Superman is a fictional superhero who appears in American comics published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, a high school student who lived in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1933. They sold Superman to Detective Comics, the future of DC Comics, in 1938. Superman debuted at the Action Comics # 1 (cover-dated June 1938) and later appeared on various radio series, newspaper strips, television programs, movies and video games. With this success, Superman helped create a superhero archetype and set his superiority in American comic books. This character is also referred to by such nicknames as Big Blue Boy Scout, Man of Steel, Man of Tomorrow, and Krypton's Last Son.
The story of Superman's origins tells that he was born in Kal-El on the planet Krypton, before being diroeted to Earth as a baby by his father Jor-El scientist, just before the destruction of Krypton. Discovered and adopted by a farming partner from Kansas, the boy grew up as Clark Kent and was imbued with a strong moral compass. Early in his childhood, he displayed the abilities of the superhuman, who, upon reaching maturity, decided to use for the sake of humanity through the identity of "Superman".
Superman lives and operates in the American fictional city of Metropolis. Like Clark Kent, he is a journalist for the Daily Planet , the Metropolis newspaper. Superman's love affection is Lois Lane, and his arch-rival is Lex Luthor supervillain. A close ally of Batman and Wonder Woman, he is usually portrayed as a member of the League of Justice. Like other characters in the DC Universe, several alternative versions of Superman have been characterized over the years.
Superman's appearance is distinctive and iconic; she usually wore a blue costume with a red and yellow emblem on the chest, which consisted of the letters S in the form of a shield, and a red robe. This shield is used in many media to symbolize the characters. Superman is widely regarded as an American cultural icon. He has fascinated scholars, with cultural theorists, commentators, and critics exploring the role and impact of character in the United States and around the world.
Character ownership is often the subject of disagreements, with Siegel and Shuster twice demanding the return of rights. He has been portrayed in many comic adaptations as well, including movies, television series, and video games. Some actors have played Superman in movies and TV series including Bud Collyer, Kirk Alyn, George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, Dean Cain, Daly's Team, Tom Welling, Brandon Routh, Henry Cavill, and Tyler Hoechlin.
Video Superman
Creation and conception
In January 1933, Cleveland high school student Jerry Siegel wrote a short story, illustrated by his friend and classmate Joe Shuster, entitled "The Reign of the Superman", published by Siegel in his fanzine, Science Fiction . The titular character is a bum called Bill Dunn who gains vast psychic powers of experimental drugs and uses them with evil to gain profit and entertainment, only to lose them and become homeless again, ashamed that he will be remembered only as a villain.
Fanzine Siegel does not sell. Siegel and Shuster are shifting to make comics, which they publish themselves in a book they call Popular Comics . The couple dreamed of becoming professional writers and believed that the syndicated newspaper strips offered a more profitable and stable job than a paper magazine. The art quality standard is also lower, making it more accessible to the inexperienced Shuster.
Siegel observes that comic strips featuring evil protagonists like Fu Manchu tend to struggle, while strips with heroic characters like Tarzan are more popular. In early 1933 or in 1934, he and Shuster created a new comic strip hero named Superman. In addition to the shared name, this Superman has no connection to the evil Bill Dunn. Superman's first brave prototype has no fantastic ability or costume, but only "human acting", similar to Slam Bradley.
The first publisher that Siegel and Shuster showed their new Superman was Humor Publishing in Chicago. Humor has just published a number of comic books containing all the original stories as opposed to newspaper strip reprints, which was a novelty at the time. Representatives of Humor Publishing will visit Cleveland on a business trip, so Siegel and Shuster hastily arrange a comic story titled "The Superman" and present it to the publisher. Although Humor showed interest, he withdrew from the comic business before any book deal could be made.
Siegel believes publishers continue to reject them because he and Shuster are young and unknown, so he is looking for an established artist to replace Shuster. When Siegel tells Shuster what he is doing, Shuster reacts by burning their rejected Superman comics, leaving only the cover.
Siegel asked for some artists and in 1934, Russell Keaton, who worked on the comic strip of Buck Rogers , replied. In nine strips of Keaton produced samples based on Siegel's treatment, Superman's character is growing: In the distant future, when Earth is on the verge of explosion due to the "gigantic cataclysm", the last surviving man sent his son back in time to 1935, he was adopted by Sam and Molly Kent. The boy demonstrates the power of superhuman and bulletproof skin, and the Kents teach the boy, whom they name Clark, to use his power for good. However, the newspaper syndicate rejected their work and Keaton left the project.
Siegel and Shuster reconcile and re-develop Superman. The character became an alien from the planet Krypton with a costume that is now known: tights with the letter "S" in the chest, shorts, and robes. They make Clark Kent a cowardly journalist, and introduce his partner Lois Lane, who is attracted to the brave and mighty Superman, but does not realize he and Kent are the same person.
Siegel and Shuster entered the comic field professionally in 1935, producing a detective and adventure story for New York-based Allied National Comics book publishers. Although National expressed interest in Superman, Siegel and Shuster refused because National insisted on buying all rights to a new character. They are still hoping for a newspaper syndication deal, and their efforts bring the strip to the attention of Sheldon Mayer and Max Gaines at McClure Newspaper Syndicate. When the publisher of Detective Comics, Inc., who recently purchased the Allied National, needed material for the upcoming new title Action Comics , the strip syndicates show for Detective editor Vin Sullivan, who has a strip in hand. as of 10 January 1938. In March 1938, Siegel and Shuster sold all rights to the character to Detective Comics, Inc. for $ 130, equivalent to $ 2,300 when adjusted for inflation. By this time, Siegel and Shuster had resigned that Superman would never be successful, and with this deal they would at least see their characters finally published.
