Can someone explain Superman for me?

[sprytel]

Ok... so this is the thread that will likely tweak Hector... but I'm legitimately trying to understand this one.

Even as a kid, I could never connected with Superman... either practically (even within the standard of comics, the modern version of the character is just kind of nonsensical if you think about it) or dramatically (he is basically all-powerful with no flaws or weaknesses, except for when he is exposed to some super-rare space rocks).

Yet Superman is iconic. Lots of people love him. Help me understand why. What is compelling about Superman? What are some of the best storylines about Superman? Why do you like the character?

[sprytel]

I will add this one thing.

I started thinking about this when pondering this question:

Superman can fly in space. So he must not need to breathe. But he has super breathe as a power. What is up with that?

Which I thought was an interesting question, but I realized that my questions about the character were a lot more fundamental than that.

[MRP]

Have you ever read the Siegel and Shuster originals from the 30s-40s when Superman was first capturing the hearts of America? Or the newspaper strips featuring Superman from the same period? Or watched the Fleischer cartoons? The Superman there is a vastly different (and in my estimation better) character than the modern iteration of the character. He is not all-powerful, he does not fly in space (or even fly really, just leaping buildings in a single bound). He is bulletproof, but bursting bombshells give him trouble, and he is a force for justice. Not goody-two-shoes Mr. Perfect Boy Scout, but almost a force of nature that can strike fear in the hearts of those who would perpetuate injustice and exploit others. He was the hero people needed at the time, and in his rawest form he is the epitome of the American dream, the immigrant story of an outsider who came to America and made good.

For me, the more powerful he got, the more abilities they gave him, the less resonant he became. They were barnacles on the core of the character. Especially when you got to the Weisenger era and they added a lot of stuff that warped the concept and diluted the basic idea of Superman. That core ideas is still evident in the George Reeves Adventures of Superman, even with added powers, but the actually Superman comics of the late 50s and early 60s even before Weisenger had started to lose the core concept. Some of it had to do with the implementation of the Comics Code and the toning down of all comics, taking off the edges until it was mere pabulum, but part of it was that Superman was a victim of its own success. When it started, it was an unknown concept you could do anything with, and Siegel and Shuster pushed the envelope, using Superman to make some pretty bold statements about their concepts of social justice, injustice, the exploitation of the poor, and other issues they saw in the world coming out of the Great Depression and on the brink of the Second World War. People ate it up. But the more successful it is, the more the publishers want to maintain the brand and protect it, the less risks the storytellers can take, the less daring or bold they can be because you cannot alienate audiences. They began to chase the golden goose. The radio show was popular, lets bring elements of that into the comics (flying, Jimmy Olsen, etc.) Hey people like Superman flying, what else can we make him do that people will like? Etc. etc. until it becomes about capturing sales and wooing audiences instead of about telling stories that the creators want or need to tell. Success dilutes the creative impulse. But it was that core concept that captured the hearts (and dollars) of audiences, causing an explosive expansion of Superman into other mediums and fueling sales of Superman comics into the millions of copies per issue. Since then, they've essentially been treading on that success and losing sight of that core. Instead we get platitudes (Truth, Justice and the American Way), sanitized perfection (the Big Blue Boy Scout), and flashy powers and over the top silliness (Super Pets, Rainbow Kryptonite, Death of Superman, Superman Red/Blue, grim and gritty Man of Steel, or what have you, and not the passionate sincere, bold crusader against injustice and protector of the people that Siegel and Shuster won the hearts of the world with.

But if you haven't read those early stories and look at them in the context of the world in which they landed, I can see where the appeal seems elusive.

-M

[powersthatbe]

The most fascinating thing to me about Superman is that he is the most powerful man on earth, yet because he was raised and nurtured with love from his adoptive parents he used his mighty powers for good in the world. he is our modern mythology, like the Greek gods of old. tbh, i never got into like the curt swan comics, but loved the george reeve show(and i thought george and chris were related when superman 78 came out) and to me John Byrne put everything that was great about Superman in his run. Superman was created during WW2 and he was the american symbol of strength, hope and decency. He was the number one superhero for over fifty years until Batman dethroned him of that title in 1989 and still holds that honor present day 30 years later.(there was also a time when captain marvel?shazam was number one). because of the damage to batman from the 66 show, batman almost got canceled in the 70s)

[ToyTalk]

MRP

That was one of the most descriptive, persuasive, informative and eloquent articles I have ever read. In your two paragraphs I gained an understanding and perception of Superman that I never had before. Thank you.

[MRP]

MRP

That was one of the most descriptive, persuasive, informative and eloquent articles I have ever read. In your two paragraphs I gained an understanding and perception of Superman that I never had before. Thank you.

Your welcome. And thank you for the kind words.

-M

[Megotastrophe]

Well his coolest power ever was when he could shoot tiny Superman clones out of his fingers...

[YoungOnce]

I’ve read those first early Superman adventures and that Superman was much more grounded, so I agree with the appeal of that. It’s the same way with Batman’s first adventures… that was my favorite version of that character… it was a gritty world and he was a gritty character.

That said, my favorite version of Superman is the Chris Reeves’ Superman, in the first two movies anyway. Yes… he’s overpowered but still beatable. And it’s his “good-guy/Boy Scout” demeanor set against the grit, grime, and cynicism of the city that compels me to love that character. I realize that’s not for everybody, but that’s what I enjoy.

[Hector]

You guys already posted things I couldn’t possibly top. You guys said it best.

All I can add is that Superman is the complete opposite of me, that’s why I love him, lol.

[PNGwynne]

For me, the most appealing aspect of Superman is not how powerful he is, but how he uses those powers. I think he can be good without being a "goody two-shoes." Regarding the pejorative Big Blue Boy Scout, surely it's still possible to see those traits as heroic positive qualities, without satire or irony. (I feel this way about Capt. America, too.) In storytelling, I like the frisson between what Superman can do and what he is (or strives to be).

I won't discuss Capt. Marvel here, but I'd agree that I do not enjoy a too-powerful, deus ex machina Superman. That pile-on of powers and abilities has "ruined" Batman and now Wonder Woman as well IMO.

[enyawd72]

What has always appealed to me about Superman, is how powerful he is, yet he is so humble.
The 1978 film really gets this point across. He is here not to save us, but to save us from ourselves by serving as an example of what we can be.

[PNGwynne]

I highly recommend Larry Tye's cultural history of Superman.

[PNGwynne]

What has always appealed to me about Superman, is how powerful he is, yet he is so humble.
The 1978 film really gets this point across. He is here not to save us, but to save us from ourselves by serving as an example of what we can be.

Nicely put. I've said here before, I never really liked Superman until I saw Reeve's film. Charming and inspiring. I think it says something a bit sad about our culture now that Batman has become ascendant. Particularly "modern" Batman.

[Hector]

Superman can fly in space.

He’s actually quite limited in that aspect. The further he’s away from the yellow sun, his powers diminish. That’s why he uses his own Kryptonian personal spaceship for interstellar travel.

At least that’s the theory with some versions. Of course versions like Superman Prime One Million and Superman Thought Robot don’t need no stinking spaceships for interstellar travel, lol.

[PNGwynne]

^IIRC, the animated series limited Superman's endurance in space. I've often thought he should at least be holding his breath.