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Superman
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WIKIMAG n. 10 - Settembre 2013
Superman
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Superman |
|
Publication information |
Publisher |
DC Comics |
First appearance |
Action Comics #1
(published April 18, 1938,
cover-dated June 1938) |
Created by |
Jerry Siegel
Joe Shuster |
In-story information |
Alter ego |
Kal-El/Clark
Kent |
Place of
origin |
Krypton |
Team
affiliations |
Justice League
Legion of Super-Heroes |
Partnerships |
Batman
Wonder Woman |
Notable
aliases |
Gangbuster,
Jordan Elliot,
Nightwing,
Nova,
Superboy, Doc Fission |
Abilities |
Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, invulnerability, flight,
superhuman intelligence, freezing breath, superhuman hearing,
multiple extrasensory and vision powers, longevity, and
regeneration |
Superman is a fictional character, a
superhero that appears in
comic books published by
DC
Comics, and is widely considered an
American
cultural icon.[1][2][3][4]
Superman was created by writer
Jerry Siegel and artist
Joe Shuster, high school students living in
Cleveland, Ohio, in 1933; the character was sold to Detective
Comics, Inc. (later DC Comics) in 1938.[5][6]
Superman first appeared in
Action Comics #1 (June 1938) and subsequently appeared in
various radio serials, television programs, films,
newspaper strips, and video games. With the success of his
adventures, Superman helped to create the superhero genre and establish
its primacy within the
American comic book.[1]
Superman's appearance is distinctive and iconic. He usually wears a
blue costume, red
cape, and
stylized red-and-yellow
"S" shield on his chest.[7][8][9]
This shield is used in a myriad of media to symbolize the character.[10]
The
origin story of Superman relates that he was born Kal-El on
the planet
Krypton, before being rocketed to
Earth as
an infant by his scientist father
Jor-El,
moments before Krypton's destruction. Discovered and adopted by a
Kansas
farmer and his wife, the child is raised as
Clark Kent and imbued with a strong moral compass. Very early he
started to display
superhuman
abilities, which upon reaching maturity, he resolved to use for the
benefit of humanity. Superman resides and operates in the fictional
American city of
Metropolis. As Clark Kent, he is a journalist for a Metropolis
newspaper called the
Daily Planet. Superman's archenemy is
supervillain
Lex
Luthor.[11]
Superman has fascinated scholars, with
cultural theorists, commentators, and critics alike exploring the
character's impact and role in the
United States and worldwide. The character's ownership has often
been the subject of dispute, with Siegel and Shuster twice suing for the
return of legal ownership. Superman placed first on
IGN's Top 100
Comic Book Heroes in May 2011.[12]
Publication
history
Creation and
conception
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, then students at Cleveland's
Glenville High School, first conceived Superman as a bald
telepathic
villain
bent on world domination.[5][6]
The character first appeared in "The
Reign of the Superman", a short story from Science Fiction: The
Advance Guard of Future Civilization #3, a
fanzine
published by Siegel in 1933.[6]
Siegel re-envisioned the character later that year as a hero bearing no
resemblance to his villainous namesake, with Shuster visually modeling
Superman on
Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and his bespectacled alter ego, Clark Kent, on
a combination of
Harold Lloyd[13][14]
and Shuster himself, with the name "Clark
Kent" derived from movie stars
Clark Gable and
Kent Taylor.[15]
Lois
Lane was modeled on Joanne Carter, who later became Siegel's wife.[15]
Comic strips such as
Li'l Abner and
Dick Tracy influenced its original artwork.[citation
needed] Siegel and Shuster then began a six-year
quest to find a publisher. Titling it The Superman, Siegel and
Shuster offered it to Consolidated Book Publishing, who had published a
48-page
black-and-white comic book entitled
Detective Dan: Secret Operative No. 48. Although the duo
received an encouraging letter, Consolidated never again published comic
books. Shuster took this to heart and burned all pages of the story; the
cover surviving only because Siegel rescued it from the fire. Siegel and
Shuster each compared this character to
Slam Bradley, an adventurer the pair had created for
Detective Comics #1 (March 1937).[16]
Siegel, believing that Superman would not progress with Shuster,
contacted artists
Tony Strobl, Mel Graff, and Russell Keaton as potential
collaborators on the strip.[17]
Artwork produced by Keaton based on Siegel's treatment shows the concept
evolving. Superman is now sent back in time as a baby by the last man on
Earth, where he is found and raised by Sam and Molly Kent.[18]
However, Keaton did not pursue the collaboration, and soon Siegel and
Shuster were back working together on the character.[17]
The pair re-envisioned the character, who became more of a hero in
the mythic tradition, inspired by such characters as
Samson
and
Hercules,[19]
who would right the wrongs of Siegel and Shuster's times, fighting for
social justice and against
tyranny. It was at this stage the costume was introduced, Siegel
later recalling that they created a "kind of costume and let's give him
a big S on his chest, and a cape, make him as colorful as we can
and as distinctive as we can."[7]
The design was based in part on the costumes worn by characters in outer
space settings published in
pulp magazines, as well as comic strips such as
Flash Gordon,[20]
and also partly suggested by the traditional circus strong-man outfit,
which comprised a pair of shorts worn over a contrasting bodysuit.[7][21]
However, the cape has been noted as being markedly different from the
Victorian tradition. Gary Engle described it as without "precedent
in popular culture" in Superman at Fifty: The Persistence of a Legend.[22]
The circus performer's shorts-over-tights outfit was soon established as
the basis for many future superhero outfits. This third version of the
character was given extraordinary abilities, although this time of a
physical nature as opposed to the mental abilities of the villainous
Superman.[7]
The locale and the hero's civilian names were inspired by the movies,
Shuster said in 1983. "Jerry created all the names. We were great movie
fans and were inspired a lot by the actors and actresses we saw. As for
Clark Kent, he combined the names of
Clark Gable and
Kent Taylor. And Metropolis, the city in which Superman operated,
came from the
Fritz Lang film
Metropolis, which we both loved".[23]
Although they were by now selling material to comic-book publishers,
notably
Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's
National Allied Publishing, the pair attempted to sell their feature
as a
comic strip. They offered it both to
Max
Gaines, who passed, and to
United Feature Syndicate, which expressed interest initially but
rejected the strip in a letter dated February 18, 1937. However, in what
historian Les Daniels describes as "an incredibly convoluted turn of
events", Gaines ended up selling the concept as the lead feature in
Wheeler-Nicholson's new publication,
Action Comics.