Influences
Siegel and Shuster read science fiction magazines and pulp adventures, and many stories feature characters with extraordinary powers such as telepathy, fortune tellers, and superhuman powers. An influence is Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars, a man who fled to Mars, where low gravity makes him stronger than the natives and allows him to jump far, which is essentially the same kind of power Superman has on Earth. in the early days of comics. Although it is widely assumed that Philip Wylie's 1930 Gladiator novel, featuring the protagonist, Hugo Danner, with similar powers, is an inspiration for Superman, Siegel denies this.
Siegel and Shuster are also avid movie goers. Superman's attitude and Shuster's demeanor are based on Douglas Fairbanks, who starred in adventure movies such as The Mark of Zorro and Robin Hood. The name of the city of origin Superman, Metropolis, taken from the 1927 film of the same name. The Popeye cartoon was also influential.
Persona Clark Kent was inspired by comedian comedian Harold Lloyd. Lloyd wore glasses and often played a gentle character that was abused by a bully, but later in the story would break and fight back angrily. Shuster, who also wears glasses and describes himself as "courtesy", finds Lloyd's character can be connected. Kent is a journalist, because Siegel often imagines himself being one after leaving school. The inclusion of a romantic subplot with Lois Lane was inspired by Siegel's own awkwardness with the girls.
The couple collected comic strips in their youth, with a favorite being the fantastic Winsor McCay Little Nemo . Shuster tells the artist who plays an important role in developing his own style: "Alex Raymond and Burne Hogarth are my idols - also Milt Caniff, Hal Foster, and Roy Crane." Shuster learns his own drawing by tracing the art on the strips and magazines they collect.
As a boy, Shuster is interested in the culture of fitness and fans of powerful people like Siegmund Breitbart and Joseph Greenstein. He collects magazines and fitness manuals and uses their photos as a visual reference for his art.
Superman's visual design comes from a variety of influences. The tight suit and shorts were inspired by wrestler costumes, boxers, and strong men. The first shuster gave Superman a roped-up slipper like a strong man and a classic hero. The emblem on his chest might be inspired by an athletic team uniform. Many heroes act like porridge wearing a cloak. Superman's physical appearance is based on Johnny Weissmuller with a touch that comes from comic character Dick Tracy and from the work of cartoonist Roy Crane.
The word "superman" is commonly used in the 1920s and 1930s to describe people with great abilities, most often athletes and politicians. Sometimes it also appears in fictional pulp, like "The Superman of Dr. Jukes" and Doc Savage. It is unclear whether Siegel and Shuster were influenced by the Friedrich Nietzsche concept of ÃÆ'Ã… "bermensch; they never acknowledge that much.
Maps Superman
Publishing history
Comic book and comic strip
Superman debuted as a cover feature of the anthology of Action Comics # 1 (cover-dated June 1938 and published on April 18, 1938). The series is instantly successful, and reader feedback shows it because of Superman's character. In June 1939, Detective Comics began the series of sisters, Superman , dedicated exclusively to the characters. Action Comics finally became dedicated to Superman's story as well, and both and Superman have been published uninterrupted since 1938 (ignoring changes to title and numbering). A large number of other series and miniseries have been published as well. Superman also appears as a regular or semi-regular character in a series of superhero teams, such as Justice League of America and World's Finest Comics, and in series spin-offs like Supergirl . The sales of Action Comics and Superman declined steadily from the 1950s, but bounced back from 1987. Superman # 75 (Nov 1992) sold more of 6 million copies, making it the best-selling edition of an all-time comic book, thanks to the media's sensation of the permanent death of the character in the matter. Sales have declined since then. In February 2016, Action Comics sold over 31,000 copies. Comic books are now considered a niche aspect of the Superman franchise because of the low readers.
Beginning in January 1939, the daily comic strip of Superman appeared in the newspaper, which was syndicated through the McClure Syndicate. A color Sunday version was added in November. The Sunday strips have a separate narrative continuity from the daily strip, probably because Siegel had to delegate the Sunday strip to the ghostwriters. In 1941, the newspaper strip had an estimated readership of 20 million. Shuster pulled out the initial pieces, then handed the work to Wayne Boring. From 1949 to 1956, the newspaper strip was withdrawn by Win Mortimer. The strip ended in May 1966, but was revived from 1977 to 1983 to coincide with a series of films released by Warner Bros..
After Shuster left National, Boring also succeeded him as the main artist in the Superman comics. He drew Superman higher and more detail. Around 1955, Curt Swan in turn succeeded boring.
Creative management
Initially, Siegel was allowed to write Superman more or less when he saw fit, because no one anticipated the success and rapid expansion of the franchise. However, soon, Siegel and Shuster's work is under careful scrutiny for fear of problems with censorship. Siegel was forced to bring down the violence and social crosses that characterized his early stories. Editor Whitney Ellsworth, hired in 1940, dictated that Superman did not kill. Sexuality is forbidden, and very strange criminals such as Ultra-Humanite and Toyman are considered less nightmares for young readers.
Mort Weisinger was a Superman comic editor from 1941 to 1970, his term interrupted briefly by military service. Siegel and his co-authors have developed characters with little thought to build a coherent mythology, but as the number of Superman titles and the author's collection grows, Weisinger demands a more disciplined approach. Weisinger commissioned the ideas of the story, and the logic of Superman's power, its origins, locals, and its relationship with its carefully developed supporters was planned. Elements such as Bizarro, Supergirl, Phantom Zone, alternative kryptonite varieties, robot doppelganger, and Krypto are introduced. The intricate universe built under Weisinger attracts loyal readers, but retreats into ordinary things. Weisinger likes light stories about serious drama, and avoids sensitive subjects like the Vietnam War and civil rights movements, for he is afraid his right-wing views will alienate his staff and readers. Weisinger also introduced a letter column in 1958 to encourage feedback and build intimacy with readers. Superman is the best-selling comic book character of the 1960s.
