Superman

=SUPERMAN: a closer look=

Superman

According to “Dictionary.com” a Superman means; “ an ideal superiorbeing [|who] attains happiness, dominance, and creativity.” Superman is a fictional action hero who was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1932. Superman was originally created to be a villain; however, only one series in the short story, “The Reign of Superman” was published. Joe Shuster wa very upset, took this to heart, and burned all the copies that had been made. Later the team regained their hope, and created new ideas. While they were apart, Siegel’s dad was killed in an armed robbery at the store where he worked. Siegel was devastated. The two men, Jerry and Joe regrouped to form a new super hero. They called this super hero Superman! He was no longer a villain, but more a national crime fighter. A lot of people think this change in character had something to do with the death of Jerry Siegel’s dad. However if that’s the case or not, this comic grew to be a hit! This superhero was later bought by a company called DC Comics. Prior to the comic book advertising, Superman became a national icon for justice. He was seen on cereal boxes, lunch boxes, Television commercials, Halloween costumes, and his theme song played on the radio. Every child and some grown ups fantasized aboutbeing “just like Superman.” The TV show was first broadcast in June 1938. The television series was originally made about a baby who got sent here from another planet called Krypton. Before the planet Krypton was destroyed his “scientist father” sent him to Earth where he was found by a young Kansas couple. There they would raise him as Clark Kent. He started showing superhuman powers very early and decided to use them for the good of mankind. He didn’t want anyone knowing he was Superman, so he had an alter ego (Clark Kent), who worked as a news reporter. Many people related to this Superhero because he was an ordinary man during the day, but when evil came, he turned into a crime-fighting machine. The metaphor Siegel and Shuster were trying to get across to their audience was even ordinary people can do extrodinary things.

Table of contents:
1. History and background 2. costumes 3. media 4. Analysis

1. History and Background

Superman was created in 1933 as a villain in a comic strip called, “The Reign of Superman.” He was a telepathic super villain who was trying to take over the world. It was a 48 page, black and white comic strip that only went through the printers once. Critics told Siegel and Shuster that their comic creation didn’t have a future. Shuster, in rage, burned all the comic strips that were left in the edition. Siegel saved only the cover before it was ruined. This caused huge tension between the two men, later resulting in a split. While the two men were separated due to their fight, Jerry Siegel’s dad was murdered in an armed robbery at his shop. The two men came together again and envisioned a new Superman. They changed the whole outlook they had of him from before and created a superhero; someone who was bullet proof, fought crime and stood for justice. Many people would agree that the death of Siegel’s father played an important role of this newly created Superman. As stated by Meltzer, “America did not get Superman as a memoir from any of our greatest legends, but because a boy lost his father.” Superman was created in a science lab on a planet called Krypton. The planet was going to be destroyed but before it could evaporate, the scientist sent him rocketing down to earth. There, he was found by a young Kansas couple that took him in and named him Clark Kent. ( the writers, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster gave the character that name after their two favorite actors; Clark Gable and Kent Taylor.) When Superman wasyoung he started noticing his extra terrestrial powers. After seeing a few robberies, Clark decided to use his powers for the good of mankind. As stated by Meltzer, “Superman came not out of strength but out of vulnerability.”

2. Superman’s Costumes Throughout the Years

When Superman was originally created, he wore the notorious red, blue, and yellow. Since his costume was supposedly indestructible, the authors created his clothes out of leftover rocketship pieces from his ship when he landed. He had a blue body suite with a red Speedo, red boots, a yellow belt, a red cape and the famous red and yellow “S” on his chest. Early on in Superman’s career, the S was very small, but as time went on it got bigger and bigger. The shape the “S” is inside of was originally made to be a sheriff’s badge; however this changed overtime as it became more and more loved by our country.



3. Superman in the Media

Since the 1940’s, Superman has become an icon for America. First it started with the comic books. Over $418 million dollars worth of comic books were sold. DC comics reached their 700th issue in June 2010. Having the book be such a success, they decided to turn it into a cartoon. This resulted in hundreds of different shows and movies evolving around Superman throughout the years. Knowing the show, everyone knew the theme song, which played continuously on the radio. Cereal boxes were covered with Superman’s “S”, face, body and muscles, theme parks like Six Flags have rides with Superman’s name in more then 15 countries. He continues to be popular because he is someone we can all relate to; yet still call a role model. Superman is an icon that will continue to grow throughout many future generations.

4. Analysis

Whether he’s fighting crimes or working in the office, Superman will always be someone we can relate to. He worked hard in the office to support his adopted parents and make a living for his cover up identity. This was very similar to the 50’s-now. We all have jobs and even if they’re not the best, you’re doing it for something bigger then yourself. I think most people, would agree that superman changed the lifestyle of many homes. Since Superman a good citizen of a town and tried to prevent evil, he had a big impact on the earlier generations. More people read then than they do now partially because everything is made into movies. Superman was the longest lasting comic book series of the 90’s. Ever since our generations started changing and becoming more technologically advanced, the old Superman is slowing dying out. We would rather watch Batman or Spider man killing and doing violent actions; that’s one thing the authors made sure Superman would never do. He was a very humble superhero that was everywhere in the media. He was on cereal boxes, the radio, his costumes were in Halloween stores, and he was all over television! One reason Superman did not hold up to this day on TV is because the entertainment now is not like it used to be. We spend millions of dollars on Super-Bowl commercials, the Olympics and any other things having to do with sports. Our role models now, are athletes and celebrities. We do not look up to fictional characters anymore because our world has changed so much. Studies proved our generation has less imagination then previous years. Face it; we love violence and action. Every good movie out has someone dying or being murdered. Superman did not use that kind of violence and therefore died out due to popularity. He also brought races together. Most people do think a cartoon/ comic book character could do this. Clark Kent had African-American’s working with him in his office everyday. They were Co-workers and did not have one problem with each other. This brought families and neighbors closer and gave the African-American community a sense of hope. Seeing Superman’s co-workers colored like they were, little African- American children knew what they could accomplish. Getting a job and supporting their families like Superman’s friends on TV, it gave them hope and security. We have a black president now. A lot of the way we grow up comes from the things we surround ourselves by. Obama said in an interview last year that he watched superman all the time when he was growing up, because it was the only superhero he related to. Our country will forever change. No person, nor character, are perfect. We all will have flaws, bad days, get angry, and have a few regrets. When I read about Superman he showed me it was not how many mistakes you’ve made, mean you’ve been, or how many times you mess up; its about how you handle the situations in the end that will always prove how strong someone is, and over power any flaw. Superman might not be the greatest superhero of all time, but he is, and will ALWAYS be, someone we can relate and look up to.