Vin Sullivan, that comic's editor, wrote to Siegel and Shuster
requesting that their comic-strip samples be reformatted for the
comic-book page, requesting "eight
panels a page". However Siegel and Shuster ignored this, utilizing
their own experience and ideas to create
page layouts, with Siegel also identifying the image used for the
cover of
Action Comics #1 (June
1938), Superman's
first appearance.[24]
Comics historians
Gerard Jones and
Brad Meltzer believe Siegel may have been inspired to create
Superman because of the death of his father, Mitchell Siegel, an
immigrant who owned a clothing store on Cleveland's near east side. He
died during a robbery attempt in 1932, a year before Superman was
created. Although Siegel never mentioned the death of his father in
interviews, "It had to have an effect," argues Jones. "There's a
connection there: the loss of a dad as a source for Superman." Meltzer
states: "Your father dies in a robbery, and you invent a bulletproof man
who becomes the world's greatest hero."[25]
Publication
Superman's debut:
Action Comics #1 (June 1938); Cover art by Joe
Shuster
Superman's first appearance was in
Action Comics #1, published by
National Allied Publications, a corporate predecessor of
DC
Comics, on April 18, 1938 (cover-dated
June 1938).[26]
In 1939, a
self-titled series was launched. The first issue mainly reprinted
adventures published in Action Comics, but despite this the book
achieved greater sales.[27]
The year 1939 also saw Superman appear in
New York World's Fair Comics. Superman would eventually appear
throughout a host of titles, including
World's Finest Comics.
Initially Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster provided the story and art for
all the strips published. However, Shuster's eyesight began to
deteriorate, and the increasing appearances of the character meant an
increase in the workload. This led Shuster to establish a studio to
assist in the production of the art,[27]
although he insisted on drawing the face of every Superman the studio
produced. Outside the studio,
Jack Burnley began supplying covers and stories in 1940,[28]
and in 1941 artist
Fred
Ray began contributing a stream of Superman covers, some of which,
such as that of Superman #14 (February 1942), became iconic and
much reproduced.
Wayne Boring, initially employed in Shuster's studio, began working
for DC in his own right in 1942 providing pages for both Superman
and Action Comics.[29]
Al Plastino was hired initially to mimic Boring but was eventually
allowed to create his own style and became one of the most prolific
Superman artists during the Gold and Silver Ages of comics.[30]
In late 1939 a new editorial team assumed control of the character's
adventures.
Whitney Ellsworth,
Mort Weisinger and
Jack Schiff were brought in following Vin Sullivan's departure. This
new editorial team brought in established science-fiction writers
Edmond Hamilton,
Manly Wade Wellman, and
Alfred Bester to script.[31]
By 1943, Siegel was drafted into the
U.S. Army and as a result his contributions diminished.
Don Cameron and
Alvin Schwartz joined the writing team, Schwartz teaming up with
Boring to work on the
Superman comic strip, which Siegel and Shuster launched in
1939.[29]
In 1945,
Superboy — the teen Superman in
flashback stories — debuted in
More Fun Comics #101. The character moved to
Adventure Comics in 1946, and his own title,
Superboy, in 1949. The 1950s saw the launching of
Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen (1954) and
Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane (1958). By the 1970s, Superman
was appearing in numerous DC Comics.
In 1986, DC Comics restructured its
universe with other DC characters in the 12-issue miniseries
Crisis on Infinite Earths, resulting in the publication of "Whatever
Happened to the Man of Tomorrow", a two-part story written by
Alan Moore, with art by
Curt
Swan,
George Pérez and
Kurt Schaffenberger.[32]
The story was published in Superman #423 and Action Comics
#583 and presented what Les Daniels notes as "the sense of loss the fans
might have experienced if this had really been the last Superman tale."[33]
In 1986, DC relaunched Superman under writer and artist
John Byrne, initially in a six-issue weekly series
The Man of Steel (1986). A special "direct-sale-only" cover of
#1 featured the iconic chest "S" symbol of Superman's costume.
Superman vol. 2 debuted hat year, running through 2006. After it was
canceled, The Adventures of Superman was retitled Superman,
as Adventures had maintained the issue numbering of the first
volume of Superman. Another series,
Superman: The Man of Steel, had been launched in 1991, running
until 2003, while the quarterly book
Superman: The Man of Tomorrow ran from 1995 to 1999. Superman as
appeared in numerous other titles throughout the early 21st century.
In 2011, DC Comics again relaunched the Superman comics, along with
the
rest of the company's series.[34]
Superman and Action Comics were canceled and restarted
with #1 issues.[35]
Superman's costume was redesigned to look more like armor and the red
shorts over his tights were removed.[citation
needed] As of 2013, ongoing publications that
feature Superman on a regular basis are Superman,
Action Comics and Justice League. The character often
appears as a guest star in other series and is usually a pivotal figure
in DC
crossover story arcs.
Influences
An 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 took on the role
of social activist, fighting crooked businessmen and politicians and
demolishing run-down tenements.[36]
Comics scholar
Roger Sabin sees this as a reflection of "the liberal idealism of
Franklin Roosevelt's
New
Deal", with Shuster and Siegel initially portraying Superman as
champion to a variety of social causes.[37]
In later Superman radio programs the character continued to take on such
issues, tackling a version of the
Ku Klux Klan in a
1946 broadcast.[38][39]
Siegel and Shuster's status as children of Jewish immigrants is also
thought to have influenced their work. Timothy Aaron Pevey has argued
that they crafted "an immigrant figure whose desire was to fit into
American culture as an American", something Pevey believes taps into an
important aspect of the American identity.[40]
Siegel himself noted the influence of mythic heroes in the traditions
of many cultures, including
Hercules and
Samson.[7]
Scott Bukatman sees the character to be "a worthy successor to
Lindberg ... [and] also ... like
Babe
Ruth", and also representative of the United States' dedication to
"progress and the 'new'" through his "invulnerable body ... on which
history cannot be inscribed."[41]
Because Siegel and Shuster were fans of pulp science fiction,[6]
it is widely assumed that the 1930
Philip Wylie novel
Gladiator, featuring a protagonist,
Hugo Danner, with similar powers, was an inspiration for Superman,[42]
though no confirmation exists for this supposition.[43]
Comics creator and historian
Jim Steranko believes that the
pulp hero
Doc
Savage is another likely source of inspiration, noting similarities
between Shuster's initial art and contemporary advertisements for Doc
Savage: "Initially, Superman was a variation of pulp heavyweight Doc
Savage".[44]
Steranko argued that the pulps played a major part in shaping the
initial concept: "Siegel's Superman concept embodied and amalgamated
three separate and distinct themes: the visitor from another planet, the
superhuman being and the dual identity. He composed the Superman
charisma by exploiting all three elements, and all three contributed
equally to the eventual success of the strip. His inspiration, of
course, came from the science fiction pulps",[44]
identifying as another possible inspiration "John
W. Campbell's Aarn Munro stories, about a descendant of earthmen
raised on the planet Jupiter who, because of the planet's dense gravity,
is a mental and physical superman on Earth."[44]
Because Siegel and Shuster were both Jewish, some religious
commentators and pop-culture scholars such as Rabbi Simcha Weinstein and
British novelist
Howard Jacobson suggest that Superman's creation was partly
influenced by
Moses,[45][46]
and other Jewish elements. More recently, this interpretation has been
endorsed by biographer Larry Tye.[47]
For example, Superman's Kryptonian name, "Kal-El", resembles the
Hebrew words קל-אל, which can be taken to mean "voice of God".[48]
The suffix "el",
meaning "(of) God," is also found in the name of angels (e.g.
