Editing Krypton (comics) (section)

====Vathlo Island====
{{Infobox fictional location
| name        = Vathlo Island
| image       = vathlo.jpg
| image_size  = 
| caption     = Vathlo Island, from map of Krypton in ''Superman'' #239 ([[Sal Amendola]], artist).
| blank_label = [[:Category:Comics publishing companies|Publisher]]
| blank_data  = [[DC Comics]]
| first       = ''[[Superman (comic book)|Superman]]'' #239<br />(June/July 1971)
| source      = [[Superman (comic book)|Superman]]
| creator     = [[Sal Amendola]]
| genre       = [[Superhero comics]]
| type        = Island continent
| people      = Iph-Ro<ref>[[Mark Schultz (comics)|Mark Schultz]] (2001-04). ''Superman: The Man of Steel'' #111 (April 2001).</ref>
| races       = [[Kryptonian]]s
| locations   = 
}}
'''Vathlo Island''' is a fictional location on Krypton, notable as an early attempt to explain in-universe the seeming non-presence of [[black people]] throughout the universe.<ref name="vathlo"/> Other scholars have called Vathlo Island out more broadly as a stand-in for different non-white diaspora communities, such [[Hispanic and Latino Americans]].<ref>{{cite book| last =Aldama| first =Frederick Luis| title =Latinx Superheroes in Mainstream Comics| publisher =[[University of Arizona Press]]| date =2017| pages =9| language =English| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=R3wzDwAAQBAJ| isbn = 9780816537082| accessdate=2024-04-03}}</ref>

In issue #234 of ''Superman'' (February 1971), the first apparently dark-skinned Kryptonian was featured, and described as being employed at "Vathlo Station", but the origin of this previously unseen Kryptonian ethnicity otherwise went uncommented on.<ref name="vathlo">{{cite book| last=Zeichmann| first=Christopher B.| editor-last=Darowski| editor-first=Joseph J.| title=The Ages of Superman: Essays on the Man of Steel in Changing Times| chapter=Black Like Lois: Confronting Racism, Configuring African American Presence| publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]| date=2012| pages=78–90| language=English| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E_86DwAAQBAJ| isbn=9780786463084| access-date=2019-08-31}}</ref>

Half a year later, in ''Superman'' #239 (June 1971), a panel drawn by artist [[Sal Amendola]] described a "Vathlo Island" in the "Old World" hemisphere of Krypton as being populated by a "highly developed [[Black people|black]] race".<ref name="vathlo"/>

DC generally lagged behind its competitor [[Marvel Comics]], and Superman comics generally more so than other DC titles, in depicting characters of color,<ref name="vathlo"/> and there were few previous appearances of black characters in the series, mostly stereotypical "natives".<ref name="bookofpdr">{{cite web| last=Ryall| first=Patrick D.| title=The First Africans In Superman| website=The Book of PDR| date=March 19, 2023| url=http://www.bookofpdr.com/2023/03/19/the-first-africans-in-superman/| access-date=2023-03-19}}</ref> It is unknown who exactly was responsible for introducing these first nonwhite races to Krypton's demographic makeup, but [[Mark Waid]] has speculated that it was [[E. Nelson Bridwell]], editorial assistant on the Superman books at the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsarama.com/1890-supermen-of-color-the-non-white-kryptonians.html|title=Supermen of Color: The Non-White Kryptonians|last=Brady|first=Matt|date=2009-01-06|website=newsarama.com|publisher=[[Newsarama]]|access-date=2019-08-31|quote=I cringe to tell you this [says DC writer Mark Waid], but the Kryptonians of Color were all on 'Vathlo Island, Home of a Highly Advanced Black Race'. It wasn't until the mid-70s, when more 'World of Krypton' back-up stories ran more regularly, that we really saw any ethnicity whatsoever on the planet.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130722154336/https://www.newsarama.com/1890-supermen-of-color-the-non-white-kryptonians.html
|archive-date=22 July 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The commentary on the Vathlorians being "highly developed" (as if it were peculiar and noteworthy that people with dark skin might be developed) is generally seen by modern commentators as being well-intended but "cringeworthy".<ref>{{cite news| last=Chamary| first=JV| title=Science Says Superman Should Be Black| newspaper=[[Forbes]]| location=[[Jersey City, New Jersey]]| language=English| date=2016-03-31| url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2016/03/31/black-superman/#529cc7913b18| access-date=2019-08-31}}</ref>

