Superman stunned the first readers of comic books as he appeared in Action Comics 1 in the summer of 1938. Created by the sons of Jewish refugees, Superman was a symbol of a savior who could forcefully correct the prejudice that their people were facing in America and abroad. For the next 78 years the abilities and origins of Superman would vary, but he would always fight for the people of Earth. Due to the monthly installments of new adventures in his comic book titles, Superman was never trapped in a year or generation like fictional heroes such as Tom Sawyer or King Arthur. Author Michael Soares succinctly states that “Superman…has shifted both in persona and mission, evolving with each generation to match the domestic mood” (Soares, 2015). …show more content…
Joe Shuster, Superman’s creator, envisioned a being that was sent from the heavens on a voyage of interstellar proportions to alleviate the suffering of the civilians of Earth. This journey to Earth is necessary criteria for a convincing Superman. In his own mythos, Superman either comes from a doomed alien planet or travels through time centuries from now to better humanity’s future. It is important to recognize that in most instances Superman is a gift of salvation from a doomed planet or future Earth in an effort to prevent the actions that destroyed their civilization. Once title from Variant Comics posits a Superman that is called Samaritan that hails from a far flung apocalyptic future that he abandons in an effort to steer the course of humanity towards greatness. Following the most popular origins, Superman in Man of Steel is sent across the galaxy to Earth from a utopian planet on the verge of destruction. This planet Krypton is millennia older than Earth, and consequently foreshadows our own world as their civilization is much more evolved culturally and technologically. Although hailing from another planet is important the character needs to have knowledge of the wonders of his former home. In Man of Steel, Superman learns of Krypton through pre-recorded messages that his parents sent with him. In the messages, Superman’s parents describe how his alien biology will react …show more content…
Hyperion’s abilities are abused by the government to perform increasingly immoral tasks until he denounces his allegiance, successively receiving assassination. Variant Comic’s Samaritan utterly exhausts himself by unceasingly preventing natural disasters and crimes to the point of delirium. Superman of the Gods and Monster universe does not lose his murderous and authoritative attitude until he learns of his peaceful home planet Krypton, thus striving to create a similar utopia on Earth. Overman ends his career when he realizes that the humans are ready to create the peaceful society that he wanted from his autonomous reign. These Supermen have the powers of God, and the wisdom and morality of men. A character that would rather die than to let humanity kill itself is a far more compelling hero than the simple policeman that most audiences envision for Superman. In Man of Steel, the conflicted Superman is place in today’s highly globalized world. Superman faces a xenophobic and untrusting public who disagree with an alien actively guiding the conflicts of the human race. It is paramount to realize that this Superman may be the closest to perfection that an audience may ever witness. Superman meets Kryptonians who want to destroy humans in an effort to rebuild their lost home world. A cross-road is faced: betray his morality and humanity to kill a member of his own race
Society favors the outlaw hero because we relate with that character more. We see ourselves more so in the outlaw hero than in the official hero. The outlaw hero has the child like talents that most of us wish we had as adults. To civilians it may seem that the outlaw hero lives more of a fantasy life that we all wish to have. Superman’s image has remained unchanged over the years. A blue suit accompanied by boots, a belt and cape have always been the Superman style, along with the Superman emblem on his chest. Superman’s real name is Kal-El, a descendant of the Kryptonian family of the house of El, with his father known as Jor-El and mother Lara. Krypton was discovered to be in the last seconds of life due to the coming supernova of its sun by Kal-El’s father. The other members of Krypton did not believe Jor-El could not tell others of his answers and examinations. Jor-El promised that neither he nor his wife would leave and with every last possible choice eliminated, Jor-El would send his newborn son to the planet Earth. Kal-El then crash landed into the care of Jonathan and Martha Kent, two farmers in Kansas. He then adopted the Kent family name,...
On one end of the spectrum lays Superman, an alien who from birth is comparable to god, and on the opposite side lays Lex Luthor, a genius human who comes from nothing and created a financial empire. Superman
... fall by the wayside, only to be mourned by those who knew them personally. This is not the way of the superhero, no, this is a selfish, monetarily-based endeavor to keep peace with those who are bringing the most "to the table". I agree with Alsford, the power of power can only be measured through its application, and if the hero's power is misused, it is futile and worthless. In summary, I think global efforts should be made to not only maintain balance as a whole, but also to begin viewing all humanity as one, and all of humanity worth saving. By changing our view on reality, we can change the world; violence and human monitoring are not the only ways to keep the peace, we can also start employing our wits and really start talking out our problems. The issue is not whether or not the enemy is defeated, but rather whether or not our species has learned to listen.
