RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Comic Books R3PO: Bloody Superman

With the recent debates over pre-crisis vs. post-crisis Superman stories, many fans (of the Silver Age) complain that the modern Superman is a whiny weakling. Someone who gets hurt and maybe feels bad about things and himself every once in awhile.
The thing is, that's the classic hero.
The story of good and evil has rarely ever been the black and white stories of the Silver Age. Heroes are meant to represent an aspect that exists in the everyman. The part that sees wrong and does right.
Power: A Superman who never sweats or bleeds is not a hero, he's a god who helps out. When Superman can be hurt by an energy blast (albeit very powerful) it shows that there is risk for him. That he is putting himself on the line. The Superman who feels human emotions and internal strife over the burden of his power, is the Superman who overcomes these everyday struggles because he has a job to do.
Villain: When Superman was created, he was meant as a social crusader. He was FDR with powers far beyond those of normal men. Superman was the "New Deal." He knocked down condemned buildings to force the government to build new ones, he fought corruption and science gone wrong. In the 1940's that was the big fear, science. So it makes sense that his greatest foes would start as a scientist. In fact there were many generic scientists in the early days, Lex Luthor just happened to catch on. He represented the danger of science out to destroy us, the opposite of Superman in his suit and tie.
But then came the Silver Age. The stories became a characterture of themselves. Something silly to churn out in return for a paycheck. Lex Luthor was the most brilliant mind on Earth, who never could manage to change out of his prison suit. Then Lex started to wear Green and Purple battle armor. No longer Superman's opposite, he was just another villain.
Then came the 80's. No matter what your views on Byrne and the revamp are, you gotta admit that this Lex was back to his roots. He was Superman's opposite once more. A man who was selfish and greedy...and untouchable. Where superman respected the law, Luthor always stayed a step ahead of things. He became the embodiment of Superman's "neverending" battle.
This reminds me of a story from Plato about two men. One a dishonest and vile man. He was rich, beloved, and successful in his life. The second man was honest and pure. He was falsely accused of a crime and spent his life being tortured in prison. But, beneath it all, the honest man was happier. Because he knew it could only get better, because he had dones nothing wrong. Whereas the dishonest man knew that everything he had could be lost in an instant.
How that relates to Superman is obvious. Luthor is beloved by the community, he rules a literal empire, and has power over millions of lives. Superman is always struggling, burdened with responsibility of a task that will never be complete. But, like the two men in the story, the harder life turns out to be better. Superman can take pride in every victory, no matter how small. Luthor can never feel complete as long as he has one failure. And Superman is loved for genuine reasons, Lex is loved for a false persona he puts out. There's no big reveal for Lex. Nothing he can do to show people that Superman is evil. However, Luthor knows that the second he slips up, he'll fall.
So, while Luthor sleeps securely in his highrise, he doesn't sleep peacfully.
Crying Superman and Pathos So, his parents aren't dead and he seems to whine. This is another complaint about the post-crisis Superman. First off, does someone's parents have to die for them to be a good person?
Yes, Superman does seem more emotional now than before. But the difference really lies in storytelling. Simply put, characterization is considered a priority nowadays. Comics are mainly written for adults or children with some degree of intellect. Therefore they need to be good stories not just "things that happened today." Name any good novel or story you've read without it. So, Superman has been shown crying. It's in private, during stressful times, and he's stoic in public and in battle. So, his dignity is intact and his pride is unquestionable.

I like the Byrne Superman, of all of the versions. Getting knocked out by the Fearsome Five, and hammered by the Joker's nuclear bomb, gave him reasonable limitations.

I think most people complain because of the characterisation, if I understand it.

I see the SUPERman and the superMAN as options and I like both of them a lot. I grew up reading the post-Crisis and later on I discovered the Silver Age version.
In general, I think Silver Age comics were more honest than Modern Age comics. I mean, there's stuff done in the Modern Age that tops anything done in the Silver Age, but if you take a random Silver Age comic and compare it to a random mainstream Modern Age comic, the Silver Age one is more 100 times enjoyable.
Maybe I have this impression because when I was growing up stuff like Spawn and Youngblood was flooding the market and, although the art was "cool", the plots were too fucking stupid, even for an 8 year old like I was.

Back to SUPERman and superMAN, what I don't get is people who diss a creator for choosing one option over the other. They're both valid in my book.

By "Silver Age" do you mean the 60's, 70's, or early 80's? Cause they were worlds apart in terms of style and story structure.

Never read any Superman comic from the early 80's.

I still say the animated series blows the comic out of the water.

The animated series was great. I really think Dini/Timm got Batman and Superman right.

They got Darksied down to a T, too.