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This article is about the character. For other uses, see Superman (disambiguation).

Superman is a fictional character and one of the most famous and popular comic book superheroes of all time. American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster created Superman in 1932 while both were growing up in Cleveland, Ohio. Siegel and Shuster sold Superman to Detective Comics Inc. in 1938, the same year Superman debuted in Action Comics #1 (June 1938). The character has since appeared in radio serials, television programs, films, comic books, newspaper strips and video games, contributing to his long-standing ubiquity.

Superman is born Kal-El on the alien planet Krypton, and is rocketed to Earth as an infant by his scientist father moments before the planet's destruction. The rocket lands on Earth, where the child is found by passing motorists who adopt him and give him the name Clark Kent. As Clark reaches maturity, he learns that he has superhuman abilities, which he resolves to use to help others, fighting anything from petty crime to universal threats. He becomes Earth's champion, with the media giving him several nicknames including "The Man of Steel", "The Man of Tomorrow", and "The Last Son of Krypton". To keep his identity secret when not fighting evil as Superman, Clark lives among humans as a "mild-mannered reporter" for the Metropolis newspaper The Daily Planet (called the Daily Star in original stories). Clark works alongside reporter Lois Lane, with whom he is romantically involved (and whom he marries in the current mainstream comics continuity).

History

Creation

The first Superman character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster was not a hero, but a villain. Their short story "The Reign of the Superman", from Science Fiction #3 (1933), a science fiction fanzine that Siegel published, was set during the Great Depression of the time and featured a bald-headed villain, with super mental powers, bent on dominating the world.

Jerry re -wrote the character in 1933 as a hero, bearing little or no resemblance to his villainous namesake, and began a six-year quest to find a publisher. Initially titled The Superman, Siegel and Shuster created a comic book story and offered it to Consolidated Book Publishing, who at that time had published a 48 page black and white comic book entitled Detective Dan: Secret Operative No. 48. Although they received an encouraging letter, Consolidated never published in the comic book market again. Shuster took this to heart, and destroyed all pages of the story, the cover surviving only because Siegel rescued it from the fire. Siegel and Shuster have both reported this version of the character as being comparable to Slam Bradley, a character the pair created in 1937 for the first issue of Detective Comics.

By 1934 the pair had once more re-envisioned the character. He became more of a hero in the mythic tradition, inspired by such characters as Samson and Hercules, who would right the wrongs of Siegel and Shuster's times, fighting for social justice and against tyranny. It was at this stage the costume was introduced, Siegel later recalling making the suggestion that they create a "kind of costume and let's give him a big S on his chest, and a cape, make him as colorful as we can and as distinctive as we can." The design was based in part on the costumes worn by characters in outer space settings published in pulp magazines, as well as comic strips such as Flash Gordon, and also partly suggested by the traditional circus strong-man outfit. However, the cape has been noted as being markedly different from the Victorian tradition, Gary Engle describing it as without "precedent in popular culture" in Superman at Fifty: The Persistence of a Legend. The pants-over-tights outfit was soon established as the basis for many future superhero outfits. This third version of the character was also given extraordinary abilities, although this time of a physical nature as opposed to the mental abilities of the villainous Superman.

Although they were by now selling material to comic book publishers, notably Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's National Allied Publishing, the pair decided to feature this character in a comic strip format, rather than in the longer comic book story format which was slowly establishing itself at this time. They offered it to both M.C. Gaines, who passed, and to United Features Syndicate, who expressed interest initially but finally rejected the strip in a letter dated February 18, 1937. However, in what historian Les Daniels describes as "an incredibly convoluted turn of events", M/C. Gaines ended up positioning the strip as the lead feature in Wheeler-Nicholson's new publication, Action Comics. Vin Sullivan, editor of the new book, wrote to the pair requesting that the comic strips be refashioned to suit the comic book format, requesting "eight panels a page". However Siegel and Shuster ignored this, utilising their own experience and ideas to create page layouts, with Siegel also identifying the image used for the cover of Action Comics #1, Superman's first appearance, published in June, 1938.

Publication

Superman's first appearance was in Action Comics #1, in 1938. In 1939 a self-titled series was launched. The first issue mainly reprinted adventures published in Action Comics, but despite this the book achieved greater sales. 1939 also saw the publication of New York World's Fair Comics, which by Summer of 1942 became World's Finest Comics. Superman had also began to feature in All Star Comics, making a first appearance in issue #7 (1941), and was established as an honorary member of the Justice Society of America.

Initially Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster would provide the story and art for all the strips published. However Shuster's eyesight began to deteriorate, and the increasing appearances of the character saw an increase in the workload. This led Shuster to establish a studio to assist in the production of the art, although he insisted on drawing the face of every Superman the studio produced. Outside the studio, Jack Burnley began supplying covers and stories in 1940. Wayne Boring, initially employed in Shuster's studio began working for DC in his own right in 1942, providing pages for both Superman and Action Comics.

