In the genre of comics and superheros in general, you need an iconic figure like Superman. With a superhero, especially one like Green Lantern or Wonderwoman, where it's easy to pretend they can suddenly grow in power, you need a superhero who can do literally anything to draw a contrast to. Someone who can do everything... he was kinda inevitable.
There's a level of mythos that I particularly like, the theme of him being a very god-like figure and being the complete epitome of goodness. The pure, blinding light where every mortal is some shade of grey or brown. The implications of this, the need for him to live up to it, the fear and rejection of people around him because he is simply too powerful to trust. "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
When I'm judging whole franchises I like to forget the bad stuff and focus on the good stuff. Superman's so iconic that he attracts the really excellent writers, the kind of writers that blow the opposition out of the water. Superman stories like "The Red Son" and "Death Of Superman" were incredibly good.
That being said, it is actually pretty hard to write a good superman story. Supersmarts or no, the majority of the villain's plans boil down to distracting Superman until he eventually breaks through enough walls to stumble upon the ~eevil plan~.
It's 7 and not 9 because too many of the stories, or the ones I have read, are just plain stupid. Or dumb and non-sensical. Or he's acting like a bag of d*cks, and he's hard not to hate. But when a really good writer really understands superman and what makes him super, when they hit the mark, they hit it with a sledgehammer.
You Need A Superman
7/10 ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
In the genre of comics and superheros in general, you need an iconic figure like Superman. With a superhero, especially one like Green Lantern or Wonderwoman, where it's easy to pretend they can suddenly grow in power, you need a superhero who can do literally anything to draw a contrast to. Someone who can do everything... he was kinda inevitable.
There's a level of mythos that I particularly like, the theme of him being a very god-like figure and being the complete epitome of goodness. The pure, blinding light where every mortal is some shade of grey or brown. The implications of this, the need for him to live up to it, the fear and rejection of people around him because he is simply too powerful to trust. "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
When I'm judging whole franchises I like to forget the bad stuff and focus on the good stuff. Superman's so iconic that he attracts the really excellent writers, the kind of writers that blow the opposition out of the water. Superman stories like "The Red Son" and "Death Of Superman" were incredibly good.
That being said, it is actually pretty hard to write a good superman story. Supersmarts or no, the majority of the villain's plans boil down to distracting Superman until he eventually breaks through enough walls to stumble upon the ~eevil plan~.
It's 7 and not 9 because too many of the stories, or the ones I have read, are just plain stupid. Or dumb and non-sensical. Or he's acting like a bag of d*cks, and he's hard not to hate. But when a really good writer really understands superman and what makes him super, when they hit the mark, they hit it with a sledgehammer.