John Byrnes Superman

[Daybreaker]

I don't mind consistency in how strong Superman is.  I do think it becomes pretty difficult to maintain three or more titles a month when the main character is essentially omnipotent, too.  At least, I think they would have to do it differently than they've done it thus far.

[Hiro-Protagonist]

I don't know I think a talented writer can work with an all powerful character. The reason of the power down was for the fan's who felt he was no fun to read because he could do anything. Hopefully The new All Star Superman with Grant Morrison in the pre crisis age will show that it can be done as long as you arent working with a hack. Also the only reason Batman wins in fights against Superman is it has become fasionable for an ordinary guy to show he can accomplish such a big task. I see this trend ending soon though as people are getting tired of seeing Supes getting his ass kicked by the dark knight all the time. It was interesting at first to see the underdog win but now it's just getting unrealistic.

[Bill 9000]

I don't know I think a talented writer can work with an all powerful character. The reason of the power down was for the fan's who felt he was no fun to read because he could do anything. Hopefully The new All Star Superman with Grant Morrison in the pre crisis age will show that it can be done as long as you arent working with a hack. Also the only reason Batman wins in fights against Superman is it has become fasionable for an ordinary guy to show he can accomplish such a big task. I see this trend ending soon though as people are getting tired of seeing Supes getting his %$& kicked by the dark knight all the time. It was interesting at first to see the underdog win but now it's just getting unrealistic.

My thoughts exactly. One of the main problems of today's comics is that things have gotten so serious that they've become grim ... even going to the point of being sullen and fatalistic. I think people are getting tired of it, and they want a return to comics being fun!

[nightwing]

Well, let's put it this way.  A writer's job is to take a character and make him work.  Batman doesn't have any powers at all, so why don't writers complain about that? ("How can I write a book about a guy who has no powers!")  Superman has a great deal of power, so deal with it.  Put yourself in the head of a guy with god-like powers and try to imagine the choices, the struggles, the challenges he would face.  Today's creators are overpaid hacks if they can't do what guys in the 60s and 70s did on a regular basis for peanuts.

Anyway, the "too powerful" complaint is simple...There is a class of fan and creator for whom comics will forever be about one thing: people hitting other people.  Villains hit innocents, heroes hit villains and if things get slow heroes hit other heroes.  Marvel pioneered this school of "two guys in costume meet and have a fight, then it turns out they're both good guys."  Bleh.

When the only stories you're capable of telling are fight stories, you certainly DON'T want a guy with the powers of a god.  Your story will end on page 1 every time.  But if you have any talent, you can tell stories about something other than fights.  

And odds are you're not writing for comics.

[Super Monkey]

...at least not anymore.


It is just rich that fan boys complain about Superman being too powerful yet here I am reading the classic Batman Hulk crossover that has Batman beating the Holy-bat droppings out of Hulk as if he had no powers.

Heck, I bet if they had Batman beat-up Thor no one would complain, LOL!

[Tonyman1989]

So at the start of John Byrnes Superman run he could lift 40 billion tons (from the info that I have) So how strong was he at the end of John Byrnes run.

[Gangbuster]

I haven't read all the Byrne issues, because they're not my favorite. But if I had to estimate, I would say...

40 billion tons. Byrne's whole idea was to limit Superman...I think. Actually, sometimes I wonder what Byrne was smoking. He had a vision, for sure...but that's a discussion for another day.

[Maximara]

The main focus of this site is the pre-crisis Superman of the Golden, Sliver and Bronze Ages. So you might be better off or have better luck finding the answer on DC's own Superman boards than here.

The Sliver age? Is that the one where Superman gets real thin?  

Sorry but while the focus of this site is the Gold thorugh Bronze there are stories from the Iron age as well "Identity Crisis" is definitly Iron Age.

Byrne had some good ideas in doing the revamp. The Silver-Bronze Superman was becoming much like the Brown Hornet who got out of impossible death traps by using his "increadable powers". Yes there were stories like "How to Tame a Wild Volcano" and "For the Man who has everything" but there were also "Lois Lane Witch of Metropolosis" and "Superman vs Ghost of Ceasar". Every age has is good points and bad ones. Superman is a reflection of our own culture and times.

I should point out that if you dig a little beneath the surface there are plenty of problems with the Silver-Bronze Superman. Weather control devices that could prevent floods are never used, fantasic krytonian cures that could have been adapted to help Earth human but again never used. Superman charging in to situation where jsut a little bit a of caution woudl ahve saved him a lot of grief and lets not forget the few times Lois and Lana got sueprpower and Superman let them behave like spoiled jerks rather than encourage them to do something useful with their powers.

if the iron age Superman flawed? Sure but then again so are the Gold through Bronze Supermen.