Superman Through the Ages! Forum

Thought this might go here:

Just read this article and wondered if Superman could ever be replaced as THE iconic superhero.

http://www.techcentralstation.com/020305B.html



edited for spelling :D

Pffffffft.

 That about sums up my opinion. Mr. Incredible is pretty cool, but c'mon now. Each has their own place in the pantheon, but nobody is more iconic than the big blue boyscout. ;)

 -Def.

Superman is beyond a shadow of a doubt THE icon and did indeed set the standard for the superhero as we know it.

However, I have to strongly disagree with the "no other country has produced a superhero worth mentioning".  In Japan alone you have Kamen Rider and Ultraman whos various incarnations and series are shown all over the world (except in the United States) and to this very day garner new generations of fans.

I grant you that both of these heroes could not have sprung into being without Supermans presence. Kamen Rider creator Shotaro Ishinomori was clearly influenced by the Man of the Steel since the very begining of his work.  Even to go so far as to have one incarnation of Kamen Rider known as Kamen Rider Stronger to bear an homage to Supermans \S/.

Yet Ultraman and Kamen Rider stand on their own as worldwide icons and beloved heroes to people of all ages across the globe.

I think the writer of that statement needs to poke his head out of the Anglosphere a bit more often and look around..

Yeah, I thought the quote was pretty naive when I found it and that it would generate some discussion here.  Besides Japan, I would site Mexico as a country that has produced more than its fair share of superheroes.  As well, Canada has produced an entire slate of superheroes over the years --including Nelvana, the first female superhero:

http://www.time-cat.com/valentines.html

BTW, I'm pretty sure that Ultraman and Kamen Rider have been syndicated into the US, especially on the West Coast.  Heck, I'm in Canada and have a small collection of UM figures.

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The original Ultraman and Ultra Seven were dubbed in the 1970's and 1980's. I saw them on tv around the same time as TBS was showing Spectreman and Space Giants.  More recently, the Fox Box made a HORRIBLE dub of the 1997 series Ultraman Tiga. Dubbing in mother-in-law jokes over what is essentially a straight faced science fiction show on par with Star Trek only with monsters and a superhero making it a total farce.

Kamen Rider has not been brought over to the US, except once.  Saban the people who take footage of the previous years Super Sentai shows and turn it into Power Rangers also used footage from the 1987 series Kamen Rider Black RX and turned it into "Masked Rider".  The translation of the title from Kamen to Masked is where the simalirties between what Saban did and the actual series end.  Black RX is not even one of the greater shows in the Rider series but deserved a heck of alot better than this.  :cry:

Ultra Man first appeared on US TV during the mid-late 1960s (probably to cash in on Batman).  This was Ultra Man 1 created by Eiji Tsubaraya himself.  I watched it.

Ultra 7 was dubbed down under and used to run on TNT at 4 am in the 80s.

Heres a interesting take on Mr I, Big Blue and others from our friends at National Geographic.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/11/1112_041112_incredible_superhero_science.html

Wow, neat article.  I just posted parts of another science-oriented Superman piece in the general Superman thread.  
http://superman.nu/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1374

Science nerds and comics nerds interacting?  Could the end of the world be far now?

Telle, who'd a thunk? :wink:

The Incredibles just cleaned up at the Oscars --it was nothing if not a triumph of science combined with a love of comics.

I loved Incredibles and at a time where comics was giving us Indentity Crisis, a much welcome change and proof that fun doesn't suck.

Maybe this could be the theme of Superman Through the Ages!

Me too. Here's some more international heroes:

Kaliman, from Mexico.

 http://www.universohq.com/quadrinhos/2004/imagens/kaliman.jpg

"Caballero con los hombres; gallante con las mujeres, tiendre con los ninos y implacable con los Malvados!" (A man amongst men, a gentleman with ladies, tender with children, and relentless with those that do evil)

And let's not forget the superheroes of the Phillippines, Darna: http://www.marsravelodarna.com Created by the genius Mars Ravelo.

And what about Alan Moore and Alan Davis's brilliant work with Captain Britain?

But it should be stated that the columnist has a valid point: superheroes are of American origin, and while they exist elsewhere, the superhero phenomenon, like Jazz, is for the most part unique to the United States.

The Incredibles is what superheros SHOULD be.  Superman is the first modern-era superhero, and in many ways the greatest, but the actual stories have really gone downhill in recent years.  Maybe the Superman writers and editors should watch the Incredibles!

No other country has produced superheroes worth mentioning, huh? Well, as has been said, Japan has produced Astro Boy, Kamen Rider, Gatchaman and Ultraman, to name just a few. Argentina has turned out the extremely well-done Cybersix. The British have produced not only Captain Britain and Death's Head (my personal favorite, yes?), but also Judge Dredd. My own country, Canada, has Captain Canuck as its very own ... and I don't think I need to mention that the Man of Steel himself was a 50% Canadian idea, even though he was first published in the United States.

Sorry ... just had to chime in.

Welcome back Bill 9000, it's been a while.

Whoa Bill9k- where ya been bro?

Hi, Bill 9000!  I was wondering what happened to you -- were you trapped in the Phantom Zone or the Paradise Dimension these last few months?   :wink:

Anyway, glad to see you back.  I always appreciated your comments and artwork.   :D

Thanks, guys. It's good to be back now that I can devote a little more time to posting on one of my favorite boards. Been kinda busy with a personal project of sorts. You be able to check it out soon in the Art section. :wink:

Hey Bill, welcome back!

Let's not forget my own fave WWII Canadian superheroes, Major Domo and Jojo.  The dynamic socialist duo who shared the pages of Triumph comics with Nelvana, the first female superhero ever.

On the "Superman is Canadian" front, I've always resented this desperate grasp at U.S. success from my fellow countrymen.  Shuster became a U.S. citizen as a child, basically and outside of the Toronto Star reference, I see little evidence for claiming Superman as even partially Canadian (although I'm pretty sure his Fortress was very close to our border if not actually in Canada :wink: ).

Canada has a great cartooning history that compliments the world of US comics without having to claim whole parts.  More interesting to me to see the influence both countires have on each other and to consider the changing economics, technology and family ties that have lead to migrations of Canadian Superman artists (Shuster, Byrne, Win Mortimer) and their modern day descendants who are able to stay in this country (and be eligible for Canadian cartooning awards like the Shusters and Wrights).

PS: I wish Shuster had kept his Canadian citizenhsip, if only so he could get free healthcare and a disability pension in his old age and blindness.
 :D