Superman Through the Ages! Forum

Hello all.

Prof. Griffin here.  I'm new to this board and by way of introduction, I wanted to post this essay.  My son, (who will be 4 in December) is really the inspiration behind this...but I've been a fan for quite a while.


WHY I LOVE SUPERMAN
By
Prof. Griffin

Superman. Just say the name…Superman.  Go ahead say it.  
Doesn’t it feel good to say the name?  Superman.  Doesn’t it make your heart swell and make you feel safe?  There’s a comfort level there that cannot be denied.  There’s a real sense of security knowing that there is a hero, an un-corruptible hero who will serve the good of mankind and who will defend freedom and liberty from those who would oppress us.  Corny words?  Drum Beating patriotism?  Hokey beliefs?  No.  Not for me.

Superman is earth’s protector, our hero, and quite often, our one chance for continued existence and our only hope against malicious and oppressive forces.   Many of these forces are earth-generated, but some are from beyond our comprehension and that’s what really makes me love Superman.
Sure, he can battle evil human scientists or criminals who create giant robots or release ancient beasts into our world for destruction, but when there is an unbelievably powerful evil that cannot be fathomed and it’s here to enslave us all… THAT’S when the thought of Superman flying into battle that makes my heart soar.

Superman has defeated interstellar tyrants determined to rule our world like Darksied, soul-less machines that regard us as playthings like Brainiac, and so many unnamable intra-dimensional nightmares made flesh that desire power and oppression have all arrived with machinations on this beautiful planet.  
We tremble before their terrible might, and cannot process the vastness of the cosmos…we give up hope and know that our time has come, but wait, look…up in the sky, it’s a BIRD, it’s a PLANE…it’s SUPERMAN!

He’s just as American as can be…and his red and blue colors are true and rich.  Seeing that symbol of apple pie and ah shucks innocence may be dated to some, but not to me.  
To me, it’s everything I WANT to see in a hero.  

Because the comparisons are inevitable…Batman is another great hero.  The son of Thomas and Martha Wayne is a very troubled hero who deals with some pretty twisted things, but in all honesty, the darker Bruce Wayne got (because in modern heroes, it’s ‘cool’ to be dark and the good guys wear black), the more I tended to regard him as less of a hero but rather more like us.   Of course, that’s not a bad thing, and I really do LOVE the hero of Gotham City and thrill to the evil HE faces in it’s dark Noir-ish streets.  The Joker, the Penguin, Two-Face, the Riddler, Clayface…these are villains from hell… and distorted images of our own very capable huimanity.

But what Superman has to face is overwhelming and he does it…while still maintaining the morals and righteous symbolism of the greatest of our heroes.  

I really can’t explain it in a satisfactory way…ok, I’ll try this.
The Last Son of Kyrpton, Kal-El…this alien who has fallen in love with our planet, is the perfect example of all that I believe is right in the world.
Earthlings love this amazing being, and even with all his awe-striking power and god-like abilities, he still feels. He cares.  No doubt his kind heart and gentle soul are the result of his upbringing and guidance by Jonathan and Martha Kent.  (Both Batman and Superman had mothers named Martha…hmmm, interesting.)  His life in Smallville did wonders for his humility.  Perhaps that’s it.  

That’s really the greatest thing about the Man of Steel.  He has amazing abilities and yet he still helps the lowest of us.   This almost divine being who can ‘change the course of mighty rivers, and bend steel with his bare hands’ will still stop to rescue a kitten from a tree.  

If there’s a role model for my son, a fictional character who I’d want him to emulate, it’s the Man of Steel.  
Think of all his powers that are his because of our yellow sun, and look at what he COULD be…(General Zod, Bizzaro) but despite how easy it would be, or perhaps BECAUSE of this, he helps those who need him the most.

 Superman wishes to inspire hope, not fear, he wishes to motivate mankind into caring for each other in the most basic of ways with kindness and compassion.  He could be a supreme leader of mankind, but instead he chooses to be a symbol for us.  
He asks for nothing in return, this gentle Titan , he simply smiles and waves and effortlessly soars into the air like an angel.

In his heart, Clark Kent, Kal-El, Superman…loves us and believes in us.

In closing, think of the nicest guy you know today, think of the firefighters climbing UP the stairs on September 11th, think of an amazingly handsome, athletic boy at school who has every reason to be elitist and cruel, but instead reaches out to embrace the outcasts.  Think of the kindness of strangers…and the random smile that you get from people as they walk down the street.  
Think of all that’s good and pure in the world…and then look up in the sky.