The scripting duties also became shared. In late 1939 a new editorial team assumed control of the character's adventures. Whitney Ellsworth, Mort Weisinger and Jack Schiff were brought in following Vin Sullivan's departure. This new editorial team brought in Edmond Hamilton, Manly Wade Wellman and Alfred Bester, established writers of science fiction. By 1943, Jerry Siegel was drafted into the army in a special celebration, and his duties there saw high contributions drop. Don Cameron and Alvin Schwartz joined the writing team, Schwartz teaming up with Wayne Boring to work on the Superman comic strip which had been launched by Siegel and Shuster in 1939.

In 1945 Superboy made his debut in More Fun Comics #101. The character moved to Adventure Comics in 1946, and his own title, Superboy, launched in 1949. The 1950s saw the launching of Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen (1954) and Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane (1958). By 1974 these titles had merged into Superman Family, although the series was cancelled in 1982. In 1986 a decision was taken to restructure the fictional universe the Superman character inhabited with other DC universe characters. This saw the publication of "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow", a two part story written by Alan Moore, with art by Curt Swan, George Perez and Kurt Schaffenberger. The story was published in Superman #423 and Action Comics #583, and presented what Les Daniels notes as "the sense of loss the fans might have experienced if this had really been the last Superman tale."

Superman was relaunched by writer artist John Byrne, initially in the limited series The Man of Steel (1986). 1986 also saw the cancellation of World's Finest Comics, the Superman title renamed The Adventures of Superman, with a second volume of Superman launched in 1987. In 2006 this second volume was cancelled and the original title reverted back from The Adventures of Superman to its original title. Superman: The Man of Steel was launched in 1991, running until 2003, whilst the quarterly book Superman: The Man of Tomorrow ran from 1995 to 1999. In 2003 Superman/Batman launched, followed by All Star Superman in 2005 and Superman Confidential in 2006.

Influences

An influence on early Superman stories is the context of the Great Depression. The left-leaning perspective of creators Shuster and Siegel is reflected in early storylines. Superman sometimes took on the role of social activist, fighting crooked businessmen and politicians and demolishing run-down tenements, for example. This is seen by comics scholar Roger Sabin as a reflection of "the liberal idealism of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal", with Shuster and Siegal initially portraying Superman as champion to a variety of social causes. In later Superman radio programs the character continued to take on such issues, tackling a version of the KKK in a 1946 broadcast.

Siegel himself noted that the many mythic heroes which exist in the traditions of many cultures bore an influence on the character, including Hercules and Samson. The character has also been seen by Scott Bukatman to be "a worthy successor to Lindhberg ... (and) also ... like Babe Ruth", and is also representative of the United States dedication to "progress and the 'new'" through his "invulnerable body ... on which history cannot be inscribed." Further, given that Siegel and Schuster were noted fans of pulp science fiction, it has been suggested that another influence may have been Hugo Danner. Danner was the main character of the novel Gladiator by Philip Wylie, and is possessed of same powers of the early Superman (along with many other pulp characters of the twenties and thirties).

Because Siegel and Shuster were both Jewish, it is thought that their creation was partly influenced by Moses, and also other Jewish influences. Superman's Kryptonian name, "Kal-El," resembles the Hebrew words קל-אל, which means "voice of God". Jewish legends of the Golem have been cited as worthy of comparison, a Golem being a mythical being created to protect and serve the persecuted Jews of 16th century Prague and later revived in popular culture in reference to their suffering at the hands of the Nazis in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. Superman is often seen as being an analogy for Jesus, in terms of being a saviour of humanity.

Whilst the term Superman was initially coined by Nietzsche, it is unclear exactly how influential Nietzsche and his ideals were to Siegel and Schuster. Les Daniels has speculated that "Siegel picked up the term from other science fiction writers who had casually employed it", further noting that "his concept is remembered hundreds of millions who may barely know who Nietzsche is." However, it has also been argued that Siegel and Schuster "could not have been unaware of an idea that would dominate Hitler's National Socialism. The concept was certainly well discussed." It has also been argued that in many ways Superman and the Übermensch are polar opposites. Nietzsche envisioned the Übermensch as a man who had transcended the limitations of society, religion, and conventional morality while still being fundamentally human. Superman, although an alien gifted with incredible powers, chooses to honor human moral codes and social mores. Nietzsche envisioned the perfect man as being beyond moral codes; Siegel and Shuster envisioned the perfect man as holding himself to a higher standard of adherence to them.

