Superman Through the Ages! Forum

Issue 201 November 1967, Issue 209 August 1968,Issue 296 February 1976.Clark have too the same hat,suit and ties.
 
(http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/5962/1164201ln8.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)  (http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/5395/1164209ic0.jpg) (http://imageshack.us) (http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/2081/1164296la3.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)

Issue 410 August 1985.                                                                            (http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/7388/1164410oz8.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)

more evidence to superman having a personality disorder... the fact that he has conflicts between his two personalites (oh im sorry i mean Identities)

it seems like all of supes friends have issues, not at least superman, a narcissist with MPD

I like the idea that Superman's duality is a function of both sides of his brain being able to operate independently, the brain bit (not overall duality) being something Maggin proposed in the novels.

Interesting that Clark is always placed in the foreground and Superman in the background on these covers, implying that Clark's is the decisive role. Superman is supposedly the dominant, aggressive side of the personality- yet Clark is the one who could walk out of the relationship at his choosing, implying that Superman needs Clark more than vice versa. Superman is generally smaller, or even a mere "image" hovering above like a ghost. This suggests he could not exist long without Clark.

Also the first cover shown was published very shortly after John Romita's classic "Spider-Man No More!" cover for AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #50. I recall that  Carmine Infantino was designing all the DC cover sketches around this time, and trying to bring in a more dynamic, Marvel-style look to compete on the newsstands. Could the Romita cover have been an influence on the same basic design that kept being reused for Superman and Clark? (Although I'm not aware of any covers that show Superman and Clark actually walking away with backs turned to each other, as in the Spidey original.)

http://www.milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backissue.cgi?action=fullsize&issue=77906321824%2050 (http://www.milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backissue.cgi?action=fullsize&issue=77906321824%2050)

Here's another one.  Similar layout as Superman 209, 296 and 410 - but with Superman's costume where Clark is, and Clark where Superman is.

(http://superman.nu/superman-comics/covers/mos21.gif)

Are there people that would think that the art on the "Man of Steel" cover is better?  Its not good, the right forearm on Clark does not follow the anatomy of how the radius/ulna and muscles work, and the wrinkles on the suit should actually be "V"s directed upward toward the left hand  holding it at the highest point rather than downward.

Sorry to be off topic... 8)

Since when did Danzig acquire heat vision?!


Curious, how many times has Superman stopped posing as Clark Kent?

Probably I'm giving this too much thought, but I feel compelled to compare the details on these... what the artists chose to alter and leave the same.

In the first one, Clark is carrying his hat and has a rolled up newspaper stuffed into his pocket. Clark is looking straight down, while Superman looms above as an ethereal image (making this one the most directly similar to the John Romita cover, and perhaps the only one conscious of the influence). Skyscrapers jutting up in the background at a "fish-eye" angle; apparently Metropolis exists in the middle of a huge barren desert since Clark is miles away from these buildings and there is nothing between.
(Curt Swan pencils, inker uncertain; probably designed by Carmine Infantino)

In the second, Clark is now actually wearing the hat and still has the rolled up newspaper stuffed in his pocket, though it seems bigger now and juts out at an odd angle. The Sunday edition, perhaps? Clark is angrily walking away and Superman is begging him to stay. The buildings are still there, but smaller, and with lights on at night. There is now a broken down fence behind the pleading Superman, perhaps symbolizing that he will "fall apart" without his secret identity.
(Ross Andru pencils, Mike Esposito inks?; probably re-designed by Infantino)

In the third, Clark and Superman are sad to see each other go but the decision seems mutual. Clark is beginning to put the hat on this time. His fingers resemble "live long and prosper" in Vulcan sign language, indicating he wishes Superman well. This time he has remembered to bring an overcoat and suitcase, although it seems odd he would need to leave his apartment since Superman could live at the Fortress. The newspaper is gone, perhaps appropriate since Clark was now working in television.
(Nick Cardy art; still designed by Infantino?)

In the fourth, Clark and Superman both appear angry. Clark is now wearing the overcoat and has just put the hat on, and has traded the suitcase for a slimmer briefcase. He is so angry that he seems to have thrown the newspaper to the ground, scattering the pages all over the street. Superman appears via a large television image in the darkness. He would seem to be rejecting Clark, but notice the pose he has adopted; an imitation of the old army recruitment posters featuring Uncle Sam, which said I WANT YOU. Superman's body language is telling Clark he still wants him.
(Klaus Janson art; possibly Ed Hannigan design based on Infantino?)