Weisinger retired in 1970 and Julius Schwartz took over. With his own admission, Weisinger has grown from touch with the newer readers. Schwartz renewed Superman by removing excessive plot elements such as kryptonite and robotic doppelganger and making Clark Kent a television newscaster. Schwartz also increased the power of Superman to a level closer to the original Siegel. These changes will eventually be reversed by later writers. Schwartz allows the story with a serious drama, as in "For The Man Who Has Everything" ( Superman Annual # 11), where Mongul villains miserable Superman with the illusion of a happy family life in living Krypton.
Schwartz retired from DC Comics in 1986, and was replaced by Mike Carlin as editor of the Superman comics. His retirement coincides with DC Comics' decision to streamline a joint continuity called DC Universe with the crossover corporate storyline "Crisis on Infinite Earths". Author John Byrne rewrote the Superman myth, again reducing the power of Superman, slowly reinforced by the authors, and revising many supporting characters, such as making Lex Luthor a billionaire industrialist and not a mad scientist, and making Supergirl an artificial form-altering organism, because DC wants Superman to be the only surviving Krypton.
Carlin was promoted to Executive Editor for DC Universe books in 1996, a position he held until 2002. K.C. Carlson took his place as editor of the Superman comics.
The 1940 radio series was produced by Robert Maxwell and Allen Ducovny, who are employees of Superman, Inc. and Detective Comics. Robert Maxwell was later hired to produce a TV show starring George Reeves. DC Comics (later known as National Comics Publications) felt that the first season was too fierce for what they expected to be a children's show, so they got rid of Maxwell and replaced it with Whitney Ellsworth, a veteran writer and editor at National Comics. DC Comics has the right to consent to all creative aspects of the Superboy TV series (1988-1992), from scripts to casting to revision shooting.
The first three films starring Christopher Reeve were produced by Alexander and Ilya Salkind. When Warner Bros sold his film rights to Superman to Salkinds in 1974, Warner Bros. requested control of the budget and casting, but left everything to producer's discretion. These films affect the story of the future, with Salkinds insisting Clark Kent become a newspaper journalist, to attract older fans. Kent left her TV anchor job and returned to Daily Planet . Innovations such as the crystal-set design of John Barry for Krypton and Fortress of Solitude, Superman's chest symbol became the family symbol, and Mario Puzo's messianic theme adapted by comic writers.
Aesthetic style
In the early decades of the Superman comics, artists are expected to adapt to certain "home styles". Joe Shuster defines Superman's aesthetic style in the 1940s, and not only in comics: he also provides a character model sheet for the Fleischer and Famous animation series of the 1940s. After Shuster left National, Wayne Boring succeeded him as the main artist in the Superman comics. He drew Superman higher and more detail. Around 1955, Curt Swan in turn succeeded boring. The 1980s saw an explosion in the diversity of comic art and now there is not a single "home style" in the Superman comics.
Battle of copyright
Ownership claim
Siegel wrote most of the comic books and daily newspapers until he was obliged in 1943. When Siegel served in Hawaii, Detective Comics introduced a child version of Superman called "Superboy", based on the concept that Siegel had sent several years earlier. Siegel was furious, because Detective did this without buying the character. After Siegel's return from the Army, he and Shuster sued Detective Comics in 1947 for the rights of Superman and Superboy. The judge ruled that Superman's sale in March 1938 was binding, but Superboy was a separate entity legally belonging to Siegel. Siegel and Shuster settled out of court with Detective, who paid the pair $ 94,000 ($ 960,000 when adjusted for inflation) in exchange for full rights to Superman and Superboy. The detective then shoots Siegel and Shuster.
In 1969, Siegel and Shuster attempted to regain Superman's right to use the Renewal option in the Copyright Act of 1909, but the court ruled Siegel and Shuster had transferred the right of renewal to Detective Comics in 1938. Siegel and Shuster appealed, but the court appeal upholds this decision. Detective had hired Siegel as a writer in 1957, but fired him again when he filed the second lawsuit.
In 1975, Siegel and a number of other comic book writers and artists launched a public campaign for compensation and better treatment for comic writers. Warner Brothers agrees to give Siegel and Shuster an annual salary, full medical allowance, and credit their names in all future Superman productions in exchange for never questioning Superman ownership. Siegel and Shuster support this offer.
Shuster died in 1992. DC Comics offers heirs of Shuster allowance in exchange for never challenging Superman's ownership, which they have received for several years.
Siegel died in 1996. His heirs sought to take the right to Superman using the termination provisions of the Copyright Act of 1976. DC Comics negotiated an agreement whereby Siegel's heirs would pay several million dollars and an annual salary of $ 500,000 in exchange forever. giving DC rights to Superman. DC Comics also agreed to include the line "With Special Settings with Jerry Siegel's Family" in all future Superman productions. Siegels accepted the DC offer in a letter in October 2001.
Film copyright lawyer and film producer Marc Toberoff then made a deal with the heirs of Siegel and Shuster to help them get the right to Superman instead of signing rights to his production company, Pacific Pictures. Both groups accepted. The heirs Siegel canceled their agreement with DC Comics and in 2004 demanded DC over the rights of Superman and Superboy. In 2008, the judge ruled in favor of Siegels. DC Comics appealed the decision, and the appeals court ruled in favor of DC, arguing that the October 2001 letter was binding. In 2003, Shuster's heirs served notice of giving Shuster a halt to copyright to Superman. DC Comics sued Shuster heirs in 2010, and the court ruled in favor of DC on the grounds that a 1992 agreement with Shuster's heirs forbade them to end the grant.
Superman is due to enter the public domain in 2033. However, this will only apply to characters as depicted in Action Comics # 1 (1938). Further developments, such as the power of "hot vision" (introduced in 1949), can survive under copyright until their works are introduced into the public domain itself.
