Superman

Superman is a fictional character regarded as one of the most famous and popular superheroes of all time, and one of the first to embody several of the aspects modernly associated with them. Created by Canadian artist Joe Shuster and American writer Jerry Siegel in 1932 while both were growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective Comics, Inc. in 1938, Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1 (June 1938) and subsequently appeared in various radio serials, television programs, films, newspaper strips, and video games. He has since become one of the world's most recognized superheroes and pop culture icons. Today, the character's adventures are published in a number of comic books.

As portrayed in Action Comics #1, Superman was born on the planet Krypton as Kal-El, and rocketed to Earth as an infant by his scientist father, moments before the planet's destruction. The rocket landed on Earth where a passing elderly farm couple found the baby and adopted him. As the child grew to adulthood, he discovered that he possessed powers far beyond those of mortal men and resolves to use his powers to help others.

To keep his identity secret when not fighting the forces of evil as Superman, he lives among humanity as "mild-mannered" Clark Kent, a reporter for The Daily Star (later changed to the Daily Planet). Clark works alongside reporter Lois Lane, with whom he is romantically involved — and married to in current comics' continuity.

Superman has been referred to by several nicknames throughout the years, some of the most common being "The Man of Steel" (arguably the most famous one), "The Man of Tomorrow" and "The Last Son of Krypton".

Character history

The story of Superman's origin parallels those of other cultural heroes and religious figures such as Jesus, Moses, Gilgamesh, or Samson, who were spirited away as infants from places where they were in danger.

However, facts of his origin, as well as relationships and abilities, have changed significantly over time. Editors and writers used the process of "retroactive continuity", or "retcon", to adjust to changes in popular culture, eliminate restrictive segments of the mythos, and permit contemporary storylines. These changes are intended to retain the core elements that make Superman an iconic character.

Golden Age

As shown in the original Golden Age comics — including Action Comics #1 (1938), Superman (Vol. 1) #1 (1939), and Superman (Vol. 1) #61 (1949), as well as in later stories such as Secret Origins (Vol. 2) #1 (1986) — noted scientist Jor-L discovers his planet, Krypton, is about to explode yet is unable to convince his fellow Kryptonians to save themselves. However, he manages to construct a spaceship to save his infant son, Kal-L. The ship launches just as the planet explodes, with Kal-L landing on Earth in a farm country town (later known as Smallville) around the time of World War I.

The Kents (at this time named "John" and "Mary"), passing motorists who witness the ship land, take the infant to an orphanage and soon return to adopt the child, naming him "Clark." In his 1942 novel, George Lowther changes the names "Jor-L", "Kal-L", and "Lora" (Superman's birth mother) to the more modern "Jor-El", "Kal-El", and "Lara."

Cover to Action Comics #1 (March 1938), the debut of Superman. Pencils by Joe Shuster

Clark grows up on the Kent family farm, slowly discovering that he possesses various superpowers but unaware of his Kryptonian origins. After the deaths of his parents, Clark decides to use his powers for the benefit of humanity, constructing a stylized costume and moving to the nearby city of Metropolis. Clark begins work as a reporter at the newspaper the Daily Star and soon makes his debut as the world's first superhero, Superman.

Superman's powers develop during the 1940s, including vast increases in strength and gaining the ability to fly — the earliest comics depict Superman able to leap an eighth of a mile at a time. In Superman (Vol. 1) #61 (1949), Superman finally learns of the existence of Krypton. During the 1940s, Superman also becomes an honorary member of the Justice Society of America, although he is only shown participating in two cases in the original Golden Age stories (All-Star Comics #8 and #36).

Beginning in the 1940s, Superman's life as a boy is gradually fleshed out. The first Superboy story appears in More Fun Comics #101 (February 1945). In the story, the locale is still not clearly spelled out, although it appears to be a Metropolis neighborhood, and the Kents still do not have names. Superboy isn't established as living in Smallville until Superboy (Vol. 1) #2 (May 1949) and his parents' names, Jonathan and Martha Kent, aren't given until Superboy (Vol. 1) #12 in January 1951, twelve years after his debut in Action Comics #1.

Other developments in the Superman mythos appear because of appearances in other media, including radio and newspaper strips. The Daily Star becomes the Daily Planet — possibly because newspapers called The Daily Star already existed — and Perry White replaces original editor George Taylor in the first episode of the radio serial; an office boy named Jimmy Olsen joins the cast soon afterward.

Silver Age

During the 1940s and 1950s, the Superman mythos gradually added familiar elements, and they became firmly established by the late 1950s. This includes a greater emphasis on the science fiction elements of Superman's world, including his Kryptonian origins, as well as an updated version of his origin story.

