|
Can we add a non-comics property to the fiction list above? If so, I'd like to recommend Miracle Monday, by Eliot S! Maggin, a novel from 1980 or so. The one-sentence plot synopsis is Superman takes on the Devil and inspires a holiday from the future. It's long out of print, but you can find it in second-hand book stores and at cons for pretty cheap, and without getting into  territory it's pretty easy to find online.EDIT: Perfect Superman quote here. Eliot S! Maggin posted:Superman was convinced beyond all reasonable doubt that if he, Superman, were not around to bail people out of spectacular disasters, then industrialists and shippers would not take the air-headed chance of transporting LNG through the places where children played. They would not fly jumbo jets that had cracks in the engine mounts. They would not build skyscrapers in earthquake zones. They would not operate nuclear power plants without sufficient technological information. They would not put whales, snail darters and blue-green algae in danger of extinction. He was sure that his presence on Earth was the reason they took those gambles, and that was why he was infuriated. Mike From Nowhere fucked around with this message at 01:15 on Sep 13, 2011 |
#
?
Sep 13, 2011 01:13
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 20, 2024 09:37 |
|
|
Yannick_B posted:
So does this person really hate Dean Cain or something?
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2011 01:50
|
|
|
He also left out George Reeve and most animated versions... and, to be fair, Lois & Clark was a pretty bad show.
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2011 04:15
|
|
|
ChuckDHead posted:So does this person really hate Dean Cain or something? It would appear so! I liked the show a lot but it was pretty rough action/sfx-wise, but they tried very hard. Theres a "funny" bit in Lois and Clark when they had their version of Metallo, Superman defeated him by hovering out of his reach and just melted his legs with his heat vision. It was a really cruel way to defeat him and combined with the actor's performance, it was horrific.
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2011 05:11
|
|
|
One of my favorite Superman stories that I reread from time to time is Action Comics #775, "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?" For anyone who hasn't read it, an X-TREME team of Authority-esque super-Punishers starts cleaning up the world in a way that is definitely outside the classical sense of what makes a hero a hero. Superman, who views their actions as a direct affront to what he represents, takes it upon himself to stop them even though he honestly doesn't believe he can.
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2011 05:43
|
|
|
It's no G-Mo, but I really liked Johns' Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes arc. It's the closest thing I can think of to a good TAS episode. I'll second It's a Bird too, that book is great and nobody read it.
Equilibrium fucked around with this message at 06:51 on Sep 13, 2011 |
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2011 06:36
|
|
|
OK Octopus posted:One of my favorite Superman stories that I reread from time to time is Action Comics #775, "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?" For anyone who hasn't read it, an X-TREME team of Authority-esque super-Punishers starts cleaning up the world in a way that is definitely outside the classical sense of what makes a hero a hero. Superman, who views their actions as a direct affront to what he represents, takes it upon himself to stop them even though he honestly doesn't believe he can. OK Octopus, are you aware of the animated feature version of Action 775 (Superman Vs. The Elite) coming out next year?
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2011 14:32
|
|
|
Semper Fudge posted:Something that was pointed out on 4chan: was this in the Lex Action comics or something else?
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2011 17:02
|
|
|
OK Octopus posted:One of my favorite Superman stories that I reread from time to time is Action Comics #775, "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?" For anyone who hasn't read it, an X-TREME team of Authority-esque super-Punishers starts cleaning up the world in a way that is definitely outside the classical sense of what makes a hero a hero. Superman, who views their actions as a direct affront to what he represents, takes it upon himself to stop them even though he honestly doesn't believe he can. This issue has never worked for me. At the end of the issue, it looks like Superman is right because he's the strongest and he won the fight. It should be the other way around. Also, amoral antihero Manchester Black bursts into tears and is sad because his teammates are apparently dead, instead of e.g. getting incredibly angry and vowing terrible revenge.
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2011 18:07
|
|
|
Agent_grey posted:was this in the Lex Action comics or something else?
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2011 18:12
|
|
|
Yannick_B posted:
Best thing in that clip is that it contains the only moment in the entire 10 seasons of Smallville where he wears the costume.