Claim for copyright infringement
The success of Superman quickly generated a wave of imitation, and Detective Comics defended copyright vigorously. Will Eisner created a character named Wonder Man in 1939, but the lawsuit from Detective Comics forced his cancellation only after one problem. Fawcett Comics introduced Captain Marvel in 1940 and for several years that surpassed Superman's character, but after a protracted legal battle Fawcett was forced to stop publishing Captain Marvel in 1953.
Fictional character biography
In Action Comics # 1 (April 1938), Superman was born in a strange world with technologically advanced species that resemble humans. When his world was on the verge of collapse, his father, a scientist, put his own son in a spaceship that brought him to Earth. The earliest newspaper strips refer to the planet "Krypton", the baby "Kal-L", and his biological parents "Jor-L" and "Lora"; their names being "Jor-el", and "Lara" in a 1942 spin-off novel by George Lowther. The ship landed in rural America, where the baby was adopted by the Kents. In the original story, they adopted him from an orphanage. The Kents named the boy Clark and raised him in the farming community. The 1947 episode of the radio series puts an unnamed community in Iowa. It's called Smallville in Superboy # 2 (June 1949). New Superboy Adventure # 22 (Oct. 1981) placed her in Maryland. Superman's 1978 film and most of the story since placing it in Kansas.
The Kents teach Clark he must hide his other origins and use his fantastic power to do good. Clark creates a Superman costume identity to protect his personal privacy and the safety of his loved ones. Like Clark Kent, he wears glasses to disguise his face and wears Superman's costume under his clothes so he can change on the spot. To resolve this disguise, Clark avoids violent confrontation, preferring to slip away and turn into Superman when danger arises, and sometimes suffers from his cowardice.
The author develops Superman's power gradually. From the beginning, it has super human strength and an irresistible body. In the earliest comics, Superman traveled by running and jumping. In the radio series that began in 1940, Superman has the ability to fly. Fleischer Studios also describes Superman flying in a theatrical animated series they produced in the same decade, as this requires fewer animated frames, and their animation tests about Superman jumps seem "silly" as well. X-ray vision was introduced in Action Comics # 11 (April 1939) and hot vision at Superman # 59 (August 1949). Initially, the power of Superman is common in Krypton, but later on they are activated by the Earth's yellow sunlight, and can be disabled by the red sunlight similar to the Krypton sun.
Siegel understood that Superman's immunity reduced his appeal as an action hero, and wrote a story that introduced "K-metal", whose radiation endangers Superman. This draft has not been published since Superman's story reveals his secret identity to Lois, but the radio series writers took inspiration and introduced the green mineral kryptonite in an episode of 1943. It first appeared in comics in the story "Superman Returns To Krypton!", Credited to author Bill Finger, at Superman # 61 (December 1949).
Clark works as a newspaper journalist. In the earliest story, he was hired by George Taylor from The Daily Star, but the second episode of the radio series transformed it into Perry White of The Daily Planet. Action Comics # 1 introduces Clark's colleague, Lois Lane. Clark is romantically attracted to him, but he refuses Clark to be polite and infatuated with the brave and mighty Superman. The love triangle was conceived in 1934 and is present in most of Superman's stories. Jerry Siegel objected to any proposal that Lois found out that Clark was Superman, because he felt that, just as unreasonable as Clark's disguise, the love triangle was too important for the appeal of the book. For decades in comic strips, Lois suspects Clark is Superman and tries to prove it, but Superman always deceives him; the first such story is Superman # 17 (1942).
In Action Comics # 662 (Feb. 1991) in a story by writer Roger Stern and artist Bob McLeod, Lois definitively learns about Clark's dual identity, the status quo that will last for two decades and is reflected in the episode 1995 from the TV series Lois & amp; Clark: Superman's New Adventure . Both in the series and in 1996's special comic book Superman: The Wedding Album, Clark and Lois are married. The couple's biological son, Jonathan Samuel Kent, was born in Convergence: Superman # 2 (July 2015).
The first story in which Superman died was published in Superman # 188 (April 1966) where he was killed by kryptonite radiation, but revived in the same problem by one of his android doppelganger. In the 1990's The Death and Return of Superman story arc, after a deadly battle with Doomsday, Superman died at Superman # 75 (January 1993). He was later revived by Eradicator. In Superman was killed by kryptonite poisoning, and this time he was not resurrected, but superseded by Superman from the previous continuity.
In 2011, DC Comics restarted its continuity and relaunched its entire comic book line under The New 52 rubric, â € <â €
In June 2016, DC Comics once again relaunched its comic book title with DC Rebirth. The publisher re-set Superman's new pre- Superman as the protagonist of a new comic book, with Lois Lane as his wife once again. He and Lois also bear a biological son, Jonathan Samuel Kent, who eventually becomes Superboy. Superman Reborn's story arc flattens the mismatch between two versions of the character. According to Mister Mxyzptlk, the creation of the New caused Superman to be separated into two persons: the New 52 character as the protagonist of Superman the pre- Flashpoint taking part in the Convergence event and encouraging Jon. Thanks to Jon, the new Superboy, two Supermen merged into one full version of Superman, rearranged their history together and adjusted it to the restored DC Universe. This complete Superman has a new suit that combines elements of two eras. DC Comics ended Rebirth's branding in December 2017, opting to include everything under the bigger banner and naming "DC Universe". The continuity set by Rebirth continues throughout the DC comic book titles, including the volume of one of Action Comics and fourth volume Superman .
Personality
In the original Siegel and Shuster stories, Superman's personality is rough and aggressive. Characters often attack and terrorize wife batons, profiteers, lynch monsters, and gangsters in a rude manner and with a looser moral code than today's audience might be used for. Superman in the 1930s comic did not care about the danger caused by his power. He throws the evil character in such a way that the casualties might happen, although these are rarely shown explicitly on the page. It ended in late 1940 when new editor Whitney Ellsworth instituted a code of ethics for his character to follow, forbidding Superman to never kill. The character is softened and given a sense of humanity. The Ellsworth Code, however, does not become confused with the "Comic Code", which was created in 1954 by the Code Comics Authority and was eventually abandoned by every major comic book publisher at the beginning of the 21st century.