Copyright issues

As part of the deal which saw Superman published in Action Comics, Siegel and Shuster sold the rights to the company in return for $130 and a contract to supply the publisher with material. The Saturday Evening Post reported in 1941 that the pair was each being paid $75,000 a year, a fraction of Detective's millions in Superman profits. Siegel and Shuster renegotiated their deal, but bad blood lingered and Siegel eventually sued Detective in 1947 over the rights to Superboy, which he claimed was a separate creation that Detective had published without authorization. Detective immediately fired them and took their byline off the stories, prompting a legal battle that ended in 1948, when they settled. Detective paid them for the rights to Superboy, which they had been awarded by the court, but refused to re-hire them.

Following the huge financial success of Superman: The Movie in 1978 and news reports of their pauper-like existences, Warner Communications gave Siegel and Shuster lifetime pensions of $35,000 per year and health care benefits. In addition, any media production which includes the Superman character must include the credit "Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster".

Fictional biography

The details of Superman's origin, relationships and abilities changed significantly during the course of the character's publication, from what is considered the Golden Age of comic books through the Modern Age. The powers and villains were developed through the 1940s, with Superman developing the ability to fly, and costumed villains introduced from 1941. The character was shown as learning of the existence of Krypton in 1949. The concept itself had originally been established to the reader in 1939, in the Superman comic strip.

The 1960s saw the introduction of a second Superman, Kal-L. DC had established a multiverse within the fictional universe it's characters shared. This allowed characters published in the 1940s to exist alongside updated counterparts published in the 1960s. This was explained to the reader through the notion that the two groups of characters inhabited parallel Earths. The second Superman was introduced to explain to the reader Superman's membership of both the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America and the 1960s superhero team the Justice League of America.

The 1980s saw radical revisions of the character. DC Comics decided to remove the multiverse in a bid to simplify its comics line. This led to the rewriting of the back story of the characters DC published, Superman included. John Byrne rewrote Superman, removing many established conventions and characters from continuity, including Superboy and Supergirl. Byrne also re-established Superman's adoptive parents, The Kents, as characters. In the previous continuity the characters had been written as having died early in Superman's life (about the time of Clark Kent's graduation from high school). The 1990s saw Superman apparently killed by the villain Doomsday, although the character soon recovered. Superman also marries Lois Lane in 1996. In the 2000's Superman becomes a vegetarian, and his origin is again revisited in 2004. In 2006 Superman is stripped of his powers, although these are restored within a fictional year.

Powers and abilities

As an influential archetype of the superhero genre, Superman possesses extraordinary powers, with the character traditionally described as "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound", a phrase coined by Jay Morton and first used in the Superman radio serials and Max Fleischer animated shorts of the 1940s as well as the TV series of the 1950s. For most of his existence, Superman's famous arsenal of powers include flight, super-strength, invulnerability, super-speed, vision powers (including x-ray, heat, telescopic, infra-red, and microscopic vision), super-photographic memory, super-hearing and super-breath, which enables him to freeze objects by blowing on them, as well as exert the propulsive force of high-speed winds.

As originally conceived and presented in his early stories, Superman's powers were relatively limited, consisting of superhuman strength that allowed him to lift a car over his head, run at amazing speeds and leap one-eighth of a mile, as well as incredibly tough skin that could be pierced by nothing less than an exploding artillery shell. Siegel and Shuster compared his strength and leaping abilities to an ant and a grasshopper. When making the cartoons, the Fleischer Brothers found it difficult to keep animating him leaping and requested to DC to change his ability to flying. Writers gradually increased his powers to larger extents during the Silver Age, in which Superman could fly to other worlds and galaxies and even across universes with relative ease. He would often fly across the solar system to stop meteors from hitting the Earth, or sometimes just to clear his head. Writers found it increasingly difficult to write Superman stories in which the character was believably challenged, so DC Comics made a series of attempts to rein the character in. The most significant attempt, John Byrne's 1986 rewrite, established several hard limits on his abilities: He barely survives a nuclear blast, and his space flights are limited by how long he can hold his breath. Superman's power levels have again increased since then, with Superman currently possessing enough strength to hurl a mountain and withstand nuclear blasts with ease.

The source of Superman's powers changes subtly over the course of his history. It is originally said that Superman's abilities derive from his Kryptonian heritage, making him eons more evolved than humans. Soon it is established that Krypton's gravity had been stronger than Earth's, a situation similar to that of Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter. As Superman becomes increasingly godlike, the implication that all Kryptonians had possessed the same abilities became problematic for writers, making it doubtful that a race of such beings could have been wiped out by something as trifling as an exploding planet. In part to counter this, the Superman writers established that Kryptonians, whose native star had been red, only possessed superpowers under the light of a yellow sun. More recent stories have attempted to find a balance between the two explanations.