Other commentators have noted that the creation of Vathlo Island inspired a whole host of other questions, such as 'If there are black Kryptonians, why are they so seldom seen, and why do they appear to live only on one island?' ''[[Gizmodo]]'' noted that a Krypton structured this way seems "segregated as hell",<ref>{{cite web| url=https://gizmodo.com/a-brief-history-of-dc-comics-black-supermen-1846654682| title=A Brief History of DC Comics' Black Supermen| last=Pulliam-Moore| first=Charles| date=2021-04-12| website=[[Gizmodo]]| publisher=| access-date=2021-07-20| quote=Unexamined as Vathlo's existence has gone for the bulk of DC Comics' history, its creation immediately raised a number of questions about Kryptonian society that Superman comics, and much of the fandom, have never been particularly keen on asking. By presenting Vathlo as an island full of Black Kryptonians without explaining what they were doing there, Giant Superman made it impossible not to regard it as being a reflection of our reality's history of racial segregation, even if that wasn't DC's express intent.}}</ref> while [[Gene Demby]] observed that this was an example of "segregation in everything".<ref>{{Cite tweet| last=Demby| first=Gene|author-link=Gene Demby|user= GeeDee215|number= 849621436557910016|date= 2017-04-05|title=So yeah. #housingsegregationineverything. Even Krypton.|script-title=|trans-title=|language= English|retweet=|location=|access-date= 2021-07-20|link= https://twitter.com/GeeDee215/status/849621436557910016|ref=}}</ref> DC Comics writer [[Mark Waid]] called this an "error of omission" coming from DC's desire to represent people of darker skin as living on Krypton, but implementing this in a way with unintended implications.<ref>{{cite book| last=Goodrum| first=Michael| title=Superheroes and American Self Image: From War to Watergate| publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]| series=| volume=| date=2017| pages=| language=English| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eggkDwAAQBAJ| isbn=9781317048398| accessdate=2024-04-03}}</ref> However, other writers have pointed out that DC would go on to re-use this as a rationale to explain the non-presence of black skinned characters in other contexts, as with the [[Tyroc]] character.<ref name="circ">{{cite book| last=Schwartz| first=Roy| title=Is Superman Circumcised?: The Complete Jewish History of the World's Greatest Hero| publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]| date=2021| pages=231| language=English| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XIMwEAAAQBAJ| isbn=9781476662909| accessdate=2024-04-03}}</ref>

Vathlo was rarely if ever referenced beyond these few issues, although a black Kryptonian named "Iph-Ro of Vathlo" appeared in the more recent ''[[Superman: The Man of Steel]]'' #111.<ref>[[Mark Schultz (comics)|Mark Schultz]] (2001-04). Superman: The Man of Steel #111 (April 2001).</ref> An offhand reference to the island was made in [[Alan Moore]]'s story "[[For the Man Who Has Everything]]", where "racial trouble with the Vathlo Island immigrants" are mentioned in a dream-world Krypton that had avoided destruction.<ref>{{cite book| last=Reynolds| first=Richard| title=Super Heroes: A Modern Mythology| publisher=[[University Press of Mississippi]]| date=1994| pages=62| language=English| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rrx-5cn1F8oC| isbn=9780878056941| accessdate=2024-04-03}}</ref> It is believed, based on the appearances of black Kryptonians in recent Superman issues, that the Vathlonians eventually were integrated into Krypton proper, although there has been no canonical statement about this from DC Comics.<ref>{{cite web|author=Brady, Matt|title=Superman's planet is racially diverse-finally|publisher=[[NBC News|MSNBC.com]]|date=January 7, 2009|access-date=2009-01-11|url= http://www.nbcnews.com/id/28543087|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160323165700/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/28543087/|url-status= dead|archive-date= March 23, 2016}}</ref>

In ''[[Superman: World of New Krypton]]'' #4, it is established that Vathlo Islanders settled in [[Kandor (comics)|Kandor]] prior to the destruction of Krypton.<ref>''Superman: World of New Krypton'' #4 (August 2009).</ref>

In ''[[Final Crisis]]'' #7 a black version of Superman is shown to reside on the alternate universe of Earth-23. This Superman, whose given name is Kalel but adopts the human alias of Calvin Ellis, is shown to originate from Vathlo Island of his reality's Krypton.<ref name=ACv2iss9>{{cite magazine| last1= Morrison| first1= Grant| author-link1= Grant Morrison| last2= Ha| first2= Gene| author-link2= Gene Ha| last3= Lyon| first3= Art| author-link3= | last4= Brosseau| first4= Pat| date=July 2012| orig-date=| editor1-last= Idelson| editor1-first=Matt| editor2-last= Moss| editor2-first=Wil| title= The Curse of Superman| magazine= [[Action Comics]]| type=Comic| language= English| publisher=[[DC Comics]]| publication-date= 2012-05-02| volume= 2| issue= 9| quote= "Their world was called Krypton, and greatest of all its mighty cities was the science-capital Jandra-La on Valtho Island in the Green Danahu Ocean. It was there, as the planet was ripped apart...that two desperate young scientists named Jorel and Lara performed their last, most daring experiment together. Unable to save themselves from Krypton's apocalypse, they placed their only son, Kalel, in a prototype rocket and shot him across the empty gulfs of space... Now, disguised as United States President Calvin Ellis, Kalel of Krypton fights a never-ending battle for Truth, Justice, Liberty and Equality as... SUPERMAN."
}}</ref>

While the island itself did not appear and was not referenced in the television series ''[[Smallville]]'', [[Ethnic groups of Africa|African]]-looking/dark-skinned Kryptonians have been featured. One was a disciple of [[General Zod|Zod]], who goes by the name Nam-Ek (portrayed by [[Leonard Roberts]]). Another was named Basqat (played by Adrian Holmes).

Dark-skinned Kryptonians have also appeared in the SyFy television series ''[[Krypton (TV series)|Krypton]]'', including Lyta-Zod, one of the series' main characters, and General Zod himself. In this version, Vathlo Island is not mentioned.

Characters in [[Eric Jerome Dickey]]'s novel ''The Son of Mr. Suleman'' discuss Vathlo Island and react with derision to the idea that there was segregation on Krypton.<ref>{{cite book| last=Dickey| first=Eric Jerome| authorlink=Eric Jerome Dickey| title=The Son of Mr. Suleman| publisher=[[E. P. Dutton]]| date=2021| pages=126| language=English| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RKxPEAAAQBAJ| isbn=9781524745233| accessdate=2024-04-03}}</ref>