Is Superman "super" any more?

Time to bust out my nerd card! I have enjoyed reading comics since I was a kid. For whatever reason, I never was a fan of Superman. At least in my childhood, there never was a story that piqued my interests. With the “Man of Steel” movie set for release in 2013, I wondered if there would ever be a Superman story that could be of interest. My peak of reading comics was over 20 years. I am sure I have missed out on many titles that probably better explores Superman. One story that I heard of when listening to Grant Morrison’s audiobook “Supergods” was a story by Mark Millar, called “Superman: Red Son”. Instead of landing in America, Superman lands in USSR. Now, that is a twist on Superman I am looking forward to reading. Until then, here is my take on the American icon-Superman!

Superman is the quintessential superhero. He can fly, shoot lasers out of his eyes, run as fast as Flash and is impossibly strong. Everyone is familiar with Superman. His Achilles heel is kryptonite. Something I was unaware of is until I was listening to Morrison’s book is that kryptonite was introduced later in the Superman chronicle and that variations (different colors) of kryptonite affects Superman differently. Green, I believe, being the color that weakens Superman the most. While Superman has an archenemy in Lex Luthor and an Achilles heel in Kryptonite, I never related to Superman as a character when I read comics as a youth. Maybe related isn’t the right word, rooted for might be more appropriate. My first introduction to Superman, that I can recall, is the 1978 movie version with Christopher Reeve as Superman, Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, and Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor. It’s an amazing film that holds up over time. The film begins with Clark pretty much cleaning the jockstraps of the football team, only to show them up by running faster than a locomotive and beating them to their destination.

Something I didn’t wonder as a kid that I do now is why Clark wouldn’t be the star attraction. Maybe he couldn’t for risk of exposing his super powers. But couldn’t he bring it down just a notch to fit in a little more? Or maybe he would throw a football through his receiver or kill an opponent when he tackled him. Enough digression. Clark was destined to be an outsider, an alien on a foreign planet. Raised in Middle America, the cornbelt, implanted in a Norman Rockwell painting. I think this dichotomy, this tension, creates a beautiful origin story. An alien adopted by Ma and Pa Kent, raised in Smallville, Kansas, declines stardom in a small town, moves to Metropolis, the largest city in the United States, presumably, to fight crime. Dressed in his red cape, blue suit and “S” on his chest, the façade of Clark vanishes and Superman, the alien from another planet, appears out of nowhere to rescue his love Lois from a crashing helicopter. As a child I wished I could go into a telephone booth and come out a superhuman being-a fantastic imaginary play of transformation. The movie goes on to show Superman fighting petty crime and eventually unfoiling a ploy of Lex Luthor by flying around the world so fast he reverses time. And in the end, Superman saves the day. But here is where my problem starts with Superman, hero/alien. Of course, he saved the day, he is Superman. Unlike Batman, that is human in all aspects and is limited by his humanity, Superman, I would argue, is nothing like us. Why root for Superman when you know it comes easy for Superman? Can you make a dramatic story when in the end your hero can simply fly fast around the Earth, go back in time, if he gets it wrong the first time? Yet, as humans, do we long for a character, psychologically, like Superman?

DC Comics some years ago actually killed Superman. As if that would last, or could last. It’s fucking Superman. In Supergods, Grant Morrison reported he exited his grave 8 months later, resurrected. I would argue that DC Comics needs Superman, more than we do, at this time and age. While I loved Superman II, I saw Superman III and IV in the theaters as a youth and found them laughable, even at that age. The last reboot, Superman Returns, was tiring. There was nothing new, despite a new cast of actors and actresses playing the roles. In 2013, “Man of Steel” is due in theaters and if you look at the track record of Christopher Nolan and Zach Snyder you have to be optimistic that they can re-invent the character, much like Nolan did with Batman. I am cautiously optimistic. You cannot peddle his story and make him relevant with the same old shit. The question is how will they do this. How can you make a relevant Superman story in this post-modern world? If it was up to me, this is what I would do:

Clark quits the Daily Planet-disillusioned with the media age and the decline of the print newspaper, Clark quits the daily planet. What would Superman’s new job be? Would he need an alias? Can Clark disappear? Another factor contributing to Clark quitting is the constant refutes of Lois Lane.

Develop another love interest besides Lois Lane. Can Clark actually get some? Would that be too hard to build into the story? How about we enter a new cycle where Lois chases Clark for the next 70 years? And no-it won’t be Wonder Woman, as it is currently being played out in the comics. How long can the guy deal with rejection? He lives in a fictional New York. I think he could find another love interest. He doesn’t have to lose his inner boy scout, but he does have to develop past sexual pre-maturity.

Clark needs inner demons-this is the anxiety age for pete's sake! Can you see the headlines-Clark goes to a headshrinker! Superman on Prozac! Clark is an alien. He has a secret identity. He could destroy the Earth if he wanted to. He can tell no one his secret. He doesn't get any from Lois. Do you think he would have mental problems?

(Ooops-just googled this-already done) Lex becomes President-Recently in the comics Lex Luthor has evolved from his origin story of mad scientist to corporate shark. While the change was creative, it didn’t go far enough to create a villain worthy of Superman. I remember seeing a 60 minutes special on Elian Gonzalez, the child that was returned to his father’s custody in Cuba, in 2005. There Elian,12 years old, toured a Cuban museum that featured several art pieces depicting Superman as a destroyed figure. To them, Superman is a symbol of American imperialism. Agree or disagree, Superman is fighting crime, but is he helping deeper problems in the world-poverty, hunger? Why not have Lex become President of the United States and ban Superman from America because he is a terrorist threat.

Have Superman turn in the Cape? Is Superman smart? Can he share with his adopted planet other levels of consciousness? Rather than fight injustice with his weapons, can we get an insight into his intelligence.

Kryptonite galactic showerstorm- One of the best things about Superman II was that Superman lost his powers and was human for a short time. Something must happen to weaken Superman. I would root for Superman to gain his powers back, but also feel giddy about the idea of Clark without his powers. For me the problem with Superman is also his strength-he is indestructible. The greatest thing about Batman is his closeness to the weaknesses of humanity. For a story arc, you can make Superman as weak as Batman and see how he survives. He would only come out a greater hero.