Superman is most vulnerable to Kryptonite, mineral debris from Krypton transformed into radioactive material by the forces that destroyed the planet. Exposure to Kryptonite radiation nullifies Superman's powers and immobilizes him with pain; prolonged exposure will eventually kill him. The only mineral on Earth that can protect him from Kryptonite is lead, which blocks the radiation. Kryptonite was first introduced to the public in 1943 as a plot device to allow the radio serial voice actor, Bud Collyer, to take some time off. Green Kryptonite is the most commonly seen form but writers introduced other forms over the years, such as red, gold, blue and black, each with its own effect.

Character and cast

Superman, given the serial nature of comic publishing and the length of the character's existence, has evolved as a character as his adventures have increased. Initially a crime fighter, the character was seen in early adventures stepping in to stop wife beaters and gangsters, with rather rough edges and a rather looser moral code than audiences may be used to today. Modern writers have softened the character, and instilled a sense of idealism and moral code of conduct.

Clark Kent, initially based somewhat on Harold Lloyd and named for both Clark Gable and Kent Taylor, has been updated as well over the years. During the 1970s the character left the Daily Planet for a time to work for television, whilst the 1980s revamp by John Byrne saw the character become somewhat more aggressive. This aggressiveness has since faded with subsequent creators restoring the mild mannerisms traditional to the character. Children have often been discussed in arenas both in and outside the official comics, with the possibility of progeny a part of Bryan Singer's 2006 film Superman Returns.

Superman's powers have been developed as well as his adventures have accumulated, beyond the Fleischer cartoon's intonation of a character "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound". Initially the character couldn't fly, but this ability and many more have added to the character's appeal. Superman's weakness to Kryptonite, now well established, was introduced quite late in the character's history, first appearing in the radio series in 1943. Superman's large cast of supporting includes Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Perry White, whilst many adventures have seen the character pitted against villains such as Lex Luthor, Brainiac and Doomsday.

Cultural impact

Superman has come to be seen as both an American cultural icon and the first comic book superhero. His adventures and popularity have established the character as an inspiring force within the public eye, with the character serving as inspiration for musicians, comedians and writers alike.

Inspiring a market

The character's initial success led to the similar characters being created. Batman was the first to follow, Bob Kane commenting to Vin Sullivan that given the "kind of money (Siegel and Shuster were earning) you'll have one on Monday". Victor Fox, an accountant for DC, also noticed the revenue such comics generated, and commissioned Will Eisner to create a deliberately similar character to Superman. Wonder Man was published in May 1939, and although DC successfully sued, claiming plagiarism, Fox had decided to cease publishing the character. Fox later had more success with the Blue Beetle. Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel, launched in 1940, was Superman's main rival for popularity throughout the 1940s, and was again the subject of a lawsuit, which Fawcett eventually settled in 1953, a settlement which involved the cessation of the publication of the character's adventures. Superhero comics are now established as the dominant genre in American comic book publishing, with many thousands of characters in the tradition having been created in the years since Superman's creation.

Merchandising

Superman became popular very quickly, with an additional title, Superman Quarterly quickly added. In 1940 the character was represented in the annual Macy's parade for the first time. In fact Superman had become popular to the extent that in 1942, with sales of the character's three titles standing at a combined total of over 1.5 million, Time Magazine was reporting that "the Navy Department (had) ruled that Superman comic books should be included among essential supplies destined for the Marine garrison at Midway Islands." The character was soon licensed by companies keen to cash in on this success through merchandising. The earliest paraphernalia appeared in 1939, a button proclaiming membership in the Supermen of America club. By 1940 the amount of merchandise available increased dramatically, with jigsaw puzzles, paper dolls, bubble gum and trading cards available, as well as wooden or metal figures. The popularity of such merchandise increased when Superman was licensed to appear in other media, and Les Daniels has written that this represents "the start of the process that media moguls of later decades would describe as 'synergy.'" By the release of Superman Returns, Warner Bros. had arranged a cross promotion with Burger King, and licensed many other products for sale. Superman's appeal to licensees rests upon the character's continuing popularity, cross market appeal and the status of the S-Shield, the magenta and gold S emblem Superman wears on his chest, as a fashion symbol.

Adaptations in other media

The character of Superman has appeared in various media aside from comic books. This is in some part seen to be owing to the character's cited standing as an American cultural icon, with the concept's continued popularity also being taken into consideration, but is also seen in part as due to good marketing initially. The character has been developed as a vehicle for serials on radio, television and film, as well as feature length motion pictures, and computer and video games have also been developed featuring the character on multiple occasions.

The first adaptation of Superman was as a daily newspaper comic strip, launching on January 16, 1939. The strip ran until May 1966, and significantly, Siegel and Shuster used the first strips to establish Superman's backstory, adding details such as the planet Krypton and Superman's father, Jor-El, concepts not yet established in the comic books. Following on from the success of this was the first radio series, The Adventures of Superman, which premiered on February 12, 1942 and featured the voice of Bud Collyer as Superman. The series ran until March, 1951. Collyer was also cast as the voice of Superman in the Fleischer Studios animated cartoons, distributed via movie theatres. Seventeen shorts were produced between 1941 and 1943. By 1948 Superman was back in the movie theatres, this time in a filmed serial, Superman, with Kirk Alyn becoming the first actor to portray Superman on screen. A second serial, Atom Man vs. Superman, followed in 1950.

