Favorite Superman Clone?

I always liked how Superman Clone isn't exactly a derogatory word. There are a lot of them but so many of them are interesting characters and really distinct from any version of Clark.

My personal favorite will always be Supreme Power Hyperion.

Billy Batson aka Captain Marvel aka Shazam.

He was so similar that DC sued Fawcett Comics over it. Once DC got him they made some changes so they weren't too similar anymore.

Basic powerset aside, I don't think they were that similar. There are many far more blatant clones today that don't get DC's attention.

Saitama.

If not than Supreme for the level of meta it provides on comic book industries.

In the beginning, if they could, DC would have sued anyone who put out a costumed hero, saying that simple fact, regardless of anything else, made the character a copy of Superman.

The first Superman rip-off was Wonder Man, created by none other than Will Eisner. It was also the first shot down by DC. Eisner created Wonder Man under the express orders of his boss to copy Superman as closely as possible. At the copyright infringement hearing, his boss told him to testify that Wonder Man was all his own idea and, according to court transcripts, he did. Interestingly, every other time Eisner talked about this incident during his life, he lied about it and said he'd testified that he created the character under his boss's guidelines. It's an odd detail in an otherwise distinguished career.

So Lee Falk ripped of Superman three years before Superman was first published? That's impressive.

Hence the "if they could" qualifier. Harry Donenfeld and Jack Leibowitz did not like competition, and were not overly endowed with scruples.

And the Phantom first appeared in '36, two years before Superman was first published in 1938. However, Seigel and Shuster created Superman (the initial version) in '34, and completely reworked the character after the initial version's rejection by Consolidated Book Publishing (they later reworked this original version of Superman into Slam Bradley). They shopped a comic strip featuring their reworked Superman to every syndicate they could think of, only to be rejected.

Now, to be clear, the Phantom was in no way shape of form influenced by the nascent Superman. Siegel and Shuster did not have Superman in his final form by '36 (he went from being a scientist from the future sent back to prevent disaster to a scientist from another planet escaping disaster to, at by some reports a suggestion from MC Gaines, an infant refugee from another planet escaping disaster). And there's little chance Falk would have heard of their rejected proposal. But I don't put it past Liebowitz and Donenfeld to try to say that he (or at least King Features, to whom Siegel and Shuster did submit the comic strip Superman) had. They were that crooked, they could have hid behind a spiral staircase.

edited 28th Jun '16 4:57:04 PM by Robbery

Alan Moore's Comic Book/Supreme may be one of my favorite comics ever, just for the meta stuff on top of the bizarre but earnest enthusiasm it had for the character.

Does Kon-El/Superboy count?

Moore does love Superman, but very specifically Silver-Age Superman.

In a very literal sense yes.

I'll add Icon from Milestone Comics.

You know, besides Saitama and Supreme, I kind of enjoy Sentry. When he is not shilled by the writers as this great hero, I enjoy how he is basically Superman but with mental problems that rival his power levels. I also found it interesting how Marvel wrote this guy into canon by treating him as though he has always been a part of this reality, but everybody forgot him and all of his accomplishment (kind of like all of the Teen Titans during Titans Hunt and DC Rebirth). Not going to argue whether or not he is a well written character, but as a Superman clone he is unique.

. . . Wow, so far all my favorite Superclones are characters with 'S' in the name; and they all are either crazy, meta or just don't give a shit.

edited 10th Jul '16 3:50:31 PM by BigK1337

Sentry's an interesting (I dunno about good, but certainly interesting) approach to the Superman archetype. A man who's mind hasn't been able to adapt terribly well to his own power levels.

My only experience with One-Punch Man is the promos they'be been running on Adult Swim, but that one looks like it could an interesting take, too.

Wait, they' dubbed One Punch Man?

Anyway, I like the character for being a Deconstruction AND Reconstruction on the Boring Invincible Hero trope that seems to be pegged on a lot of Superman clones.

I think when you read the first chapter of the series (which is literally the first 2 to 3 minutes of the anime) you will get a good idea of the sheer awesomeness of the series and be hooked on it. Basically some DBZ level villain shows up to completely destroy a city killing millions. And in the middle of his rampage a hero (Saitama) shows up to stop him. Said hero is an average looking bald guy in white caped yellow costume that essentially make him a super hero version of Cailou. Outraged by the laxed attitude of the hero, the villain goes on a tirade and powers up to his final form to completely destroy the hero . . . only for the hero to casually punch the guy to death. Instead of taking pleasure that he stopped another villain, the hero laments that once again he defeated a villain in one punch.

Honestly my description can't help sum up how great of a Superman clone Saitama is. It's best to check out the webcomic/manga/anime (waiting on a comic done by Alex Ross, cause that's the next logical conclusion to the series adaption line).

EDIT: Okay just saw the Toonamipromos to the dub and I have to say it did a better job at summing up the series than me without giving away the surprisingly deep take on super heroes. I mean during the time when I am not enjoying anything from DC and Marvel, this series filled the void reminding me why I enjoy super heroes.

edited 10th Jul '16 7:52:35 PM by BigK1337