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Off My Mind: The Difficulties of Making Superman Cool

Superman is such an iconic character yet so many people don't think of him as a great comic book character.

Superman seems to be a tough character to work on. Even with the amazing teaser trailer released for Man of Steel, there are those that say they do not like the character. Superhero comics owe a lot to his existence. There may have been other comic book action heroes but it was Superman that started the spandex revolution. He was the one that rose above the other pulp characters and became an icon.

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Unfortunately for Superman, he's rarely chosen as being someone's favorite character. He has a strong place in comics and is part of DC's trinity of heroes along with Batman and Wonder Woman. He is an important character and does deserve to be at the top of the list of great characters. This just isn't the case. The question is, how come people don't like Superman?

== TEASER ==

Superman is too good

Superman is always rescuing kitties...
Superman is always rescuing kitties...

Superman is often seen as the ultimate boy scout. A lot of readers these days prefer the dark and gritty characters. In terms of popularity, Batman blows Superman away. Superman plays by the rules and as Clark Kent, his innocence oozes off the comic pages.

Perhaps it has to do with the fact that we all tend to have our flaws. None of us is perfect. Superman tends to do no wrong. His idealistic way might just be too far out there for readers to grasp. Superman is a 'goody-goody.' That's great when it comes to the world needing to be saved but too much good can get boring.

Superman is too powerful

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Superman should be the strongest character on Earth. He has an arsenal of superpowers and abilities. In the old days, he could even move planets. This is where the challenge comes for writers. They need to come up with stories to occupy Superman and villains that can provide a challenge. With all his superhuman abilities, it can become ridiculous when he struggles to defeat a two-bit villain.

Often Kryptonite needed to be brought in to provide a challenge. There was a time when practically all the bad guys could get a hold of some. Even Lex Luthor, Superman's most formidable opponent, needed to resort to using his one greatest weakness. But even that isn't enough to stop him. With his super-speed and supposed super-intelligence, Superman should be able to easily defeat anyone that comes his way.

Superman needs better villains

Who's this new villain? Who cares?
Who's this new villain? Who cares?

This is the tricky part. You can't just throw a bunch of villains that can compete with his strength. He is meant to be the strongest there is. Lex Luthor provided a challenge due to his intelligence and ability to come up with elaborate schemes. Besides Lex, what other great villains does Superman have? Brainiac should be used sparingly. The same applies to Darkseid and Doomsday. Besides them, who do we have? Toyman? Metallo? Mr. Mxyzptlk?

A hero's vilains define how great the stories can be. Batman and Spider-Man have a good set of villains. Even Flash has the Rogues. They, individually, can be seen as laughable but have always been portrayed with more depth than other villains. When Helspont appeared in SUPERMAN #6-8, we had the opportunity for another nemesis to be added to his rogues gallery. We'll have to wait and see if anything further on this pairing develops.

Superman needs better stories

Superman fighting an invisible alien...zzzzzz.
Superman fighting an invisible alien...zzzzzz.

Looking at the current series, there hasn't been one "great" issue of SUPERMAN since the New 52. We've seen him fight nameless aliens and other "new" villains. None of them have made an impact on readers. If we don't care who he's fighting, why would we care to read the comic? Looking back to pre-New 52, you could probably count the great Superman stories on one hand.

ACTION COMICS has been better only by giving us a slightly different look at Superman. Seeing a younger and more brash version of Superman has been interesting. But even Grant Morrison has struggled an issue or two in keeping the series at the top of the charts. At least it did give us something slightly new. That was one of the reasons of the New 52, right?

No Caption Provided

We'll soon be seeing some creative changes on both SUPERMAN and ACTION COMICS. There is a lot of pressure on them, at least there is from me. Superman is a great character and should have great epic stories. Superman should have a personality both when in costume and as Clark Kent. No one really wants to seem him depicted as a cold robotic hero. Superman deserves better and so do Superman fans.

Tony Guerrero is the Editor-in-Chief of Comic Vine. You can follow him on Twitter @GManFromHeck. He strongly believes that Superman comics should have super-stories.

286 Comments

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JohnnyWalker

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Edited By JohnnyWalker

superman has been pretty screwed in the new52. aquaman is doing better than him. jesus dc!

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samuel_larson_10

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Edited By samuel_larson_10

I want to see him be more brutal in combat. Use more heat vision and show less remorse, just to make it interesting

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modunhanul

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Edited By modunhanul

Without Grant Morrison, I don't think Action Comics is worth to read...

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THEBATFoE

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Edited By THEBATFoE

I love these things, hope you answer my twitter question for ask and ye shall receive!

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ximpossibrux

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Edited By ximpossibrux

Superman is not an interesting character. He literally is a mary sue character that always fights boring villains saves the day and flys into out space......

And even when they made this OP character have a end-all weakness, somehow he manages to beat the person who has his weakness! WTF how is he beating people who have kyptonite? its ridiculous.

So the OP character not being beaten by his weakness.....

1 word

Lame.

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saoakden

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Edited By saoakden

Superman is one of my favorite comic book characters and my favorite DC Character. I think Superman the comic book, could be a lot better, I can only imagine it can't be easy writing about Superman since his comics take place in the past & present. Maybe they can sit down and come up with a good story line where Superman fights Helspont again or someone else that can last a good number of issues like 5 or 6 issues. But make it creative or introduce a new villain that can give Superman a challenge like with Talon & Batman.

Seriously, they should come up with a good or a great storyline for the Man of Steel. Scratch that, make that a few stories. You know something wrong when Aquaman is doing better than Superman. No disrespect to anyone who works on Aquaman. Its good that Aquaman is becoming a more interesting character but it be cool if Superman's comics be as good as his fellow heroes. DC Comics if your reading this article and the comments, PLEASE MAKE A FEW GOOD STORIES FOR THE SUPERMAN BOOK & DON'T LET ACTION COMICS SUCK AFTER ISSUE 16!

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Night Thrasher

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Edited By Night Thrasher

I've been saying mostly this for years. I wonder if G-Man gets the $#!+storm that I get.

1. Superman is the strongest on DC EARTH. He'd be a lot cooler if he were cosmic and were matched up against some true threats.

2. His villains suck! Darkseid, Braniac, Parasite and Lex are cool. But, most of the rest suck! Toyman, Prankster, Intergang!?

3. I really don't mind the boy scout part of the equation. Strong values are a plus for me, not a negative. Captain America is one of my favorites and he's portrayed quite the same way. Doesn't really detract from me loving him.

