Superman and Man: Afterword
by DarkMark
I've been asked by some online friends how I could write this story, with simulacra of real, living people woven into its fabric. The answer I've given is the only one I have: that, after having had the idea for the story, how could I not write it?
Admittedly, I have not asked nor gotten permission from the real-life counterparts of Chris and Dana in this story to use them in it. I beg their forgiveness, and my only defense is that this story was intended as a love letter of sorts to both of them.
Here's how it started, I think:
Back in 1994, at the time of Christopher Reeve's tragic accident, I was as stunned by the news as most persons seemed to be who had seen him in the 1978 Superman movie and / or its three sequels. For us, despite what roles Chris Reeve undertook, he was always Superman. As Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes eclipsed that of Basil Rathbone, so Christopher Reeve's handsome, muscular, and stalwart Man of Steel shadowed Kirk Alyn's, Bud Collier's, and George Reeves's.
Though we knew what had befallen him, and understood it academically, it seemed that many of us had the same thought in the backs of our minds.
How could this happen to Superman?
Of course, it didn't. It happened to a very brave, very human man, and there would be no last-minute comic-book saves for him, any more than the many others who suffered spinal paralysis.
But something quite remarkable happened after that: Christopher Reeve simply refused to let his paralysis be the end of it.
He became a spokesman for the cause of spinal injury research. He wrote. He narrated films, including a documentary dealing with spinally inflicted paralysis. Miraculously, he even acted. He appeared in the Rear Window remake, in the Jimmy Stewart role, and in other films.
And his foundation, for which Reeve serves as chairman, has furthered the cause of spinal injury research greatly.
Before his injury, Christopher Reeve played a superhero.
After it, he became a superhero.
Sometime after the accident, I suggested to my friend Mark Waid that DC do a special Superman comic benefiting Reeve's foundation. He wrote back that it was a great idea and that he would mention it. Evidently it didn't get far enough at DC Comics, that company which benefited so much from the shot in the arm Reeve's film had given them in 1978.
So I shelved the idea for a long time. Five years, more or less. I read Chris's autobiography and enjoyed it, picking up some behind the scenes trivia and the like. (But, c'mon, Chris, Superman IV wasn't that bad!)
Then, just recently, I checked out from our local library the book Care Packages, by Dana Reeve, Chris's wife. Along with information about his life before and after the accident, the book was mainly composed of letters from everyone from President Clinton on down to Death Row inmates. And all of them sent messages of encouragement, telling how the Superman movie had touched their lives, and how they hoped that someday, a man who had flown on screen would walk again.
That was the clincher. I'd played with the idea for some time previous, but never put it into text. What if...?
What if, for one day, the real Man of Steel and Christopher Reeve switched bodies?
It was almost too much to get around. There was the risk of using three real people in a fict, Chris and Dana Reeve and their son, Will. But I was convinced that, if they were treated with dignity, then a fictional version of the Reeves would not necessarily be perceived as insulting or exploitive. I leave it to you to decide how well I hewed to that rule. I can tell you this: no attempt was made to portray "Chris", "Dana", and "Will" in anything but a good light. Their personalities and dialogue in this story are, of course, fictional. Since I do not know them personally, they could hardly be anything else.
I beg their forgiveness for the appropriation.
But, as I've said, once I had the idea, I had little choice but to write the story.
The first 10-page segment, when it was done, was posted to Outside the Lines, a comic fanfiction mailing group. It has never been noted for its receptivity to Superman stories. Most of its output, until recently, has been devoted to unofficial stories of Marvel's X-Men characters. I didn't know what kind of reception it would get.
Almost as soon as it was distributed, I found out.
On a fanfic chat line, on OTL e-mail, the responses came back almost immediately.
A hell of a lot of people loved the story of Christopher Reeve and Superman.
The feedback letters kept rolling in, more than I'd garnered for any single story. So many of them eloquently spoke of how the story's subject moved them, that there was no question of not finishing it, for me.
But then again, once started, there never was any.
So thanks very much to all the folks who wrote me about the story, or told me about it online. Even the ones who questioned the ethics of using a version of Christopher Reeve. I hope you all liked how it came out, in the final product.
There's more.
The Christopher Reeve Homepage ( http://www.geocities.com/younis3/ ) was valuable in providing some important biographical information about Reeve, and pointing me in the direction of several other websites.
The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation's website ( http://paralysis.org/ ) was another invaluable resource.
Steve Younis's Superman Homepage ( http://www.fandom.com/superman/ ) also provided much information and was a lot of fun to browse, as well; he's also responsible for the Christopher Reeve Homepage above.
Finally, if some traits of the Superman in this story seem unfamiliar to you, be advised that this is the Superman of Earth 1.75, an older version of the Superman who appeared in DC Comics from the mid-Fifties through 1985. This story is set in 1999, a few years down the road from the stories I'm currently writing. If you're confused, consult "Kara and the Dreamsmith" on DarkMark's Domain, at https://members.tripod.com/Dark_Mark/darkmark1.htm. So much for that.
Don't stop reading, we're about to come to the most important part.
Regrettably, there are no super-heroes nor Lex Luthors in our world to find a cure for spinal paralysis.
Our own scientists, doctors, and surgeons will have to do the best they can on their own.
But we can help, and you all know it.
The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation is taking donations for the cause of research online, at the website previously mentioned; by phone; and through the mail. The online page for credit card donations is https://www.circleoffriends.org/help/onlinedonate.html. The phone number for donations is (800) 225-0292. For contributions by mail, send to:
CRPF 500 Morris Ave. Springfield, N.J. 07081
After writing this, I'll be sending them a contribution. Hope some of you can manage to do the same, if you want. And you don't have to mention this story. But hey, if you did, it wouldn't make me mad. ;-)
I had intended to finish this up with a quote of Hal Ketchum's country song, "Hang in there, Superman / One million grown-up children wish you well". But I think I'll just say thanks to all of you for reading the story.
And thanks to Christopher Reeve, not for making us believe a guy in a blue suit could fly...
...But for making us believe.
DarkMark 12/8/1999