In the fifth, the idea is similar but most of the details different and Superman appears to be rejecting his costume rather than Clark rejecting Superman. The use of heat vision rules out this being Clark destroying the costume, so it must be Superman adopting a darker persona. Is this actually an homage to some earlier cover featuring Superman destroying his uniform? Can anyone recall such a design?


Perhaps the Infantino / Romita influence was mutual. This cover of THE FLASH #159 is dated March 1966. There is a sunset in the background, as on the Romita cover, also notice Barry Allen is carrying a suitcase and even putting on a hat!

http://www.milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backissue.cgi?action=fullsize&issue=32488651314%20159 (http://www.milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backissue.cgi?action=fullsize&issue=32488651314%20159)

He's not POSING as Clark Kent, he IS Clark Kent.  Speaking as someone who was adopted as a baby, my identity as the name I was given is who I really am, and I'd have to think the same is true for Clark Kent.

Being Superman (not the fact of having super-powers, but dressing up in the outfit) is more like a profession.

The fourth image came from a story that had Luthor messing with Superman's mind with some of his Lexorian technology.  Superman THOUGHT he'd performed super-feats, and reported them as Clark Kent.  When the word came out that Superman DIDN'T perform the feats, he'd pretended Kent made them up, and Kent was fired from the Planet/WGBS. 

The fifth cover was when a villian (Conduit, a Luthor doppleganger) had found out that Superman and Kent were one and the same person.  Believing Lois was dead, and his other friends in danger from Conduit, Superman decided to quit being Superman and stay as Clark Kent. 

I was wondering about that.  This thread is about the stories in which Kal-El has renounced his Superman identity to be Clark fulltime.  But when I saw the cover to Superman 410, I got the impression that's not what was happening.  It's just Superman publicly denying one of Clark's news stories - which is really no big deal, and could happen for a number of reasons - could even be staged by Clark/Superman in order to catch some villain. Nothing at all to do with Kal-El renouncing Superman.

I'm glad to learn my impression was correct.

Good instincts, Great Rao! 

Were you trained by Batman?   ;D

Are you sure that's Cardy? Looks a lot like Swan to me.


Actually, he had quit both identities, and even once Condimwit was beaten he had intended to quit being Clark and stay as Superman, until Lois talked him out of it. (Not sure what similarities you see between Con and Luthor, other than the fact that they both have childhood grudges against the big red S, and that's assuming you're talking about Luthor Classic.)

Curt Swan hardly EVER drew covers after Mort Weisinger retired as editor of the Superman titles .... in fact, I can't think offhand of a SINGLE one he drew. Neal Adams, Nick Cardy, Ross Andru, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Gil Kane, Eduardo Barreto, those guys were all regular cover artists, but never Swan.

However, I was still wrong. The cover in question was by Bob Oksner!

Swan must have drawn some....?

Anyone here deal with the comics.org folks?  It might be worthwhile to broaden the searching possiblities so one could search by cover credits, or see if we could get a data dump? 

BTW, http://www.comicbookradioshow.com/swancover.html is a great read.

Now that I think of it, he DID draw the covers for the final 2-parter, "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?", of course. But those were kind of an exception, being as much a "Swan song" for Swan's particular style of art as they were for a particular style of Superman...

Swan did do quite a few after Weisinger.  Just in the Superman title itself, he did 239, 244, 245, 246, 247, 289, 304, and 314 (signed), plus the one you noted.  But he certainly was not the regular cover artist.

I think the current superman comic needs an old fashioned Clark Kent/Superman split again. (where superman and clark become two seperate people and can meet, like the time he fought atomic skull or like when he fought the venturians both in DC comics presents)

I agree; I always like those stories for some reason.

I think it could clear up the differences between Supes and Clark and also show why its needed.

My story idea. a race of intergalactic robotic psychartrist come to earth and seperate Superman from Clark Kent (for some reason). that seems like a fairly fleshed out idea :P

I do not belive I have met a more picky person!

I usually only point that stuff out because I have no belief that many modern artists actually can draw as well as many of their forebearers. ;D

understandable.

what is wrong with clark be superman 24/7 please.

Because if Clark be Superman 24/7, is no Clark, don't mention it.