I highly enjoyed It's Superman, which I had not anticipated. Superman is probably my least favorite superhero. He's just too.....perfect. But in this novel, we get to see his internal struggles, how he doesn't always make the best choices, and that adds so much depth to his characters. That being said, he's still the most boring character in the book. I found myself loving the sections that featured Lex more than the ones with Clark, even thought Lex Luthor is pretty far from being a gray character.
The story was woven together wonderfully, and I very much enjoyed seeing how the author introduced new characters and brought them into the storyline seamlessly.
And to answer a previous post, Batman would definitely win a fight. He's willing to kill, and Clark tries his hardest not to. And that is why Batman is a more interesting character than Superman.
I agree that moral ambiguity and internal struggle definitely make a character more interesting, which generally has been my problem with a lot of versions of Superman I've seen. Tom De Haven mentions it as well in Our Hero: Superman on Earth, pointing out that it's why characters like Batman and Spider-Man are more popular now, since they have that complexity and are more relatable to modern audiences. Superman always kind of seemed like a simpler character who reflected what a lot of people like to think of as "a simpler time". In this book De Haven makes him a real person with real problems, living through a more real 1930's.
ReplyDeleteThat determination NOT to kill (his pacifism, essentially) could make Superman a much more interesting character ... and, from a writer's perspective, could present a more interesting/difficult set of adventures to plot.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to be a broken record here but the particular character struggles that Tom De Haven chose are the reasons I don't like Clark. I hate to say I didn't like the book because that's not necessarily true. I just had a certain schema for Clark/Superman and this book did not come close to what I had in mind. If I separate the two Supermans in my mind, though, I can really appreciate what Tom De Haven did in creating this story. He certainly made Clark a more relatable character who was just so much more real. I love how many characters he introduced and that I never forgot who was who because he did such a wonderful job of making his characters memorable.
ReplyDelete.....I don't remember why I was ranting about this sorry...
Superman is my favorite hero and what has bothered me this past week is I can't explain why. He has awesome superpowers. Yeah so what? I think it has to do with where I was first introduced to Superman: at home. The Dean Cain show was a program that my family would all come together for to watch when I was younger. I think those family moments are a big part of why I love Superman so much.
I definitely agree with Jennifer, I had a preconceived notion of who Superman is supposed to be: a good, moral, noble character. I have a real issue with the way Tom De Haven takes a stab at Superman's morality, but that's just me.
ReplyDeleteAs for a fight between Superman and Batman, Batman may have the will to kill, but could he physically harm Superman? The guy is indestructible. I guess that's where kryptonite would come in.