4. DC seems to have a Superman solves everything policy. If DC would let off the reigns and let a writer cut loose and drag Superman through the mud, they'd be all the better for it. No more fanboy writers who rather write tribute stories for Superman and more "let's see how far I can push him" writers. Grant Morrison seemed to enjoy torturing the X-Men, but he handles Superman with kid gloves. C'mon Maaan!

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RainEffect

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Edited By RainEffect

This is absolutely spot on, and completely highlighted why I dislike Superman. He's a walking, two-dimensional god with unlimited power and no flaws. I mean, I prefer Wonder Woman more, because at least Wonder Woman has to deal with her latent grudge against humanity and consistently struggles with her origin that comes from a line of, well, mythological gods. 
 
Someone needs to come along and make Superman relevant again. I haven't read Action Comics, so I can't comment on his New 52 appearance, but as far as Pre-Flashpoint was concerned, Superman was just sheer annoying.

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TheAnnihilator

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Edited By TheAnnihilator

I'm just going to avoid this thread before it gets intense. Tomorrow, all hell will break loose here.

@RainEffect: Superman isn't any less two-dimensional than Batman. Batman has just been given better stories to make up for this, and a better supporting cast. Superman's only flaw is that he has to constantly worry about how he handles his power and that he's living in a world of cardboard, essentially.

People say Batman is inspiring for taking on people far stronger than him and never being scared. What's not inspirational about using your unfathomable powers to protect a place that isn't really your home? How many of us would really use his powers for such selfless purposes?

And honestly, an alien having all these abilities is about as likely as the premise behind Batman.

That's my only comment on the matter, goodbye everyone.

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TheElusiveNewReader

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I think they should just kill him off some how. If anyone here has read the wildcard books by George R.R. Martin (game of thrones guy) he could be like Jetboy, an inspiring martyr. I know this would upset most readers though. I've never see folks worship nostalgia like comic book readers :P Also no one stays dead in comics apparently

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moywar700

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Edited By moywar700

ooooh snnaaaps.

"Superman needs better villains"

shouldn't someone who has over 900 issues have a bucketloads of good villains?

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Kesho_Ronin

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Edited By Kesho_Ronin

I always loved superman.About "Superman is too good" that i would not change.beaces that goodness of his makes him superman."Superman is too powerfull" true but it can have a good effect if he had better villains.I always thought that if the make superman more like goku that would be just fine by me.

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the_stegman

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Edited By the_stegman  Moderator

I am really trying to restrain myself from going on a rant right now because these are the most common, and ignorant reasons to dislike Superman. 
 
-He's too "goody goody" and is a boyscout 
-He's too overpowered 
 
Both of these stem from ignorance from people who have probably either read really old Superman stories, or none at all and can be easily dis proven by simply READING A modern Superman story.   I hear it all the time how "Oh he's too powerful" I know, god forbid a character named SUPERman to be super, and if you read his stories you will see the dangers he faces, the enemies he encounters often times are just as, or more power than he is, yet he puts his life on the line, like all superheroes to defeat them anyway.As a side note, for the him being overpowered argument, I find it a bit odd that people always pair him up against Marvel's Thor and it's quite a heated debate over who would win, yet I never hear a "Thor is too powerful" complaint.  
 

 
As for the other two reasons, 
 
-Him having bad villains. 
  If the truth was the sun, this would be Pluto that's how far away it is from it. Lex Luthor to me is one of, if not THE greatest villain in comicbook history,How is in many ways symbolizes the worst in man, the greed, the deceptive nature, the distrust of others different and foreign to us, while Superman represents everything man can be, the good aspects, loyalty, respect, love, how Luthor is more than just an ''evil villain'' but rather believes he is truly doing the right thing by helping the world be rid of Superman and aliens like him. Just as the Joker is the opposite side of Batman, Luthor is the polar opposite of Superman (Sorry Bizarro) 
 then you have General Zod, Metallo, Brainiac, Darkseid. I mean besides Batman, Spider-Man and Flash, No other hero has such an interesting group of rogues. 
 
-Him having bad stories 
 
Red Son, All Star, Birthright, The entire New Krypton Arc, Death of Superman, Up, up and Away, Secret Origins, For the man who has Everything, Whatever Happened to the Man Of Tomorrow say otherwise. 
 
Superman to me is the single greatest and most influential character to ever burst from a comic book and has done more for superheroes than any other character I can think of. You can make fun of him, his morals, what he stands for, but at the end of the day, he is the greatest superhero to ever ''live'' and in my opinion does more than just fight crime, he inspires us (both the reader, and the fictional characters he interacts with) to be better, to strive for a better tomorrow, and I for one will always be a Super fan.

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SpideyFan113

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Edited By SpideyFan113

One would say that its so difficult to make Superman cool, its impossible. Oh wait, it is. >:)

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nrgb2814

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Edited By nrgb2814

@TheElusiveNewReader: Death of Superman ring any bells?

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NightFang3

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Edited By NightFang3  Online

Superman has a few good villains, but they've been written badly or overpowered to a point that it doesn't make sense how he could fight Darkseid or Imperiex who should be JLA\GL (CORPS) villains like the Anti-Monitor. Another problem is how powerful Superman is, the fact that he tagged the Flash and broke Hal's energy conduits proves my point.

I wonder what Scott Snyder could do with Superman.

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longbowhunter

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Edited By longbowhunter

I think Superman has one of the best groups of villains and supporting characters. It's just unfortunate that it takes a special talent to make 'em work in a story.

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ArtisticNeedham

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Edited By ArtisticNeedham

I'll have to read the rest tomorrow. Sounds really interesting. On the villain stuff: I liked Helspont as a bad guy, Superman didn't know who he was and seemed outmatched by his power and Helspont thought he could get Superman on his side. It was good. That is an interesting dynamic.

So Lex is Superman's greatest enemy right? He is the Joker for Superman. He is the opposite of Superman. Superman uses his brawn and power but isn't much of a thinker (although he does think) and Lex uses his mind mostly and has no powers at all and can't match Superman physically to save his life. Maybe thats how they can build his rogues gallery. Use that somehow.

