Hello there my friends, old readers, new readers how is everyone doing? Wait hold that thought what's that in the sky? Is it a bird? No it's a plane! No! IT'S SUPERMAN!
A couple of day's ago Action Comics hit Issue 1000 and it also marked the 80th birthday of The Man Of Steel himself Superman! DA DADA DA DA, NAH NAH NAH, DA DADA DA DA, SUPERMAN!
There's so much history and inspiring things of Superman to cover however I just want to warn you that I won't be able to cover it all, I aim to bring you a condensed sort of celebration on Kal El. Please comment or message me your fave memories or moments of Superman at anytime!
Superman, The Man Of Steel, Kal El, The Last Son Of Krypton, Supes, The Kryptonian, Clark Kent or as one Billy Batson exclaimed Big Blue Cheese. Whatever term you use to call him, Superman is a worldwide icon. There's a lot of hero's out there today that we can relate to him in one way or another be it for his origins, his powers, his heroic's, his personality or something else he is one of if not the most popular superhero's ever created. Superman may also be just a fictional hero but he's also a highly inspiring figure to so many people of so many generations, he's inspired people not just from his comic heroics but also from his animated, movie, tv and game outings. Supes is such an instantly recognisable character just remember he's the symbol of hope.
When did I first see Superman? I think I was introduced to him via Christopher Reeve and from watching Superman movie on tv with my grandparents back when i was like 5 or 6 similarly I was introduced to Batman and Spiderman when I was the same age but what hero came first? I believe it was Spiderman but I could be wrong. If anyone is wondering if I liked Man Of Steel, BVS or Justice League or Henry Cavill as Superman the answer to all of them is YES! I also want to add I loved the Superman animated series and Justice League Unlimited.
In recent years Supes popularity has decreased somewhat with the increase in interest of Batman that has sprung up over the past decade but unlike Batman, Superman can still find a way to relate to his audience on several levels. Of course many say Supes is over powered and yes if the writers wanted him to be OP they would do it but they do not, they balance it well and they always have.
In Man Of Steel he could have killed Zod when he first met him if he chose to but Superman does not go all out in his strength or powers because Superman puts on himself mental barriers he does not want to kill anyone he was not raised a killer, he knows on Earth and with his powers that Humans are such a fragile race compared to him. The only time Superman will go all out is when he is enraged or if a particular opponent's strength calls for him to use all of his might to defeat.
Now you may think when I say that Supes holds back that possibly he held back against the likes of Doomsday hence why he was brutally killed by him but I'd argue that Superman to start held back but when he realised how strong, how brutal just how evil and uncontrollable the destroyer is he had to unleash his best to match Doomsday. Doomsday has protruding bones which can cut and pierce the skin of a Kryptonian and due to the amount of punctures and blood loss Supes suffered during their epic battle of ages Supes managed to kill Doomsday but also died due to his injuries.
If you want to see a great example of Superman going all out I highly recommend you see Superman Vs The Elite it's one of my all time favourite Superman animated films and there's a scene where Supes loses it admits to himself that he basically can't go easy on them but also he toy's with The Elite, saying how he needs to kill villains he see's it now and he must start with The Elite and he beat them one by one and he made it seem like he killed Manchester Black's friends when in reality he had his robots teleport them to The Fortress Of Solitude to be stripped of their powers and put behind bars and by doing so Superman taught everyone that you cannot solve problems by violence or killing because it is not the right way for justice and that Supes way is best for mankind. It's such an epic moment and fight honestly it's a must see for all Super fans out there.
Superman has not always been this OP god that some see him as, back in the 1930s when he was first introduced he could only leap great distances and he could run super fast and was also super strong there was none of the he can fly, he can breathe ice, he can see via x ray vision nor heat blasts from eyes he had three powers in his introduction and that was that until his powers got expanded upon in the Silver age of comics. His past and powers are always changing up a bit every decade there seems to be something new with him just because he has been around for 80 years does not mean every mystery with him has been explored and explained just yet.
Not only is Superman such an iconic character but his allies and love interest are too! Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Martha Kent, Johnathan Kent, Perry White, Lara Lang, Cat Grant, Kara Zor El, Superboy and Krypto. You surely know all of these and you will know them for starring along side Superman although some of them don't actually fly alongside Supes or fight crime with him but you get my point that these characters and their interactions in and around the world of Superman have made them stand out and as iconic as our man of steel. All of these characters have changed along with Superman through the years too.
When it comes to other superhero's or playing in teams Supes is typically the one everyone looks up to as the leader and Supes also generally takes the younger superhero's under his wing and tries to be a father figure of sorts to them and Superman can generally connect with other hero's from this world and others with ease which not many can do. Obviously the most dynamic and interesting friendship Superman shares is with The Caped Crusader himself Batman. They have many things in common and many things not in common it's what has made their friend/enemy relationship such on and off over the years.
One way to measure a hero is via his villains and Superman's are one of the best most known in pop culture. Superman's arch nemesis is Lex Luthor who unlike the alien god is only a human who is really smart which is crazy right who would have ever thought one of superman's biggest threats would be a human. Lex and Supes have not always been enemies, they have been friends also. Other enemies of Superman you will know are Doomsday, Bizarro, Metallo, Brainiac, Atomic Skull, Cyborg Superman, Darkseid, General Zod, Lobo, Mister Mxyzptlk (god i hope i spelt that right), Toyman and Grundy to name but a few. Each of Superman's rogue gallery challenges him in different ways it's what makes them all unique.
Superman has evolved time and time again over the years and he's kept on up with modern society and the cultures of the world and all this has allowed him to sustain his popularity and relevance for such a long time and it no doubt will continue to do so for 80 more years and hell even longer, perhaps he will last forever only time will tell.
It's crazy to think words like Kryptonite are quite common place in modern society and it's all thanks to DC to Action Comics to Superman!
Thank you Action Comics, Thank you DC and Thank You Superman for 80 years of iconic, influential and inspiring moments, hero's, stories, characters and hell even villains because why not give them a thank you aswell because who else puts over the hero's willingly eh? ;)
PHOTO CREDS TO DC, Warner Bros and ACTION COMICS.
Thanks for stopping by and reading, check out my blog for more!