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2011 18:28
|
|
|
qntm posted:This issue has never worked for me. At the end of the issue, it looks like Superman is right because he's the strongest and he won the fight. It should be the other way around. Also, amoral antihero Manchester Black bursts into tears and is sad because his teammates are apparently dead, instead of e.g. getting incredibly angry and vowing terrible revenge. I think you'll find that, regardless of "right", the strongest person usually DOES win. The point in Superman's winning that way is to draw a big god damned arrow at how awful a thing it is for that to be the case when the strongest is also the worst. "I'm the strongest, so gently caress you. I won. Kind of makes you wonder what would happen if the Elite ever got tired of mutilating giant monster apes and decided to go after jaywalkers, huh?" Also, Black was never made to be evil in the issue. He was a monster, yes, but look at his life. His sister lost both arms in a sweatshop and he lived on the streets trying to care for her. His daily life was poo poo and he was taking it out on people he thought deserved it. He's crying as much in anger that this big, beautiful, perfect hero gets to be right and put him down... the prettiest guy wins, pretty much tying his entire poo poo life up with a great big bow. Furthermore, Black (correctly) posits that his days as a free agent are over and that, once he's in custody, he'll be nothing more than somebody's pawn. Also: in the upcoming animated version, I really hope they keep the scene of Pa Kent blathering away and saying something along the lines of, "But you CAN take them, right, Clark? ... Clark?" 
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2011 03:13
|
|
|
So I guess a shop in North Carolina thinks that Superman is a huge Christian, and would never say "God". http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/09/08/north-carolina-comic-shop-to-boycott-action-comics/ quote:Way too serious comic shop owner says: Ugh. It's comics, people. COMICS. Also, I don't think Superman was saying "god", to me it looked more like a gutteral noise. Thoughts?
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2011 04:35
|
|
|
TheKingPuuChuu posted:So I guess a shop in North Carolina thinks that Superman is a huge Christian, and would never say "God". This story is about a week or so old, actually, though I just realized this is the first time I'm seeing it mentioned here in BSS. Morrison responded that it was, in fact, just a noise, and the jackass half-stepped back so that he didn't admit he was really wrong, just that his boycott would end and he would continue ordering Action Comics, while at the same time still denegrating all those who negatively commented on his facebook page. In short, I really hope the people that shop there take their business elsewhere, as it's certainly not being a good or reliable businessman to cancel orders and disappoint your customers at the drop of a hat. Space_Butler fucked around with this message at 04:50 on Sep 15, 2011 |
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2011 04:48
|
|
|
Haha, why the gently caress would a guy who was found in the wreckage of an alien spacecraft be a Christian anyway? That is a weird thing to assume about him.
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2011 05:48
|
|
|
gently caress that shop owner. I hope his customers boycott him.
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2011 06:01
|
|
|
Nerd Of Prey posted:Haha, why the gently caress would a guy who was found in the wreckage of an alien spacecraft be a Christian anyway? That is a weird thing to assume about him. I think the assumption is more about the Kents.
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2011 06:19
|
|
|
TheKingPuuChuu posted:So I guess a shop in North Carolina thinks that Superman is a huge Christian, and would never say "God". The funniest part of this to me is that this isn't even what taking the lord's name in vain means, even if that's what was happening in that panel. Those who are most offended when it comes to their religion seem to know the least about it, on such a scale that you can practically set your clock to it. Nerd Of Prey posted:Haha, why the gently caress would a guy who was found in the wreckage of an alien spacecraft be a Christian anyway? That is a weird thing to assume about him. Evie from Awesomed By Comics said basically this, and it didn't make any sense then either. Christianity is not a race, it is not a genetic condition, it is a set of beliefs that you are taught. A family of farmers in Kansas is likely to be Christian, and therefore likely to raise their adopted son that way too, alien or no. Doubly so back when his origin was written.
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2011 06:42
|
|
|
Yeah, but a spaceship landing in your corn field is likely to make you rethink your whole belief system. That was more my point.