THAT’S why I love Superman, and that’s why my son loves him too.

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b388/ProfGriffin/supermanandbatman.jpg)

(my son as The Man of Tomorrow)

That's one of the best essays/love letters about Superman I've ever read.

It really brought a tear to my eye.

Thank-you!  Thank-you!  Thank-you for writing this, ProfGriffin!

Believe.

Now, that's what I call a 1st post :)

Welcome to the boards Prof. Griffin!

:s:

Nicely done, Prof. :s:

Consider the sentiment continued; Welcome! :D

First, welcome to the forum!

Second: I like your rationale for why Superman is likeable: because he's admirable a character, so it's very easy to root for him.

Me, why I *LOVE* Superman is because of how imaginative a character he is, the oddity, charm and weirdness. The adventure and the explosions and the STAR WARS-type stuff with aliens and earthquake rays. I love Superman because of Curt Swan's amazing art. Because of guys like Hamilton and Maggin and Bridwell and Cary Bates and Len Wein.

Don't forget the movies, too, and those nifty cartoon shows: CHALLENGE OF THE SUPERFRIENDS was the only show that gave us the Minimum Daily Requirement for fighting robots made out of ice and orbital death rays that turn everybody into a Bizarro, the Fleischer cartoons had both style AND substance, and the WB SUPERMAN had Darkseid, who is like an evil Morgan Freeman: everybody loves him and you can't go wrong if he's in something..

(This reminds me: hey, Great Rao, why no mention of SUPERFRIENDS anywhere, O Exalted One? It was a neat Saturday Morning Cartoon, and many people have wonderful memories of it. It's a valid part of Superman's history. I seem to remember somewhere that Alex Toth submitted some work for that show at one point...)



Not to get TOO social or political, but the most interesting thing about Superman's incorruptibility is not just that he can save us from an evil from the outside, but he can save us from evils inside us, too. Superman's defining characteristic is that he is immune to bribery, temptation, and corruption. This is a little more subtle than the external action of Superman going and beating up dinosaurs and laser-beam firing Aztec gorillas, but is nonetheless very important to how Superman is characterized.

A reaction becoming more and more common in recent times is to view evil events on television, and pray that such events do not create an hysteria that could be much more disastrous, to fear that evil can create greater evil in ourselves out of fear and wrath. The evil in ourselves is much greater than the evil that is "outside." When hearing about a new disease or problem, there is a tendency in the press to fearmonger and blow up a problem out of proportion. We are a culture of fear; through history, our defining state is unwarranted anxiety.

THEN, there is Superman: clear-headed, intelligent, an ingenious problem solver - HE wouldn't stay away from Chinese restaurants during the 2002-03 SARS panic. HE wouldn't be all funny about opening his mail because of the fear of anthrax spores that affected several people in millions. He would have compassion for both, and probably do something like get a SARS cure by beating up space gladiators on the fourth Moon of the Grimlack system, but the point is Superman is inspiring because he is not afraid and is intelligent - he's part of the solution, not part of the problem.



Why the black, you ask?

It goes with EVERYTHING.  :wink:

Batman, with his polka-dot costumes, negative costumes, and rainbow costumes, knows more about fashoin than any superhero I know, and he knows to keep it simple.

To be honest, I don't know much about the show.

But if you write the article, I'll add it to the site. :)

Just remember the focus is Superman.

:s:

See DC? Superman and Batman CAN be freinds.  :wink:

DC: Nah, they clearly have a "realistic, uneasy alliance" between each other---just look at the way those two kids are, um, uh, standing there right next to,uh, each other like that. Clearly obvious they can't stand being in the same time-zone as each other... or something. (Pauses) (In a huff) Batman and Superman can't be friends because it isn't realistic for two people very different from each other to be friends! So *there*!

;-)

Seriously, nice first post...

Great post, Prof!  

Welcome to the boards!  

And your sons look TERRIFIC as The World's Finest!  ;)

I remember playing "Superman" and "Batman" with my younger brother back in the mid and late '60's (based on the comics, as the two never got to meet on Saturday mornings, LOL).  I was Superman, and an older brother and his friend were riding their bikes in the street in front of our house.  THEY were "bank robbers" and I had to leap in front of their getaway cars to stop 'em.  

I'll give youse guys ONE guess who got run over by two bigger boys!  

I STILL maintain that their handlebars must've been made of Kryptonite or were magical in some way...  

 :lol: