Superman, Everyone's Champion

Superman making his debut in

Action Comics No.1 (June 1938).

Cover art by Joe Shuster

When one considers modern folklore regarding superheroes, Superman is undoubtedly the most recognized and revered character of all time.

For those few, who are as yet unaware, be assured that with this critique or post, Superman is portrayed as he really is; a fictional comic book superhero who appears in publications by DC Comics, and is widely considered to be nothing short of an all American cultural star. He was created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in Depression era 1932.

Jerry Siegel (the Writer) and Joe Shuster (the Artist) had first created a bald telepathic villain determined to dominate the world, in the short story “The Reign of the Super-Man” in Science Fiction #3, which was a nonprofessional magazine Siegel published in 1933.  Siegel “re-created” the character later that year as a hero bearing no resemblance to his villainous namesake, modeling Superman on Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. (the Actor, Screenwriter, Director, & Producer) and as for his bespectacled alter ego, Clark Kent, he was modeled on Comedian actor and Producer Harold Lloyd, who were both super stars during the era. This re-write was part of an over all effort to market the story line.

Five years later, Superman's first appearance was in Action Comics #1, published on April 18, 1938 (cover-dated for June 1938).  Shuster and Siegel were paid a total of $130.00 and guaranteed a job to create the material for future stories.  In February of 2010, one of the original versions of Action Comics #1 was sold at auction for the sum of $1,000,000.00 ... The largest amount ever for such a product.

A huge influence on the early Superman stories was the circumstance of the Great Depression. The “left-leaning” perspectives of both creators, Shuster and Siegel, are displayed in the early storylines. Superman assumed the role of social activist you might say, fighting corrupt businessmen and politicians and taking aim on run-down and often overcrowded apartment houses, especially in poor sections of large cities like Metropolis.

In the early days  Superman’s powers were relatively limited, consisting of superhuman strength that allowed him to lift a car over his head, run at amazing speeds and leap distances that reached up to one-eighth of a mile; he also had an incredibly dense body structure that could be pierced by nothing less than an exploding artillery shell.

As a rather influential model of the superhero sort, Superman now possesses what can only be termed as extraordinary powers, take note that he was traditionally described as “faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound”.  Superman's famous arsenal of powers now includes flight, super-strength, invulnerability to non-magical attacks, super-speed, vision powers (including both x-ray, and heat-emitting, along with several other vision specialties), super-hearing, and super-breath, which enables him to blow out air at freezing temperatures, as well as exerting the force of high-speed winds.

I guess you’d have to say, everyone has a weakness, and for Superman he is most vulnerable to green Kryptonite, which is mineral debris from the planet Krypton which was somehow transformed into radioactive material by the forces that destroyed his ill fated home planet. You see, when exposed to green Kryptonite radiation, it robs Superman of his powers and pretty much renders him susceptible to pain and nausea; prolonged exposure will eventually kill the guy. Although green Kryptonite is the most commonly seen form, and the most deadly, writers have introduced several other forms of kryptonite over the last 75 years or so: such as red, gold, blue, white, and black, each with its own adverse effect. Sorry I do not know which color does exactly what, but I’m betting given ample time you can find out by way of an on-line search.

Most of us are familiar with the basics after having seen at least one cartoon, movie, or TV show based on Superman comic books. But for the few who don’t already know, a short summary goes like this: the planet Krypton was about to blow-up due to a chain reaction of some sort at its core, father and scientist Jor-El and his wife Lara sent their baby Kal-El (whose name means “star-child”) to Earth in a pre-programmed rocket. There, he is found and raised on a farm in Kansas (located on just outside of Metropolis) by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who adopted him and named him Clark. Later in life he becomes a journalist at The Daily Planet and leads a double-life as the world-famous superhero called Superman, disguised as mild mannered reporter Clark Kent.

But did you know that Clark's disguise isn't as simple as slicked back hair and glasses. For example the lenses of his glasses are slightly tinted, changing the shade of his eyes.

In the DC Comics World there are many heroes with various abilities. So, once an awhile, friends of Superman who are no doubt lesser heroes, but have the ability to “shape-shift”, have ‘pretended’ to be Clark Kent, thus allowing the famous reporter and the “Man of Steel” to be seen in public and photographed together at the same time.

That famous S-shield is not just Superman's family crest; it's also a Kryptonian symbol which means “hope”.

Reporter Lois Lane, who he married in 1996, was not the only pretty girl to capture Superman’s attention and heart. In high school, Clark developed deep feelings for his best friend Lana Lang, who was also the first person other than his foster parents to learn about his super powers. As a teen, Clark had a crush on Saturn Girl, who is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes.  During a time travel adventure to planet Krypton’s past, Superman became involved with Lyla Lerrol, who was a famous Kryptonian actress. And for a short while, Superman had a crush on Wonder Woman.

You’d probably be surprised at how much Bruce Wayne (Batman) is a part of Clark’s life. Bruce owns the building that Clark and Lois live in, in fact, he gave them their apartment as a wedding gift. And some years ago when the Daily Planet needed a new financial backer, Wayne Enterprises bought the newspaper, where Lois and Clark both work.

Superman's alter ego, Clark Kent hasn't always worked for the Daily Planet Newspaper as you may think; you see, he originally worked for the cross town rival, the Daily Star.

Superman is not only an American cultural symbol he also the first comic book superhero plus he has no equal. His adventures have established the character as an inspiring force within public view, with the character serving as an inspiration for other sectors of entertainment, including musicians, comedians and writers equally.  Perhaps in the same way, the phrase “I'm not Superman” or “you're not Superman” has become an idiom (a word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning) used to suggest the lack of invincibility.

Sources ...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770828/                                               http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman                                    http://www.newsarama.com/comics/superman-facts-history-100622.html http://www.grammarmancomic.com/factssuperman.html