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2011 07:03
|
|
|
What did everyone think of Superboy? I wasn't originally going to buy it today but I'm glad I did. It was oddly compelling, definitely a page-turner. And the hook is enough to get me back for next week. Also the inclusion of Rose Wilson in NOWHERE is amusing.
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2011 07:04
|
|
|
Nerd Of Prey posted:Yeah, but a spaceship landing in your corn field is likely to make you rethink your whole belief system. That was more my point. A child given to a childless couple? A child who was delivered to them from high above with a flash of light, and proved to have amazing powers and abilities? I can't think of anything less likely to make a Christian rethink his or her belief system.
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2011 12:31
|
|
|
TheManWithNoName posted:What did everyone think of Superboy? I wasn't originally going to buy it today but I'm glad I did. It was oddly compelling, definitely a page-turner. And the hook is enough to get me back for next week. Also the inclusion of Rose Wilson in NOWHERE is amusing. It played with expectations multiple times in amusing ways, and it has an interesting setting and characters. I didn't really think Lobdell could pull it off, but he did quite brilliantly.
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2011 12:39
|
|
|
I have a feeling that this shop owner was just waiting for the spark to light his powder keg. God drat liberals taking away our Superman. I blame Obama for turning Superman into a socialist. What's he doing saving those poor people, when he should be looking out for the job providers that pay their too high taxes, and can afford insurance that covers runaway trains and giant robots? The rocket landed in Kansas, not Soviet Russia, so take your commie Superman elsewhere.
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2011 12:46
|
|
|
For those of you who read Superboy, is he named yet? Kon-el? I really like the Adventure and Superboy runs from the past few years. Is it at all the same tone? Or is it just an over-the-top action book now? I liked the little moments.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2011 00:36
|
|
|
Bitchin Kitchen posted:For those of you who read Superboy, is he named yet? Kon-el? I think he's only referred to as "Superboy." It's definitely not a sort of Smallville style Superboy like Johns was writing. But it isn't over the top action either. Obviously it's only the first issue, but the major players have been introduced, a few surprises among them, and there is enough intrigue IMO to come back for issue two. Also my favorite line: "So unless Superboy's human cells originated in a deeply pathological, megalomaniacal narcissist, the likes of which the world has never known... it means we did something wrong."
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2011 03:00
|
|
|
So something is really bothering me about the whole "he didn't save the girl from the fire" thing and I can't figure out if I'm misreading it. They're all concerned about him not saving her. But also Superboy explicitly says in narration he knows it's a VR world. So . . . why don't they just think "oh, he's not saving her because he doesn't have any empathy for a piece of the computer program that's not real." I just can't reconcile why it's such an issue.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2011 03:26
|
|
|
Do they know he knows?
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2011 03:28
|
|
|
Timeless Appeal posted:I think the drama inherent to Superman is that he's this guy with varying levels of Godlike powers, he genuinely wants to do the right thing, but he doesn't necessarily know what the right thing always means. That's why Hyperion, Red Son Superman, and the animated Justice Lord Superman are so appealing. Superman could, out of meaning well, just become a dictator and tell people what to do. Those what-if stories are reminder of the temptation that the "real" Superman always faces. I really like Superman: The Dark Side for this reason. Since Kal-El's rocket was diverted to Apokolips he has no choice but to become the kind of person you'd expect a son of Darkseid to be, but he eventually grows beyond that and learns that might doesn't make right after all. Also, it actually weaves Superman into the New Gods mythos far more than the simple premise would imply. Speaking of Elsewords, I was always amused by the juxtaposition of theses of The Nail and Marvel's The Sentry miniseries: if you remove Superman from the DC universe it turns into the Marvel universe, and if you add Superman to the Marvel universe it turns into the DC universe.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2011 03:54
|
|
|
TheKingPuuChuu posted:So I guess a shop in North Carolina thinks that Superman is a huge Christian, and would never say "God". You're a week late on this story! He dropped the boycott after Morrison explained that it was a grunt. But he got high and mighty and said that it was good that this was at least discussed.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2011 04:42
|
|
|
If that dude ever cracked open a copy of Preacher he would probably burn his whole store down.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2011 05:13
|
|
|
Nerd Of Prey posted:If that dude ever cracked open a copy of Preacher he would probably burn his whole store down. I wonder if he has All-Star Batman in his shop.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2011 05:58
|
|
|
horsepeen posted:I wonder if he has All-Star Batman in his shop. Funny you should ask.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2011 07:49
|
|
|
On the subject of Christianity and Superman, I grok a great deal of what Chris Bird says here.MightyGodKing.com posted:The appeal of Superman is quite simple and one that is frequently misunderstood by most people because they automatically want to turn him into a Jesus analogue. Admittedly, the reasons for Superman being cast in people’s minds as a Jesus analogue are pretty obvious and straightforward: the combination of godly power with a seemingly bottomless well of compassion and grace. It’s something that just hits the switch in our literary-critic mode that says “hey! Jesus!”
