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Post by Batflunkie on Dec 28, 2020 13:40:22 GMT -5
I never felt any particular love for the character even though one of the first comic books that I ever read was Adventures Of Superman 558
I do however have somewhat fond memories of watching Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman and the first episode of Smallville |
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Post by Duragizer on Dec 28, 2020 14:47:36 GMT -5
I love Superman. I hate Superman. I'm indifferent to Superman. I'm ambivalent about Superman. See what happens when you have a nth amount of not-entirely-congruent versions of the same character?  |
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Post by MDG on Dec 28, 2020 14:55:11 GMT -5
I love Superman. I hate Superman. I'm indifferent to Superman. I'm ambivalent about Superman. See what happens when you have a nth amount of not-entirely-congruent versions of the same character? Yeah--the concept of Superman should remain as simple and accessible as possible to keep the character as a "gateway drug" for new readers. (Same for Batman, Spider-Man, Hulk--the flagship characters that can be boiled down in one or two sentences. Unfortunately, WW isn't in this group--I've always found her origin kind've convoluted.)
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Post by Batflunkie on Dec 28, 2020 15:12:23 GMT -5
I love Superman. I hate Superman. I'm indifferent to Superman. I'm ambivalent about Superman. See what happens when you have a nth amount of not-entirely-congruent versions of the same character? Yeah--the concept of Superman should remain as simple and accessible as possible to keep the character as a "gateway drug" for new readers. (Same for Batman, Spider-Man, Hulk--the flagship characters that can be boiled down in one or two sentences. Unfortunately, WW isn't in this group--I've always found her origin kind've convoluted.) Question MDG: do you believe in Stan's mantra of giving "the illusion of change" when it comes to characters growing? |
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Post by hondobrode on Dec 28, 2020 23:49:25 GMT -5
Superman and Batman, the light and the darkness, are two of my favorite characters.
Much as I love Batman, I really love Superman.
He does the right thing. Love those old Golden Age stories with Earth-2 Kal !
I don't like the Super-Dickery stories, but I admire Dc grabbing you by the throat and selling you a comic.
Child of Two Worlds, or maybe three, with Smallville / Metropolis / Krypton; love the sci-fi aspects of the legend and the crazy kryptonites, the Fortress of Solitude, even a god can't do everything, and his keeping his humility and cool when he could probably rule all of us without trying too hard
90's triangle era Supes I thought then, and still do, are some of my favorites. Post-COIE, Superman was really exciting.
The addition to the Superman Family of the Legion is another layer of greatness as I love that group as well and Superman learning from them and becoming a little more humble amongst that group.
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Post by Duragizer on Dec 29, 2020 0:35:49 GMT -5
I love Superman. I hate Superman. I'm indifferent to Superman. I'm ambivalent about Superman. See what happens when you have a nth amount of not-entirely-congruent versions of the same character? Yeah--the concept of Superman should remain as simple and accessible as possible to keep the character as a "gateway drug" for new readers. I'm more for ditching much of the "Last Son of Krypton" stuff and returning Superman to his roots as a champion for the working & underclass. |
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Post by berkley on Dec 29, 2020 3:06:32 GMT -5
I couldn't find an alternative in the poll that reflects my feelings. 'I hate him' doesn't work for me because it makes it sound as if Superman were an actual person and you hate that person. If there were an actual person like Superman - a nice guy, always trying to do the right thing - I'm pretty sure I would like him just fine.
But I do hate 'Superman' - in this way: I hate what the character stands for, as a character that exemplifies to me the worst aspects of the superhero genre: the power-fantasy, the moral certainty/superiority, the nationalistic chest-thumping that partakes of both ('Truth, Justice, and the American Way'), the belief that Right makes Might ...
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Post by MDG on Dec 29, 2020 9:57:07 GMT -5
Yeah--the concept of Superman should remain as simple and accessible as possible to keep the character as a "gateway drug" for new readers. (Same for Batman, Spider-Man, Hulk--the flagship characters that can be boiled down in one or two sentences. Unfortunately, WW isn't in this group--I've always found her origin kind've convoluted.) Question MDG: do you believe in Stan's mantra of giving "the illusion of change" when it comes to characters growing? It's less the character as how the series is handled. Was it Shooter who said, "Every issue is somebody's first issue"? This is more true for a company's major characters than for others. I think most people (and kids) have an idea what Batman or the Hulk is like before they read their first comic with them, and if doesn't meet the basic expectations, they may not go back.
One of the things i didn;t like about the triangle era was it seemed overstuffed with subplots and supporting characters. I think it was around the same time when X-Men just seemed like a catalog of unresolved subplots.
Understand that, for all the years I've been doing it, I'm still basically a casual reader, especially of superhero comics. And, really, I expect each issue to be at least sufficient in delivering a satisfying experience. I want to want to read the another issue, not feel I have to read every-single-issue if I want "the experience."
With Superman (or Spider-Man, etc--the main ones) it's in the publishers interest to make each issue count (of the regular series, anyway--they have plenty of other places to try other things with the characters).
Of course, we've been having this conversation since 1983...
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Post by zaku on Dec 30, 2020 10:09:20 GMT -5
Well, it depends on what version of the character we are talking about. The Silver Age-Bronze Age one was an unbearable and hypocritical jerk (and sometime borderline psychotic). Actually, I would never let a kid approach those comics (except as a negative example). the moral certainty/superiority, the nationalistic chest-thumping that partakes of both (' Truth, Justice, and the American Way'), the belief that Right makes Might ... Except when he constantly lies to people who think he is a friend (the secret identity thing) and to the woman he says he loves, even making her question her own sanity. |
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Post by DubipR on Dec 30, 2020 11:47:10 GMT -5
Like most of us here, we all grew up watching the Reeves Superman series, watched Christopher Reeves, watched SuperFriends, and read him on a consistent basis. He's always been a favorite of mine. Love Bud Collyer as Superman, love Kirk Allyn. He's enjoyable. But when it comes to comics, the right writer can elevate Superman to greatness.
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Dec 30, 2020 12:53:19 GMT -5
I don't care for him...
He is like Will Ferrell to me. A lot of people LOVE Ferrell and while I respect what he has done, there is very very little of what he has done that makes me laugh. I feel the same way with Superman. A LOT of it bores me. There are a handful of artists who have done some great work (call me terrible but I am NOT a Curt Swan fan) and there are a handful of writers who have but for the most part, my interest-o-meter never ticks when I see Superman. Yet I do respect him for what he means to the history of superheroes and comics.
Put it this way. If I found a copy of Action Comics #1, I would be selling it immediately. For more comic money and financial staibility. I cannot say that for like thousands of other older comics which, if found, would likely be kept....especially Marvel books.
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Post by tarkintino on Dec 30, 2020 16:01:02 GMT -5
There are a handful of artists who have done some great work (call me terrible but I am NOT a Curt Swan fan) I am no Swan fan either, but Superman's history is so much larger than Swan's work and the editors/writers most associated with his run. The character lives up to his potential when he is a man of mystery; he might be a hero to those observing him, but he's not your buddy, and he's not going to hang out with you at the camp cook-out (see many a World's Finest cover for that kind of watering down of the character). He is supposed to be a striking figure among mortals, and that version of the character was found in the first few years of Action Comics and his own title. Unfortunately, readers were then taken on that that incredibly long journey of Superman (most of the Golden and Silver Age) being the happy brand representative instead of a character with a purpose. Personally, I enjoyed the Bronze Age changes in how Superman was used in the DC universe, where his maturity (in and out of costume) was restored after being silly for so long. I can steer clear of the way most adaptations handled the character, since they often played up the worst traits of the character's silly published era. |
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