Writing for The Toronto Star, creator Ty Templeton considers why Superman’s popularity has endured for 70 years:
Throughout history, the supernatural creatures and gods of this world have been created and re-created in our image, and Superman is no exception. It’s the other secret of his staying power: his adaptability. In every era, he’s fought against whatever gives anxiety to that generation. And as he moves through history, he takes on the manners and attitudes of his fellow citizens and continues to be the modern American man. In the ’30s, he was a Depression-era brute, but a champion of the downtrodden masses who’d been handed a bad deal by the privileged classes and the world in general. His first stories were about corrupt senators and unsafe coal mines and wife-beating husbands. He was a Superman for the little guy.
In the ’40s, he took on a world war. Famously, in a 1943 issue of Look magazine, Superman abducts Stalin and Hitler and makes them take responsibility for the suffering they’ve caused. Throughout the ’50s and ’60s, Superman fought against technology and the sense of future shock Alvin Toffler said we were all feeling. Lex Luthor becomes a brilliant but evil scientist with no sense of morality, the ultimate villain for the space age.
The guest column is accompanied by a timeline looking at the roots of the Man of Steel and a link to an article about the recent copyright ruling.
April 14th, 2008 at 11:34 am
I’d come across early Supes stories/comic strips at my local library awhile back, so I checked some of them out. “Depression-era brute” isn’t far rom the truth, but there was a part of me that wishes we could see more of that “Superman for the little guy” again. I mean, corrupt politicians, unsafe coal mines, and abusive husbands… Are we talking about the 1930′s or TODAY?
I wouldn’t expect new stories to be told with the same simplicity as the tales of the 1930s, but I would like to see more of that side of Supes anyhow. With a little more contemporary “edge” perhaps. Not saying Superman should always be that, but some balance might be a good thing.
At least it would probably mean less of Supes getting his ass kicked by whatever super-powered threat he faces, no matter how much more powerful he should be. Same dilemma mentioned with Sentry in the review (on the main page) in the latest issue of FF. It’s exactly how I feel about Supes much of the time. His pitiful showing in the Sinestro Corps war (a story arc I otherwise loved) being one recent example.
April 14th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Yeah, even just an alternate-Earth/Elseworlds/whatever story with that version of Superman would be a kick. I really wonder why nobody has tried it- sure, it would be hard to fit in the current continuity, but it’s not like we had to worry about that with RED SON.
January 17th, 2011 at 6:24 pm
very nice blog