To me the best Superman stories, and enemies, involve attacking him personally, and not his body. Attacking his ethics, his morals, his intentions. Like in that one episode of Superman cartoon show where that radio DJ who became Livewire was attacking Superman saying he was a glory hog and sort of twisting everything he says and does into being evil and wrong. I know they can't just make every villain a Lex Luther but maybe they can look at that somehow. Maybe change the stories by having Superman make it his new goal to not only stop criminals and super criminals but try to save them too, rehabilitate them and stuff. Not by Squadron Supreme brainwashing but by actually intervening. Like how Invincible was doing for a while in his comic. Superman can try to turn criminals into good guys somehow.

and I don't know if you talked about this in the article, yet, but I always saw Superman as a father figure type. Strong, wise, fatherly, and older (like in his late 30s to mid 40s) and I wanted to see Lois and Superman have a baby and for him to become an actual father. It would have become really interesting. She could have still been promoted to running her own news show. And then the story becomes how do they juggle their careers (Lois now producing her own news show) and being parents. How would Superman's priorities change? He, like Peter Parker has the weight of keeping every living thing on Earth safe riding on his shoulders, but now he must put his son or daughter first. So what happens when the world is in danger and only Superman can save the day but his baby needs him home? That was what I wanted to happen in Superman. Clark and Lois become parents. And I never got why people said he couldn't have kids with a human woman, its a comic. He can if they write it that way. And then, just like in the Fantastic Four (who had two kids) the kid can age into an 8 year old and stay that way as long as they want. And I am not saying the stories should all become about Superman being a dad, just having him now actually being a father would change the dynamic of the comic and make it interesting.

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ahgunsillyo

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Edited By ahgunsillyo

It isn't that "Superman needs better villains." Superman has a bunch of great villains already. The problem is that Superman needs better writers who can utilize these villains properly and make a case for these villains as a legitimate threat to Superman and the people of Metropolis.

Besides them, who do we have? Toyman? Metallo? Mr. Mxyzptlk?

For all three of these villains, all you need to do is watch "Superman: The Animated Series" to see legitimately good and compelling interpretations of these characters. The doll-faced version of Toyman, in particular, is genuinely creepy and disturbing.

No Caption Provided

Also, Metallo is voiced by Malcolm McDowell. How is that not thoroughly awesome?

One of the biggest problems with the New 52's relaunched Superman book is that for some reason, the writers of the book haven't been able to use any of the Superman's classic villains (as far as I know, Lex Luthor hasn't even shown up in that particular book). Perhaps because Grant Morrison's Action Comics takes place when Superman was in his relatively formative years, they at DC who make such decisions might have wanted to save all those characters for that book and left the writers of the Superman title to craft "new" and "cool" villains, which, if you think about it, is a huge challenge in general.

Most writers of superhero comics these days, be they DC or Marvel, haven't been very successful at all at creating new villains and having them stick around and stand among the ranks of already-established villains. Besides Scott Snyder's Court of Owls idea (which itself is still too new for us to know how prominent these villains will remain in the future), how many new Batman villains have remained prominent enough to be used after their introductory storylines? Hush is probably the only one I can remember. Who else would you include? Orca? I think not.

Even the writers at Marvel haven't really been entirely successful at introducing new villains into their universe. Matt Fraction tried but seemed to be ultimately unsuccessful at establishing The Serpent as a big, game-changing villain for both Asgard and the Marvel Universe at large. Other than that, I can't really think of any other new villains that were introduced in the past decade or so, though the heroes over at Marvel have arguably been too busy fighting each other over the past few years for that to really matter anyway.

BOTTOM LINE: Since this reboot is more-or-less a pretty fresh start for Superman, get better writers who can properly reintroduce the villains that Superman already has and utilize them in a compelling fashion. Better use of villains makes for better conflict, which makes for better stories, which makes for a better Superman.

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ThanosIsMad

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Edited By ThanosIsMad

Superman needs to deal with cosmic level threats more. His stories need to be as ridiculous as his power set. Have him go into another dimension, send him into a space casino, have him fight some random Hawaiian God, and then roll back into something like Parasite. Every villain Superman has encountered in the DCnU could've been compelling had they been done correctly, especially Anguish. But no, they trapped him within the confines of Metropolis. Same thing with the nanomachine alien thingies that made a copy of him.

All Star Superman, Morrison's JLA run, Joe Kelly's JLA run, and early 2000's Superman plots did his character justice, IMO. But after Infinite Crisis, the character has just fallen flat. DC needs to go back to that epic, ridiculous feel that requires someone to shoot down from space and then break Superman's jaw with a single punch. Have him cut a moon in half because Luthor got elected. Don't have him finish what should've been an epic fight with Helspont or a woman he can't touch in 22 pages, that's just ridiculous.

The best encounter Superman had since last September was against the creature he had to fight using TV screens. We need more of that, but more grandiose.

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hydro 300

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Edited By hydro 300
@The Stegman:  Thank you at least there is someone who really  understands the character , i am backing you up 100%.
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sethysquare

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Edited By sethysquare

Agreed.

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LastSonBackUp

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Edited By LastSonBackUp

@The Stegman said:

I am really trying to restrain myself from going on a rant right now because these are the most common, and ignorant reasons to dislike Superman. -He's too "goody goody" and is a boyscout -He's too overpowered Both of these stem from ignorance from people who have probably either read really old Superman stories, or none at all and can be easily dis proven by simply READING A modern Superman story. I hear it all the time how "Oh he's too powerful" I know, god forbid a character named SUPERman to be super, and if you read his stories you will see the dangers he faces, the enemies he encounters often times are just as, or more power than he is, yet he puts his life on the line, like all superheroes to defeat them anyway.As a side note, for the him being overpowered argument, I find it a bit odd that people always pair him up against Marvel's Thor and it's quite a heated debate over who would win, yet I never hear a "Thor is too powerful" complaint. As for the other two reasons, -Him having bad villains. If the truth was the sun, this would be Pluto that's how far away it is from it. Lex Luthor to me is one of, if not THE greatest villain in comicbook history,How is in many ways symbolizes the worst in man, the greed, the deceptive nature, the distrust of others different and foreign to us, while Superman represents everything man can be, the good aspects, loyalty, respect, love, how Luthor is more than just an ''evil villain'' but rather believes he is truly doing the right thing by helping the world be rid of Superman and aliens like him. Just as the Joker is the opposite side of Batman, Luthor is the polar opposite of Superman (Sorry Bizarro) then you have General Zod, Metallo, Brainiac, Darkseid. I mean besides Batman, Spider-Man and Flash, No other hero has such an interesting group of rogues. -Him having bad stories Red Son, All Star, Birthright, The entire New Krypton Arc, Death of Superman, Up, up and Away, Secret Origins, For the man who has Everything, Whatever Happened to the Man Of Tomorrow say otherwise. Superman to me is the single greatest and most influential character to ever burst from a comic book and has done more for superheroes than any other character I can think of. You can make fun of him, his morals, what he stands for, but at the end of the day, he is the greatest superhero to ever ''live'' and in my opinion does more than just fight crime, he inspires us (both the reader, and the fictional characters he interacts with) to be better, to strive for a better tomorrow, and I for one will always be a Super fan.