In his first appearance, Superman is considered a coward by the authorities, who were fired upon by the National Guard as he destroyed a slum so that the government would create better housing conditions for the poor. In 1942, however, Superman worked side by side with the police. Today, Superman is generally seen as a courageous and benevolent hero with a strong sense of justice, morality, and truth. He embraced the immovable moral code instilled in him by his adoptive parents. His commitment to operating within the law has been an example to many citizens and other heroes, but has sparked hatred and criticism among others, referring to him as the "big blue boy scout". Superman can be somewhat stiff in this trait, causing tension in the superhero community. This is best known for Wonder Woman, one of his closest friends, after he killed Maxwell Lord. Booster Gold had an early cold relationship with Man of Steel, but grew up in his honor.
After losing his world of Krypton, Superman is very protective of Earth, and especially the family and friends of Clark Kent. This same loss, combined with the pressure of using his power responsibly, has caused Superman to feel lonely on Earth, despite having friends and his parents. His previous encounters with people he considered fellow Krypton, Power Girl (actually from Krypton of the Earth-Two universe) and Mon-El, have caused disappointment. The arrival of Supergirl, which has been confirmed to not only from Krypton, but also his cousin, has removed this loneliness. Superman's Fortress of Solitude acts as a place of solace for him in times of loneliness and despair.
In Superman/Batman 3 (December 2003), Batman, under the author of Jeph Loeb, observes, "This is a wonderful dichotomy.In many ways, Clark is the most human of all of us.... he fires fire from the sky, and it's hard not to think of him as a god.And how lucky we all are that it does not happen to 'him'. "In the authors Geoff Johns" Infinite Crisis # 1 (Dec 2005), part of "2005-2006" Infinite Crisis "crossover storyline, Batman admonishes him to identify with too many human beings and fails to provide the strong leadership that a super human needs.
Age and birthday
Superman's age has varied through its history in comics, with characters usually in their 30s. His age was initially undefined, with real-time references to certain years sometimes given to past events in the Golden Age and early Silver Age comics. In comics published between the early 1970s and early 1990s, his age is usually referred to as 29 years. However, during the "The Death of Superman" storyline, Clark's age was given at the age of 34 (in a fictitious promotional newspaper published), while "Zero Hour" 1994 set his age at 35.
Action Comics # 149 (October 1950) gave October as the date of birth of Superman. The comics of the 1960s to the 1980s depict Superman's birthday on February 29th. Clark Kent, meanwhile, will be celebrating his birthday on June 18th, the date when the Kents first found Clark; June 18 is also the date of birth of voice actor Superman Bud Collyer. After the 1980s changing the DC editorial called Crisis on Infinite Earths, Kent's birthday was given as February 29th. Superman: Secret Origin # 1 (November 2009) describes Kent celebrating his birthday on December 1st
Other versions
The details of Superman's story vary across the body of the fictional magnitudes published since 1938. Superman versions depicted on television and film are usually not part of the same narrative continuity presented in comics, and even in comic books there are many different portrayals of characters, some in one of which is radically different from the "classic" version (for example, graphic novel Superman: Red Son describes the Communist Superman who governs the Soviet Union). DC Comics has on several occasions published a crossover story in which various portrayals of Superman interact with each other using a parallel universe plot device. For example, in the 1960s, Superman of "Earth-One" occasionally starred in the story with Superman "Earth-Two", which last resembled Superman as he described it in the 1940s. DC Comics has not developed a consistent and universal system to classify all versions of characters.
Strength and ability
As the influential archetypes of the superhero genre, Superman has tremendous strength, with characters traditionally described as "Faster than bullets that drove, stronger than locomotives, capable of jumping tall buildings in one bond... This is Superman!", The phrase created by Jay Morton and first used in Superman's radio series and Max Fleischer's 1940s animated shorts and 1950s TV series. For most of its existence, the famous superman arsenal includes aviation, superpowers, immunity to non-magical attacks, super speed, visibility power (including x-rays, heat transmitters, telescopic, infra-red, and microscopic vision), super- hearing, super-intelligence, and super-breath, allowing him to blow air at freezing temperatures, as well as exerting thrust from high wind speeds.
As originally conceived and presented in the original story, Superman's powers are relatively limited, consisting of superhuman powers that allow him to lift the car over his head, running at incredible speeds and jumping an eighth mile, and heavily compact body structure that can be penetrated by no less than an artillery shell burst. He can faint and almost get killed by a strong electric field or bomb. Siegel and Shuster compare the power and ability to jump to ants and grasshoppers. When creating Superman cartoons in the early 1940s, Fleischer Brothers found it difficult to keep him jumping and asked DC to change his ability to fly; this is a very easy concept for short films, which otherwise would have had to waste valuable running time, moving toward Clark Kent from one place to another. The author gradually increased his power to a greater extent during the Silver Age, where Superman could fly to other worlds and galaxies and even traverse the universe with relative ease. He often flies across the solar system to stop meteors from hitting Earth or sometimes just to clear his head. The author finds it increasingly difficult to write Superman's story where the character is so challenged, so DC makes a series of attempts to control the character. The most significant effort, John Byrne 1986 rewrote, set some hard limits on his ability: He almost survived a nuclear explosion, and his space flight was limited by how long he could hold his breath. Superman's strength levels have increased since then, with Superman finally having enough power to catapult mountains, withstand nuclear explosions easily, fly into the sun unscathed, and survive in space without oxygen.