Batman and Superman are superheroes whose qualities are exaggerated in a way that is reminiscent of the gods and heroes in The Odyssey. In Fact, the superheroes from comic books emerge from the epic tradition. Epics, as you know, celebrate the great deeds of one or more legendary heroes. This epic hero is generally involved with a quest to overcome hardship, and he (and it usually is a "he") succeeds. The hero performs superhuman exploits in battle, often saving or founding a nation or the human race itself. Sound familiar? And even in terms of the superhero's body, with his bulging muscles and larger‐than‐life qualities, such figures evoke the images of Baroque masculinity. What Becomes important in these retellings, then, is how the hero makes the journey, how he faces his obstacles, and what he learns in the process.
With reference to “Man of Steel” and “Superman 1”, Superman is much taller than Lois resulting in her constantly having to look up at him and having him shot with a low angle from the point-of-view shot of Lois Lane, having the effect of Superman seeming more powerful. Superman’s adoptive mother is also a stereotypical, stay at home mother while his adoptive father
To your average white American kid, a comic book is cheap entertainment— a leisure, a novelty. Your run of the mill issue of "Superman," perhaps the most generic superhero of all, is something to be read once, maybe even merely skimmed, while in the bathroom or the doctors' office. When finished with it gets thrown away mindlessly or tossed aside to join a mounting stack of similarly abandoned stories of fantastical heroism. However in the eyes of the young Indian boy, Sherman Alexie, as depicted in his essay, "Superman and Me," a tattered comic found in a donation bin was much more than that— it was a life line.
Superheroes are typically perceived as those who persevere through conflict by acting compassionately and courageously to save society. In reality, however, conflict reveals the adverse behaviours of individuals, including the use of selfish and violent means to protect oneself. The Wars, by Timothy Findley, shows that the worst aspects of humanity are exploited during war and are the cause of the destruction of all forms of life. First, the corruption of the pure elements highlights how individuals lose their innocence and act carelessly and viciously when faced with conflict. Second, the foil and mirror characters accentuate how it is impossible to hang onto purity, since humanity’s wicked tendencies result in a hopeless devastation for
Imagine a Batman birthed in 1939 aging with his readership, so come 1986 he is retired. Who would his villains be? Not the Joker, or the Cat Woman, but Nuclear War, Reaganomics, a Bipartisan government, and the fear of nuclear attack. And so once again, Superman and his friends helped us solve our problems, the enemies of the common
In Superhero Worship by Virginia Postrel published in The Atlantic explores the glamour of comic heroes coming to live, and what that glamour really is. From paper to screen superheroes have caught the wonder of the American people. The most wellknown superheroes were introduced in the 1930s through the late 1950s, during the time of warfare and national pride. Superman was welcomed in America in 1937 to keep spirits alive during the breakout of WWII, fighting Nazis or the Japanese Imperial Army. These heroes that were created used propaganda
Everyone dreams of being a hero however the path is narrow. The mantle of responsibility is important aspects and the presence of the heroic traits must be shown in some form. However, there will always be outliers and deemed delusional who attempt to be heroes. In Watchmen, Moore creates an omnipotent hero who lacks humanity in the portrayal of the Dr. Manhattan as a psychopathic anti-hero.
In 1972, an English translation of Umberto Eco's The Myth of Superman was published. In this article, Eco, a critic and novelist, discussed the shift from the Hegelian dialectic in light of the Superman saga.
Superman was one of the first hero’s ever created. He started a revolution of hero’s to be born. Superman embodied a time period where people were seeking justice for the uprising of World War II.
Another thing I want to bring into focus is the title of this documentary, which in a certain light is cynical. At the beginning Geoffrey mentions that the saddest day of his life was in 4th grade when his mother told him that superman didn’t exist. He cried because he realized that there was no one that could save us from the poverty we had all been born into. We all wait for superman because it seems that a task this great cannot be achieved by the likes of
What Batman didn't depend on was that Superman was keeping his parents in the Fortress of Solitude for their own wellbeing and how unstable that would make him. The incident escalated and it appeared as though everything was against Superman, including destiny. Superman feels that his friends sold out him and his administration sold out him too by trying to kill him, but they couldn’t. All what they did is they harmed his current love of his life Wonder
Lois stops him as he enters and accuses him of being Superman