Taking it to the streets: Superman in the New 52

New 52 Superman in faster than a speeding bullet stride from Action Comics #1.

Alright, this is overdue by about two years, but I wanted to share some of my thoughts about the revamping of Superman for DC's New 52.  Back in 2011, DC Comics decided to jump back to the beginning and shake up the origins of their legendary characters.  This company wide revamp became known as The New 52; 52 titles, 52 monthly series that would re-explore the early days of DC's heroes and heroines from Animal Man to Young Justice.  As DC's flagship hero, Superman's makeover was undoubtedly one of the most anticipated.  The challenge lay in retelling the most well known of origin stories in a refreshing way that stood apart from previous interpretations yet still captured the essential spirit that makes Superman a universal symbol of goodness and decency. 
On Sept. 7, 2011, seventy-three years after Action Comics #1 exploded onto newsstands across America, a new Action Comics #1 burst forth with an instantly memorable cover showing The Man of Steel striding confidently over the roofs of police cars, bullets bouncing off him like spitballs. However, rather than the familiar blue tights, Superman wears a blue t-shirt emblazoned with his universally recognized symbol and his red cape along with a pair of jeans and work boots. Here is the working class Man of Steel, a DIY superhero.  I, along with almost everyone else I'm sure, was surprised by his homespun attire at first but upon reading, began to understand the purpose of his new attire.  The events of Action Comics #1 take place five years before Superman is established in Metropolis.  This is Superman in training, just getting his wings so to speak and just starting to clean up the streets by targeting the greedy parasites feeding off the common man.

The writer, Grant Morrison, famous for the monumental All-Star Superman pays homage to Superman's humbler 1938 roots as a social crusader while updating Superman's surrounding into a world that's very much a reflection of our own.  Like 1938's Superman, Morrison's Supes is radically powered down compared to past versions and is unable to fly initially, instead leaping from building to building.  I for one like the power down; it literally makes Superman more down to earth and provides him with a wider variety of physical challenges.  Artist Rags Morales showcases Superman's raw physicality in a unique way, emphasizing the Herculean quality of his early feats of strength.  This Superman has to struggle and break a sweat to stop an array of heavy machinery coming his way.  Not surprisingly, Superman's exploits draw the attention of the military, especially Lois Lane's father General Sam Lane who we find out has consulted Lex Luthor, earth's foremost scientist to find a way to stop this herculean kid.  That's another thing: because this takes place five years before Superman is really established as Metropolis's savior, he is much younger than we've seen him in past years.  He looks like a kid in his mid twenties, fresh out of college and writing online social pieces for The Daily Planet's rival newspaper, The Daily Star, a throwback to the Daily Planet's name back in '38. 
Clark is shown as a scruffy looking twenty something who wears baggy clothing to hide his Superman physique.  Clark appears to hide in plain sight in public so as not to be recognized as Superman in any way.  The detail of baggy clothes and big round glasses greatly adds to the believability in the distinction of these two characters.  The first few issues show the military's attempts to stop Supes with all manner of tanks, helicopters and cannons.  Finally Lex Luthor uses an out of control bullet train to subdue Superman against a wall.  At this point, the military escorts him to a base to conduct tests on his invulnerable body.  We then see Superman repeatedly electrocuted, gassed and tortured, all of which do nothing but weaken him temporarily.  It's interesting that Superman's most persistent enemy in these first issues is the U.S. military.  It's realistic to think that the military would act this way if they could manage to get their hands on someone with that much power.  In the issues that follow we learn details about Krypton's final moments and Clarks upbringing in Smallville, usually shown in flashbacks or dreams.  I enjoyed how the series kicks off with a bang and fills us in on the details of his origin later on.  We also learn how he acquires his official Superman suit, which forgoes the iconic if laughable red underwear and looks more like an alien uniform rather than a costume.  I for one love the new suit and dig the fact that Henry Cavill's Man of Steel uniform followed suit (pun intended).  All in all, I think The New 52 has reintroduced Superman to a new generation in style, blending the best elements of the classic Superman with new updates which make the character seem a bit more relatable and edgier without losing his trademark goodness.              