This post is absolutely spot on. No one really reads Superman comics, hence the ignorance that spews from their mouths is completely laughable.

People think Superman is overpowered, but not once do I hear "Thor is overpowered" or "Hulk is overpowered", considering they have no weaknesses. Hulk's personality disorder? That is dead. That's not an excuse as a "weakness" anymore. Thor's "pride"? That's the past too. Seriously, people need to think outside the box. I feel as though fans criticize without reading, and the comments on this page seem to solidify that point.

Guess what? If Superman just succumbed to every single piece of Kryptonite that was presented to him, how can the stories progress anywhere? *pulls out Kryptonite. Superman dies.* Really. That's what I'm reading from most of the comments posted on this page. Let's consider the fact that Superman has to struggle with his humanity and place in the world. Superman Grounded explored that. His place among the people of Earth that he loves and grew up with. No other character can capture that emotional tie to the people of Earth like Superman can. That's what I love about him. And in regards to Kryptonite, I'm pretty sure the YEARS of sun-exposure have given him the strength and the willpower to fight through it's radiation. Like you said, heaven forbid if a SUPERman is anything but. Lol. Ridiculous.

People really speak without having any knowledge on anything. I don't know how relevant Batman is to comic readers, or to society in general, or to anyone really. Spider-Man is relateable. He's a teenager, struggling with his love life with Mary Jane, and he happens to be a superhero who has to carry New York City on his shoulders. Kind of a lot to bare for a teenager. Superman? The hero that all of us inspires to be. A larger than life individual who portrays the goodness that all human beings can do. The type of people they can become. And yet he still struggles with his humanity and his place among the people. I love that sense of humanity that Superman has. Batman? Yeah, let me kill my parents real quick. Lemme get back to you. Lol. And walk through the shadows with my smoke pellets like a ninja. Seriously, Batman is the least relateable character. Hulk? Let's get mad. And I don't think people want to relate to multiple personality disorder. Thor? Gods do not exist. Unless you want to take the "pride" aspect of Thor into account, but even Thor proved how too much pride is bad. Way to go, Odin! Teach him a lesson! Lol. Seriously, the most relateable comic characters in existence are Superman and Spider-Man. People just don't read Superman comics, hence why they spew ignorance from their mouths.

And regarding Lex Luthor? I couldn't have said it better myself. Superman has an amazing rogues gallery. People just... I don't know. They just don't read Superman comics.

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RonaldReznick

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Edited By RonaldReznick

Superman is always at his best when he is struggling internally. His development is the most interesting thing about him. As unpopular as it might be to admit this, I love what Smallville did for the character. It displayed Supes struggling with being an all-powerful "God" essentially, and trying to maintain the moral stances that Ma and Pa Kent had instilled in him. Granted, the stories on Smallville could get out of hand quite easily, but there were some brilliant episodes that made the struggle seem much more the issue than the actual villains Supes was facing. That, to me, is what makes Superman so interesting. (Bruce Wayne's own struggle is interesting, don't get me wrong, but for me, it's always been the villains he faces that make his stories worth reading.)

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UltimateSMfan

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Edited By UltimateSMfan

@LastSonBackUp said:

@The Stegman said:

I am really trying to restrain myself from going on a rant right now because these are the most common, and ignorant reasons to dislike Superman. -He's too "goody goody" and is a boyscout -He's too overpowered Both of these stem from ignorance from people who have probably either read really old Superman stories, or none at all and can be easily dis proven by simply READING A modern Superman story. I hear it all the time how "Oh he's too powerful" I know, god forbid a character named SUPERman to be super, and if you read his stories you will see the dangers he faces, the enemies he encounters often times are just as, or more power than he is, yet he puts his life on the line, like all superheroes to defeat them anyway.As a side note, for the him being overpowered argument, I find it a bit odd that people always pair him up against Marvel's Thor and it's quite a heated debate over who would win, yet I never hear a "Thor is too powerful" complaint. As for the other two reasons, -Him having bad villains. If the truth was the sun, this would be Pluto that's how far away it is from it. Lex Luthor to me is one of, if not THE greatest villain in comicbook history,How is in many ways symbolizes the worst in man, the greed, the deceptive nature, the distrust of others different and foreign to us, while Superman represents everything man can be, the good aspects, loyalty, respect, love, how Luthor is more than just an ''evil villain'' but rather believes he is truly doing the right thing by helping the world be rid of Superman and aliens like him. Just as the Joker is the opposite side of Batman, Luthor is the polar opposite of Superman (Sorry Bizarro) then you have General Zod, Metallo, Brainiac, Darkseid. I mean besides Batman, Spider-Man and Flash, No other hero has such an interesting group of rogues. -Him having bad stories Red Son, All Star, Birthright, The entire New Krypton Arc, Death of Superman, Up, up and Away, Secret Origins, For the man who has Everything, Whatever Happened to the Man Of Tomorrow say otherwise. Superman to me is the single greatest and most influential character to ever burst from a comic book and has done more for superheroes than any other character I can think of. You can make fun of him, his morals, what he stands for, but at the end of the day, he is the greatest superhero to ever ''live'' and in my opinion does more than just fight crime, he inspires us (both the reader, and the fictional characters he interacts with) to be better, to strive for a better tomorrow, and I for one will always be a Super fan.

This post is absolutely spot on. No one really reads Superman comics, hence the ignorance that spews from their mouths is completely laughable.

People think Superman is overpowered, but not once do I hear "Thor is overpowered" or "Hulk is overpowered", considering they have no weaknesses. Hulk's personality disorder? That is dead. That's not an excuse as a "weakness" anymore. Thor's "pride"? That's the past too. Seriously, people need to think outside the box. I feel as though fans criticize without reading, and the comments on this page seem to solidify that point.

