Superman Through the Ages! Forum

It might just be in my little world but most people I run into who're into superheroes can't stand Superman. They always give me the same sorry line that "He's too indestructible and that makes him boring." Plus I'm from the Dallas area which is a Marvel hub so that has alot to do with it as well. Anyone else have this problem?

I'm not into marvel that much and think probably the same sterotypes about Spiderman. But i do read Black Widow and various titles i think are good. Just always been more of a Superman fan than Spidey. Plus DC has Batman who is a great role model, entreprenuer figure.

Batman is a great role model? Maybe the Sliver Age version, but not the current Dark Knight in his own book.


Little kids love Superman. Many college kids think that Superman is too old fashion and that his comics are lame. They seem to get a kick out of the Sliver Age and Golden Age Superman comics however and think that they are cool, but hate the current comics. I don't know of anyone who would be caught dead reading a current Superman book, but many get the reprints of classic comics.

This is in New York City BTW.

Hey Super Monkey - youre in NYC too?!!! :shock:  :D

I don't live there but I spent most of my time there since that's where I work and go to college.

Maybe we'll have to meet up at a Big Apple Con sometimes and wreak generalized havoc of all sorts! :wink:

Or create chaos at Midtown Comics or even Village Comics! heh heh heh

If you all decide to have a STTA get-together at a Big Apple Con, let me know and I'll swing by for it.

:s:

It all depends on who's writing him. I really think there should be the right mix of darkness and light with Batman; Denny O'Neil was one of the writers who actually accomplished that. That’s one of the reasons I love the Bronze Age.

Your'e right about a dislike of Superman. A million "who can beat up Superman" threads show up at most comic forums but no" who can beat Thor" Etc. However there are usually very passionate Superfans who defend him when he's demeaned or dissed.
    On one hand they claim he's too powerful using vague heresay silver age references and in the next breath claim their favorite hero can crush (usually not just beat crush) him. I often feel the characteristics I enjoy in him, his upstanding character and caring, His personal sacrifice to do the right thing and the fact he is a true hero not a thug are what puts some people off.
            I am NO fan of the dark knight Superman but he seems right when he said that the little men get smaller every year and they hate that giants walk the earth because it makes them even smaller.
             Often I find these same people hate Captain America so I feel its a morals and character issue in many cases not a power one but this is a big generalization so take it with a grain of salt.

That would be soooooo awesome! :D

I live in eastern Canada, so it might be a little tough for me to just "swing by".  But I have to admit it does sound like fun!

Superman and SteamTeck have hit the nail right on the head concerning this subject. Small-minded people always resent the things that remind them of just how small they really are. Tell me ... who's the better role model for kids these days, Superman or Lobo? Superman or Wolverine? Superman or just about anyone else?

Of course, Superman needs to be accessible to kids by not only the media incarnations but in the comics as well.

When was the last time you saw young kids (6-7 years old) in a comics speciality shop...alone and buying?

You're absolutley right Big Blue needs to appeal to kids. I was born in 76 so it was easy for me to discover, then become in awe of him during my first 5yrs of life due to the movies, superfriends, filmation syndication, etc.  But in the present Spider-man rules the imaginations of little boys everywhere due to the success of his movies (which were excellent.)
 As for him being appealing in comics, well that's gonna be hard to accomplish with arcs like For Tomorrow. Hell, I don't have a firm grasp on what's going on there and I'm 28. I could only imagine what it would be like for an 8yr old to try and understand, then stay intrested in that.

I first became exposed to Superman through the TV show and then discovered there were comic books.  My mom used to read them to me and I learned to read and had an accelerated learning curve due to my reading the Wesinger era Superman Family (and Batman).  How many 2nd graders knew how to spell "disintergrate" and much less know what it means. (Faulty enlarging rays, folks.)

Much later I discovered that the comics came first and were not a spin off from the TV show and it want until I read a magazine Screen Thrills Illustrated (published by James Warren) that two kids named Siegel and Shuster created an icon.  Not to mention that my real last name is the same and is spelt the same way as Jerry's (no relation).

I'd hate to be a kid today trying to figure out what to do with a weekly allowance and comics are $2.50 minimum.  Probably go rent a video game for a week which is why DC/Marvel top sales are in the 100,000s now and comics were once and had sales figures in  the millions.  A title with sales of 100K would get cancelled (hello Shadow, New Gods, Weird Worlds, etc).

Publishers need to cross pollinate and lure some new readers through media exposure be it films, cartoons or MacDonald promo tie ins.  With no new readers, the market and the quality will continue it's downward spiral no matter what Wizard, Newsrama etc say about "dark being cool".

Let the sunshine in already!

Most kids do know who Superman is and love him, but they sure never gotten their little hands on any comics, but from the current Cartoon series on Cartoon Network. At least that Superman actually acts and behaves like the real Superman on that Justice League show (even if he is painfully underpowered) :!:

Super Monkey do you think that the JLU Superman is as awe inspiring as the Superfriends Superman? (Please view this question through the eye's of a 3-6yr old)

That's hard to say, I grew up watching the Super friends Superman, and he could move planets on that show and he was really cool at the time. However, kids like will always love Superman no matter what as long as he acts like Superman is suppose to act, unlike the Iron Age comics, which has a very different personality, a very negtaive one at that. The most Sliver Age like Superman on TV ever was the old super badly animated The New Adventures of Superman/The Superman-Aquaman Hour of Adventure/The Batman-Superman Hour, it was also the truest
 to the comics. But we can all agree that the best were the Max and Dave Fleischer's Superman shorts, and that one was even weaker than the JLU Superman. Those were the most awe inspiring, even to adults. 8)

I hope you're right, the fact is I haven't taken the time to talk to a kid about Supes. I think I'll start with my cousin's kid whose 3.

