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Post by hondobrode on Oct 2, 2014 0:44:25 GMT -5
It was something different and put more pressure on him. I liked it.
One of the first Superman comics I had from the mid 70's has him busting ass to beat the clock to be at the anchor desk in time.
As for Byrne, honestly, a lot of his Superman is pretty forgettable IMO. It doesn't surprise me he didn't like the anchor idea.
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Oct 2, 2014 4:26:47 GMT -5
Unfortunately Curt Swan drew Supes and Clark identically except for the glasses and clothing, so we have to imagine that people in the DCU are just half-blind. If I didn't know you better, I'd say that this was a little dig at Curt Swan's art. Surely not though, Rob. Please, tell us it ain't so!  It was that Clark wasn't pursuing a career as a TV newsman that made it interesting - it was something he clearly wanted to free himself from but couldn't, hence the tension of "How am I going to cover this story as Kent and be a part of it as Superman?". Interesting point. I can't say it ever really read like Clark didn't want to be an anchorman to me, but I have only ever had 30 or 40 scattered issues from this period. I do take your point that it put more pressure on him, and from a storytelling perspective that was a good thing. As for Byrne, honestly, a lot of his Superman is pretty forgettable IMO. It doesn't surprise me he didn't like the anchor idea. I'd have to agree with you on this. The best of Byrne's post-crisis revamp is the origin mini-series, Man of Steel, in my opinion. After that, it was diminishing returns all the way. Pretty pictures, sure, but pretty pictures telling a fairly mediocre story. |
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Post by crazyoldhermit on Oct 2, 2014 6:25:08 GMT -5
I definitely agree with Byrne in this case.
If you go back to the original Action Comics stories in the context of their times the secret identity totally works.
1) Clark is completely anonymous in the big city.
2) Being a reporter gives Clark freedom away from work, as he has a deadline instead of a work day.
3) Superman makes an effort to stay out of the papers.
4) By not having a mask he can disguise himself in civilian clothes, like when he pretended to be a miner, because his face is already "out there."
5) Superman's interactions with Lois Lane are at night and in dim light so she doesn't get a good look at his face.
6) The fashion of the time was much more formal and focused on conformity rather than individuality. Every man wore a suit and a hat to work which, combined with the glasses, made Clark look non-descript and functioned as a sort of mask.
Whether by time or future story developments all of these things were pretty much killed. It is very difficult for someone to keep their face off of the internet for everyone to see and impossible for anyone in a professional setting like a newsroom. Superman's characterization has shifted from radical liberal terrorist to symbol of hope and with that comes heightened exposure. The widespread cameras combined with social networking mean that there would be photos distributed online as soon as Superman came into action. His more personal relationship with Lois Lane means that she now sees him in normal lighting conditions under peaceful circumstances, making her a total dunderhead instead of something who has been merely misled. And modern fashion encourages indivual expression and means Clark Kent apparently has to look like Harry Potter to be plausible now.
It's basically the most dated secret identity possible. Everything that once made it work has been destroyed by advances in the story and in technology. The fact that newspapers are staggering around and dying is icing on the cake.
However, a dire situation is not helped by sticking Clark Kent's face on the evening news every night. That is stupid, stupid, stupid. These may be comic books but while that makes "impossible" a-ok, "stupid" and "good" are still mutually exclusive.
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Post by Icctrombone on Oct 2, 2014 7:46:07 GMT -5
It was something new for the time that went along with the Krptonite no more era.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Oct 2, 2014 10:02:56 GMT -5
The common problem with either profession is that he's still Superman. Which is unfortunate.
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Post by Rob Allen on Oct 2, 2014 12:58:56 GMT -5
No disrespect to Swan at all. He was one of my favorite artists of the time, and someone else has mentioned that he actually did draw Clark and Superman differently. I don't recall that, but it's been a few decades since I read those comics; maybe I missed it.
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Post by JKCarrier on Oct 2, 2014 13:49:12 GMT -5
Clark had already been a tv reporter for a couple of years by the time I started reading the comics, so it never struck me as odd. Clark reminded me of a lot of the local news anchors I grew up watching, who tended to be dark-haired, handsome in a bland sort of way, and kind of dorky (see also: Ron Burgundy). It's true that Clark's double life as anchorman and superhero doesn't stand up very well to logical scrutiny, but nothing about Superman stands up to logical scrutiny. I'd say that John Byrne's run is pretty good evidence that if you try to take everything quirky or improbable away from Superman, what's left is not very interesting.
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Post by dupersuper on Oct 2, 2014 19:53:07 GMT -5
The common problem with either profession is that he's still Superman. Which is unfortunate. ...Come again? |
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Post by Rob Allen on Oct 2, 2014 19:57:03 GMT -5
IIRC, Slam just doesn't like Superman.
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Post by Pharozonk on Oct 3, 2014 13:21:46 GMT -5
IIRC, Slam just doesn't like Superman. I thought he liked Golden Age Superman? |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2014 13:50:08 GMT -5
IIRC, Slam just doesn't like Superman. I thought he liked Golden Age Superman? I think like is too strong a word if I recall correctly how he expressed it, it's more the GA version is the only one that works at all for him, but it's damning Superman with faint praise at best. -M |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Oct 3, 2014 15:06:04 GMT -5
IIRC, Slam just doesn't like Superman. I thought he liked Golden Age Superman? I like Superman as presented by Siegel and Shuster in the first year or so of the characters life. Beyond that I have zero use for him. Even Alan Moore couldn't make him interesting. |
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Post by Cei-U! on Oct 3, 2014 15:36:06 GMT -5
I can see Byrne's point also, but like everyone so far in this thread, I like the stories from the WGBS era. Kurt came up with a brilliant solution to the problem of Superman's disguise in Lash House, which I think he posted at CBR but has not posted here yet. His idea was that there was more to the Clark disguise than just the glasses - Kryptonians have more control over their bodies than we do, and as Clark he compresses his spine to make himself shorter and gives himself a bit of paunch. Unfortunately Curt Swan drew Supes and Clark identically except for the glasses and clothing, so we have to imagine that people in the DCU are just half-blind. And the compressing the spine bit was definately a feature of the pre-Crisis Superman - I believe it was Eliot Maggin's idea though it may have even predated him. No, it wasn't. I've read every Silver and Bronze Age comic featuring Superman, and the closest they come to the idea is the occasional mention that Clark slumps a bit. And here's the relevant section of Lash House Rob was referencing: Now I'm not claiming I invented the spinal compression bit, y'understand, only that I've never seen it mentioned in any pre-Crisis story. EDIT: There could be such a reference, though, in either of Maggin's prose novels from the early '80s, which I *haven't* read. Cei-U! I summon the super-switcheroo! |
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Post by crazyoldhermit on Oct 3, 2014 17:13:41 GMT -5
I thought he liked Golden Age Superman? I like Superman as presented by Siegel and Shuster in the first year or so of the characters life. Beyond that I have zero use for him. Even Alan Moore couldn't make him interesting. A man after my own heart. |
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Post by chadwilliam on Oct 4, 2014 19:51:31 GMT -5
And the compressing the spine bit was definately a feature of the pre-Crisis Superman - I believe it was Eliot Maggin's idea though it may have even predated him. No, it wasn't. I've read every Silver and Bronze Age comic featuring Superman, and the closest they come to the idea is the occasional mention that Clark slumps a bit. And here's the relevant section of Lash House Rob was referencing: Now I'm not claiming I invented the spinal compression bit, y'understand, only that I've never seen it mentioned in any pre-Crisis story. EDIT: There could be such a reference, though, in either of Maggin's prose novels from the early '80s, which I *haven't* read. Cei-U! I summon the super-switcheroo! Christopher Reeve had his own take on the Superman/Clark Kent transformation: "Either Superman is a consumate actor or Lois Lane is an idiot. I don't want Lois to be an idiot so Superman must be a great actor". These sentiments are so Superman - a consideration for what works best not only for him, but for anyone around him he doesn't want to feel could be tricked so easily. As I said, Curt Swan made me believe the disguise could be pulled off as an artist, but your excerpt above has only solidified that position with your abilities as a writer. It's also tapped into something else rarely explored within the comics - Superman's alienness. Superman might have no problem displaying his superstrength, speed, ability to fly, etc, but one also must wonder from time to time, whether or not there are things he can do which he doesn't tell us. I've always been somewhat weirded out by the knowledge that Superman doesn't need to eat or sleep for instance - it's like finding out a close friend never blinks - ever. Your piece could have easily turned Superman into something slightly odd or even unsettling, but you've deftly captured Superman's voice and spirit with your writing. I'm very impressed, Cei-U! |
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