Superman's power source has changed subtly during its history. At first it was stated that Superman's abilities came from Krypton's legacy, which made him thousands of years more evolved than humans. This was immediately changed, with the source for strength now based on gravitational formation of Krypton as being stronger than Earth. This situation reflects that John Carter of Edgar Rice Burroughs. As Superman's powers rise, the implication that all Kryptons possess the same ability becomes a problem for writers, making it doubtful that such a race of creatures could be erased by something as trivial as an exploding planet. As part of this fight, Superman's authors determined that Krypton, whose original Rao red star, possesses superhuman powers only in the yellow sun.
Superman is most vulnerable to green Kryptonite, the mineral remains of Krypton transformed into radioactive material by forces that destroy the planet. Exposure to green Kryptonite radiation canceled Superman's power and paralyzed him with pain and nausea; Old exposure will eventually kill him. The only substance on Earth that can protect it from Kryptonite is lead, which blocks radiation. Lead is also the only substance known to Superman can not see through with his x-ray vision. Kryptonite was introduced in 1943 as a plot device to allow the radio serial voice actor, Bud Collyer, to take a break. Although green Kryptonite is the most commonly seen form, the authors have introduced other forms over the years: like red, gold, blue, white, and black, each with its own effect.
Supporting characters
Clark Kent, Superman's secret identity, based partly on Harold Lloyd and named Clark Gable and Kent Taylor. The creator has discussed the idea of ​​whether Superman pretends to be Clark Kent or vice versa, and at different times in the publication, both approaches have been adopted. Although usually a newspaper reporter, during the 1970s characters left the Daily Planet for a time working on television, while John Byrne's 1980s change saw the character become somewhat more aggressive. This aggressiveness has faded with the next creators who restore traditional light behavior to character.
Allies
Superman's supporting characters include Lois Lane, the character most often associated with Superman, described at different times as his companions, competitors, love flowers and wives. Other major supporting characters include the Planet Daily coworkers such as photographer Jimmy Olsen and editor Perry White, Clark Kent's adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, Lana Lang's childhood sweetheart and best friend Pete Ross, colleagues like Professor Hamilton and John Henry Irons who often provide scientific advice and technical support, and former college love interest Lori Lemaris (mermaid). The story makes reference to the possibility of Superman siring children having been shown both in and out of mainstream continuity.
The Supergirl Incarnation, Krypto the Superdog, and Superboy have also been the main characters in myth, and the Justice League of America (which Superman is usually a member and often leader) and Legion of Super-Heroes (traced by Superboy through time to join). Features owned by some supporting characters are alliteration names, especially with the initials "LL", including Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, Linda Lee, Lana Lang, Lori Lemaris, and Lucy Lane, common alliterations in early comics.
Team-ups with fellow Batman comic icons are common, inspiring many stories over the years. When paired, they are often referred to as the "World's Finest" in nodding for the comic book series names that feature many of the team's stories. In 2003, DC began publishing a new series featuring two characters entitled Superman/Batman or Batman/Superman. After DC Comic's The New 52 line-wide relaunch, Superman has a romantic relationship with Wonder Woman. The comic book series titled Superman/Wonder Woman was launched in 2013, which explores their relationship and adventure sharing.
Enemy
The criminals facing Superman in the earliest stories are ordinary people, such as gangsters, corrupt politicians, and hard husbands, but they soon grow more bizarre and collectively become Superman's robbery galleries. The mad scientist, Ultra-Humanite, introduced at Action Comics # 13 (June 1939), was Superman's first villain. The famous enemy of the hero, Lex Luthor, was introduced in Action Comics 23 (April 1940) and has been envisioned for years as both a hermit with advanced weaponry for power mad billionaires. In 1944, the magical spell of Mister Mxyzptlk, Superman's first super-strong enemy, was introduced. The first foreign criminal Superman, Brainiac, debuted at Action Comics # 242 (July 1958). The terrible Doomsday, introduced at Superman: The Man of Steel # 17-18 (November-Dec. 1992), was the first villain to clearly kill Superman in a physical battle. Other enemies include Bizarro's strange Superman-doppelgÃÆ'¤nger, Krypton villain, General Zod, and Darkseid and Mongul alien tyrants.
Cultural impact
Superman has become a recognized American cultural icon around the world. Superman is often regarded as the first super hero. This is disputed by historians: Doctor Occult, Siegel's and Shuster's earlier creations, appeared in comic books two years earlier, and Phantom and Mandrake the Magician had previously appeared on the newspaper strip. However, there is no debate that Superman embarked on a 20th century craze for costumed adventurers.
His adventures and popularity have shaped his character as an inspirational force in the public eye, with characters that serve as inspiration for musicians, comedians and writers alike. Kryptonite, Brainiac and Bizarro have become synonymous in the popular vernacular with Achilles heels, extreme intelligence and reverse logic respectively. Similarly, the phrase "I am not Superman" or "You are not Superman" is an expression used to denote a lack of omnipotence.
Merchandising
Superman became popular very quickly, with an additional title, Superman Quarterly , quickly added. In 1940, the character was represented in Macy's annual parade for the first time. Even Superman has become popular to the extent that in 1942, with sales of three-character titles standing in a combined total of over 1.5 million, Time is reporting that "The Navy Department has ordered that Superman comic book should be included among the essential supplies reserved for Marine garrisons in the Midway Islands. "The character was soon licensed by companies interested in monetizing this success through merchandising. The earliest equipment appeared in 1939, a button that proclaims membership at the Supermen of America club. In 1940 the number of available merchandise increased dramatically, with jigsaw puzzles, paper dolls, chewing gum and trade cards available, as well as wood or metal figures. The popularity of the merchandise increased when Superman got a license to appear in other media, and Les Daniels has written that it represents "the beginning of a process that media moguls of the next decade would describe as synergy." With the release of Superman Returns , Warner Bros. has arranged cross promotions with Burger King, and licensed many other products for sale.