Guess what? If Superman just succumbed to every single piece of Kryptonite that was presented to him, how can the stories progress anywhere? *pulls out Kryptonite. Superman dies.* Really. That's what I'm reading from most of the comments posted on this page. Let's consider the fact that Superman has to struggle with his humanity and place in the world. Superman Grounded explored that. His place among the people of Earth that he loves and grew up with. No other character can capture that emotional tie to the people of Earth like Superman can. That's what I love about him. And in regards to Kryptonite, I'm pretty sure the YEARS of sun-exposure have given him the strength and the willpower to fight through it's radiation. Like you said, heaven forbid if a SUPERman is anything but. Lol. Ridiculous.

People really speak without having any knowledge on anything. I don't know how relevant Batman is to comic readers, or to society in general, or to anyone really. Spider-Man is relateable. He's a teenager, struggling with his love life with Mary Jane, and he happens to be a superhero who has to carry New York City on his shoulders. Kind of a lot to bare for a teenager. Superman? The hero that all of us inspires to be. A larger than life individual who portrays the goodness that all human beings can do. The type of people they can become. And yet he still struggles with his humanity and his place among the people. I love that sense of humanity that Superman has. Batman? Yeah, let me kill my parents real quick. Lemme get back to you. Lol. And walk through the shadows with my smoke pellets like a ninja. Seriously, Batman is the least relateable character. Hulk? Let's get mad. And I don't think people want to relate to multiple personality disorder. Thor? Gods do not exist. Unless you want to take the "pride" aspect of Thor into account, but even Thor proved how too much pride is bad. Way to go, Odin! Teach him a lesson! Lol. Seriously, the most relateable comic characters in existence are Superman and Spider-Man. People just don't read Superman comics, hence why they spew ignorance from their mouths.

And regarding Lex Luthor? I couldn't have said it better myself. Superman has an amazing rogues gallery. People just... I don't know. They just don't read Superman comics.

oh my god,there are others like me out there!!(diehard Superfans).....u guys nailed it!!

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I feel like people choose not to understand the character of Superman rather than actually giving reasons why he's not a good character. For people that are familiar with him, he is a good character if the right people have a good story for him. Up Up and Away by Geoff Johns was a good example as a way to make Superman a great character without diminshing who he is, same with Johns Braniac arc and the Legion of Superheroes arc! But that's not all, if anyone watched the newer Superman vs. the Elite movie, they illustrated why he's a good character, and its because he isn't willing to waiver on his morals of saving the world and people around him. Him being a goody to shoes doesn't hurt who he is, Spiderman and Captain America are the same way, it doesn't mean he's boring. It just means you know nothing about him and that you should maybe look into reading more on who the character is with some great storylines that show the character at his best.So to conclude, he isn't a bad character he just has bad writers who do very little to move him forward.

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kapitein_zeppos

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Here are a few ideas :

1) Baseline Superman can lift a car or a small truck, he can fly at subsonic speeds and can take a solid beating, but he'd still be hurt by an artillery shell. The sun fuels his powers and he has enough energy in him to keep his baseline powers going for a while. He can push himself, but it drains his "solar batteries" So we get a Superman who can perform silver age feats if necessary, but at a cost, he might be out of the game for days or weeks afterwards. No need to call for kryptonite all the time. There should be a limit to the amount he can fill it up again. Sun dipping might work for a quick boost, but too much might actually harm him.

2) The kryptonians were not nice people. Decadent, arrogant and nasty people who used their knowledge and powers to bully other civilisations. The galaxy was glad to be rid of them. Once Superman gets into contact with other aliens and they discover he's a Kryptonian, they treat him like he was spawned by Darkseid.

3) Superman needs a bit more controversy. He should make some mistakes early in his career, things that haunt him and help him find his moral compass and become a true heroic figure.

4) Superman should be the good and decent man set against people who solve problems by nuking a general area and claiming that "good people go to heaven anyway" You need to nuance Superman as a moral person vs callous vigilantes. There is no better trick than to make people cheer for the bad guy and leave them with a nasty taste afterwards for cheering an evil nazi maniac.

5) A portion of the public needs to distrust Superman. Part of Luthor's long term campaign against Superman is to use the media to create negative buzz around him, stir controversy and plant a bunch of conspiracy theories. Not the JJ Jameson vs Spider-Man crusade, but a kind of recurring theme, a sense of unease that doesn't go away no matter how many times Superman saves the day.

6) Superman has no super-powers manual. He doesn't know the exact extent of his powers and he may not know how to use them properly or he may have a bit of a problem when it comes to delicate or tricky situations. His heat vision doesn't always kick in as expected and it sometimes goes haywire if he doesn't concentrate. He does get better over time, but he is a man living in a world were everybody and everything is extremely brittle and every action requires his full attention and concentration. Superman doesn't know how invincible he is really is. Most of his powers have been trial and error and how can you tell you can resist an explosion or dive into lava ? Would you dare try ?

7) Clark Kent is in love with Lois Lane, but as per the "Man of Steel, woman of kleenex" writeup he is afraid of hurting her. Wonder Woman is an appealing alternative and they are drawn to each other, but there is a fundamental disconnect in their relationship, which tends to drive a wedge between them.

8) The Kents were wonderful parents, but they kept Clark isolated from the world, home-schooled him for fear his powers would go out of control. Clark grew up a lonely boy, who wanted to play with the other children. It's like having some crippling disease in reverse, knowing you can go out and play, but the danger of killing another kid with a poorly tossed baseball was too great a risk. So he spent most of his life worrying about his powers, learning to focus them and prove he could control them and use them in a positive way.

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I'm pretty sure that the writers on Superman have been taking waaaay too much heat for the misfires of late. Also, I hate how Superman's lack of success is often attributed to him being boring character. I don't buy it for a second.

Considering the high profile of the character we're talking about here, I'd wager that the biggest problem with Superman has to do with editorial, and non-creative money hungry executives or accountants who manage the Superman brand. They lure in recognizable writers that are basically brands as well - Grant Morisson, Dan Jurgens, Mark Waid, or whoever, so that they can slap their names onto a cover to move merchandise. Sure enough, despite getting credit for writing the thing on the dust jacket, the stories that the writer originally submitted are craptastically monkeyed with and dumbed down beyond recognition. Most likely, some yes man editor on the leash of some high ranking mucky muck at DC, who is on the leash of an overlord at Time-Warner, who is getting an earful of advice from their spouse, has gone in and turned it into an uninspired snoozer.

