Favourite Representations of the "S" shield

[Rugal 3:16]

Of course in design it's Shaped like an S Because he's Superman but there are various comic-explanations as to why he wears it and how it was conceived

Movie: It was a Family Crest
Byrne MOS era: Plain Flat out lame Afterthought that S stands for Superman (ironically the same reason in real-life why he wears it)
Birthright: Kryptonian Symbol of Hope
Secret Origin: Krypton of Hope AND Family Crest
Pre-Crisis: A Symbol from a Dream of Jonathan Kent given to him by DC's judeo-christian god (known as "The Presence" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presence_(DC_Comics) )

The Best has to be a Tie between The Pre-crisis and Waid's Birthright.

Simple story that works in both comic book logic and real one is.. Superman is not an arrogant buffoon, he's not gonna wear an S on his chest just because he's named "Superman", there has to be a reason to it

Mark Waid's version has that reason to be that it is a Kryptonian symbol of hope, and that simply merits something to be proud of and worn) True it makes it a Kryptonian Symbol that Coincidentally looks like an S but we can use the glasses disguise logic for that, though it's not the only symbol of Hope in the DCU, there's the Blue Lantern insignia of course.

The Pre-crisis version had Jor-El seeing the symbol in a dream that he would use it on Kal-El as Superboy as though he was destined to be "The Chosen One" (Read the Pre-crisis Annual The Day the Cheering Stopped) and he would use the sword of Superman forged from the book of Genesis itself, which carries that crest as well..

It's obvious.. who would put the dream in Jonathan Kent's head but the DCU god AKA The Presence. 


Geoff Johns tried to emulate Waid's Reason of a symbol of hope, however he also used the Movie's Family crest reasoning and although it does not really contradict each other.. it makes the House of El look selfish and Sanctimonious (what gives their family the right to have the planetary symbol of hope for themselves when there are also others who might have a claim to it as much as they would have)


The Worst is Byrne's version, because it's just an S because he was named Superman clark said in the final pages of MOS #1 "Pa and I came up with this unique design of a stylized S " WTF, and clark is smiling.. I'd imagine myself wearing a T-Shirt haveing a Stylized "R" for Rugal 3:16 but that maybe because of my personality

Superman  is way too humble (and not that simplistic) to come up with something that he secretly hopes "Hey Miss if yopu see this symbol, be sure to be reminded it's me, just me, nothing else"

[India Ink]

I think the simplest and most obvious reason is that the S stands for Superman.

[superboy]

In "superman braniac", when braniac said hhis costume was useless, superman replied it was a combination of the El family symbol and the colour's of the kryptonian flag. I say that is the best as itshows he wears the symbol of El with pride and cherishes his birthright.
Yeah, it also is a "s", so that's even better. 

[India Ink]

Being a fan of the Silver Age, I prefer that Jor-El wore that big sunburst on his chest. Which you could say represents Rao. Other Kryptonians wore other geometric shapes on their chests, like squares and triangles.

I'd settle for a compromise, where initially Superman/boy wore a pentagon on his chest--which would be some potent symbol from Krypton. And then once everyone started calling him Superboy or Superman, he decided to put a stylized S inside that pentagon.

The idea that the S happens to stand for Superman, but in actuality stands for something completely different in Kryptonese, just doesn't sit well with me

[carmine]

don't forget its also a snake trapped in a diamond!!! (according to Kevin J Anderson)...oh wait everyone forgot that??? fine whatever

I prefer that the suit was designed by the kents out of his blankets. I could kinda buy the dream/sword of superman angle but it seems a bit overly complicated

S stands for Superman seems logical enough (it is his name).

[Rugal 3:16]

India Ink.. Then that means you prefer John Byrne's reasoning.. S is for Superman that simple.. though again personally to me if we took that reasoning to the story and not just the conceptualization, he looks conceited and not humble in doing so :p

BTW what's your take on the silver age reasoning of the S??  With the DCU god AKA The Presence implanting that symbol in Jonathan Kent's dream? that's not a Kryptonian symbolism.

[India Ink]

Wasn't the Jonathan Kent thing a late story? There was a lot of stuff about Superman's origin that was apocrypha. I think if a story is repeated twice then it has a strong claim to canon--but there were a lot of one-off stories.

Byrne's reason for the S standing for Superman is clear--because his Superman was not supposed to know about his origins when he first debuted. So he wouldn't know about any El family crest. But wasn't it later established that this was an old Kent emblem?

[Lee Semmens]

The idea that the S happens to stand for Superman, but in actuality stands for something completely different in Kryptonese, just doesn't sit well with me

I agree, and I also think it is ridiculous that in Superman movies and TV shows such as Smallville Kryptonian characters like Jor-El wear the "S" symbol on their chest, or use it as symbol of any kind.