When my little brother was much younger he responded well to the Fleisher cartoons and STAS.  He's a teenager now so he's more into Batman but he doesn't seem to have a hate-on for Superman.

It seems to me most of the moaning comes from people who whine that he's too powerful and therefore unrelatable. Yet, these are the same fans who have no problem when Batman can outfight, outthink, outdo, and out smart@$$ everyone in existance or the 133t of Wolverines healing factor saves him from the sun or God himself.

Apparently, it's ok to be at godlike powerlevels as long as it's not stated up front that you have them and you're also sufficently ticked off and angsty. Superman is of course not allowed to be godlike because he's a true blue good guy type.  :?

The JLU Superman and the TAS Superman do just fine. Both my 7 year old son and my 4  old year daughter  love him. For my 4 year old JLU is the Superman show. I have most of the TAS Superman's recorded and My 4 year often asks to watch Superman rather than almost anything else.  Interestingly, TAS wonderwoman has grabbed my 14 year old daughter's teenage imagination.

That's cool. I've always found it really intresting that you get people in comics circles talking about Wonder Womans costume being sexist and degrading yet I've met so many girls and women that I have met just genuinely adore her. Costume included.

The JLU version of Wonder Woman I found that I liked even though in many ways she's different from any of the comics versions.  I enjoy that she's younger and her being here was out of realizing that she couldn't stand by why the world was in danger. As well as genuine curiosity about the world outside of the safety of her Amazons care and the island.  I think I actually like it better than her being purposely sent here.

I find it more enjoyable than the constant back and forth she has in the comics where she fluxuates between Mother Teresa and Xena.

You'd think the publishers would get a clue from those figures and roll back prices enough to make comic's Kid friendly again! Or at the very least, go back to making titles that are actually AIMED at kids with prices they can afford!  :roll: Hell, I remember 10 cent comics though!

Trust me, I know what you mean. If you hear that prattle for, oh, the 28th time, it tends to piss you off...  :roll:

I would advise you to start mocking the Zombies about their heroes' constant whining and them wanting to kill each other. You'll see how quickly it shutts them up.  :twisted:

Really! Whiny hero's are the worst!  :roll: But then, I consider Spiderman to be more of a cocky hero than a whiny one. I loved his one liner zingers when taunting his foes!  :wink:

Yeah. Where is *that* guy now?

I dunno! I stopped buying comics when I discovered my first computer. About the same time they started killing people at DC like Kara and Superman!  :shock:

I've seen the dislike.

"He's too much of a big blue boyscout!"  "They should hvae left him dead."  among others.   Mostly by people who are Marvel first.  A couple of them are people who think Idenity Crisis was a good story.  :shock:

Firm believers in the coolness of Wolverine and the current Batman.



At any rate, I went over to Marvel shortly after Crisis.  Why?  The comics I read at the time: Supergirl, Infinity Inc., Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld,  Green Lantern Corps. , Superboy.    I didn't drop the titles; they got canceled.  I also read Blue Ribbon Digest fairly regulary, until it vanished.

Marvel went mutant and crossover happy a bit later.   Off to the indies I went.  I do enjoy the old pre-Crisis Superman stories and feel a bit of disgust with the current crop of writers.

I wasn't talking about Spidey; I like him myself.  :P

But what about those tedious "MU character is forced to live in a world he never made/WHINES about a world he never made/ runs amok against a world he never made/reconciles himself with a world he never made" routine, hmm?  :wink:

"They should have left him dead."? They actually said that to you into the face?  :x

...Idiots. No WONDER their beloved Marvel Comics once went BANKRUPT.  :evil:

Yes.  Other characters that one of them reccomended killing off: The entire Superman family, Guy Gardner, Jon Stewart, Kyle Rayner, and Alan Scott, with no regards to those who enjoy those characters.

Hal Jordan forever.  Batman is better than Superman.  Wolverine is the greatest.   :roll:

Hey, there was one good Marvel series like that. Howard the Duck.  :wink:

I agree with you. As far as Marvel went, Spiderman, Fantastic Four, Hulk and She Hulk were all I ever liked when I did collect comics.

Well, i guess that's why they're called "Zombies" even by Stan Lee...  :D

I think that the dislike has more to do with the sad quality of Superman comicbooks.  Not many people dislike Superman, but the comicbooks are often inconsistent, and when they are consistent, it tends to be consistently bad.  If anybody has a dislike for Superman, I think it's DC.

Yes, but I don't much care for characters from the Howard mold. There are enough of them in the real world...  :wink:

Well, I collected - and LIKE - a lot more then just them. But this stupid "house style" ("house of ideas". PFF!) of Marvel, especially during the Nineties DOES get annoying after a time...