Of course, when the whole internet complains about Superman being boring (or too good, or not facing a good cast of villains, etc..) and their product doesn't sell, the writer gets taken out back and put down. No matter. The machine just goes out and dangles some more money in front of the next unlucky writer or creator that has made a name for themselves. Wash, rinse, repeat. Perhaps the best thing that could happen to Superman, is for DC to go bankrupt like Marvel did, and for lots of greedy suit and tie guys to get fired. Until something drastic like that happens, Superman will continue to be the preeminent comicbook graveyard for writers and creative people. That's the way I see it anyways. I mean, we've seen some pretty good writers with great track records in the industry not last very long on Superman of late.

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Manarg

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Image already predicted perfectly what would happen with a perfect being like superman. Boredom would eventually turn into a form of insanity. His mind and how he percieves humans would change over time and he would become his own worst enemy.

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DC is missing a grand opportunity where they can write a story about moral relativism. Having a being with such power and an unreproachable moral center would put him in the center of using his power to affect geopolitics around the world. He would feel the moral obligation of altering world events, famine, wars, terrorism, slavery, and children forced into warfare not to mention social imbalances such as class warfare, corporate crimes, and fanatical dictatorships. This would create upheaval with a wide varieties of communities (governments, religious groups, and organizations), who would start to push back. When the fate of the world is taken out of the hands of the people and given straight to a god. How would Superman cope from rejection? Some people would approve of some of his actions but not others. When you can't make the world happy and most of them have become jaded about your reputation but still feel the compulsion to do what you think is right even if it is subjective, what makes you go on to "save the day"?

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@The Stegman said:

I am really trying to restrain myself from going on a rant right now because these are the most common, and ignorant reasons to dislike Superman. -He's too "goody goody" and is a boyscout -He's too overpowered Both of these stem from ignorance from people who have probably either read really old Superman stories, or none at all and can be easily dis proven by simply READING A modern Superman story. I hear it all the time how "Oh he's too powerful" I know, god forbid a character named SUPERman to be super, and if you read his stories you will see the dangers he faces, the enemies he encounters often times are just as, or more power than he is, yet he puts his life on the line, like all superheroes to defeat them anyway.As a side note, for the him being overpowered argument, I find it a bit odd that people always pair him up against Marvel's Thor and it's quite a heated debate over who would win, yet I never hear a "Thor is too powerful" complaint. As for the other two reasons, -Him having bad villains. If the truth was the sun, this would be Pluto that's how far away it is from it. Lex Luthor to me is one of, if not THE greatest villain in comicbook history,How is in many ways symbolizes the worst in man, the greed, the deceptive nature, the distrust of others different and foreign to us, while Superman represents everything man can be, the good aspects, loyalty, respect, love, how Luthor is more than just an ''evil villain'' but rather believes he is truly doing the right thing by helping the world be rid of Superman and aliens like him. Just as the Joker is the opposite side of Batman, Luthor is the polar opposite of Superman (Sorry Bizarro) then you have General Zod, Metallo, Brainiac, Darkseid. I mean besides Batman, Spider-Man and Flash, No other hero has such an interesting group of rogues. -Him having bad stories Red Son, All Star, Birthright, The entire New Krypton Arc, Death of Superman, Up, up and Away, Secret Origins, For the man who has Everything, Whatever Happened to the Man Of Tomorrow say otherwise. Superman to me is the single greatest and most influential character to ever burst from a comic book and has done more for superheroes than any other character I can think of. You can make fun of him, his morals, what he stands for, but at the end of the day, he is the greatest superhero to ever ''live'' and in my opinion does more than just fight crime, he inspires us (both the reader, and the fictional characters he interacts with) to be better, to strive for a better tomorrow, and I for one will always be a Super fan.

Spot on. I don't need to add anything, not when an excellent summary such as this is posted that encapsulates my views on the matter

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Superman is my most favorite SuperHero and he will always remain my favorite Superhero.

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hyenascar

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So alright, let's play this game. I hate superman. He is a boy scout. I can't relate because as much as we want to be perfect, our life lessons are groomed on our many mistakes. So his squeaky clean attitude is lame on the merits of watching a character improve. I get that It's necessary, for his character to be this way for the ethos of DC. He fits a niche that dc has paved the rest of their infrastructure on. I also understand why many like him. Several people see him as an ascension above the pain and troubles dealt with on a daily occurrence. We deal with an abundance of worship of "super" men in every aspect of society, whether it be sports, music, art, or whatever. We idolize those that can do what we only wish we could do. I can understand your fascination.

But here is where this whole idea loses steam. Absolute power, corrupts absolutely. It's not just a clever statement or quip, it is a look into our psychology. The one with power is the one who decides societal norms and cultural influences.(i.e Huns, Greeks, Romans, English, Americans, Superboy Prime anyone,etc) It would stand to reckon he would try to force changes to improve the world in his sights, to which other heroes would take an exception. Which might be a comic I would read of his.

For a good story to have any bite, it needs conflict. Well, superman is overpowered for most of the villains he fights, which makes his stories without any real conflict. It does not matter how you argue it , no real consequence = no conflict= bad story. Which lends to the many cries i've heard for a while, for Superman to be more cosmic oriented. The most fun i've had reading his comic were in fights with monghul or Darkseid.

Maybe in the long run what superman needs, is a smart author who is not such a big superman fan,who is going to write a strory with their favorite villain. Maybe someone who can write him a story that truly puts him in peril. Why was court of owls such a big hit. Bruce Wayne, actually experienced self doubt, and batman was beaten repeatedly. He had to overcome and improve himself. Been a while for Supes. Give me a beaten superman, then we will see the true character of the "man". After all everyone can be heroic without controversy.

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TOMBSTONE999

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I don't think Superman is overpowered. That is a bit of a stretch considering the numerous other cosmic characters or even mostly Earth-bound characters like the Hulk. The Hulk has the potential for unlimited strength and durability. Just ask his fanboys. I have read Superman comics but very few of his regular story arcs excite me. Don't get me wrong. I want to like Superman. When I was a kid he was top of my list. I just find other characters more interesting now. To me the best version of Superman was in the JLU cartoon series. The writers made him interesting to me again. Maybe it was because of his place in the group dynamic.

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hyenascar

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@TOMBSTONE999:

He as fast as the fastests DC characters.He is maybe one of the strongest. He has strongest hearing and vision. He can incinerate things with his eyes. Freeze things with his breath. See through evertything besides lead.(what a weird limitation.) If that is not overpowered, you sir, might need to look into what the average hero can do. Comparing him to cosmic entities,gods, etc, to garner a since of scale and you are trying to tell me he is still not overpowered.

Going to be hard to reason past that.