In 1951 a television series was commissioned, starring George Reeves, with the pilot episode of the series gaining a theatrical release as Superman and the Mole Men. The series ran for a 104 episodes, from 1952 - 1958. The next adaptation of Superman occurred in 1966, when Superman was adapted for the stage in the Broadway musical "It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman". The show wasn't successful, closing after 128 performances, although a cast recording was released as an album. However, in 1975 the show was remade for television. Superman was again animated, this time for television, in the series "The New Adventures of Superman". 68 shorts were made and broadcast between 1966 and 1969. Bud Collyer again provided the voice for Superman. Then from 1973 until 1984 ABC broadcast the "Super Friends" series, this time animated by Hanna-Barbera.

Superman returned to movie theatres in 1978, with Superman, starring Christopher Reeve and directed by Richard Donner. The film spawned three sequels, "Superman II" (1980), Superman III (1983) and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987). In 1988 Superman returned to television in the Ruby Spears animated series "Superman", and also in "Superboy", a live action series which ran from 1988 until 1992. In 1993 "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" premiered on television, starring Dean Cain as Superman and Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane. The series ran until 1997. "Superman: The Animated Series" was produced by Warner Bros. and ran from 1996 until 2000 on The WB Television Network. In 2001 the "Smallville" television series launched, focussing on the adventures of Clark Kent as a teenager before he dons the mantle of Superman. In 2006 Bryan Singer directed "Superman Returns", starring Brandon Routh as Superman. Superman has also featured as an inspiration for musicians, with songs by numerous artists from several generations celebrating the character.

Musical references, parodies and homages

Superman has also featured as an inspiration for musicians, with songs by numerous artists from several generations celebrating the character. Donovan's Billboard Hot 100 topping single "Sunshine Superman" utilised the character in both the title and the lyric, declaring "Superman and Green Lantern got nothing on me". Other tracks to reference the character include Genesis' "Land of Confusion", the video to which featured a Spitting Image puppet of Ronald Reagan dressed as Superman, and "Superman" by The Clique, a track later covered by R.E.M. on their 1986 album Lifes Rich Pageant. This cover is referenced by Grant Morrison in Animal Man, in which Superman meets the character, and the track comes on Animal Man's walkman immediately after.

Parodies of Superman did not take long to appear, with Mighty Mouse introduced in "The Mouse of Tomorrow" animated short in 1942. Whilst the character swiftly took on a life of its own, moving beyond parody, other animated characters soon took their turn to parody the character. In 1943 Bugs Bunny was featured in a short, "Super-Rabbit", which sees the character gaining powers through eating fortified carrots. This short ends with Bugs stepping into a phone booth to change into a real "Superman", and emerging as a U.S. Marine. In 1956 Daffy Duck assumes the mantle of "Cluck Kent" in the short "Stupor Duck", a role later reprised in various issues of the Looney Tunes comic book. In the United Kingdom Monty Python created the character Bicycle Repairman, who fixes bicycles on a world full of Supermen, for a sketch in series of their BBC show. Also on the BBC was the sit-com "My Hero", which presented Thermoman as a slightly dense Superman pastiche, attempting to save the world and pursue romantic aspirations. In America, Saturday Night Live has often parodied the figure, with Margot Kidder reprising her role as Lois Lane in a 1979 episode. Jerry Seinfeld, a noted Superman fan, filled his series "Seinfeld" with references to the character, and in 1997 asked for Superman to co-star with him in an advert for American Express. The commercial aired during the 1998 play offs and Superbowl, Superman animated in the style of artist Curt Swan, again at the request of Seinfeld.

Superman has also been used as reference point for writers, with Steven T. Seagle's graphic novel Superman: It's a Bird exploring Seagle's feelings on his own mortality as he struggles to develop a story for a Superman tale. Brad Fraser used the character as a reference point for his play "Poor Super Man", with The Independent noting the central character, a gay man who has lost many friends to AIDS as someone who "identifies all the more keenly with Superman's alien-amid-deceptive-lookalikes status."

Literary analysis

Superman has been interpreted and discussed in many forms in the years since his debut. The character's status as the first costumed superhero has allowed him to be used in many studies discussing the genre, Umberto Eco noting that "he can be seen as the representative of all his similars". Writing in Time Magazine in 1971, Gerald Clarke stated: "Superman's enormous popularity might be looked upon as signalling the beginning of the end for the Horatio Alger myth of the self-made man." Clarke viewed the comics characters as having to continuously update in order to maintain relevance, and thus representing the mood of the nation. He regarded Superman's character in the early seventies as a comment on the modern world, which he saw as a place in which "only the man with superpowers can survive and prosper." Andrew Arnold, writing in the early 21st century, has noted Superman's partial role in exploring assimilation, the character's alien status allowing the reader to explore attempts to fit in on a somewhat superficial level.