Gabriel,
Ariel), who are flying humanoid agents of good with superhuman
powers. Tye suggests that this "Voice of God" is an allusion to Moses'
role as a prophet.[47]
Moreover, Kal-El's parents send him away in a vessel, delivering him to
new adoptive parents in an alien culture in order to save him from
impending doom, just as Moses' parents do.[47]
"The narratives of Krypton's birth and death borrowed the language of
Genesis."[47]
On the other hand, Superman has been seen by others as being an
analogy for Jesus, being a savior of humanity.[37][46][47][49][50]
Furthermore, the surname Kent, in early 20th century real life, was a
common Americanization of "Cohen," and Clark Kent's wimpy, bumbling
persona strongly resembled the classic Yiddish
schlemiel.
Whilst the term
Übermensch, was initially coined by
Friedrich Nietzsche and translated by Shaw as Superman, it is
unclear how influential Nietzsche and his ideals were to Siegel and
Shuster.[46]
Les Daniels has speculated that "Siegel picked up the term from other
science fiction writers who had casually employed it", further noting
that "his concept is remembered by hundreds of millions who may barely
know who Nietzsche is."[7]
Others argue that Siegel and Shuster "could not have been unaware of an
idea that would dominate Hitler's National Socialism. The concept was
certainly well discussed."[51]
Yet Jacobson and others point out that in many ways Superman and the
Übermensch are polar opposites.[45]
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 honor 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.[52]
Siegel and Shuster have themselves discussed a number of influences
that impacted upon the character. Both were avid readers, and their
mutual love of science fiction helped to drive their friendship. Siegel
cited
John Carter stories as an influence: "Carter was able to leap great
distances because the planet Mars was smaller that the planet Earth; and
he had great strength. I visualized the planet Krypton as a huge planet,
much larger than Earth".[23]
The pair were also avid collectors of comic strips in their youth,
cutting them from the newspaper, with
Winsor McCay's
Little Nemo firing their imagination with its sense of fantasy.[53]
Shuster has remarked on the artists which played an important part in
the development of his own style, whilst also noting a larger influence:
"Alex
Raymond and
Burne Hogarth were my idols – also
Milt Caniff,
Hal
Foster, and
Roy
Crane. But the movies were the greatest influence on our
imagination: especially the films of
Douglas Fairbanks."[54]
Fairbanks' role as
Robin Hood in 1922 was certainly an inspiration since Shuster
admitted to basing Superman's stance upon scenes from the movie.[55]
The movies also influenced the storytelling and page layouts,[56]
while the city of Metropolis was named in honor of the
Fritz Lang motion picture of the
same title.[23]
Copyright issues
As part of the deal which saw Superman published in Action Comics,
Siegel and Shuster sold the rights to the company in return for $130 and
a contract to supply the publisher with material.[57][58][59]
The Saturday Evening Post reported in 1940 that the pair was
each being paid $75,000 a year, a fraction of National Comics
Publications' millions in Superman profits.[60]
Siegel and Shuster renegotiated their deal, but bad blood lingered and
in 1947 Siegel and Shuster sued for their 1938 contract to be made
void and the re-establishment of their ownership of the intellectual
property rights to Superman. The pair also sued National in the same
year over the rights to Superboy, which they claimed was a separate
creation that National had published without authorization. National
immediately fired them and took their byline off the stories, prompting
a legal battle that ended in 1948, when a New York court ruled that the
1938 contract should be upheld. However, a ruling from Justice J.
Addison Young awarded Siegel the rights to Superboy. A month after the
Superboy judgment the two sides agreed on a
settlement. National paid Siegel and Shuster $94,000 to drop all
claims. The pair also acknowledged in writing the company's ownership of
Superman, attesting that they held rights for "all other forms of
reproduction and presentation, whether now in existence or that may
hereafter be created",[61]
but DC refused to re-hire them.[62]
Jerry Siegel, with wife Joanne and daughter Laura in 1976.
Joanne and Laura Siegel filed a termination notice on Jerry
Siegel's share of the copyright of Superman in 1999.