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davidgrantlloyd

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Another difficulty is that much of the Superman fanbase often seem divided regarding what they want out of "great" Superman story.

I'm really hoping Lobdell and Rocafort have a lot of creative freedom and can save the Superman title from stagnating.

As for Action Comics, I'm sure we can all agree that whoever takes over after Morisson leaves will have some big shoes to fill. It would be great to see Scott Snyder's name on the cover of #17.

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sethysquare

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@Lvenger: @UltimateSMfan said:

@LastSonBackUp said:

@The Stegman said:

I am really trying to restrain myself from going on a rant right now because these are the most common, and ignorant reasons to dislike Superman. -He's too "goody goody" and is a boyscout -He's too overpowered Both of these stem from ignorance from people who have probably either read really old Superman stories, or none at all and can be easily dis proven by simply READING A modern Superman story. I hear it all the time how "Oh he's too powerful" I know, god forbid a character named SUPERman to be super, and if you read his stories you will see the dangers he faces, the enemies he encounters often times are just as, or more power than he is, yet he puts his life on the line, like all superheroes to defeat them anyway.As a side note, for the him being overpowered argument, I find it a bit odd that people always pair him up against Marvel's Thor and it's quite a heated debate over who would win, yet I never hear a "Thor is too powerful" complaint. As for the other two reasons, -Him having bad villains. If the truth was the sun, this would be Pluto that's how far away it is from it. Lex Luthor to me is one of, if not THE greatest villain in comicbook history,How is in many ways symbolizes the worst in man, the greed, the deceptive nature, the distrust of others different and foreign to us, while Superman represents everything man can be, the good aspects, loyalty, respect, love, how Luthor is more than just an ''evil villain'' but rather believes he is truly doing the right thing by helping the world be rid of Superman and aliens like him. Just as the Joker is the opposite side of Batman, Luthor is the polar opposite of Superman (Sorry Bizarro) then you have General Zod, Metallo, Brainiac, Darkseid. I mean besides Batman, Spider-Man and Flash, No other hero has such an interesting group of rogues. -Him having bad stories Red Son, All Star, Birthright, The entire New Krypton Arc, Death of Superman, Up, up and Away, Secret Origins, For the man who has Everything, Whatever Happened to the Man Of Tomorrow say otherwise. Superman to me is the single greatest and most influential character to ever burst from a comic book and has done more for superheroes than any other character I can think of. You can make fun of him, his morals, what he stands for, but at the end of the day, he is the greatest superhero to ever ''live'' and in my opinion does more than just fight crime, he inspires us (both the reader, and the fictional characters he interacts with) to be better, to strive for a better tomorrow, and I for one will always be a Super fan.

This post is absolutely spot on. No one really reads Superman comics, hence the ignorance that spews from their mouths is completely laughable.

People think Superman is overpowered, but not once do I hear "Thor is overpowered" or "Hulk is overpowered", considering they have no weaknesses. Hulk's personality disorder? That is dead. That's not an excuse as a "weakness" anymore. Thor's "pride"? That's the past too. Seriously, people need to think outside the box. I feel as though fans criticize without reading, and the comments on this page seem to solidify that point.

Guess what? If Superman just succumbed to every single piece of Kryptonite that was presented to him, how can the stories progress anywhere? *pulls out Kryptonite. Superman dies.* Really. That's what I'm reading from most of the comments posted on this page. Let's consider the fact that Superman has to struggle with his humanity and place in the world. Superman Grounded explored that. His place among the people of Earth that he loves and grew up with. No other character can capture that emotional tie to the people of Earth like Superman can. That's what I love about him. And in regards to Kryptonite, I'm pretty sure the YEARS of sun-exposure have given him the strength and the willpower to fight through it's radiation. Like you said, heaven forbid if a SUPERman is anything but. Lol. Ridiculous.

People really speak without having any knowledge on anything. I don't know how relevant Batman is to comic readers, or to society in general, or to anyone really. Spider-Man is relateable. He's a teenager, struggling with his love life with Mary Jane, and he happens to be a superhero who has to carry New York City on his shoulders. Kind of a lot to bare for a teenager. Superman? The hero that all of us inspires to be. A larger than life individual who portrays the goodness that all human beings can do. The type of people they can become. And yet he still struggles with his humanity and his place among the people. I love that sense of humanity that Superman has. Batman? Yeah, let me kill my parents real quick. Lemme get back to you. Lol. And walk through the shadows with my smoke pellets like a ninja. Seriously, Batman is the least relateable character. Hulk? Let's get mad. And I don't think people want to relate to multiple personality disorder. Thor? Gods do not exist. Unless you want to take the "pride" aspect of Thor into account, but even Thor proved how too much pride is bad. Way to go, Odin! Teach him a lesson! Lol. Seriously, the most relateable comic characters in existence are Superman and Spider-Man. People just don't read Superman comics, hence why they spew ignorance from their mouths.

And regarding Lex Luthor? I couldn't have said it better myself. Superman has an amazing rogues gallery. People just... I don't know. They just don't read Superman comics.

oh my god,there are others like me out there!!(diehard Superfans).....u guys nailed it!!

See guys, I think you all might have mistaken the article. I don't think the article is trying to bring Superman down, but rather its trying to tell us why it is so difficult to write a good superman story. And if anything the past 11 issues of Superman proves that. I think thats what Gman is trying to say. Superman deserves better stories and the past 11 issues of Superman just does not seem to make it. We all know there are tons of great Superman villains out there. If you guys hang around Superman forums, you guys will know I'm kinda always there because I'm a huge fan. But even I can't help but be disappointed by some of the Superman comics and I think DC is right to switch out the writers because perhaps at this point of time, Jurgens or Perez just isn't suited to write Superman now.

Gman is right. I don't care about invisible alien or anguish or predator. Hellspont just used Superman as a platform went into his usual wildstorm mojo. Where are all the great underused Superman villain? Why can't we just have some of that?

What Gman said is true, Superman was too powerful in the silver age. Kryptonite was found readily everywhere. Superman was too much of a boyscout that he became one dimensional. Which is why all the great stories have him in some kinda conflict. Look at All Star Superman, the current AC, Secret Origins, Whats so funny about the truth, justice and the american way, earth one, kingdom come. All of them have Superman in some kinda conflict with himself, with someone or the public. Thats what we need. Good Stories. Which is why I'm hoping Scott Lobdell can do something to change that.

One thing that I disagree with the article is that Superman indeed has plenty of iconic villain.

