WHO'S WHAT SUPERMAN? - 2
In our previous article, I published the first part of this series, which you can access by clicking here.
Character Origin Story:
Superman was born as "Kal-El" in the realms of the planet Krypton. He was born into an alien family as the son of Jor-El, a scientist known to the entire race, and his wife Kara, a son of the House of El.
Father Jor-El has repeatedly tried to warn the leaders of his people, but has failed. And that's when the planet begins to consume itself and explode. Jor-El and his wife Kara send Superman in a special shuttle with a dna key and a special cloth House of El costume to the Blue Planet "Earth". The reason they chose Earth. The yellow sunlight has a positive effect on the kryptonian body structure and molecular structure.
This shuttle crashes in a cornfield in the small town of "Smallville" in the American state of Kansas. And the Kent couple, who are nearby, farmers and natives of the town, find the child. The Kent couple, who had no children of their own, saw this as a blessing from God, and although they knew very little about little Kal-El, they named him Clark Kent as an American citizen.
As he grows older, his powers and his past are revealed, and Clark later becomes human, Clark Kent, working as a field reporter for the Daily Planet, a respected newspaper in the big city of Metropolis. And so he hides his identity as Superman.
At the same workplace, he falls in love with a woman named Louis Lane, a tough and passionate journalist. In his spare time, he discovers and settles in the Fortress of Solitude built in the Antarctic Glaciers, thanks to the key given to him by his father and some devices on his shuttle.
The Part Time Journalist becomes the protector of the Part Time World and Metropolis City.
Evolution and Development of Character:
In the Golden Age, the character was faster than a speeding bullet, strong enough to stop a locomotive and good enough to leap tall skyscrapers. In the Golden Age, in particular, Superman became one of the most prominent pioneers of the Patriotic Hero class, a superhero who constantly did things in the service of American Values and the U.S. Government. Although he dealt with inter-galactic threats, his adventures generally centered around Earth and Metropolis.
Made in 1941 by Max Fleischer's "Fleischer Studios" and consisting of 17 short films, the Superman Cartoon Series, which was both technologically and artistically ahead of its time, changed both the character of Superman and the course of the Comics/Comics world. Superman's constant jumping was too laborious for the animators, so Superman started flying for the first time in that series, and it was such a hit that the trend spread to Superman's own comics and then to other superheroes (Captain Marvel, Namor The Sub Mariner, etc.). In addition, many other powers such as heat vision, x-ray vision, super hearing, freeze breath, etc. were either found in those movies or were riveted there.
In the Silver Age, in contrast to the Golden Age, instead of developing the character, the character was split in two and a younger version of Superman, Superboy, was created for the younger reader. And with his cousin Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, Superman had a family theme, just like his rival and friend Batman. It was also during this period that Superman had his most extraterrestrial adventures and was at his most powerful. It was also during this period that he pioneered the formation of the Justice League.
Many legendary Superman villains were created during this period (e.g. Bizarro, Brainiac, etc.) The Bronze Age was pretty much like the Golden Age and the Silver Age. They went after Superman's weaknesses and destroyed them, he didn't eat kryptonite, he didn't shatter kryptonite chains, but it didn't last, the Bronze Age was an unstable period and completely up to the creativity of the writers for Superman.
In the Modern Age, his powers were somewhat limited and he became a bit more removed from his patriotic hero status and became more interested in worldly and otherworldly issues. From the issue in which he renounced his American citizenship to the story in which he defended American ideals, values and dreams, Superman has been seen in many different identities and profiles (such as Red Son Superman).
The character, who made a very successful comeback with the reorganization called the New 52, had the same Origin Story and restarted his fictional career with a very strong and powerful version, even though he was far below his potential and experience. Not to mention getting rid of the tights + Don concept.
In the Rebirth period, the emphasis on the human side of Superman, which continues to be the hallmark of DC Comics, returned, and the character was given many different and familiar identities such as family man, lover, friend, leader, hero, cousin, mentor, source of inspiration, protector of nature and the world. In the end, the new team of writers and illustrators, who don't find fault with how fantastic, how powerful, or how perfect Superman is, but believe that it's important to emphasize how "human" Superman is even when he's not, are doing a great job for Superman in the Rebirth era.
See you until our next superman article!