In 1973 Siegel and Shuster again launched a suit claiming ownership
of Superman, this time basing the claim on the
Copyright Act of 1909 which saw copyright granted for 28 years but
allowed for a renewal of an extra 28 years. Their argument was that they
had granted DC the copyright for only 28 years. The pair again lost this
battle, both in a
district court ruling of October 18, 1973[63]
and an
appeal court ruling of December 5, 1974.[64][65]
In 1975 after news reports of their pauper-like existences,
Warner Communications gave Siegel and Shuster lifetime pensions of
$20,000 per year and health care benefits. Jay Emmett, then executive
vice president of Warner Bros., was quoted in
The New York Times as stating, "There is no legal obligation,
but I sure feel there is a moral obligation on our part."[60]
Heidi MacDonald, writing for Publishers Weekly, noted that in
addition to this pension, "Warner agreed that Siegel and Shuster would
henceforth be credited as creators of Superman on all comics, TV shows,
and films."[59]
The year after this settlement, 1976, the copyright term was extended
again, this time for another 19 years for a total of 75 years. However,
this time a clause was inserted into the extension to allow authors to
reclaim their work, reflecting the arguments Siegel and Shuster had made
in 1973. The
new act took effect in 1978 and allowed a reclamation window in a
period based on the previous copyright term of 56 years. This meant the
copyright on Superman could be reclaimed between 1994 to 1999, based on
the initial publication date of 1938. Jerry Siegel having died in
January 1996, his wife and daughter filed a copyright termination notice
in 1999. Although Joe Shuster died in July 1992, no termination was
filed at that time by his
estate.[66]
In 1998, the copyright was extended again with the
Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act. This time the copyright
term was extended to 95 years with a further window for reclamation
introduced. In January 2004 Mark Peary, nephew and legal
heir to Joe Shuster's estate, filed notice of his intent to reclaim
Shuster's half of the copyright, the termination effective in 2013.[66]
The status of Siegel's share of the copyright is now the subject of a
legal battle. Warner Bros. and the Siegels entered into discussions on
how to resolve the issues raised by the termination notice, but these
discussions were set aside by the Siegels and in October 2004 they filed
suit alleging copyright infringement on the part of Warner Bros. Warner
Bros. counter sued, alleging that the termination notice contains
defects, among other arguments.[67][68]
On March 26, 2008,
Judge Larson of the
United States District Court for the Central District of California
ruled that Siegel's estate was entitled to claim a share in the United
States copyright. The ruling does not affect the International rights,
which Time Warner holds on the character through DC. Issues regarding
the amount of monies owed Siegel's estate and whether the claim the
estate has extends to derivative works such as movie versions will be
settled at trial, although any compensation would be owed only from
works published since 1999. Time Warner offered no statement on the
ruling but does have the right to challenge it.[69][70]
The case was scheduled to be heard in a California
federal court in May 2008.[71]
A similar termination-of-copyright notice filed in 2002 by Siegel's
wife and daughter concerning the Superboy character was ruled on in
their favor on March 23, 2006.[72]
However, on July 27, 2007, the same court issued a ruling[73]
reversing the March 23, 2006 ruling. This ruling is currently subject to
a legal challenge from Time Warner, with the case as yet unresolved.[69]
A July 9, 2009, verdict on the case denied a claim by Siegel's family
that it was owed licensing fees. US District Court judge Stephen G.
Larson said Warner Bros. and DC Comics have fulfilled their obligations
to the Siegels under a profit-sharing agreement for the 2006 movie
Superman Returns and the
CW series
Smallville. However, the court also ruled that if Warner Bros.
did not start a new Superman film by 2011, the family would have the
right to sue to recover damages.[74]
Warner Bros hired
David S. Goyer to write the script and
Christopher Nolan to produce in 2010.[75][76]
On January 10, 2013, the
9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a 2001 agreement that the
Siegel family had reached with DC Comics was still legally binding, thus
quashing the 2008 decision in favor of the Siegels. This effectively
ensured DC Comics' sole copyright to Superman.[77]
Fictional character biography
Superman, given the serial nature of comic publishing and the length
of the character's existence, has evolved as a character as his
adventures have increased.[78]
The details of Superman's origin, relationships and abilities changed
significantly during the course of the character's publication, from
what is considered the
Golden Age of Comic Books through the
Modern Age. The powers and villains were developed through the
1940s, with Superman developing the ability to fly, and costumed
villains introduced from 1941.[79]
The character was shown as learning of the existence of Krypton in 1949.
The concept itself had originally been established to the reader in 1939
in the Superman comic strip.[80]
The 1960s saw the introduction of a
second Superman. DC had established a
multiverse within the fictional universe its characters shared. This
allowed characters published in the 1940s to exist alongside updated
counterparts published in the 1960s. This was explained to the reader
through the notion that the two groups of characters inhabited
parallel Earths. The second Superman was introduced to explain to
the reader Superman's membership in both the 1940s superhero team the
Justice Society of America and the 1960s superhero team the
Justice League of America.[81]
The 1980s saw radical revisions of the character. DC decided to
remove the multiverse in a bid to simplify its comics line. This led to
the rewriting of the
back story of the characters DC published, Superman included. John
Byrne rewrote Superman, removing many established conventions and
characters from continuity, including Superboy and Supergirl. Byrne also
re-established Superman's adoptive parents,
The Kents, as characters.[82]
In the previous continuity, the characters had been written as having
died early in Superman's life (about the time of Clark Kent's graduation
from high school).
In 1992 Superman was killed by the villain
Doomsday,[83]
although the character was soon resurrected the following year.[84]
Superman also marries Lois Lane in 1996. His origin is again revisited
in 2004.[85]
In 2006 Superman is stripped of his powers,[86]
although these are restored within a fictional year.[87]
After a confrontation with Brainiac that results in his father's
death, Superman discovers the lost city of Kandor, which contains 10,000
Kryptonians. Their stay on Earth causes trouble, and the Kryptonians
create their own planet, New Krypton. Eventually, New Krypton wages war
against Earth. The two sides sustain major casualties and most of the
Kryptonians are killed. Superman then starts a journey to reconnect with
his adopted home world.[88]
Age and birthday
Superman's age has varied through his history in comics. His age was
originally left undefined, with real time references to specific years
sometimes given to past events in Golden Age and early Silver Age
comics. In comics published between the early 1970s and early 1990s, his
age was usually cited as 29 years old.[89]
However, during
The Death of Superman storyline, Clark's age was given as 34
years old (in a fictional promotional newspaper published), while 1994's
Zero Hour timeline established his age as 35.