A.C. Grayling, writing in The Spectator, traces Superman's stances through the decades, from his 1930s campaign against crime being relevant to a nation under the influence of Al Capone, through the 1940s and World War II, a period in which Superman helped sell war bonds, and into the 1950s, where Superman explored the new technological threats. Grayling notes the period after the Cold War as being one where "matters become merely personal: the task of pitting his brawn against the brains of Lex Luthor and Brainiac appeared to be independent of bigger questions", and discusses events post 9/11, stating that as a nation "caught between the terrifying George W. Bush and the terrorist Osama bin Laden, America is in earnest need of a Saviour for everything from the minor inconveniences to the major horrors of world catastrophe. And here he is, the down-home clean-cut boy in the blue tights and red cape".

Scott Bukatman has discussed Superman, and the superhero in general, and discussed the ways in which the humanise large urban areas through their use of the space, noting especially Superman's ability to soar over the large skyscrapers of Metropolis. He writes that the character "represented, in 1938, a kind of Corbusierian ideal. Superman has X-ray vision: walls become permeable, transparent. Through his benign, controlled authority, Superman renders the city open, modernist and democratic; he furthers a sense that Le Corbusier described in 1925, namely, that 'Everything is known to us'."

Jules Feiffer has argued that Superman's real innovation lay in the creation of the Clark Kent persona, noting that what "made Superman extraordinary was his point of origin: Clark Kent." Feiffer develops the theme to establish Superman's popularity in simple wish fulfilment, a point Siegel and Shuster themselves supported, Siegel commenting that "If you're interested in what made Superman what it is, here's one of the keys to what made it universally acceptable. Joe and I had certain inhibitions... which led to wish-fulfillment which we expressed through our interest in science fiction and our comic strip. That's where the dual-identity concept came from" and Shuster supporting that as being "why so many people could relate to it".

Popularity

Superman, both the character and his various comic series, have received various awards over the years. The Reign of the Supermen storyline received the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Comic Book Story in 1993. Superman came at number 2 in VH1's Top Pop Culture Icons 2004. Works featuring the character have also garnered six Eisner Awards and three Harvey Awards, either for the works themselves or the creators of the works. The Superman films have, as of 2007, received a number of nominations and awards, with Christopher Reeve winning a BAFTA for his performance in Superman. The Smallville television series has garnered Emmys for crew members and various other awards. Superman as a character is still seen as being as popular now as he has been in the more than sixty years of his existence.

