So, from now on, whenever there are people who need my very special kind of help, it won't be a job for plain, ordinary Clark Kent... it'll be a job for Superman. 
- — Superman
The Man of Steel #1 is an issue of the series The Man of Steel (Volume 1) with a cover date of October, 1986. It was published on July 10, 1986.
Synopsis for "From Out the Green Dawn"
Prologue
Farewell, my Son.
On the planet Krypton, scientist Jor-El returns home to inform his wife, Lara, that their world is doomed. A geological chain reaction has fused the planet's core elements into a new radioactive compound. This new compound is destroying their world and they only have hours left to live. Jor-El tells Lara that he has devised a way for their son, Kal-El, to escape Krypton's destruction. The rocket has been programmed to land on Earth, a planet not too different from Ancient Krypton, where due to the Yellow Sun, Kal-El will have vastly increased physical abilities. He places him inside of a specially designed birthing matrix equipped with hyper-drive capabilities. As Krypton explodes, the gestation chamber launches itself into hyperspace; its destination – Earth.
Chapter One: The Secret
Years later in Smallville, teenager Clark Kent single-handedly wins the high school football championship for Smallville High. As the crowd carries him off on their shoulders, his father Jonathan Kent approaches and beckons him away. He drives Clark back to the Kent family farm and warns him about showy displays of his powers. As they return home, Jonathan takes him to an abandoned section of field, where he reveals the buried remains of the Kryptonian Birthing Matrix Clark landed in. Jonathan explains how his wife Martha and he found the birthing matrix in their field eighteen years ago, and had been concealing it ever since. Dealing with not only being an alien, but also being adopted, Clark determines that his days of irresponsible usage of his abilities must come to an end. He decides to leave Smallville, in search of places where he can do greater good.
Chapter Two: The Exposure
First Outing
At the 250th anniversary celebration of Metropolis, where Clark Kent has been making his home for the past several years, a special NASA shuttle-craft named the Constitution prepares to land at Metropolis International Airport. Suddenly, a passenger plane enters the no-fly zone and collides with the Constitution. The shuttle goes into a tailspin and begins to falter. From the assembled crowd below, Clark Kent realizes that he has no choice but to save the people on board, even if it means revealing himself to the world. He flies upward and saves the shuttle. One of the passengers is Daily Planet reporter, Lois Lane. An interaction almost occurs between the two as she's about to begin asking him questions, but they are swarmed by a crowded mob, which Superman flies away from and escapes. He returns to Smallville and confides in his parents, upset that despite his desires for secrecy, he was treated terribly like any commercial celebrity.
Epilogue: The Super-Hero
Jonathan concocts a way that Clark can continue to publicly use his abilities while simultaneously concealing his true identity. Martha Kent sews together a colorful, symbolic uniform for Clark to wear, using a gigantic "S" logo created by Clark and Jonathan. Although it is created with normal cloth, Martha long ago noticed that any fabric pressed right up close against him never tears anyway (although this will not protect his cape). Clark reinvents himself as Clark Kent into a humbler and meeker public identity with which to disguise himself, so he can lead a normal life. When it's finished, he dons his costume for the first time, becoming... Superman.
Appearing in "From Out the Green Dawn"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Jonathan Kent (First appearance)
- Martha Kent (First appearance)
- Jor-El (First appearance)
- Lara Lor-Van (First appearance)
- Lois Lane (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Kryptonian Service Robots
- Lana Lang (First appearance)
- Emmett Vale (Cameo) (First appearance)
- Smallville Giants (First appearance)
Locations:
- Krypton (Destroyed)
- Metropolis
- Kansas
Items:
- Green Kryptonite
- Kent Family Scrapbook
- Superman's Costume (First appearance on Post-Crisis universe)
Vehicles:
- Kryptonian Birthing Matrix
- Constitution
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in Millennium Edition: The Man of Steel #1, Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told Vol. 1, Superman: The Man of Steel Vol. 1 and in Superman: The Man of Steel Vol. 1 (2020 Edition).
- The Prologue to this issue is reprinted in Superman: The World of Krypton.
- The first issue of this limited series was published with two variant covers of roughly equal distribution ratio. One cover featured a close-up of Clark Kent pulling open his shirt revealing the Superman symbol on his chest beneath. The variant cover featured a full-bodied illustration of Clark Kent with a picture of Krypton exploding behind him.
- Scientist Emmett Vale makes a cameo appearance in Chapter III of this issue. Emmett appears next in flashback in Superman (Volume 2) #1. The character is based on Professor Vale, a Silver Age character who appeared in Action Comics #252.
- This series was published on a bi-weekly schedule.
- In ads before the first issue was released, the series title was given as The Legend of Superman.
Trivia
- As a teenager, Clark Kent owned a Cocker Spaniel named Rusty.
- The number on Clark Kent's High School football jersey was 15.
- Clark Kent is twenty-five years old by the end of this issue.
- Metropolis celebrates its 250th anniversary in this issue. This date contradicts information provided by other sources.[citation needed]
- Although Superman is conceived on the planet Krypton, he is not actually born until he reaches Earth. This is a major departure from all previous versions of the character wherein he was physically born on Krypton.
- The date of Krypton's destruction is intended to coincide with the real-world publishing date of Superman's first appearance in Action Comics #1. This will not be officially established until Action Comics #600.
See Also
Recommended Reading
Links and References
  After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a 1985–1986 maxiseries which completely reset the continuity of the entire DC Universe, all of DC's major characters and franchises needed to be updated to reflect the changes in the events of their lives. Multiple story arcs were put out to explain these rebooted versions of popular characters. The Man of Steel #1 • The Man of Steel #2 • The Man of Steel #3 • The Man of Steel #4 • The Man of Steel #5 • The Man of Steel #6 |