In the Golden Age, 1950's Action Comics #149 gives October as
Superman's birthdate. In Silver Age and Bronze Age stories, Superman's
birthday is described as being on February 29, as shown in
Superman Annual #11 in 1985. Clark Kent, meanwhile, would
celebrate his birthday on June 18, the date the Kents first found Clark
(June 18 is also the birthdate of Superman voice actor
Bud Collyer.)[90]
Post-Crisis stories also reference February 29 as Clark Kent's
birthday, as shown in Action Comics #655 (July 1990). However,
2009's
Superman: Secret Origin depicts Clark celebrating his birthday
on December 1.[91]
Personality
In the original Siegel and Shuster stories, Superman's personality is
rough and aggressive. The character often attacks and terrorizes
wife beaters, profiteers,
lynch mobs, and gangsters in a rough manner and with a looser moral
code than audiences today might be used to.[36]
Although not as ruthless as the early
Batman,
Superman in the comics of the 1930s is unconcerned about the harm his
strength may cause. He tosses villainous characters in such a manner
that fatalities would presumably occur, although these are seldom shown
explicitly on the page. This came to an end in late 1940 when new editor
Whitney Ellsworth instituted a code of conduct for his characters to
follow, banning Superman from ever killing.[80]
The character was softened and given a sense of
idealism and
humanitarianism. Ellsworth's code, however, is not to be confused
with "the
Comics Code," which was created in 1954 by the
Comics Code Authority and ultimately abandoned by every major comic
book publisher by the early 21st century.[92]
Today, Superman is commonly seen as a brave and kind-hearted hero
with a strong sense of justice, morality, and righteousness. He adheres
to an unwavering moral code instilled in him by his adoptive parents.[93]
His commitment to operating within the law has been an example to many
citizens and other heroes but has stirred resentment and criticism among
others, who refer to him as the "big blue boy scout." Superman can be
rather rigid in this trait, causing tensions in the superhero community.[94]
This was most notable with
Wonder Woman, one of his closest friends, after she killed
Maxwell Lord.[94]
Booster Gold had an initial icy relationship with the Man of Steel
but grew to respect him.[95]
Having lost his home world of Krypton, Superman is very protective of
Earth, and especially of Clark Kent's family and friends. This same
loss, combined with the pressure of using his powers responsibly, has
caused Superman to feel
lonely on Earth, despite his friends and parents. Previous
encounters with people he thought to be fellow Kryptonians,
Power Girl[96]
(who is, in fact from the Krypton of the
Earth-Two universe) and
Mon-El,[97]
have led to disappointment. The arrival of
Supergirl, who has been confirmed to be not only from Krypton but
also his cousin, has relieved this loneliness somewhat.[98]
Superman's
Fortress of Solitude acts as a place of
solace
for him in times of loneliness and despair.[99]
In Superman/Batman #3 (Dec. 2003),
Batman,
under writer
Jeph
Loeb, observes, "It is a remarkable dichotomy. In many ways, Clark
is the most human of us all. Then ... he shoots fire from the skies, and
it is difficult not to think of him as a god. And how fortunate we all
are that it does not occur to him." In writer
Geoff Johns'
Infinite Crisis #1 (Dec. 2005), part of the 2005 - 2006
"Infinite Crisis" crossover storyline, Batman admonishes him for
identifying with humanity too much and failing to provide the strong
leadership that superhumans need.
Other versions
Both the multiverse established by the publishers in the 1960s and
the
Elseworlds line of comics established in 1989 have allowed writers
to introduce variations on Superman. These have included differences in
the nationality, race and morality of the character. Alongside such
reimaginings, a number of characters have assumed the title of Superman,
especially in the wake of "The
Death of Superman" storyline, wherein four newly introduced
characters are seen to claim the mantle.[100]
In addition to these, the
Bizarro
character created in 1958 is a weird, imperfect duplicate of Superman.[101]
Other members of Superman's family of characters have borne the
Super- prefix, including
Supergirl,
Krypto the
Superdog, and
Superwoman. Outside comics published by DC, the notoriety of the
Superman or "Übermensch"
archetype makes the character a popular figure to be represented
through an analogue in entirely unrelated continuities. For example,
Roy
Thomas based rival publisher
Marvel Comics'
Hyperion character on Superman.[102][103][104][105]
Powers and
abilities
As an influential archetype of the superhero genre, Superman
possesses extraordinary powers, with the character 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
coined by Jay Morton and first used in the Superman radio serials
and
Max Fleischer animated shorts of the 1940s[106]
as well as the TV series of the 1950s. For most of his existence,
Superman's famous arsenal of powers has included
flight,
super-strength,
invulnerability to non-magical attacks,
super-speed, vision powers (including
x-ray,
heat-emitting, telescopic, infra-red, and microscopic vision),
super-hearing, super-intelligence, and super-breath, which enables him
to blow out air at freezing temperatures, as well as exert the
propulsive force of high-speed winds.[107]
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, as well as an incredibly dense
body structure that could be pierced by nothing less than an exploding
artillery shell.[107]
Siegel and Shuster compared his strength and leaping abilities to an ant
and a grasshopper.[108]
When making the
Superman cartoons in the early 1940s, the
Fleischer Brothers found it difficult to keep animating him leaping
and requested to DC to change his ability to flying; this was an
especially convenient concept for short films, which would have
otherwise had to waste precious running time moving earthbound Clark
Kent from place to place.[109]
Writers gradually increased his powers to larger extents during the
Silver Age, in which Superman could fly to other worlds and galaxies
and even across universes with relative ease.[107]
He would often fly across the solar system to stop meteors from hitting
the Earth or sometimes just to clear his head. Writers found it
increasingly difficult to write Superman stories in which the character
was believably challenged,[110]
so DC made a series of attempts to rein 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.[111]
Superman's power levels have again increased since then, with Superman
currently possessing enough strength to hurl mountains, withstand
nuclear blasts with ease, fly into the sun unharmed, and survive in the
vacuum of outer space without oxygen.
The source of Superman's powers has changed subtly over the course of
his history. It was originally stated that Superman's abilities derived
from his Kryptonian heritage, which made him eons more evolved than
humans.[80]
This was soon amended, with the source for the powers now based upon the
establishment of Krypton's gravity as having been stronger than that of
the Earth. This situation mirrors that of
Edgar Rice Burroughs'
John Carter. As Superman's powers increased, 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
Rao had been red, possessed superpowers only under the light of a
yellow sun.[112]
Superman is most vulnerable to green
Kryptonite, mineral debris from
Krypton transformed into radioactive material by the forces that
destroyed the planet. Exposure to green Kryptonite radiation nullifies
Superman's powers and immobilizes him with pain and nausea; prolonged
exposure will eventually kill him. The only substance on Earth that can
protect him from Kryptonite is lead, which blocks the radiation. Lead is
also the only known substance that Superman cannot see through with his
x-ray vision. 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.[78]
Although green Kryptonite is the most commonly seen form, writers have
introduced other forms over the years: such as red, gold, blue, white,
and black, each with its own effect.[113]
Supporting cast
Clark Kent, Superman's
secret identity, was based partly on
Harold Lloyd and named after
Clark Gable and
Kent Taylor.[13][14]
Creators have discussed the idea of whether Superman pretends to be
Clark Kent or vice versa, and at differing times in the publication
either approach has been adopted.[114][115]
Although typically a newspaper reporter, during the 1970s the character
left the
Daily Planet for a time to work for television,[115]
whilst the 1980s revamp by John Byrne saw the character become somewhat
more aggressive.[111]
This aggressiveness has since faded with subsequent creators restoring
the mild mannerisms traditional to the character.
Superman's large cast of supporting characters includes
Lois
Lane, perhaps the character most commonly associated with Superman,
being portrayed at different times as his colleague, competitor, love
interest and wife. Other main supporting characters include
Daily Planet coworkers such as photographer
Jimmy Olsen and editor
Perry White, Clark Kent's adoptive parents
Jonathan and Martha Kent, childhood sweetheart
Lana
Lang and best friend
Pete
Ross, and former college love interest
Lori Lemaris (a
mermaid).
Stories making reference to the possibility of Superman siring children
have been featured both in and out of mainstream continuity.