The appeal of Superman to the licensee depends on the continued popularity of characters, the cross market appeal, and the shield status "S", magenta and gold symbol "S" that Superman wore on his chest, as a fashion symbol. Shield "S" by itself is often used in the media to symbolize Superman characters.
In other media
Superman characters have appeared in various media aside from comic books, including radio and television series, several movies, and video games. The first adaptation was a daily newspaper comic strip, launched on January 16, 1939, and runs until May 1966; Siegel and Shuster used the first strip to build Superman's background, adding details such as planet Krypton and Superman's father, Jor-El, a concept not yet set in comic books. A radio show, The Adventures of Superman , premiered February 12, 1940, and featured the voice of Bud Collyer as Superman. It ran through 1951. The Collyer also served as Superman's voice in Paramount Pictures' 17 Superman animated cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios and later Famous Studios for a theatrical release in 1941-1943. The first episode had a $ 50,000 budget with the remaining episodes of $ 30,000 each ($ 831,900 when adjusted for inflation), which was incredible for the time being. The first live-action movie is a 15-part series released in 1948.
In 1948, the Superman movie series made Kirk Alyn the first actor to play the hero on screen. The first feature film, Superman and Mole Men, starring George Reeves, was released in 1951, and was intended to promote the first television series Adventures of Superman, which aired from 1952 to 1958. National has a creative control over the show. The television series featuring Superman and Superboy will also be launched in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. In 1966 came the Broadway musical This Bird... This Aircraft... This Superman , remade for television in 1975. Also in 1966, Superman starred in the first animated film of several series The New Adventures of Superman .
Superman also appeared in the animated segment produced by the film on the children's education TV series Sesame Street , discussing the letter S .
Superman returned to the cinema in 1978 with director Richard Donner Superman, starring Christopher Reeve, who spawned three sequels and was Superman's most successful film. DC Comics has little creative control over this in the movie: When Warner Bros sold the film rights to Superman to Salkinds in 1974, it demanded control over budget and casting, but left everything else to producer's discretion.
In 2006, Bryan Singer directed the feature of Superman Returns , starring Brandon Routh. In 2013, director Zack Snyder restarted a movie franchise with Man of Steel , starring Henry Cavill. Snyder also directed the 2016 sequel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice , featuring Superman with Batman and Wonder Woman for the first time in live action films. Cavill imitated his role as Superman in the 2017 Justice League movie and revealed he was under contract to play Superman for one more movie. Tyler Hoechlin played Superman in the second season of Supergirl series TV.
Reference music, parody, and respect
Superman also appeared as an inspiration to musicians, with songs by many artists of several generations celebrating characters. Donovan's Billboard Hot 100 topping single "Sunshine Superman" exploits good characters in titles and lyrics, stating "Superman and Green Lantern have nothing to me." Folk singer and songwriter Jim Croce is sung about the characters on the alert list in his choir song "You Do not Mess Around with Jim", introducing the phrase "You are not pulling Superman's horn" into the popular lexicon. Other songs for character references include Genesis "Land of Confusion", a video featuring a doll Image of Ronald Reagan Spit dressed as Superman, "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman" by The Kinks on their 1979 album Low Budget and "Superman" by The Clique, a track later closed by REM on his 1986 album Lifes Rich Pageant. The cover is referenced by Grant Morrison in Animal Man , where Superman meets the characters, and the track comes in Animal Man's Walkman soon after. Crash Test Dummies' "Superman's Song", from the 1991 album The Ghosts That Haunt Me explores the isolation and commitment inherent in Superman's life. Five for Fighting released "Superman (It's Not Easy)" in 2000, which comes from Superman's point of view, though Superman has never been named. From 1988 to 1993, American composer Michael Daugherty composed "Metropolis Symphony", a five-piece orchestra inspired by the Superman comics.
The parody of Superman did not take long to appear, with the Mighty Mouse introduced in "The Mouse of Tomorrow" short animation in 1942. While the characters quickly took on their own lives, moving beyond parodies, other animated characters immediately take their turn to parodelize the characters. In 1943, Bugs Bunny was featured in a short time, Super-Rabbit , which saw the characters gain strength through eating enriched carrots. It ended briefly with Bugs stepping into the phone booth to transform into a real "Superman" and appearing as US Marine. In 1956 Daffy Duck assumed the "Cluck Trent" coat in the short "Duck Stupor", the role then replicated in various problems from the comic book of Looney Tunes. In the UK, Monty Python created the character Bicycle Repairman, who fixes a bike in a Supermen-filled world, to sketch in a series of their BBC shows. Also on the BBC is my sitcom Hero , which presents Thermoman as a solid little Superman pastor, trying to save the world and pursue romantic aspirations. In the United States, Saturday Night Live has often parodied figures, with Margot Kidder repeating his role as Lois Lane in an episode of 1979. The manga and anime series Dr. Slump displays the Suppaman character; a short, fat, and arrogant man who turned into a covert, self-like self-like Superman by eating sour umeboshi. Jerry Seinfeld, a famous Superman fan, fills his series Seinfeld with references to characters and in 1997 asked Superman to star in an ad for American Express. Advertisements aired during the 1998 NFL Playoffs and Super Bowl, Superman animated in the style of artist Curt Swan, again at the request of Seinfeld. Superman has also been used as a reference point for writers, with graphic novel Steven T. Seagle Superman: It's a Bird exploring Seagle's feelings on his own mortality as he struggles to develop stories for Superman's story. Brad Fraser used the character as a reference point for his game Poor Super Man , with The Independent watching the central character, a gay man who has lost many friends to AIDS as someone who "identifies all which is sharper with Superman's alien status-amid-fraud-gaze. " Superman's image is also used in AIDS awareness campaigns by the French organization AIDES. Superman is described as emaciated and breathable from an oxygen tank, indicating that nothing is beyond the reach of the disease, and that can ruin the lives of everyone.