Why I don't want to see The Joker in any new Batman films.

As soon as news of Batman's involvement was announced at SDCC, the internet has been exploding with speculation and rumors (whispers of a nameless fear), in regards to who will inherit the Bat torch after Bale and what villains will be going toe to toe with him and Superman once they team up.  Given all the Luthor-centric Easter eggs in Man of Steel, it seems certain the legendary baldie will pop up in the sequel but the bigger question is who might be joining him in his mission to kill the Man of Steel?  I've heard that the sequel will have at least two villains and since Luthor is Superman's #1 rogue, some have been speculating that the Joker might be mystery villain #2.  I for one seriously hope that's not the case for a number of reasons.  First off, I know this is going to be a different Batman from Bale's and from the Nolan Universe in general, but since we just saw Ledger's already legendary turn as the Clown Prince of Crime in 2008's Dark Knight, it's certainly way to soon for another stab at the Joker.  No matter who they could find to play him, they could never really stack up because Ledger indelibly defined the character for generations to come and arguably carried the film with his mesmerizingly creepy performance.  Even with The Amazing Spiderman reboot, they chose to use The Lizard, a villain yet to be seen in the Sam Raimi Spiderman films rather than reusing Green Goblin or Doc Oc, two of Spidey's most famous villains.  If Joker's used again it will be the third Joker we've seen; it's time to show some Batman villain's yet to be seen on the big screen. 
Since Nolan's Batman films were grounded in realism and therefore didn't use villains with any superpowers or mutations, any new Batman films can use mutated villains such as Killer Croc, Mr. Freeze (but done right this time) and even other psychopaths and masterminds such as The Riddler (also done right) or Prof. Hugo Strange.  Since the new Bats will exist in the same world as a god-like flying man, the field is open for other super powered people to start appearing.  Our generation has a flesh and blood Joker in an excellent Batman film so I think it's time to leave the Joker alone.  Some people might say the same about Luthor since we saw him in Superman Returns, but I point out that Spacey was still playing the Gene Hackman real estate obsessed Luthor.  We've yet to see a younger, more diabolical and cunning Luthor who owns Metropolis on the big screen; closest we've had is Michael Rosenbaum in Smallville.  Perhaps he might even be a good choice for Luthor in MOS 2.  If the Joker hadn't appeared on screen so recently, it might be cool to have a Luthor/Joker team up like in the "World's Finest" Superman episodes, but that's not the case and it would be impossible to resist comparisons to Ledger, which is unfair for whoever plays a new joker as well as disrespectful to Heath.   
Even though Batman's in this film, it's still the sequel to Man of Steel and I'd still like to see Luthor team up with another of Superman's powerful enemies like Metallo, Brainiac or The Cyborg Superman.  I'm just spit-balling, but that's a direction I'd love to see them take.  At the very least, if the film's second villain is going to be a Batman rogue, then let it be someone with some enhanced powers who can challenge Superman as well or at least give Luthor a battle suit.  Since David Goyer is going to write the MOS 2 screenplay and Christopher Nolan will most likely return as producer, I imagine they won't go for a new Joker at any point.  Heath Ledger was Nolan's friend and they of all people would think it an insult to the late actor to just write a whole new Joker.  If twenty years from now some different filmmaker's want to reimagine Joker for a new string of Batman films, then be my guest, but as for now I say leave The Joker alone as a testament to Ledger's groundbreaking take on the character.  It's time to look ahead and probe the depths of Batman's rogue's gallery in search of some hardcore villains we've yet to see in the cinema.               

Love in the time of Saga

Marko and Alana with baby in tow prepare to fight for their lives in Saga.