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 and
its leader). A feature shared by several supporting characters is
alliterative names, especially with the initials "LL", including
Lex
Luthor, Lois Lane,
Linda Lee, Lana Lang, Lori Lemaris, and
Lucy
Lane,[116]
alliteration being common in early comics.
Team-ups with fellow comics icon
Batman
are common, 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 began
to publish a new series featuring the two characters titled
Superman/Batman.
Enemies
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
both a
rogue scientific genius with a personal vendetta against Superman,
and a powerful but corrupt CEO of a conglomerate called
LexCorp
who thinks Superman is somehow hindering human progress by his heroic
efforts.[117]
In the 2000s, he even becomes president of the United States,[118]
and has been depicted occasionally as a former childhood friend of Clark
Kent. The alien
android (in most incarnations) known as
Brainiac is considered by Richard George to be the second most
effective enemy of Superman.[119]
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 in most post-Crisis
comics. Other important enemies who have featured in various
incarnations of the character, from comic books to film and television,
include the fifth-dimensional imp
Mister Mxyzptlk, the reverse Superman known as
Bizarro,
and the Kryptonian criminal
General Zod, Metallo, among many others.
Cultural impact
Superman has come to be seen as both an American cultural icon[120][121]
and the first comic book superhero. His adventures and popularity have
established the character as an inspiring force within the public eye,
with the character serving as inspiration for musicians, comedians and
writers alike. Kryptonite, Brainiac and Bizarro have become synonymous
in popular vernacular with
Achilles' heel, extreme intelligence[122]
and reversed logic[123]
respectively. Similarly, the phrase "I'm not Superman" or alternatively
"you're not Superman" is an
idiom
used to suggest a lack of omnipotence.[124][125][126]
Inspiring a market
The character's initial success led to similar characters being
created.[127][128]
Batman was the first to follow, Bob Kane commenting to Vin Sullivan that
given the "kind of money [Siegel and Shuster were earning with their
superhero] you'll have one on Monday".[129]
Victor Fox, an accountant for DC, also noticed the revenue such comics
generated and commissioned
Will Eisner to create a
deliberately similar character to Superman. Wonder Man was
published in May 1939, and although DC successfully sued, claiming
plagiarism,[130]
Fox had decided to cease publishing the character. Fox later had more
success with the
Blue Beetle.
Fawcett Comics'
Captain Marvel, launched in 1940, was Superman's main rival for
popularity throughout the 1940s and was again the subject of a lawsuit,
which Fawcett eventually settled in 1953, a settlement which involved
the cessation of the publication of the character's adventures.[131]
Superhero comics are now established as the dominant genre in American
comic book publishing,[132]
with many thousands of characters in the tradition having been created
in the years since Superman's creation.[133]
Merchandising
Superman became popular very quickly, with an additional title,
Superman Quarterly, rapidly added. In 1940 the character was
represented in the annual
Macy's parade for the first time.[134]
In fact Superman had become popular to the extent that in 1942, with
sales of the character's three titles standing at a combined total of
over 1.5 million, Time was reporting that "the Navy Department
(had) ruled that Superman comic books should be included among essential
supplies destined for the Marine garrison at Midway Islands."[135]
The character was soon licensed by companies keen to cash in on this
success through merchandising. The earliest paraphernalia appeared in
1939, a button proclaiming membership in the Supermen of America club.
By 1940 the amount of merchandise available increased dramatically, with
jigsaw puzzles, paper dolls, bubble gum and trading cards available, as
well as wooden or metal figures. The popularity of such merchandise
increased when Superman was licensed to appear in other media, and Les
Daniels has written that this represents "the start of the process that
media moguls of later decades would describe as 'synergy.'"[136]
By the release of
Superman Returns,
Warner Bros. had arranged a cross promotion with
Burger King,[137]
and licensed many other products for sale.
Superman's appeal to licensees rests upon the character's continuing
popularity, cross market appeal and the status of the "S" shield, the
stylized magenta and gold "S" emblem Superman wears on his chest, as a
fashion symbol.[138][139]
The "S" shield by itself is often used in media to symbolize the
Superman character.[140]
In other media
The character of Superman has appeared in various media aside from
comic books, including radio and television series,
several films, and
video games. The first adaptation was a
a daily newspaper comic strip, launched on January 16, 1939, and
running through May 1966; significantly, Siegel and Shuster used the
first strips to establish Superman's background, adding details such as
the planet Krypton and Superman's father,
Jor-El,
concepts not yet established in the comic books.[80]
Following on from the success of this was the first radio series,
The Adventures of Superman, which premiered February 12, 1940,
and featured the voice of
Bud Collyer as Superman. Collyer was also cast as the voice of
Superman in a series of 17
Superman animated cartoons produced by
Fleischer Studios and
Famous Studios for theatrical release from 1941-43. In 1948, the
movie serial
Superman made
Kirk
Alyn the first actor to portray the hero onscreen. In 1951 came the
television series
Adventures of Superman starring
George Reeves. Television series featuring Superman and Superboy
would debut in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. In 1966 came the
Broadway musical
It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman, remade for
television in 1975. Also in 1966, Superman starred in the first of
several animated television series
The New Adventures of Superman. Superman returned to movie
theaters in 1978 with director Richard Donner's
Superman, starring
Christopher Reeve, which spawned three sequels. In 2006,
Bryan Singer directed the feature
Superman Returns, and in 2013, director
Zack Snyder rebooted the film franchise with
Man of Steel, with an expected sequel to feature Batman.
Musical references, parodies, and homages
Superman has also featured as an inspiration for musicians, with
songs by numerous artists from several generations celebrating the
character.
