July 5, 2001

1:44 AM

"What's going on Doc?" "You're having an origin son." I dig this. Shame it's no longer being updated. Though the premise is short-sighted, in some ways it had the potential better realized with Argon Zark. Do you want to be a super-hero? Well, you gotta lotta things to consider. What is your super power? Who is your hero? Which is better: Flight or Invisibility? Do you have to wear spandex? and Who said anything about being a superhero?
posted by ZachsMind (5 comments total)

Heh heh heh.
posted by tweebiscuit at 8:06 AM on July 5, 2001

Superman. More than any other piece of literature, it's influenced my life. Some accuse him of being bland and an anachronism in this world, but it's reassuring to have someone who follows the simple credo of "Truth, Justice, and the American Way"
posted by owillis at 9:54 AM on July 5, 2001

Thanks, owillis, for putting Superman where he belongs: front & center in any debate about superheroes. His name says it all - SUPER. Right? What torks me is when people ask dumb questions like "Who can run faster, Superman or the Flash?" Or..."Who would win in a fistfight - Superman or Captain Marvel?"

Please. Superman rules. Period.
posted by davidmsc at 12:27 PM on July 5, 2001

One of the few Superman books that does justice to the subject matter: Peace on Earth.
posted by Shadowkeeper at 1:46 PM on July 5, 2001

If you're talking Superman, in my mind at least, you have to pay homage to two stories written by Alan Moore: For The Man Who Has Everything and Whatever Happened To The Man of Tomorrow? The first is available reprinted in a trade paperback, while the second is here.

What is to be said about Superman, Kal-El of Krypton, that hasn't already been said by someone? One of the most recognizeable comic book characters ever to grace the comics, a four color recasting of the Archangel Michael (his name even ends in El, the ancient Hebrew for God, and like Michael, he is like God, at least when compared to us) Superman is the icon of superheroics.

There has never been a character who so simply distills a concept. Despite his immense power, which in the real world would fill everyone with dread, Superman is an example of someone unflinchingly honorable and trustworthy.

Superman Lives. It was Superman who taught me that to have power over someone does not require that you use it. Superman who showed me that if you think you see something wrong, it's your duty to help correct it. It's been a long while since I first read a comic book, but I remember all too well that sensation of wonder.

Whether he's just Moses all over again, or a metaphor for immigration, never mattered to me. He's Superman. Good enough for me. (And you'll note that he's a writer, on top of everything else, a crusading journalist in an age that tends to look down on them.)
posted by Ezrael at 3:01 PM on July 5, 2001