In the version that became extant by the early 1960s (and memorably summarized at the start of each episode of the 1950s Adventures of Superman television seriesNarrator Bill Kennedy intoned at the start of each program: "Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look! Up in the sky. It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Superman! Yes, it's Superman — strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman — who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel with his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for Truth, Justice, and the American Way."), Superman is born on Krypton as Kal-El, the son of Jor-El, a scientist and leader, and Lara. When Kal-El is two or three years-old, Jor-El learns that Krypton is doomed to explode. He brings this warning to the Science Council, Krypton's rulers. The Science Council refuses to warn their fellow Kryptonians and forbids Jor-El to do so. Jor-El immediately begins work on a rocket that will allow the whole family to escape the coming disaster; however, events move too quickly, and only a small model is completed by the time of the final quakes. Lara stays by her husband's side rather than accompany Kal-El to Earth so that his ship will have a better chance of surviving the trip. Knowing that Earth's lower gravity and yellow sun will give the boy extraordinary powers, Jor-El launches Kal-El's rocketship toward Earth moments before Krypton explodes.

Kal-El's ship lands in a field near the town of Smallville and is discovered by Jonathan and Martha Kent. They name him Clark after Martha's maiden name. After formally adopting him, the Kents raise him. Clark and the Kents discover his amazing powers, and, realizing the good he could do with his powers, the Kents train their adopted son to use his powers wisely. At the age of eight, Clark adopts the superhero identity "Superboy" and fights crime, both in the present and in the far future as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. After his graduation from high school and the death of the Kents, Clark moves to Metropolis to attend Metropolis University. During his junior year, Clark changes his superhero name to "Superman." After graduating with a degree in journalism, Clark is hired by the Daily Planet.

In 1971, the Galaxy Broadcasting Station and its president, Morgan Edge, purchase the Daily Planet, Edge subsequently naming Clark as the lead anchorman for its Metropolis television station, WGBS-TV. Later in the 1970s, childhood friend Lana Lang joins Clark in his newscasts as co-anchor.

After the establishment of DC Comics' Multiverse in the 1960s, it is established retroactively that the Golden Age version of Superman lives on the parallel world of Earth-Two and is named "Kal-L", while his Silver Age counterpart lives on Earth-One and is named "Kal-El."

While the Multiverse allowed for DC Comics to bring Golden Age stories back into continuity, it also created problems. There had been no break in Superman stories between the Golden and Silver Ages; the character had been published in one ongoing story since his debut. Additionally, DC had dropped the name "Kal-L" in favor of "Kal-El" before the end of the Golden Age. A series of stories in the 1970s establish that the Earth-Two Superman had married his version of Lois Lane in the 1950s (Action Comics #484 (1978)) and had become the editor-in-chief of The Daily Star. In the early 1970s, Kal-L discovers a Kryptonian rocket that contains his cousin, Kara Zor-L. After acclimating to Earth, Kara becomes the superheroine Power Girl. Kal-L also continues to serve with the revived Justice Society; he is revealed as a founding member of the group in the team's origin story in DC Special #29. In the early 1980s, Kal-L is also shown as a member of the All-Star Squadron during World War II.

During the 1985 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths, the various parallel Earths are combined into one, retroactively eliminating some of Earth-Two's heroes from existence. Kal-L, the Earth-Two Superman, his wife Lois Lane of Earth-Two, the Superboy of Earth-Prime and Alexander Luthor, Jr. of Earth-Three, have no reality to call their own, and they enter a "paradise dimension" at the end of the series. Kal-L isn't seen again until the limited series The Kingdom, in which it is revealed that he has found a means of exiting his dimension, but chooses not to do so yet.

DC Comics retired the Silver Age version of Superman in 1986, after the publication of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Just before the character's revamp, the Silver Age Superman was given a sendoff in the two-part story Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, written by Alan Moore with art by Curt Swan. Although the new Modern Age version of Superman is said to have already been active for many years, most previous Superman appearances and elements were rendered out of continuity by John Byrne's Man of Steel. Later stories such as Superman: Birthright bring many of the Silver Age elements back into continuity.

Modern Age

Man of Steel

Cover to The Man of Steel #1 (July 1986). Pencils by John Byrne.

In 1986, after the Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series, DC Comics hired writer/artist John Byrne to re-create the Superman character, reshaping the previous 48 years of stories by putting new twists on the established mythos.

In Byrne's re-introductory miniseries The Man of Steel, Superman, like all post-Crisis Kryptonians, is conceived through in-vitro fertilization on Krypton. While still a fetus, he escapes Krypton's destruction in a spacecraft (his "birthing matrix" with a rocket engine attached to it), and lands more than 50 years later on Earth, just outside of Smallville, Kansas. Superman is effectively born on Earth and is as much a son of Earth as of Krypton. As in the original version, the Kents find and adopt him and raise him like a normal human.

In Byrne's retelling, Clark's powers develop gradually, beginning with his invulnerability, and he doesn't fly until he is a teenager. After leaving Smallville, he travels the world before settling in Metropolis, completing his education, and going to work at the Daily Planet. Although he spends years helping people and averting disasters in secret during his travels, Clark does not become Superman until just before starting work at the Daily Planet, when he prevents an experimental spacecraft from crashing in Metropolis. The Kents remain alive. In this version, the Superman costume is designed by the Kents and made by Clark's mother.

The post-Crisis comics present Clark Kent as the "real" person, with Superman as the secret identity that he uses to prevent his enemies from harming his family and friends. People do not suspect that Superman is hiding his real identity because he wears no mask. The concept that Clark is the real man, as well as the greater emphasis on his earthly upbringing, is a deliberate reversal of the pre-Crisis version.

Another significant aspect of Superman's reinvention is a reduced level of abilities, with powers such as time travel removed completely and other powers — notably his invulnerability and super-strength — vastly reduced. The series also introduces the idea that Superman's invulnerability stems from his body's creating an "energy field" when exposed to solar radiation from Earth's yellow sun.

Man of Steel #3 depicts the first meeting between Superman and Batman. Superman attempts to take Batman into custody but realizes that Batman operates outside the law. Other post-Crisis comics show that the relationship between the two is a trusting one, despite the unease each feels due to the differences in their methods: Superman relies on trust and strength to achieve his goals in cooperation with the law, while Batman relies on intellect and fear and operates outside the law.

Man of Steel also reduces the emphasis on Superman's Kryptonian heritage. Previous comic books depicted a Superman not only aware of his heritage but is also versed in its language, culture, and other elements. In Man of Steel #6, Superman first learns of his Kryptonian heritage as an adult when his birthing matrix generates a memory implant. While such Kryptonian technology is able to help bolster his knowledge, the revamped Superman is no longer a completely Kryptonian-educated man.

Art from Superman #75 (January 1993), where Superman dies in Lois Lane's arms. Pencils by Dan Jurgens.

In 1992, DC Comics published the storyline The Death of Superman, in which Superman battles a Kryptonian monster called Doomsday. Both Superman and Doomsday are killed, taking each other down with their final blows. Funeral for a Friend follows The Death of Superman, chronicling Superman's funeral and examines other characters' reactions to the death of the hero.

Next, DC published the Reign of the Supermen storyline, during which four different characters — a new Superboy, the cyborg Man of Tomorrow, the murderous Last Son of Krypton, and Steel — are introduced as Superman, although none of them are. A de-powered Kal-El later surfaces in a Kryptonian battle suit near the end of Reign of the Supermen. He wears a black costume with a silver 'S' shield and long hair. The cyborg allies with Mongul and destroys Coast City. Superman, Superboy, Supergirl, Steel, Hal Jordan, and the Eradicator attack the "Engine City" built on top of Coast City, and the united Supermen defeat the cyborg.

As in the original continuity, Lois Lane is Clark Kent/Superman's love interest, but this was the first time they were presented as a couple in any medium. After the Reign of the Supermen storyline, Lois and Clark are reunited. The television series Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman took its cues from this incarnation of Superman. When, they eventually marry in the mid-'90s special Superman: The Wedding Album, it coincided with the marriage of the two characters in the television show.

Birthright

The cover to the first issue of Superman: Birthright. Art by Leinil Francis Yu.

In 2004, DC published an updated version of Superman's origin in the 12-issue limited series Birthright. Written by Mark Waid, Birthright restores some of the pre-Crisis elements eliminated by John Byrne, including an emphasis on alien heritage.

The series was planned as an origin story meant to reconcile material published between Man of Steel and Birthright. It introduces elements from Superman adaptations such as Superman: The Animated Series and the Smallville television series and brings several Silver Age and some Golden Age concepts back into continuity. Unlike the previous Man of Steel origin, Birthright doesn't eliminate most of the previous Superman stories told, even making reference to Man of Steel itself.

In Birthright, the "birthing matrix" is replaced by the more well-known rocketship, with Kal-El leaving Krypton as an infant rather than a fetus. Clark Kent now possesses the ability to see a living being's "aura", Superman's identity has more facets than just Clark vs. Superman, instead his identities represent different aspects of his personality. "Smallville Clark" is the "true" Clark Kent, the one most comfortable with who he is and who he is with his parents. "Metropolis Clark" is quiet, fairly isolated, and shy, blending into the background and not drawing attention to himself. He often finds himself being the odd man out. "Superman" is also quiet, but rather than being seemingly harmless like Clark, he is a force to be reckoned with, tearing robot assault helicopters from the sky and dropping a drug lord's private yacht into his pool.

Infinite Crisis

Kal-L fighting Kal-El, in art from the cover to Infinite Crisis #5 (2006). Art by George Perez.

In the 2006 Infinite Crisis limited series, the Earth-Two Superman (Kal-L) escapes from the "paradise" dimension with Alexander Luthor, Jr. and Superboy-Prime. He wants to recreate the universe, which he believes is corrupt, making aspects of Earth-Two predominant, rather than those of Earth-One. He believes this will also save the dying Lois Lane, but she revives briefly before collapsing and dying. In grief, Kal-L lashes out at the Earth-One Superman, and the two fight until Wonder Woman arrives and ends their battle.

The two Supermen team up to confront Luthor and Superboy-Prime, whose plan to restore the Multiverse will kill billions of people. The pair willingly deplete their powers as they drag Superboy-Prime into Rao, Krypton's red sun, and use the last of their strength to defeat him on Mogo, the sentient Green Lantern planet. Fatally wounded in the battle, Kal-L dies in his cousin Power Girl's arms. He and Lois are buried next to the deceased Superboy.

Infinite Crisis Secret Files & Origins 2006 shows that Superboy-Prime is to blame for many continuity errors in the DC Universe. In his attempt to escape reality, his assault on the barrier wall of the paradise dimension alters history, causing revisions of events to occur, including the Birthright origin. Alexander Luthor, Jr.'s attempts to manipulate the Multiverse result in New Earth, affecting Superman's history further. Alexander indicates that Superman's early years are once more similar to the Silver Age and Birthright origins.

During the publication of the Infinite Crisis limited series, the majority of DC Comics' superhero line advanced one year. One year later, Superman remains powerless, and Supergirl defends Metropolis. Unburdened by his responsibility to the world, Clark Kent has re-solidified his reputation as a star reporter. Lex Luthor's reputation is damaged irreparably, partially due to Clark's writing, and his fortune and power dwindle. Under attack, Clark's powers gradually return, and he returns to action. He finds that his sensory powers are enhanced, as are his computational ability and memory.

Clark Kent

Clark Kent is the secret identity of Superman. Kent, as opposed to Superman, is traditionally presented as behaving in a more introverted or mild manner compared to his superheroic self. John Byrne's Man of Steel revamp drops many traditional aspects of Clark Kent in favor of giving him a more aggressive and extroverted personality, including making Kent a top football player in high school and a successful author.

Clark is a reporter at the Metropolis newspaper the Daily Planet, which allows him to keep track of events in which he might be able to help. Fellow reporter Lois Lane is often the object of Clark's affection; Lois's affection for Superman and rejection of Clark are a recurring theme in Superman comics, television, and movies. Unlike Batman, Superman considers himself Clark Kent first and Superman second. In an episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Superman says, "Clark is who I am. Superman is what I do!"

Clark keeps his Superman identity a secret to protect his loved ones. Various methods for keeping his Superman's identity secret over the years include his using "super-hypnosis", subliminally causing people to not make the connection, compressing his spine as Clark Kent to become shorter, and studying the Meisner acting technique to switch seamlessly between personas. Modern comic book stories show that to everyone, Superman is the greatest hero in the world and a larger-than-life figure, and no one thinks to look for him living as a normal human.

Furthermore, since Superman goes into public unmasked, most people assume that he has no other identity. Even Batman commended him on his disguise. As long as he does not let on that he has another life, there is no real reason to look for a secret identity.

When first confronted by evidence that Clark Kent is Superman, Lex Luthor dismisses it, saying, "No one with the power of Superman would be living as a normal man."

Personality and character

In the Golden Age stories, Superman's personality is rough and destructive. Although nowhere near as cold-blooded as the early Batman, the Superman featured in the comics of the 1930s and 1940s is not squeamish about tossing evildoers around in such a manner that fatalities are occasionally hard to avoid. By the end of 1940, however, editor Whitney Ellsworth instituted a code of conduct for his characters to follow, and the writers moved toward Superman's better known "Boy Scout" persona. Even so, Superman's capacity for anger is a key element in many of his most dramatic moments, allowing readers to see that Superman's goodness is not inherent.

His adoptive human parents, the Kents, imbue him with a strong sense of purpose, morality, selflessness, modesty, fairness, compassion, and hope. Superman was raised to believe that his abilities are gifts, and are not to be abused. In many ways, he is the perfect hero, as he embodies all the best traits that people would believe to see in themselves. Unlike the Golden Age Superman, this Superman dislikes killing, and promises to "never take a life," and to retire if he ever does so. (All the same, when General Zod taunts Superman in the Phantom Zone miniseries for his resolve, Superman responds "My code doesn't say a DAMNED thing about not BATTERING you to within an INCH of yours!" as he takes Zod on.)

Recent writers have attempted to deepen Superman's persona and provide a rationale for his goodness. Superman is often depicted with a mix of idealism, restraint, fairness, and compassion for others. The Birthright limited series attributes the compassion Superman feels for living things to his ability to see their "auras." He also struggles with the differences between what is right and what is practical.

In Superman/Batman, Batman says, "In many ways, Clark is the most human of us all, and when he shoots fire down from the sky, it's hard not to think of him as a god. How fortunate for us that this never occurs to him."

Powers and abilities

Superman possesses extraordinary powers, traditionally described as, "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound", a phrase first used in the Superman radio serials of the 1940s and the TV series of the 1950s. Although contemporary media still reference Superman that way, the character's powers are much more vast and complex. For most of his existence, Superman's famous arsenal of powers include flight, super-strength, invulnerability, super-speed, vision powers (including x-ray, heat, telescopic, infra-red, and microscopic vision), super-photographic memory, super-hearing, and super-breath, which enables him to freeze objects by blowing on them.

As originally conceived and presented in his early stories, Superman's powers were relatively limited, consisting of superhuman strength that allowed him to lift a car over his head, run at amazing speeds, and leap one-eighth of a mile; and incredibly tough skin that could be pierced by nothing less than an exploding artillery shell. Writers slowly increased his powers over time until by the Silver Age, he was effectively omnipotent. Writers found it increasingly difficult to write Superman stories in which the character was believably challenged, so DC Comics made a series of attempts to reel the character in. The most significant attempt, John Byrne's 1986 rewrite established several hard limits on his abilities: He barely survives a nuclear blast, and his space flights are limited by how long he can hold his breath. Superman's power levels have increased again since then, with Superman currently possessing enough strength to hurl a mountain and withstand nuclear blasts with ease.

Unlike humans, Superman cannot give blood, as his skin is impenetrable. He cannot donate organs due to his alien physiology. It is uncertain whether Superman can go without food or drink or for how long; some writers have portrayed him as obtaining all the energy he needs from Earth's yellow sun, much like photosynthesis.

Unlike other DNA that is not compatible without significant medical intervention, Kryptonian and human DNA appears to be totally compatible, with Superman fathering a son, Jason, in the mythology of Superman Returns, with Lois Lane during a single night hinted at in the movie Superman II. The Kryptonian/human child is assumed to have been born naturally, but he developed numerous medical conditions requiring albuterol, a drug pronounced phonetically as "polly-voi-cloids", and unspecified vitamins and eye drops. The cause of these conditions are entirely speculative due to this being the first documented case of such a union, however, when Jason's superpowers (specifically super-strength) manifested, the asthma symptoms immediately ceased.

Jason was exposed to a large amount of Green Kryptonite at a close distance for a short time by Lex Luthor before his powers emerged; however, he did not exhibit adverse symptoms. All Supermen in the mythology have been seen to immediately react to a small amount of Green Kryptonite, however, the effect of Green Kryptonite on Jason is unknown, though soon after his powers were realized, he was exposed to a sliver of Green Kryptonite which Superman was stabbed with, albeit for a short time when Lois rescued Superman from the crystal land mass. Given the close proximity to the sliver, he did not display any adverse reaction.

The source of Superman's powers changes subtly over the course of his history. It is originally said that Superman's abilities derive from his Kryptonian heritage, a race eons more evolved than humans. Soon it is established that Krypton's gravity had been stronger than Earth's, a situation similar to that of Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter. As Superman becomes increasingly god-like, the implication that all Kryptonians had possessed the same abilities became problematic for writers, making it doubtful that a race of such beings could have been wiped out by something as trifling as an exploding planet. In part to counter this, the Superman writers established that Kryptonians, whose native star had been red, only possessed superpowers under the light of a yellow sun. More recent stories have attempted to find a balance between the two explanations.

Superman is most vulnerable to Kryptonite, debris from Krypton transformed into radioactive material by the forces that destroyed the planet. Exposure to Kryptonite radiation nullifies Superman's powers and immobilizes him with pain; prolonged exposure will eventually kill him. Kryptonite was first introduced to the public in 1943, as a plot device to allow the radio serial voice actor, Bud Collyer, to take some time off; for several shows, Superman was represented by groaning noises while he was trapped by a chunk of Kryptonite. Green Kryptonite is the most commonly seen form, but writers introduced other forms over the years, such as red, gold, blue, and black, each with its own effect.

Superman is also vulnerable to magic; however, this is not used in his stories as commonly as Kryptonite, and the vulnerability has been at best hazily defined. The most common implication is that while Superman is durable, he simply receives no special protection against it via his powers.

Superman in his electric blue costume, the Man of Energy (May 1997). Pencils by Tom Grummett.

Superman's abilities have occasionally been removed or altered for dramatic reasons. In the Superman comics of the late 1990s, Superman loses his traditional powers and transforms into a being of electromagnetic energy. In this form, Superman can phase through solid objects, see frequencies of energy, and draw power from electrical sources. In order to maintain physical cohesion in this form, he needs to wear a containment suit. During this time, he is able to transform into the corporeal form of Clark Kent, but in his human guise, he has no special powers.

Superman's powers also dwindle under the light of a red sun. Recently, some authors have implied that Superman's powers can reach nearly unlimited levels, based on solar energy absorption and withdrawal of mental blocks. In Our Worlds at War, Superman dives into the sun to gain sufficient energy to overpower Brainiac 13, who was imbued with the Imperiex Force. In Superman/Batman, when Kara Zor-El claims to be more powerful than Superman, he tells her that he put personal mental blocks on his powers as he grew up to keep from losing control and causing irreparable damage, blocks that Supergirl does not have. Thus, while Supergirl can appear to be stronger, Superman just has greater self-control.

In an interview with Joe Casey on Alvaro's ComicBoards, he writes that Superman, under his penmanship, can re-arrange the Solar System and tear a star apart. "I've always seen Superman as this completely over-the-top, fantastic character who has no limits whatsoever," writes Casey. Unencumbered by mental blocks, according to Casey, "Superman is unbeatable."