General Zod, Metallo, Brainiac, Lex Luthor, Doomsday, Darkseid, Toyman, Parasite.

But outside of these, it seems like alot of writers tend to look over the other great villains Superman has. What about Livewire, Bloodsport, Neutron, Conduit, Kryptonite Man, Jax Ur, Emil Hamilton?

As far as I have known, reading the past few year's stories, these great villains that could have been recurring villains did not recur in any way. I'm not even talking about Imperiex or Mongul. But many of these villains are so under developed and I don't know why. But I have high hopes for Scott and I think he would do great taking over Superman from what he has been saying about Superman. Lets hope for the best. I'm subscribing to Gman's food for thought.

Superman comics should have super-stories.

And the current team isn't cutting it. Lets hope it gets better.

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Superman is my favourite superhero but its hard to defend him sometimes. I only buy the books because it's superman. I like action comics but the superman book is terrible. I don't want to blame the writers cause apparently it's hard to write a good superman story, especially when nobody cares about him that much anymore.

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kagato

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Ive got to admit it, i was pretty cold on Superman until the arrival of Smallville and even then, i liked that take on him more than the overpowered character he was based on. Its not that Superman is a bad character, he just isnt relateable to me or many other readers, at least when you think of Batman or Green Lantern, even The Flash, these are all characters who where human first and then became heroes either by gaining powers or building themselves weapons etc to fight crime.

Ive actually been enjoying Grant Morrisons run on Action Comics and ive been reading Superman hoping it would eventually heat up which now that Lobdell is on it might just happen. My hope is that Lobdell can develop more feeling in the character they way Morrison has, that hes not just some god like figure who cant be touched, but that we see something more of his personal life.

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I will admit in advance that I am extremely biased on this subject. To me Superman is the epitome of a hero - not just a superhero. He is selfless and caring, and always willing to do what is right - even when it makes Clark's life painful.

Let's face it. We live in a dark world. Society is more entertained by dark ideas and personas - i.e. Batman. As long as darkness is the norm, Superman will fail to be the most loved. I just hope he keeps striving to be that beacon of light.

In my opinion, the only way to make Superman comics good again is to go the sci-fi route. Nothing on earth is powerful enough to take him on. Helspont, Mongul, Lobo, Darkseid and many others could be hatching plots against earth (I guess they need a hook of some kind) that only Superman could address. Make Superman the true protector of Sector 2814!

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It's hard to back Superman sometimes when DC keeps screwing him over... They need to take a good look at this article and really make some changes.

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sethysquare

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@brightstarr731 said:

I will admit in advance that I am extremely biased on this subject. To me Superman is the epitome of a hero - not just a superhero. He is selfless and caring, and always willing to do what is right - even when it makes Clark's life painful.

Let's face it. We live in a dark world. Society is more entertained by dark ideas and personas - i.e. Batman. As long as darkness is the norm, Superman will fail to be the most loved. I just hope he keeps striving to be that beacon of light.

In my opinion, the only way to make Superman comics good again is to go the sci-fi route. Nothing on earth is powerful enough to take him on. Helspont, Mongul, Lobo, Darkseid and many others could be hatching plots against earth (I guess they need a hook of some kind) that only Superman could address. Make Superman the true protector of Sector 2814!

not true. How about all the great villains like Lex Luthor, Metallo, Toyman, Parasite, Krytonite Man? Superman himself is a very earth bounded hero. You can't keep putting him in space or do scifi stuff. All of his greatest stories, just so happen to be very grounded.

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Jayso4201

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Edited By Jayso4201

Good article! This has been discussed by many of us for a very long time but I think at the end of the day you have to love the boy scout he is what keeps the balance in the DCU. He keeps WW and Bats from going to far off the deep end and reminds us what the difference is between right and wrong. He is the ultimate source of light in the DCU and shouldn't have to be brought down to a lower level to be viable. Maybe if anything like Brainiac and Darkseid he should be used more sparingly as a power house that is brought in when things are at their darkest. Just a thought.

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lasercurve

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Edited By lasercurve

The boy scout argument isn't particularly valid because that's Superman's unique selling point, he's the saintly good guy, that's what makes him who he is. You can't compare him to a character like Batman because it's Batman's USP to be dark and gritty, not Superman. And it's that inherent 'goodness' that makes Superman great, he has the capacity to inspire people to be the better man and to give hope of a better tomorrow. He doesn't think the human race is petty or mean or awful, he thinks we're beautiful and amazing and capable of anything. He makes the decisions people can't and he even literally creates miracles. Heck he's cured terminal diseases and saved a girl with a hug. He is the very personification of hope. Put simply: He’s the best of us. Stripping away everything else, at his deepest core, Superman represents the humanity, the heart, that can change the world. He’s what we could be if only we never backed down. If we did what we knew was right, listened and were willing to change our minds, and generally acted from the heart after carefully and honestly weighing options, even if we disagreed with them.

And of course, being such a superpowerful being helps him in accomplishing these feats.

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Eyz

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Edited By Eyz

When being "too good" is a bad thing... sigh "nowadays"....

I really think that the problem is simply the villains. A hero is only as god as his villains his. Case in point: Spider-man, Batman,..!!!

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KMART4455

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Edited By KMART4455

This is a great article.. It really does touch on a lot of reasons superman is the way he is with fans.

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Manwhohaseverything

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What I've always found, is Superman's "Elseworlds" andMini/Maxi Series (Red Son, Birthright, The Nail, All-Star, etc, etc....) is what they tend to save all their "good ideas" for.  The next time someone has a good idea for a Superman mini/maxi series. DC should say "Wait, can we use this as an arc for his regular series?"

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z3ro180

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Edited By z3ro180

great read. As a Superman fan i do feel that the current self titled seris is not as good as it should be i have only read the first three issues they were ok but not bad, but AC has been good. So DC stop milking the batman cow and start doing right be the first super hero

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bingbangboom

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Edited By bingbangboom

Totally agree. I also hate when people say he is the best because he has so many powers. His pain is that his planet blew up. People he didn't even know. How is that his pain and torment? He has always lacked in his rogues gallery and doesn't even have one. Just meh. Super-meh.

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pspin

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Edited By pspin

Even my friend who doesn't read comics doesn't like Superman because he is too good of a person.

I think that his "goodness" is not a bad thing, it sets him apart from the other "darker" heroes. He is that guy who always tries to find the best part of a person or situation even though he always sees people at their worst. If a writer turned Superman darker, everyone would flip out and hate it, if they need to change anything, change his power level or his villains.