Donovan's
Billboard Hot 100 topping single "Sunshine
Superman" utilized the character in both the title and the lyric,
declaring "Superman and
Green Lantern ain't got nothing on me."[141]
Folk singer/songwriter
Jim
Croce sung about the character in a list of warnings in the chorus
of his song "You
Don't Mess Around with Jim", introducing the phrase "you don't tug
on Superman's cape" into popular lexicon.[142]
Other tracks to reference the character include
Genesis' "Land
of Confusion",[143]
the video to which featured a
Spitting Image
puppet
of
Ronald Reagan dressed as Superman,[144]
"(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman" by
The
Kinks on their 1979 album
Low Budget and "Superman" by
The Clique, a track later covered by
R.E.M.
on its 1986 album
Lifes Rich Pageant. This cover is referenced by
Grant Morrison in Animal Man, in which Superman meets the
character, and the track comes on
Animal Man's walkman immediately after.[145]
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.[146]
Five for Fighting released "Superman
(It's Not Easy)" in 2000, which is from Superman's point of view,
although Superman is never mentioned by name.[147]
Superman depicted as stricken by AIDS, in an awareness
campaign
Parodies of Superman did not take long to appear, with
Mighty Mouse introduced in "The Mouse of Tomorrow" animated
short in 1942.[148]
While the character swiftly took on a life of its own, moving beyond
parody, other animated characters soon took their turn to parody the
character. In 1943
Bugs Bunny was featured in a short,
Super-Rabbit, which sees the character gaining powers through
eating fortified carrots. This short ends with Bugs stepping into a
phone booth to change into a real "Superman" and emerging as a
U.S. Marine. In 1956
Daffy Duck assumes the mantle of "Cluck Trent" in the short "Stupor
Duck", a role later reprised in various issues of the Looney
Tunes comic book.[149]
In the United Kingdom
Monty Python created the character Bicycle Repairman, who fixes
bicycles on a world full of Supermen, for a sketch in series of their
BBC show.[150]
Also on the BBC was the sitcom
My Hero, which presented Thermoman as a slightly dense Superman
pastiche, attempting to save the world and pursue romantic aspirations.[151]
In the United States,
Saturday Night Live has often parodied the figure, with
Margot Kidder reprising her role as Lois Lane in a 1979 episode. The
manga and anime series
Dr.
Slump featured the character
Suppaman; a short, fat, pompous man who changes into a thinly
veiled Superman-like alter-ego by eating a sour-tasting
umeboshi.
Jerry Seinfeld, a noted Superman fan, filled his series
Seinfeld with references to the character and in 1997 asked for
Superman to co-star with him in a commercial for
American Express. The commercial aired during the
1998 NFL Playoffs and
Super Bowl, Superman animated in the style of artist
Curt
Swan, again at the request of Seinfeld.[152]
Superman was featured in the
ScrewAttack's web series
Death Battle, where he fought a hypothetical battle similar to
Deadliest Warrior with the character Son Goku and won. Superman was
voiced during the battle simulation by the voice actor
ItsJustSomeRandomGuy.[153]
Superman has also been used as reference point for writers, with
Steven T. Seagle's graphic novel Superman: It's a Bird
exploring Seagle's feelings on his own mortality as he struggles to
develop a story for a Superman tale.[154]
Brad Fraser used the character as a reference point for his play
Poor Super Man, with
The Independent noting the central character, a gay man who has
lost many friends to
AIDS as someone who "identifies all the more keenly with Superman's
alien-amid-deceptive-lookalikes status."[155]
Superman's image was also used in an AIDS awareness campaign by French
organization
AIDES. Superman was depicted as emaciated and breathing from an
oxygen tank, demonstrating that no-one is beyond the reach of the
disease, and it can destroy the lives of everyone.[156]
Superman is also mentioned in several films, including
Joel Schumacher's
Batman & Robin, in which
Batman
states, "That's why Superman works alone..." in reference to the many
troubles caused by his partner
Robin, and also in
Sam
Raimi's
Spider-Man, in which
Aunt
May gives her nephew
Peter Parker a word of advice not to strain himself too much
because, "You're not Superman, you know," among many others.
Literary analysis
Superman has been interpreted and discussed in many forms in the
years since his debut. The character's status as the first costumed
superhero has allowed him to be used in many studies discussing the
genre,
Umberto Eco noting that "he can be seen as the representative of all
his similars".[157]
Writing in
Time in 1971, Gerald Clarke stated: "Superman's enormous
popularity might be looked upon as signalling the beginning of the end
for the
Horatio Alger myth of the self-made man." Clarke viewed the comics
characters as having to continuously update in order to maintain
relevance, and thus representing the mood of the nation. He regarded
Superman's character in the early seventies as a comment on the modern
world, which he saw as a place in which "only the man with superpowers
can survive and prosper."[158]
Andrew Arnold, writing in the early 21st century, has noted Superman's
partial role in exploring assimilation, the character's alien status
allowing the reader to explore attempts to fit in on a somewhat
superficial level.[159]
Clark Kent, argued by
Jules Feiffer to be the most innovative feature of
Superman
A.C. Grayling, writing in
The Spectator, traces Superman's stances through the decades,
from his 1930s campaign against crime being relevant to a nation under
the influence of
Al
Capone, through the 1940s and World War II, a period in which
Superman helped sell
war bonds,[160]
and into the 1950s, where Superman explored the new technological
threats. Grayling notes the period after the
Cold
War as being one where "matters become merely personal: the task of
pitting his brawn against the brains of Lex Luthor and Brainiac appeared
to be independent of bigger questions", and discusses events post
9/11, stating that as a nation "caught between the terrifying
George W. Bush and the terrorist
Osama bin Laden, America is in earnest need of a Saviour for
everything from the minor inconveniences to the major horrors of world
catastrophe. And here he is, the down-home clean-cut boy in the blue
tights and red cape".[161]
Scott Bukatman has discussed Superman, and the superhero in general,
noting the ways in which they humanize large urban areas through their
use of the space, especially in Superman's ability to soar over the
large skyscrapers of Metropolis. He writes that the character
"represented, in 1938, a kind of
Corbusierian ideal. Superman has X-ray vision: walls become
permeable, transparent. Through his benign, controlled authority,
Superman renders the city open, modernist and democratic; he furthers a
sense that Le Corbusier described in 1925, namely, that 'Everything is
known to us'."[41]
Jules Feiffer has argued that Superman's real innovation lay in the
creation of the Clark Kent persona, noting that what "made Superman
extraordinary was his point of origin: Clark Kent." Feiffer develops the
theme to establish Superman's popularity in simple wish fulfillment,[162]
a point Siegel and Shuster themselves supported, Siegel commenting that
"If you're interested in what made Superman what it is, here's one of
the keys to what made it universally acceptable. Joe and I had certain
inhibitions... which led to wish-fulfillment which we expressed through
our interest in science fiction and our comic strip. That's where the
dual-identity concept came from" and Shuster supporting that as being
"why so many people could relate to it".[163]
Ian Gordon suggests that the many incarnations of Superman across
media use nostalgia to link the character to an ideology of the American
Way. He defines this ideology as a means of associating individualism,
consumerism, and democracy and as something that took shape around WWII
and underpinned the war effort. Superman he notes was very much part of
that effort.[164]
Superman's immigrant status is a key aspect of his appeal.[165][166][167]
Aldo Regalado saw the character as pushing the boundaries of acceptance
in America. The extraterrestrial origin was seen by Regalado as
challenging the notion that
Anglo-Saxon ancestry was the source of all might.[168]
Gary Engle saw the "myth of Superman [asserting] with total confidence
and a childlike innocence the value of the immigrant in
American culture." He argues that Superman allowed the superhero
genre to take over from the
Western as the expression of immigrant sensibilities. Through the
use of a dual identity, Superman allowed immigrants to identify with
both their cultures. Clark Kent represents the assimilated individual,
allowing Superman to express the immigrants cultural heritage for the
greater good.[166]
Timothy Aaron Pevey has argued other aspects of the story reinforce the
acceptance of the
American dream. He notes that "the only thing capable of harming
Superman is Kryptonite, a piece of his old home world."[40]
David Jenemann has offered a contrasting view. He argues that Superman's
early stories portray a threat: "the possibility that the exile would
overwhelm the country."[169]
David Rooney, a
theater
critic for The New York Times, in his evaluation of the play,
Year Zero, considers Superman to be the "quintessential immigrant
story...(b)orn on an alien planet, he grows stronger on Earth but
maintains a secret identity tied to a homeland that continues to exert a
powerful hold on him even as his every contact with those origins does
him harm."[170]
Critical reception and popularity
The character Superman and his various comic series have received
various awards over the years.