It is also implied in the recent One Year Later Superman series that Superman exerts an element of subconscious control over his powers; to be Superman truly, it appears that Clark Kent must, on some level, want to be Superman. This is evidenced by the one-year period following the Infinite Crisis during which he lives happily as the powerless Clark Kent, with no desire to return to his former lifestyle. This lasts until Intergang operatives attack him and his powers return as his life is imperiled. After this, his other skills return (including flight and super-speed).

Publication history

The first Superman character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster was not a hero, but a villain. Their short story "The Reign of the Superman", concerning a bald-headed villain bent on dominating the world, appeared in a science fiction fanzine that Siegel published. Jerry reconceived the character in 1932 as a hero, and began a six-year quest to find a publisher. This new heroic version of Superman wore the costume that is familiar to us today. The design was based on the traditional "circus strong-man" outfit. This "pants-over-tights" outfit became the basis for many future superhero outfits. This new version of Superman had vast physical superhuman abilities, as opposed to the mental abilities of the original, bald, and villainous Superman. The heroic Superman had many of the qualities of pulp action heroes before him, indeed, the moniker "Man of Steel" was directly based on that of "Doc Savage, Man of Bronze."

Humor Magazines almost published an early version in 1933, but the company dropped their comics line before the book was finished. Frustrated, Siegel and Shuster took a job with Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's National Allied Publications, where they created many other comic strips. With some experience under their belt, they finally positioned Superman as the lead feature in Detective Comics Inc.'s new title, Action Comics.

The revised Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1 (June 1938), and a newspaper strip started the following year. Siegel and Shuster sold the rights to the company for $130 and a contract to supply the publisher with material. The Saturday Evening Post reported in 1941 that the pair was being paid only a fraction of Detective's Superman profits. Siegel and Shuster renegotiated their deal, but bad blood lingered and Siegel eventually sued Detective in 1947 over the rights to Superboy, which he claimed was a separate creation that Detective had published without authorization. Detective immediately fired them and took their byline off the stories, prompting a legal battle that ended in 1948, when they settled. Detective paid them for the rights to Superboy, which they had been awarded by the court, but refused to re-hire them.

Following the huge financial success of Superman: The Movie in 1978 and news reports of their pauper-like existences, Warner Communications gave Siegel and Shuster lifetime pensions of $35,000 per year and health care benefits. In addition, any media production which includes the Superman character must include the credit "Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster".

During a multimedia career spanning over sixty years, Superman has starred in nearly every imaginable situation, and his powers have increased to the point that he is nearly omnipotent. This poses a challenge for writers: "How does one write about a character who is nearly as powerful as God?" (Superman's Kryptonian name, "Kal-El," resembles the Hebrew words קל-אל, which means "voice of God") This problem contributed to a decline in Superman's popularity during the latter half of the 1960s and the 1970s, a period during which Marvel Comics brought a new level of character development to mainstream comic books.

By the early 1980s, DC Comics had decided that a major change was needed to make Superman more appealing to current audiences. Writer/artist John Byrne was asked to revamp and revise Superman's continuity with his Man of Steel retelling of his origin. This 1986 reboot brought substantial changes to the character and met huge success at the time, becoming one of the top-selling books. The re-launch of Superman comic books returned the character to the mainstream, again in the forefront of DC's titles. Superman's sales declined again after Byrne left the Superman titles after almost two years, with only sporadic sales spikes since then (notably in The Death of Superman storyline).

Awards

Superman, both the character and his various comic series, have received various awards over the years. The Reign of the Supermen storyline received the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Comic Book Story in 1993.

Cultural influences

Some people incorrectly believe that Superman is partly based on German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's Übermensch, which literally translates to "overman" but could also mean "superman." However, it is important to realize that in many ways Superman and the Übermensch are polar opposites. Nietzsche envisioned the Übermensch as a man who had transcended the limitations of society, religion, and conventional morality while still being fundamentally human. Superman, although an alien gifted with incredible powers, chooses to limit himself to conventional human moral codes and social mores. Nietzsche envisioned the perfect man as being beyond moral codes; Siegel and Shuster envisioned the perfect man as holding himself to a higher standard of adherence to them.

Because Siegel and Shuster were both Jewish, it is thought that their creation was partly influenced by the Jewish legends of the Golem, a mythical being created to protect and serve the persecuted Jews of 16th century Prague and later revived in popular culture in reference to their suffering at the hands of the Nazis in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. Another influence could be Hugo Danner, the main character of the novel Gladiator by Philip Wylie. Danner has the same powers of the early Superman (as do many other pulp characters of the twenties and thirties).

Doc Savage may be another influence; from sharing the first name of "Clark" to both having an arctic Fortress of Solitude and the similarity between the "Man of Bronze" and "Man of Steel" monikers. The Fortress of Solitude, however, was a very late addition to the Superman mythology, and both the "Man of Steel" and "Man of Bronze" nicknames were probably influenced by Howard Pyle's novel Men of Iron. However, the sources cited by Jerry Siegel himself were Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars and Tarzan, Johnston McCulley's Zorro, and E.C. Seegar's Popeye. Superman also appears to have been influenced by Jack Williamson's The Girl From Mars.

