Is Superman immortal? Why are Ma and Pa alive?

[Captain Kal]

It must be noted in Kingdom Come that Superman referred to his lost loved ones as 'humans' and 'humans die when they get old' when talking to Diana.  The implication was that Superman would not die.

In DC One Million, the main series, the Linear Men were investigating the paradox of Gog killing Superman in the 21st century while he was also alive in the 853rd century.  At no point did they consider the difference in appearance or aging as a paradox and still considered him virtually immortal.

It must also be noted that Ross' renditions of the current Superman have the same face just minus the greying temples.  For all intents and purposes, Ross just tends to draw an older looking Superman even for the present day.

[Kuuga]

Yeah, he basically does that out of personal preference. He believes older faces have more character to them, which is a valid arguement. I think what he's trying to do is make the icons look more real but having look not Hollywood pretty. Atttractive, but not pretty.

While I understand what he's going for I think he makes Superman just a touch too older looking, even though I like his stuff. Still his Superman face doesn't bother me as much as the fact that he draws the \S/ so large it looks like something thats swallowing Supermans chest. I think he makes the cape too long as well.  I prefer just above the tops of his boots.

[Daybreaker]

I like the idea that Superman's mortality is somewhere up in the air.  It makes him exactly as superhuman as I think he should be -- he doesn't know if he's subject to the same basic forces as the rest of humanity or not, even when it comes to death.  Maybe it applies to him, maybe it doesn't.  For something so fundamental to be in question strikes me as very Superman.

I actually have this vision in my head of a Superman who debuts in 1938 and grows into the modern age as a sort of Peter Pan, much like in Whom Gods Destroy.  But I would have his hair slowly turn white.  No lines in his face, no gravel in his voice.  Just his hair turning grey and then white, eventually.  I think that would be pretty cool.  He might gain the ability to change his appearance somewhat, and it might even operate on a subconscious level at times, so that basically he looks as old as he feels.

I get the feeling that Superman should be an evolving character.  There is a place for Superboy (I'm not sure what it is but I do feel that there's a place for it), and Kingdom Come has shown us that there's a place for a middle-aged Superman.  I'd be curious to see what the next step is for Superman -- probably becoming more of a cosmic hero, like he was in the Silver Age.

[Bill 9000]

I actually like the logical progression of Superman's career as Byrne depicted it in Generations, where he took much the same path as you describe.