The Man of Steel (Comic Book "Superman" Memories)

[James Harvey]

With the arrival of Superman Returns (review (http://worldsfinestonline.com/WF/sections/releases/DVD/supermanreturns/), talkback (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=178585), DVD talkback (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=179312)) and Superman: The Ultimate Collector's Edition (review (http://worldsfinestonline.com/WF/sections/releases/DVD/ultimatecollection/), DVD talkback (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=179313)) onto DVD today, are there any comic book Superman memories, from the very beginning in Action Comics up to today, you would like to share? Have a favorite character, a favorite moment, artist, Pre-Crisis or Post-Crisis, etc, from the many adventures of the Man of Steel?


http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/jimharvey/supert.jpg
Image courtesy of The World's Finest (http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/superman/)

I know this subject has been done before, but let’s make this a Super day to remember!

(I know, a horrible pun!)

Related Threads:
-The Man of Steel (DC Animation Superman Memories) (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=179317)
-The Man of Steel (DCAU Animation Superman Memories) (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=179316)
-The Man of Steel (Live-Action Superman Memories) (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=179320))

[Jon T]

Well, while waiting for the immanent arrival of the definitive version of the premiere super-hero on DVD, I might as well chime in with some general thoughts about Superman in the comics!

Having first been introduced to Superman through the sublime Superman: The Movie back in the early 80s, the ideal visual version of Superman for me would have to be the Neal Adams/Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez interpretation. Neal Adams famously became DC's cover artist of choice in the late 60s and early 70s, radically revamping Batman, but his work on Superman, while being more subtle, was nevertheless very welcome. He noticeably took a few years off The Man of Steel, while also making him leaner and more dynamic. Garcia-Lopez then followed on from Adams, and thankfully drew more stories as well! It's also worth mentioning that most licensed products featured Garcia-Lopez's artwork, since he drew the DC Comics style guide in the late 70s. Little wonder that Christopher Reeve's definitive Superman is a dead ringer for this version.

When it comes to the actual comics, nothing beats the old pre-Crisis tales dreamt up by Cary Bates and (especially) Elliot S! Maggin for sheer entertainment. Often all the pre-Crisis stories are all (somewhat unfairly) all lumped together when in fact there was a pronounced difference with Superman comics from 1971 onwards. I thought it was fun that Clark Kent was now a TV newsreader with WGBS, and thankfully this new vocation didn't completely sideline his Daily Planet supporting characters, and actually introduced a few new fun ones (the now-forgotten prankster Steve Lombard, anyone?). Of course, by 1979 that didn't matter, as thanks to the movie, Clark found his time divided between the two news organizations! In the UK, many of these comics were reprinted in the yearly hardback annuals sold at the run-up to Christmas, so I naturally have a soft spot for them!

Come 1986 and John Byrne/Marv Wolfman/Jerry Ordway, and we have an all-new Superman. And you know what? Even though I liked the old one, I liked the new post-Crisis one as well. As a fan, it was fun actually being around to witness Superman's 'first' encounters with so many of the famous trappings of his world without resorting to ancient and expensive comics (for a kid anyway!). One of the things I loved the most about Byrne's run were the pseudo-science explanations for Superman's powers; it added just the right level of reality without bogging down the books with anything too superfluous.

Still, I can't discuss Superman without mentioning my other favourite interpretation of the character; namely Superman of Earth-2. Just the whole concept of a visibly older and wiser Superman is an amazing one, and was a clever way of progressing the character while at the same time not (if you see what I mean) back in the 1970s and 1980s. I only discovered him after the end of the original Crisis, but have gained more appreciation for that version of the character in recent years.

I was particularly ecstatic to see him back for Infinite Crisis. Not too hot on him dying at the end of it, but somehow I doubt this is actually the last we'll see of him (he's already been in a few flashbacks and subtly referenced in the JSA's New Earth history). It's kind of a shame that this particular version of Superman will more likely than not never be seen in any other media, but it's sort of fitting that the very first comics super-hero will only be seen in his original home.

[Anthonynotes]

My first introduction to Superman was probably either through episodes of "Superfriends", the Reeve Superman movies, and/or the old Filmation Superman cartoons they ran on "The Bozo Show" as a kid.

For the comics, not sure what my first comic book exposure to Supes was, having mostly read comic books only occasionally as a kid (and more heavily in junior high/high school), but recall the first one I bought as a teenager was either the "Death of Superman" issue or "Adventures of Superman" #500. Eventually, started reading the Superman line regularly, as well as buying various older back issues, including pre-Crisis stuff the fans of the time seemed to dismiss with disdain, but I found amusing (and more amusing than the likes of "Dead Again"...).

My favorite comic incarnation of Superman: the 70's-80's Maggin/Bates written (and Curt Swan-drawn) version. As the poster above notes, the era features a bit more down-to-earth writing style (and less stilted writing) than the 60's comics, while still making use of the classic Silver Age mythos elements ... contrary to pouplar belief, Lois of the 70's/80's was mostly like her modern self, having dropped the "snooping for Supes' secret identity/obsessed with marrying him" Lucy Ricardo bit in the early 70's.

Never liked Byrne's revamp of Supes (I recall wondering why, when I started reading the 90's comics, Lois had *brown* hair instead of black hair as I had recalled her having... )---birthing matrix-housing fetuses, Clark-as-a-jock, and all...

I liked the Earth-2 Superman as well (and find the way he was treated in "Infinite Crisis", well, *decidedly* not-amusing)...

If it also counts as a Superman incarnation, I also always liked the pre-Crisis Superboy; enjoyed watching his cartoons on "The Bozo Show" for him (and Krypto), and (with recent back issue purchases) enjoyed reading his 80's comic revival run.