Superman is also mentioned in several films, including Joel Schumacher's Batman & amp; Robin , in which Batman states, "That's why Superman works alone..." refers to many problems caused by his partner Robin, and also in Sam Raimi Spider-Man, at Aunt May gave his nephew, Peter Parker, counsel not to over-impose himself, because, "You're not Superman, you know", among many others.
Literary analysis
Superman has been interpreted and discussed in various forms in the years since his debut. The character's status as the first costumed super hero has enabled him to be used in many studies dealing with the genre, Umberto Eco noted that "he can be seen as a representative of all the similarities". Writing in Time in 1971, Gerald Clarke stated: "Superman's enormous popularity may be seen as a final start signal for the self-made Horatio Alger myth." Clarke considers that comic characters must be constantly updated to maintain relevance, and thus represent the mood of the nation. He regarded Superman's character in the early seventies as a commentary in the modern world, which he saw as a place where "only human beings with superhuman powers can survive and prosper." Andrew Arnold, writing in the early 21st century, has noted Superman's partial role in exploring assimilation, the status of character aliens that allows readers to explore attempts to adjust to a rather superficial level.
AC Grayling, writing in The Spectator, traces Superman's stance for decades, from his 1930s campaign against crimes relevant to a nation under the influence of Al Capone, through the 1940s and WWII, a period in which Superman helped sell war bonds, and into the 1950s, where Superman explored the threat of new technology. Grayling records the period after the Cold War as one in which "the problem becomes solely personal: the task of churning muscles against the brains of Lex Luthor and Brainiac seems to be free of the bigger questions", and discussing the post 9/11 event, stating that as a nation that is "trapped between the dreadful George W. Bush and the terrorist Osama bin Laden, America desperately needs a Savior for everything from minor inconvenience to the great horrors of the world's calamity." And here he is, the clean house-cut boy in blue tights and red robes ".
The influence on Superman's early story is the context of the Great Depression. Superman takes on the role of social activist, fighting crooked businessmen and politicians and destroying damaged tenements. Comic scholar Roger Sabin sees this as a reflection of the "liberal idealism of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal", with Shuster and Siegel originally portraying Superman as a hero for various social causes. In subsequent Superman radio programs, the character continues to take on such issues, deal with the Ku Klux Klan version in the 1946 broadcast, as well as combat anti-semitism and veteran discrimination.
Scott Bukatman has discussed Superman, and the superhero in general, noting the ways in which they humanize large urban areas through the use of space, especially in Superman's ability to hover over the great Metropolis skyscraper. He writes that the character is "represented, in 1938, a kind of ideal Corbusierian." Superman has an X-ray vision: the wall becomes permeable, transparent, and through his benign and controlled authority, Superman makes the city open, modernist and democratic, Corbusier described in 1925, namely, that 'Everything is known to us'. "
Jules Feiffer argues that Superman's real innovation lies in the creation of Clark Kent's persona, noting that what "makes Superman extraordinary is its point of origin: Clark Kent." Feiffer developed a theme to build Superman's popularity in the fulfillment of a simple wish, Siegel and Shuster's own point of support, Siegel commented that "If you are interested in what makes Superman what it is, it is one of the keys that makes it universally accepted." Joe and I have certain obstacles... which leads to the fulfillment of our stated desires through our interest in science fiction and comics.Therein 'the concept of dual identity comes from "and Shuster supports it as" why so many people can relate to it ".
Ian Gordon points out that many of Superman's incarnations in the media use nostalgia to connect characters to the ideology of American Road. He defined this ideology as a means of associating individualism, consumerism, and democracy and as something formed around World War II and supporting the war effort. Superman he noted very much part of that effort.
Superman immigrant status is a key aspect of its appeal. Aldo Regalado sees the characters as pushing the boundaries of acceptance in America. The extraterrestrial origin is seen by the Regalado as challenging the idea that the Anglo-Saxon ancestor was the source of all power. Gary Engle sees "Superman's myth [affirms] with the children's full confidence and innocence like immigrant values ​​in American culture." He argues that Superman allows the superhero genre to take over from the West as an expression of immigrant sensibilities. Through the use of multiple identities, Superman allows immigrants to identify with both their cultures. Clark Kent represents an assimilated individual, allowing Superman to express the cultural heritage of immigrants for the greater good. David Jenemann has offered a contrasting view. He argues that Superman's early stories portray a threat: "the possibility that exile will overwhelm the state." David Rooney, a theater critic for The New York Times, in his evaluation of the drama, Zero Year, considers Superman a "classic immigrant story...") Orn on a foreign planet , it grows stronger on Earth, but maintains a secret identity associated with a homeland that continues to give itself strength even when every contact with its origins puts it at risk. "
Some people see the Yudaic theme in Superman. Simcha Weinstein notes that the story of Superman has some parallels with the story of Moses. For example, Moses as a baby was sent away by his parents in a reed basket to avoid death and was adopted by a foreign culture. Weinstein also argues that the name Krypton Superman, "Kal-El", is similar to the Hebrew words ?? - ??, which can be interpreted as "the voice of God". Larry Tye points out that this "Voice of God" is a reference to Moses' role as a prophet. The suffix "el", meaning "(from) God", is also found in the name of angels (eg Gabriel, Ariel), who is a good humanoid air agent with superhuman powers. The Nazis also thought Superman was a Jew and in 1940 Joseph Goebbels openly criticized Superman and its creator Siegel.
The stories of Superman sometimes feature Christian themes as well. Screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz consciously made Superman allegory for Christ in the 1978 film starring Christopher Reeve: Kal-El baby ship resembles the Star of Bethlehem, and Jor-El gives his son a messianic mission.
Critical reception and popularity
Superman's character and various comic series have received numerous awards over the years.
- Superman is placed first in the Top 100 Comic Book Heroes IGN. majala
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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