Footnotes

1. Superman. ohiocentralhistory.org. Retrieved on 2006-11-30.
2. Siegel, Jerry. "Reign of the Superman". superman.ws. Retrieved on 2006-12-08.
3. ^ Daniels, Les (1998). Superman: The Complete History (1st ed.). Titan Books. ISBN 1-85286-988-7. Cite error: The named reference "TCS" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
4. Petrou, David Michael (1978). The Making of Superman the Movie, New York: Warner Books ISBN 0-446-82565-4
5. Seriously, Perilously" The Herald (Glasgow); Sep 29, 1998; Grant Morrison; p. 14
6. Engle, Gary. "What Makes Superman So Darned American?" Superman at Fifty: The Persistence of a Legend. Dennis Dooley and Gary Engle, eds. Cleveland, OH: Octavia, 1987.
7. Moore, Alan (w), Swan, Curt (p), Perez, George & Schaffenberger, Kurt (i). Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? (1997). DC Comics, ISBN 1-56389-315-0.
8. Daniels, Les (1995). DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favourite Comic Book Heroes (First ed.). Virgin Books. ISBN 1-85227-546-4.
9. ^ Sabin, Roger (1996). Comics, Comix & Graphic Novels (2005 ed.). Phaidon. ISBN 0-7148-3993-0.
10. Richard von Busack "Superman Versus the KKK" July 2-8, 1998 Metro.
11. Superman vs. the KKK (or Stetson Kennedy vs. Freakonomics)- The story behind Superman's battle against prejudice
12. Scott Bukatman, (2003). Matters of gravity: special effects and supermen in the 20th century Duke University Press. ISBN 0822331195.
13. Feeley, Gregory (2005). "When World-views Collide: Philip Wylie in the Twenty-first Century" (html). Science Fiction Studies. 32 (95). ISSN 0091-7729. Retrieved 2006-12-06. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
14. ^ "Up, up and oy vey" The Times (London); Mar 5, 2005; Howard Jacobson; p. 5
15. ^ The Mythology of Superman (DVD). Warner Bros. 2006.
16. ^ Steven Waldman and Michael Kress, "Beliefwatch: Good Fight", Newsweek, 19 June 2006
17. Skelton, Stephen. The Gospel According to the World's Greatest Superhero. Harvest House Publishers, 2006. ISBN 0-7369-1812-4.
18. Greg S. McCue, Clive Bloom; (February 1, 1993). Dark Knights, LPC Group. ISBN 0745306632.
19. John Shelton Lawrence "Book Reviews: The Gospel According to Superheroes: Religion and Popular Culture" The Journal of American Culture Volume 29 Issue 1 Page 101 - March 2006
20. Hurwitt, Sam (January 16, 2005). "Comic Book Artist Populates Movies". San Francisco Chronicle. pp. PK-24. Retrieved on 2006-12-08.
21. ^ MacDonald, Heidi. "Inside the Superboy Copyright Decision.' PW Comics Week (April 11, 2006). Available online at Publishers Weekly, Retrieved on 2006-12-08.
22. Dean, Michael (2004-10-14). "An Extraordinarily Marketable Man: The Ongoing Struggle for Ownership of Superman and Superboy". The Comics Journal (263). Retrieved 2006-12-22.
23. Justice League of America Vol. 1 #73 (1969)
24. Byrne, John (w)(p), Giordano, Dick (i). The Man of Steel Ed. Barry Marx. DC Comics, 1987. ISBN 0-930289-28-5.
25. Jurgens, Dan, Jerry Ordway, Louise Simonson et al (w), Jurgens, Dan, Jackson Guice, Jon Bogdanove, et al (p), Rodier, Denis, Dennis Janke, Brett Breeding et al (i). The Death of Superman Ed. Mike Carlin. NY:DC Comics, April 14, 1993. ISBN 1-56389-097-6.
26. Jurgens, Dan, Karl Kesel, Louise Simonson et al (w), Jurgens, Dan, Jackson Guice, Jon Bogdanove, et al (p), Rodier, Denis, Dennis Janke, Brett Breeding et al (i). The Return of Superman (Reign of the Supermen) Ed. Mike Carlin. NY:DC Comics, September 3, 1993. ISBN 1-56389-149-2.
27. Waid, Mark (w), Yu, Leinil Francis (a). Superman: Birthright. NY:DC Comics, October 1, 2005. ISBN 1-4012-0252-7.
28. Geoff Johns, Phil Jemenez, George Perez et al. Infinite Crisis. NY:DC Comics, September 20, 2006. ISBN-10: 1401209599 ISBN-13: 978-1401209599
29. Geoff Johns, Kurt Busiek (w), Superman: Up, Up and Away! NY:DC Comics, April 2007, ISBN-10: 1401209548 ISBN-13: 978-1401209544
30. "Obituaries of note". St. Petersburg Times. September 25, 2003. Retrieved on 2006-12-08.
31. Scientific Explanation of Superman's Amazing Strength! accessed 2007-01-11
32. First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series (DVD). Warner Bros. 2006.
33. Friedrich, Otto (Monday, Mar. 14, 1988). "Up, Up and Awaaay!!!". Time Magazine. p. 9. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
34. Gross, John (December 15, 1987). "Books of the Times". New York Times. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
35. Eury, Michael. The Krypton Companion. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 119. ISBN 1893905616. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |origdate= ignored (|orig-date= suggested) (help)
36. Magnussen, Anne (2000). Comics & Culture: Analytical and Theoretical Approaches to Comics. Museum Tusculanum Press. ISBN 8772895802. a metaphor and cultural icon for the 21st century {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); line feed character in |coauthors= at position 15 (help)
37. Postmes, Tom (2006). Individuality and the Group: Advances in Social Identity. Sage Publications. ISBN 1412903211. American cultural icons (e.g., the American Flag, Superman, the Statue of Liberty) {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); line feed character in |coauthors= at position 8 (help)
38. Eury, Michael. The Krypton Companion. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 116. ISBN 1893905616. since Superman inspired so many different super-heroes {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |origdate= ignored (|orig-date= suggested) (help)
39. Hatfield, Charles. Alternative Comics: an emerging literature. University Press of Mississippi. p. 10. ISBN 1578067197. the various Superman-inspired "costume" comics {{cite book}}: line feed character in |publisher= at position 20 (help)
40. ^ Cite error: The named reference 60Y was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
41. Lloyd L. Rich. "Protection of Graphic Characters" (html). Publishing Law Center. Retrieved 2006-01-16. the court found that the character Superman was infringed in a competing comic book publication featuring the character Wonderman
42. Singer, Marc (2002). ""Black Skins" and White Masks: Comic Books and the Secret of Race" (embedded image of first page). African American Review. 36 (1): 107–119. doi:10.2307/2903369. Retrieved January 16 2006. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
43. South Carolina PACT Coach, English Language Arts Grade 5. Triumph Learning. 2006. ISBN 1598230778.
44. "Superman Struts In Macy Parade". New York Times, November 22, 1940. p.18
45. "Superman's Dilemma". Time Magazine. Monday, Apr. 13, 1942. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
46. Karl Heitmueller (June 13 2006). "The 'Superman' Fanboy Dilemma, Part 4: Come On Feel The Toyz" (Flash). MTV News. Retrieved 2006-01-16. Warner Bros. has "Superman Returns" licensing deals with Mattel, Pepsi, Burger King, Duracell, Samsung, EA Games and Quaker State Motor Oil, to name a few. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
47. Lieberman, David (2005-06-21). "Classics are back in licensed gear". USA TODAY.
48. "Warner Bros. Consumer Products Flies High with DC Comics' Superman at Licensing 2005 International; Franchise Set to Reach New Heights in 2005 Leading Up to Feature Film Release of Superman Returns in June 2006" (html) (Press release). Business Wire. June 16, 2005. Retrieved 2006-01-16. With a super hero that transcends all demographics" ... and ... "S-Shield, which continues to be a fashion symbol and hot trend
49. Jones, Cary M. (2006). "Smallville and New Media mythmaking; Twenty-first century Superman" (html). Jump Cut (48). Retrieved 2007-01-09. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
50. Mark Juddery (2000). "Jacob "Jack" Liebowitz" (html). The Australian. Retrieved 2006-01-09. Superman's popularity increased during the war years, spinning off into a comic strip {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
51. "Amazon.com: It's A Bird ... It's A Plane ... It's Superman (1966 Original Broadway Cast): Music: Charles Strouse,Lee Adams". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2006-01-11. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
52. "Ruby-Spears Productions - About Us". Retrieved 2006-01-11. Ruby-Spears pulled the coup of the 1988-89 season by acquiring the rights to two heavily sought after properties. Debuting that September on CBS was the classic, "Superman", which celebrated its 50th anniversary, and it was with much acclaim that Ruby-Spears was selected to produce the animated series for the network schedule.
53. ""Smallville" (2001)". imdb.com. Retrieved 2006-01-11.
54. "Superman Returns (2006)". imdb.com. Retrieved 2006-01-11.
55. Donovan. "Sunshine Superman." Sunshine Superman. Epic, 1966.
56. Genesis. "Land of Confusion." Invisible Touch. Atlantic Records, 1986. "Ooh Superman where are you now, When everything's gone wrong somehow"
57. Lloyd, John & Yukich, Jim (Directors) (1986). "Land of Confusion" (Music video). Atlantic Records.
58. Morrison, Grant. "2". In Michael Charles Hill (ed.). Animal Man. John Costanza (letterer) & Tatjana Wood (colorist) (1st ed.). New York: DC Comics. p. 45. ISBN 1-56389-005-4. R.E.M. starts singing "Superman." My arm aches and I've got déjà vu. Funny how everything comes together. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
59. "Deputy Dawg" Western Mail (Cardiff); Aug 8, 2006; Robin Turner Western Mail; p. 21
60. "Super-Rabbit (1943)" (html). Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2006-01-16.
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67. "Theatre" The Independent (London); Sep 21, 1994; Paul Taylor;
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69. "The Comics On The Couch" Monday, Dec. 13, 1971 By Gerald Clarke
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75. CBG FAN AWARDS ARCHIVES
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References