One sometimes overlooked early influence on early Superman stories is the context of the Great Depression. The left-leaning perspective of creators Shuster and Siegel is reflected in early storylines. Superman sometimes took on the role of social activist, fighting crooked businessmen and politicians and demolishing run-down tenements, for example.

Characters

Supporting characters

Lois Lane is perhaps the character most commonly associated with Superman, as his colleague, love interest, and now wife to Clark Kent. The Clark and Lois relationship has generated numerous adventures and speculation, with DC releasing a special wedding album at the time of their marriage, which coincided with the marriage of the characters in both the comics and the television series Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

Main supporting characters include Daily Planet coworkers such as photographer Jimmy Olsen and editor Perry White; Clark Kent's adopted parents Jonathan and Martha Kent; childhood sweetheart Lana Lang and best friend Pete Ross; and former college love interest Lori Lemaris, a mermaid. Incarnations of Supergirl, Krypto the Superdog, and Superboy have also been major characters in the mythos, as well as the Justice League of America (of which Superman is usually a member).

Team-ups with fellow comics icon Batman are a fan-favorite, inspiring many stories over the years. When paired, they are often referred to as the "World's Finest" in a nod to the name of the comic book series that features many team-up stories. In 2003, DC Comics began to publish a new series featuring the two characters titled Superman/Batman.

Minor supporting characters over the years have included Superman's technological aid and eccentric inventors Professor Emil Hamilton and Professor Phineas Potter, Metropolis police officers Inspector William Henderson, Maggie Sawyer, and Dan Turpin, and former sailor-turned-bartender Bibbo Bibbowski.

Villains

A gathering of many of Superman's foes

Superman also has a rogues gallery of enemies, including his most well-known nemesis, Lex Luthor, who has been envisioned over the years in various forms as either a rogue scientific genius with a personal vendetta against Superman, or a powerful but corrupt CEO of a conglomerate called LexCorp.

The alien android (in most incarnations) known as Brainiac is considered by some as the second worst enemy of Superman. The enemy that accomplished the most, by actually killing Superman, is the raging monster Doomsday. Darkseid, one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe, is also a formidable nemesis.

Other enemies of note include the demon Satanus, the fifth-dimensional imp Mr. Mxyzptlk, the Ultra-Humanite, the imperfect Superman clone Bizarro, criminal cyborg Metallo, Kryptonian criminal General Zod (and other Kryptonians imprisoned in the Phantom Zone for their crimes), the Parasite, the Prankster, the Cyborg, Terra-Man, the Toyman, Composite Superman, Gog, and the Metropolis gang known as Intergang (which includes mad scientists such as Dabney Donovan and Thaddeus Killgrave).

Superman in popular culture

In addition to comic books, Superman has made the transition to radio, television, movies, Broadway, and video games each on multiple occasions. Among the actors who have played the role are Kirk Alyn (the 1948 15-episode serial), Bob Holiday (It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman, a Broadway musical), George Reeves (The Adventures of Superman), Christopher Reeve (the 1970s�"1980s films), John Haymes Newton and Gerard Christopher (Superboy), Dean Cain (Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman), Tim Daly (Superman: The Animated Series), Tom Welling (Smallville), George Newbern (Justice League and Justice League Unlimited), and Brandon Routh (Superman Returns). There have also been numerous animated cartoon series starring the Man of Steel.

Superman has also long been a popular subject for music, inspiring songs by artists ranging from The Kinks to Barbara Streisand, including Eminem, Stereophonics, Our Lady Peace, Spin Doctors, Crash Test Dummies, Five For Fighting, The Flaming Lips, 3 Doors Down, Frank Black, Sufjan Stevens, Bush, Laurie Anderson, Lazlo Bane, Dave Matthews, The Clique, Donovan, and Robyn Hitchcock.

Seinfeld and Superman in "The Adventures of Seinfeld and Superman."

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld is known to be a very big Superman fan. In many episodes of Seinfeld, there are many references to Superman in addition to various memorabilia placed in Jerry's apartment.

Seinfeld himself later appeared alongside an animated Superman (voiced by Patrick Warburton, who played David Puddy in numerous episodes of Seinfeld) in a series of American Express commercials entitled "The Adventures of Seinfeld and Superman."

In addition to popular music, the Superman character has made his way into classical music. Superman is the inspiration for composer Michael Daugherty's Metropolis Symphony. This symphony is in five movements, which are:# "Lex"# "Krypton"# "Mxyzptlk"# "Oh Lois!"# "Red Cape Tango"The 5th movement, "Red Cape Tango", is inspired by Superman's fight to the death with Doomsday. Also, Superman villain Bizarro inspired a jazzy Michael Daugherty piece of music of the same name.

