Kyle Baker’s no idiot. The iconic comics and animation artist knows that he can’t call the characters in Mass Murderer of Steel Superman and General Zod. But the fighting super-powered dudes in his quickie browser game are totally based on the brawling Kryptonians in Warner Bros.’ new Man of Steel movie. How can you tell? They don’t give a damn about all the people dying as a result of their fighting. WARNING: MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW.
One of the biggest criticisms lodged at Man of Steel has been the massive scale of devastation that happen during the movie’s action sequences. Much of Metropolis is a smoking crater by the time the film ends and there’s not much to be had by way of scenes where Superman is saving innocent bystanders. It—along with an uncharacteristic act by Superman—was my main gripe with the Zack Snyder-directed flick.
Apparently, that focus on carnage bothered Kyle Baker, too. Baker’s written and/or drawn a ton of classic comics work—some of it for Superman owner DC Comics— including Deadpool MAX, Plastic Man and graphic novels like Why I Hate Saturn and Nat Turner: Revolution. He’s also done animation work, too, and has recently started dabbling in game-making. Here’s how Mass Murderer of Steel gets described on its official page:
Enjoy high-flying mass destruction as you ignore the hideous death screams of the [millions] you are pledged to save! Use your super powers to wage a never-ending battle for self-important allegorical bombast! Bludgeon your senses into numbed awe!
The game itself is one note and utterly simple. You click and drag or touch and flick the Superman/Zod analogues like a wrecking ball and watch buildings fall and people die as a result. (It's definitely not the game I imagined earlier today.) Slight as it is, Mass Murderer of Steel hammers home the resentment some people have for the latest cinematic version of Superman.
(Via Twitter)