at the Daily Star.

Interestingly enough, the Tom DeHaven novel It's Superman has Martha Kent die first rather than Jonathan like in that retold 1948 origin. The book is about another variation of the Golden Age Superman told in a more naturalistic and novelistic manner. In fact, the first line of the book is "our version of the story begins in..."

 

[Kryton]

My favorite KentFam death was when the Kents had been given youth for some months and Clark took them on a Carribbean vacation, not realizing he had exposed them to scarlet fever (or some other such exotic disease) after which Clark's guilt led to him selling both the General Store and the farm and move to Metropolis.

I think that was in the mid-'60s or so.

 

[Christopher]

Hey, Chris...

Did the Kirk Alyn serials depict the father's death, or did they sort of skip over that?

I've always said the first example of the mother being left a widow before Clark becomes Superman was the George Reeves TV show, but in the back of my mind I've wondered if maybe the Kirk Alyn serials might have done the same thing, making them the first example.

As far as I recall, they briefly alluded to both parents dying before Clark moved to Metropolis. I don't think it specified which one went first.

 

[Brikar99]

I believe they also killed him in "All Star Superman", so he's been offed twice in the last year.

Not quite the same.

The All-Star issues are a storyline to themselves, a separate continuity that has nothing to do with the regular DC Comics universe.

This recent occurence is "real" for the mainstream storylines.

This time, we might hear The Flash or Green Lantern expressing their condolances to Superman in the next issue of their books.

This time, Jonathan's "really" dead. (Unless someone wakes up in the shower at the start of the next issue. )

Someone was counting the various times Pa Kent has been dead, and I added one. But if you wanna be lame about it, go right on ahead.