• Engle, Gary D. and Dennis Dooley. Superman at Fifty!: The Persistence of a Legend. Collier Books; 1988 ISBN-10: 0020429010 ISBN-13: 978-0020429012
• Superman: Cover to Cover. DC Comics, 2006. ISBN 1-4012-0770-7
• Yeffeth, Glenn (ed.) The Man from Krypton: A Closer Look at Superman. Benbella Books, 2006. ISBN 1-932100-77-6

External links

• DC Comics - Superman Official DC Comics company website for Superman
• The Superman Homepage (Largest unofficial fansite)
• Superman Super Site
• Superman Through The Ages
• Supermanica- The Classic Superman Comics 1938-1986 wiki
• Internet Archive Freely downloadable public domain Superman cartoons
• How Jews Created the Comic Book Industry Part I: The Golden Age (1933 - 1955)
• Template:Dmoz
• Superman on Don Markstein's Toonopedia
• Supermantrades.com Chronological list of Superman comic book compilations
• The Speeding Bullet: A Complete Archive of Superman Newspaper Strips
• Historica Minutes TV Commercial Canadian Heritage
• Studio 360 archived Radio show series on Superman

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• Superman
• DC Comics aliens
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• Extraterrestrial superheroes
• DC Comics characters who can fly
• Fictional orphans
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• Fictional characters who can move at superhuman speeds
• Kryptonians
• 1938 introductions
• DC Comics characters with superhuman strength
• Super Friends