Additional reading

Superman Returns: Over Superboy's Dead Body An analysis of the origins of Superman.
*Last Son of Krypton - a novel by Elliot S! Maggin: Superman's "life story" is told and he faces a mysterious alien ruler.
*What makes Superman so darned American? - an Essay by Gary Engle about the Identity of Superman. [Note: Mr. Engle mistranslates Malachim (angels) as 'sons of the Gods', more accurately it would be translated as 'messengers'. In fact, his entire use of Hebrew is questionable.]
*Miracle Monday - a novel by Elliot S! Maggin: tells the story of Superman trying to stop an entity of pure evil from causing universal chaos.
*"It's Superman!" - A novel by Tom De Haven: A new interpretation of Superman's origins, taking place in 1935, and going more into Superman's motivations.
*"For the Man Who Has Everything" - written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Dave Gibbons: Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman journey to Superman's Fortress of Solitude to celebrate his birthday only to find their friend rendered comatose by an alien parasite that grants its host the illusion of their heart's desire. Originally published in Superman Annual #11 and recently adapted for the animated series Justice League Unlimited by J.M. DeMatteis. Reprinted in Across the Universe: The DC Universe Stories of Alan Moore (ISBN 1401200877)
*Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? - written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Curt Swan and George Pérez: The final chapter on the pre-Crisis Silver/Bronze Age Superman. Originally published in Superman #423 and Action Comics #583. Reprinted in DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore (ISBN 1401209270).
*The Man of Steel - written and illustrated by John Byrne: The revamp of Superman's origins following Crisis on Infinite Earths.
*The Death of Superman, World Without a Superman, and The Return of Superman - written by various artists, notably Dan Jurgens: the story of Superman's death, the world's (and his loved ones') reaction, and his eventual return. A novelization of the trilogy, entitled The Death and Life of Superman, was written by Roger Stern.
*Kingdom Come - written by Mark Waid, illustrated by Alex Ross: A painted epic, in which Superman has temporarily retired, giving way to a new breed of reckless, morally ambiguous superheroes. The story was novelized by Elliot S! Maggin.
*Superman For All Seasons - written by Jeph Loeb, illustrated by Tim Sale: Superman as a young man in a timeless, Rockwellian America, maturing from confused lad to superpowered Metropolite.
*"Letitia Lerner, Superman's Babysitter" - written and illustrated by Kyle Baker: Letitia baby-sits the superpowered baby Clark, who rampages around the Kent's farm and ends up in a microwave oven. The story won the Eisner Award for Best Short Story in 2000.
*Superman: Red Son - written by Mark Millar, illustrated by Dave Johnson: Elseworlds story asks "What if Superman had been raised in the Soviet Union?" Superman now stands for workers' rights and the struggle for global equality, and sets out to promote world communism.
*Superman: Birthright - a twelve issue limited series written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu: A "re-imagining" of Superman which brings back some old, pre-Crisis concepts and adds new modern ones.
*Superman: Secret Identity - written by Kurt Busiek, with watercolor illustrations by Stuart Immonen, this presents the story of a man in the real world named Clark Kent who discovers as a teenager that he possesses the powers of the fictional Man of Steel. This poignant story uses Superman as a metaphor for each major stage of human life (youth, adult, parent, old age).
*"Übermensch!" - Kim Newman's 1991 short story that, à la Superman: Red Son'', examines a Superman raised not in Kansas, but in Bavaria during the rise of Nazism. Several decades after fighting for "Strength, purity, the Aryan way," Superman is a prisoner in Spandau Prison who receives a visit from an aging Nazi hunter. (A Saturday Night Live sketch had recast Superman as "Überman" some years earlier.)
*"Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" - Frank Miller's gritty four-part mini-series is technically a Batman storyline, but Superman plays a very important and unique role here, facing off against his traditional ally.

References

*An Analysis of Superman, The Man of Steel
*Superman Through the Ages website's entry on Superman
*Theoretical Origin of Kryptonians
*IDENTITY CRISIS: The Many Faces of the Man of Steel Commentary on the origins of an American cultural phenomenon
*Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex an essay by Larry Niven about Superman's sexual and reproductive problems (Note: This essay deals with adult subject matter and may be offensive to some people).
*Superman's Shield and its History, studying the development of Superman's shield emblem in its various incarnations and re-imaginings.
*How Jews Created the Comic Book Industry Part I: The Golden Age (1933 - 1955)
*Alan Kistler's Profile On: Superman – A three-part retrospective by comic book historian Alan Kistler.
*A chronological index and issue summaries of the Silver Age Superman's comics
* An interview with Joe Casey Conducted by Richard Caponetti July 1, 2004
* The Superman Homepage's analysis of Birthright and the continuity issues it raises

Notes

See also

*Alternate versions of Superman
*Enemies of Superman
*History of Superman
*Krypton
*List of comics regularly featuring Superman
*Powers and abilities of Superman
*Supporting characters of Superman
*Superman in popular culture
Superman: The Movie
Superman II
Superman III
Superman IV: The Quest For Peace
Superman Returns

External links

*DC Comics - Superman
*Superman Trades - chronological list of graphic novels featuring Superman
*Superman - DC Database Project
*Timelash: The Superman Timeline Project
*Freely downloadable Superman cartoons
*DMOZ - Open web directory - Listings for Superman
*Superman The Animated Series.
*Superman on Don Markstein's Toonopedia
*Superman wiki