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2011 07:52
|
|
|
That's very well put. I've ranted about Superman as a profound symbol of human potential before. Yes he has nearly unlimited power, but more importantly he uses every ounce of that power to help regular people. He's not motivated by revenge or regret or anger; in fact, he's led something of a charmed life. He just sees the suffering of others and wants more than anything to stop it. His greatest challenge is always to figure out how. That's the real reason why it gets my goat when people say Superman is less interesting than whatever other superhero they like... I can't think of many other characters in popular fiction that have truly, honestly inspired me to be a better person. I wouldn't want to live in a world where Superman isn't relevant.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2011 09:43
|
|
|
Magic Love Hose posted:Funny you should ask. I'd like to thank you for introducing me to a webcomic that does humour about comics but isn't written by that utter cock Ryan Sohmer.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2011 14:58
|
|
|
ChuckDHead posted:I'd like to thank you for introducing me to a webcomic that does humour about comics but isn't written by that utter cock Ryan Sohmer. Anytime! Is Sohmer that guy who did the 'wisecracking Thing at Kirby's funeral' lump of peanut-filled poo poo?
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2011 20:27
|
|
|
Magic Love Hose posted:Anytime! Is Sohmer that guy who did the 'wisecracking Thing at Kirby's funeral' lump of peanut-filled poo poo? If that strip was part of a thing called Gutters, then yes.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2011 21:16
|
|
|
Before I read the actual issue my initial thought to 'oh no Superman said a swear' was a little back story: at eight years of age, Pa Kent hits his thumb with a hammer and curses the worst curse he would ever say in front of his son: 'G. D. it!' And Martha would of course scold him for it. And that's when Clark learned you only swear when it really hurts, like when you stand in explosions. I read the issue, immediately recognized 'GD' as a grunt, and simultaneously thought the NC shop owner was an even bigger moron (in addition to being an rear end in a top hat) and was sad because it made my little story invalid. I've never followed a regular Superman monthly in my life but am now thanks to Morrison. In fact, I think I've liked it best out of any of the #1 books thus far! My Lowtax name change from years ago may end up prophetic!
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2011 22:51
|
|
|
Nerd Of Prey posted:If that dude ever cracked open a copy of Preacher he would probably burn his whole store down. He sells Crossed in his store . This is the book where there are sadisticly insane people with cross scars on their faces who act out the most evil things they can think of. This is the book that would make Fredric Wertham spontaneously combust if he ever saw it. He got upset about this because of who Superman is, and because kids would be see "GD" and assuming to put the correct vowel in there. Nevermind that this comic book is sitting on the stands with a comic that has a cover with people spewing blood out of their mouths.
|
|
#
?
Sep 17, 2011 02:50
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 20, 2024 09:37 |
|
|
Magic Love Hose posted:On the subject of Christianity and Superman, I grok a great deal of what Chris Bird says here. That's kind of funny because super heroes ruined religion for me as a child. Why would I bother with Jesus when I had Superman? It was the same with politics and Captain America. I thought Cap was America and America was him. I was in for quite the rude awakening.
|
|
#
?
Sep 17, 2011 06:10
|
|