Superman: The Feral Man of Steel

Superman: The Feral Man of Steel (Superman Annual #6) is a DC Comics Elseworlds special published in 1994. Written by Darren Vincenzo, pencilled by Frank Fosco and inked by Stan Woch.

In 19th century India, Kal-El is raised by wolves. The story is loosely based on Rudyard Kipling's Mowgli stories, with added elements of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan novels.

Plot

Tiger, Tiger

The first part of the story starts with K'L'L, whose ship crashes deep in the Indian jungle. He is saved from the Bengal tiger Khan by M'R'R, the she-wolf of a pack of Indian wolves. She adopts him and nurses K'L'L as one of her own. When the time comes for M'R'R to present her human child to the tribe, none but her and her mate would speak for the man cub which as Khan points out means that according to the law, the child is to be left in the jungle to die. The black panther Jahd Bahlja speaks for K'L'L and Khan is foiled again. K'L'L grows and starts to develop his powers. An expedition led by Sir Richard Burton and his traveling companion Sir John Ellis is interrupted when the men he has employed shoot and kill M'R'R and one of her cubs. When K'L'L hears the yelps of his mother, he flies to the camp and starts tossing the men like rag dolls, almost killing Sir John. He is only deterred by Sir Richard, who somehow talks K'L'L out of killing his companion. K'L'L grabs the two dead wolves and flies off.

Lord of The Wolves

While K'L'L mourns, Khan has taken control of the pack, overthrowing A'K'L the old leader. Jahd tells K'L'L what is happening and he rushes to his home, challenging Khan for leadership. In the battle, while Khan puts up a strong fight, even piercing the wild man's skin with his claws, K'L'L kills Khan and becomes the leader of the tribe. He skins the tiger and takes from him "that which earns him the fear and respect of the entire Jungle." He swears to avenge the death of his mother and hunt the Man-Pack that killed her. Jahd Ballad shows K'L'L the space ship from which he came and he takes a strange hieroglyph from it, the familiar S-shield. Meanwhile in England, Sir Richard and Sir Ellis prepare for their next expedition; Lois Lane joins them this time. While in the jungle, they bump into Lex Luthor, who is also after the jungle man. The two groups decide to combine their efforts. The search continues for several days, and one night, two of Luthor's men try to kidnap Lois and steal Luthor's most prized possession, a big green gem he acquired in what appears to be Africa. Their efforts are stopped, and Luthor's ruthlessness is evident after he executes them both. Moments later, the camp hears the sounds of a stampede coming their way.

Civilization!

K'L'L' and an army of jungle animals attack the camp. The jungle man singles out Sir Richard, who is powerless against him. Only Lois is able to convince the jungle man to stop. The animals leave the camp and Lois starts to teach him some English. K'L'L's education continues, he is even given an English name: Clark. Everyone is amazed at Clark's progress and abilities until one day, when Luthor proposes to Lois, offering her his jewel as an engagement present. She refuses and it becomes obvious to Luthor that she has fallen in love with Clark. Luthor becomes infuriated and threatens Lois. While they struggle, Clark comes to the rescue. However, when he enters Luthor's tent, the jewel starts to weaken him and he collapses, we can assume that the jewel is a large piece of Kryptonite from Clark's home world of Krypton. In a few hours, Luthor and his men seize the opportunity and take over the camp. Sir Richard is tied to a tree and left to die as Luthor sets fire to the camp with Lois and Clark as his prisoners.

Perdition's Flame

Two months later in England, Lex is showing Clark as a sideshow attraction to the world. Luthor plans to force K'L'L' to assassinate Queen Victoria and take over the country. He has a polished piece of his Kryptonite jewel on top of a staff as well as a sword encrusted with some pieces as a way to command the wild man of India. He also blackmails him by threatening to hurt Lois. Clark ultimately refuses to assassinate the queen and attacks Luthor. In the ensuing melee, the building is set on fire and Clark's animal friends escape. Clark is kept at bay by Luthor's sword until Sir Richard Burton appears and duels with Luthor. Sir Richard wins, throwing Lex off the building. Clark saves Lois and Richard and is knighted K'L'L: Sir Clark of Kent by the Queen. His powers bring a new shine on the British Empire, who now comprises one-third of the Earth. Lois and Clark's children all share the same powers as their father and it is assured to the reader that the empire is at the dawn of a new age, one that will never end.

Characters

Most characters in Superman: The Feral Man of Steel are based on existing DC characters or are based on the cast of The Jungle Book.

Main Characters

• Clark Kent/Kal-El: His spaceship crashes in the middle of the Indian Jungle, and is given the name K'L'L by wolves, it means 'white skin' in their language. As he grows, he gains the power to fly, has invulnerable skin, heat vision, super speed, super strength and is able to communicate with animals. Resembles both Tarzan and Mowgli.
• Khan: A man-eating Bengal tiger, and K'L'L's first enemy. Closely resembles Shere Khan from the Jungle book. He is later killed by K'L'L who then skins Khan.
• Jahd Bahlja the Panther: K'L'L's mentor. She saves K'L'L from Khan. Closely resembles Bagheera from the Jungle book.
• Sir Richard Burton: A British explorer of the Indian Jungle, he apparently had a relationship with Lois prior to the story.
• Sir John Ellis: Another British explorer that accompanies Sir Richard.
• Lois Lane: She is as always a headstrong American girl who falls for K'L'L.
• Lex Luthor: A power-hungry explorer. He has travelled far in search of riches and fame. This version sports a full head of hair and mutton chops.

Secondary Characters

• M'R'R, the She-Wolf: A wolf who adopts K'L'L as a child. She is killed by hunters.
• Richard Francis Kent: First son of Lois and Clark.
• Diablo: Luthor's guide, associate and assistant. He helps him enslave Clark.
• M'R'R Lane Kent: Second child of Lois and Clark, and their only daughter. She is named after Clark's mother.
• K'R'K Clark Kent: The last child of Lois and Clark.
• Hathi the Elephant: An Indian elephant and friend of K'L'L. A reference to the elephant Hathi from the Jungle book. In Hindi, Hathi also means 'elephant'.
• Bandar: A monkey and friend of K'L'L. He teaches him to ease stone knives and other tools. A reference to the Bandar-log from The Jungle Book. In Hindi, Bandar also means 'monkey'.

See also

• List of Elseworlds publications