Video games
While Superman is largely considered to be the archetypal superhero,
and the flagship character of DC Comics, he has enjoyed virtually no
success in video games. A variety of Superman video games have been
released, starting with 1978's
Superman for the
Atari 2600, none of which have been commercially successful. One of
the most notorious examples is the
1999 game for the Nintendo 64, simply titled Superman
(although often erroneously called Superman 64 due to the
tradition of
N64 games putting the number "64" at the end of several titles),
which is largely considered to be one of the worst games of all time.
See also
Notes
- ^
a
b
Daniels (1998), p. 11.
-
^
Holt,
Douglas B. (2004). How Brands Become Icons: The Principles of
Cultural Branding.
Boston, MA:
Harvard Business School Press. p. 1.
ISBN 1-57851-774-5.
-
^
Koehler, Derek J., Harvey, Nigel. (eds.), ed. (2004).
Blackwell Handbook of Judgment and Decision Making.
Blackwell. p. 519.
ISBN 1-4051-0746-4.
-
^
Dinerstein, Joel (2003). Swinging the machine: Modernity,
technology, and African American culture between the wars.
University of Massachusetts Press. p. 81.
ISBN 1-55849-383-2.
-
^
a
b
The
Associated Press (April 17, 2013).
"Superman turns 75: Man of Steel milestone puts spotlight on
creators' Cleveland roots".
Daily News. NYDailyNews.com.
Retrieved April 18, 2013. " 'The encouragement that he
received from his English teachers and the editors at the
Glenville High School newspaper and the literary magazine gave
my dad a real confidence in his talents,' [Laura Siegel Larson]
said over the phone from Los Angeles."
- ^
a
b
c
d
Daniels (1998), p. 13.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Daniels (1998), p. 18.
-
^
Wallace, Daniel; Bryan Singer (2006). The Art of Superman
Returns. Chronicle Books. p. 22.
ISBN 0-8118-5344-6.
-
^
"Designing Man of Steel's costume". Manila Standard
(Philippines News). July 21, 2006. Archived from
the original on September 3, 2008.
Retrieved September 3, 2008.
-
^
Gormly,
Kellie B. (June 28, 2006).
"Briefs: Blige concert cancelled". Pittsburgh
Tribune-Review. Archived from
the original on September 3, 2008.
Retrieved September 3, 2008.
-
^
Sanderson, Peter (2007-02-24).
"Comics in Context #166: Megahero Vs. Megavillain".
QuickStopEntertainment.com.
Retrieved 2008-02-13.
-
^
"Superman – Top 100 Comic Book Heroes".
IGN Entertainment.
Retrieved May 27, 2011.
-
^
a
b
Stern, Roger (2006). Superman: Sunday Classics: 1939 -
1943.
DC Comics/Kitchen
Sink Press/Sterling
Publishing. p. xii.
- ^
a
b
Gross,
John (December 15, 1987).
"Books of the Times".
The New York Times.
Archived from the original on June 14, 2010.
Retrieved 2007-01-29.
-
^
a
b
Mietkiewicz, Henry (April 26, 1992).
"Great Krypton! Superman was the Star’s Ace Reporter (Joe
Shuster’s final interview)".
Toronto Star via JoeShusterAwards.com.
-
^ Daniels (1998), p.
17.
- ^
a
b
Jones,
Gerard (2004). Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the
Birth of the Comic Book. Basic Books. p. 115.
ISBN 0-465-03656-2.
-
^
Trexler,
Jeff (August 20, 2008).
"Superman's Hidden History: The Other "First" Artist".
Newsarama.
Archived from the original on August 26, 2008.
Retrieved August 26, 2008.
-
^ Petrou, David
Michael (1978). The Making of Superman the Movie, New
York:
Warner Books
ISBN 0-446-82565-4
-
^ Daniels (1998), p.
19.
-
^
Morrison, Grant (September 29, 1998). "Seriously,
Perilously".
The Herald. p. 14.
-
^
Engle,
Gary (1987). ""What Makes Superman So Darned American?"". In
Dennis Dooley and Gary Engle (eds.). Superman at Fifty: The
Persistence of a Legend. Cleveland, OH: Octavia.
ISBN 0-02-042901-0.
- ^
a
b
c
Andrae, Nemo (online
version): "Superman Through the Ages: The Jerry Siegel and Joe
Shuster Interview, Part 8 of 10" (1983).
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link]
References
- Andrae, Tom; Blum, Geoffry &
Coddington, Gary (August 1983). "Of Superman and Kids With
Dreams".
Nemo, the Classic Comics Library (2): 6–19.
ISSN 07469438.
-
Daniels, Les (1998). Superman: The Complete History
(1st ed.).
Titan Books.
ISBN 1-85286-988-7.
- Daniels, Les (1995). DC
Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favourite Comic Book Heroes
(First ed.).
Virgin Books.
ISBN 1-85227-546-4.
- Dean, Michael (October 14,
2004).
"An Extraordinarily Marketable Man: The Ongoing Struggle for
Ownership of Superman and Superboy".
The Comics Journal (263): 13–17. Archived from
the original on December 1, 2006.
Retrieved December 22, 2006.
-
Eury, Michael;
Adams, Neal;
Swan, Curt; Anderson, Murphy (2006). The Krypton
Companion. Raleigh, NC:
TwoMorrows Publishing.
ISBN 9781893905610.
Further reading
External links
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