So there are a lot of rumblings going on in the realm of super heroes and such, however most are just announcements for announcements. DC is gearing up to make some pretty exciting announcements regarding a Justice League trailer, information on Green Lantern Corps and Shazam, and the revival of the show Constantine as an animated series existing in the Arrowverse on CW Seed. Marvel has made a few announcements themselves regarding a few upcoming things: the advertising on the next big crossover event "Secret Empire" has begun which will be centered around the ongoing actions committed by Steve Rogers throughout the new Hail Hydra and Civil War II arcs, a new Spider-man animated series is set to air this summer, Inhumans starts filming soon, and apparently the Gambit movie is still a thing. However, I don't really think those things warrant full pieces individually, so rather than write about anything new and noteworthy, I figured I would incorporate a new aspect to Comic Relief: Hero Appreciation. Hero appreciation is exactly what it sounds like, I talk about heroes to spread awareness/appreciation for them. Today's hero is the first super hero: Superman.
Now I know what most readers must be thinking: "that really doesn't seem all that necessary, Superman is kind of a big deal, so why do a bit about him?" Well for two main reasons, firstly that being that this is my first Hero Appreciation, the first super hero seemed like a great place to start, but secondly because I know that the view on superman is fairly split, and because up until recently I was among the population that hated Superman. Despite his iconic nature, Superman might be the easiest hero to hate, especially from an uninformed perspective that most have. It becomes very difficult to appreciate a character with so much power, and arcs can feel anticlimactic due to the nature of that power, however, there is so much more to the man of steel, and since my appreciation has grown he has become one of my favorite heroes in the DC universe.
As I said before, up until a few years ago Superman was a hero I despised. "What's the point of reading about a guy with every power under the sun?" I would always say. The hero was stale, boring, and vanilla for me. However, my opinion started to shift upon reading the book Superman: Earth One Vol 2. Earth One was a re-imagining of the character that is a bit darker and more real world in tone. Follow up to Vol 1 (which focused on a Clark who was not ready to be Superman), Vol 2 picks up where it's predecessor left off with Clark in the role of Superman. However, being the man of steel is not easy and comes with a lot more complications than expected. Saving everyone while ignoring the man made borders of nations comes with criticism and even resistance at times. The book is all about the understanding and appreciation of power. There is a lot to this book, and there are several great moments including the one that changed my view on Super-man.
In the story, there is a point where he is out on a date with this girl who lives next door to him. They are swapping stories about their childhood and Clark's is beautiful. He tells the story of this cat he rescued as a kid. It was a stray kitten who had been set upon by a bunch of coyotes, it's siblings and mom had been eaten by the time Clark got there, but when he got there the cat was fighting the coyotes off best it could, losing an eye in the process. Clark saves the cat and takes it in. The cat was his best friend and they would sit on the porch at night and watch the moon together. However, when the time came, and the cat had gotten too old, she passed away asleep right next to him. So Clark took the cat and "took her someplace he knew would be happy, where she could always see him and he could always see her." The pages final panels show Clark Kent cry tears floating from his eyes at zero gravity as he hovers over a grave stone on the moon. Clark finishes the story by saying: "I'll probably have a lot of explaining to do about it someday, but it's what she would've wanted...she was the first living thing I ever cared for that died."
This was the moment where it finally hit me, why Superman was a character that had stood the test of time. Clark Kent may have every power under the sun, and imagine all the things he could do with that power? How terrifying could he become? However, rather than abuse that power to rise to the level of a god, he chooses to be human. He tries to see the best in people and is not corrupted by his power. As naive as that maybe, it is something that is truly beautiful and I feel is a testament to the strength of him as a character.
All this being said, Superman's greatest struggle aren't his feuds, but ultimately lie in the difficulty of writing him. Again Superman has every ability under the sun, and while that provides some great chances to display his raw power, it is also a huge hindrance from a writing standpoint because trying to make a physical challenge for Superman is pointless. The struggle of Superman should be that of a man living in a world of tissue paper, struggling to fit in and not destroy everything around him. Unfortunately, being that comic action sells, many writers focus too hard on how hard he can punch rather than the more important aspects of the character: his humanity, his kind heart, his optimism. Superman is a character well worth giving a look and if you are looking for a great place to start I have a list of Graphic Novels below to check out!
Superman short list:
- Superman: Earth One (Vol 1,2, &3)
- All-star Superman
- Superman Rebirth Vol 1: Son of Superman (this series is ongoing and is incredible!
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| brilliant art from issue 7 of Superman Rebirth |
Thanks for reading Comic Relief! I hope you have enjoyed our first Hero Appreciation! See you again soon!
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