What do you get when you take Romeo and Juliet, give them a newborn child, place them in the middle of an endless galactic war and toss in bounty hunters, sex slaves, and royal robots with television heads?  No, not an acid tinged version of Star Wars, even with the bounty hunters; instead you get the Comic series known as Saga, written by Brian K. Vaughn and published by Image.  A friend of mine bought me Volume One as a Christmas gift and I blew through it in a flash.  Right out of the gate I found it immensely compelling.  What initially seemed like a traditional story of forbidden love between people from warring races turned out to be much deeper than that.  At it's core the series seems to be about bringing something to life in the midst of countless destruction and death.
This is how Saga begins: Alana, a winged woman from the planet Landfall and Marko, her horned husband from Landfall's only moon Wreath, have a child.  As you've hopefully surmised by now, the Landfallians and their moon neighbor have been engaged in centuries of warfare that has been outsourced to other planets in the galaxy as a way to avoid destruction on Landfall and Wreath.  The inhabitants of these other unfortunate planets are forced to take sides in the ongoing conflict.  The series is narrated by Alana and Marko's fully grown daughter as she recounts her forbidden birth on the muddy planet Cleave where her parents are hiding from freelance bounty hunters as well as their own kind.  Right from the beginning you realize that although there are aliens, bounty hunters and a galactic war raging, Saga is nothing like Star Wars or anything else for that matter.  What captured me initially was the straightforward dialogue which made the characters seem instantly relatable; they're aliens yet they talk and express themselves like humans.  In the first few pages we learn pretty much everything we need to know about the ongoing struggle and how both Alana and Marko fought for their respective sides before meeting and running away together.
Another interesting aspect of the series is how it manages to make some of the strangest concepts seem plausible within the galaxy of the story.  Early on we meet a robot prince, aptly named Prince Robot IV, with a television for a head who's working with the Landfallian's to track down the fugitive parents.  What's funny is how they write this character as if he were a real person: we see him having sex with his girlfriend and taking a shit like a regular joe.  Likewise, Marko and Alana although clearly in love, occasionally bicker back and forth as they try to get their newborn daughter off Cleave and out of harm's way.  
We soon meet a bounty hunter named The Will who's been hired by the Horns to track down and kill the refugees and their mistake and we catch up with him at various points in his search.  Accompanying The Will is an animal called Lying Cat, who surprise, surprise can tell when people are lying.  The first volume recounts Alana and Marko's struggles to get off Cleave by traveling to a place called the Rocketship forest.  Yep, that's right, a forest of wooden rocket-ships growing out of the ground.  Elements like this which might seem ridiculous actually seem to fit right into the bizarre yet oddly familiar world of Saga.  On their way to the Rocketship forest, Alana and Marko fall asleep in the woods and awake surrounded by all manner of scary creatures.  One of them is a female bounty hunter called The Stalk, a half woman, half arachnid beauty with eight eyes and no shortage of weapons to kill our main characters.  I should also mention that The Stalk is topless.  The artwork of Saga, by Fiona Staples, is immensely pleasing to the eye; detailed yet clean.  Some of the full page panels look more like paintings than drawings and the style emphasizes the physicality of the action without feeling messy or cluttered.
The story's many subplots are well balanced, showing individuals on both sides of the conflict gunning for Marko and Alana.  We follow The Will as he traverses the galaxy in search of them.  One of the most interesting subplots occurs when he visits Sextillion, a planet sized brothel full of kinky alien sex.  Saga leaves very little to the imagination and it's clear that almost nothing was off limits for the creators.  It's awesome to see such creative freedom in a comic book.  Still, at it's core, Saga is a compelling story of two people risking everything to be together to bring an idea, represented in Alana and Marko's daughter, into a ravaged world.  "This is how an idea becomes real," we read as their child is born in the very first panel.  Like all great creative works, Saga is an idea, a unique and fascinating idea, coming to life completely unfettered on the page in glorious detail.  As of now I've just finished Volume 2 and eagerly await the next volume to continue following Alana and Marko as they travel the galaxy.                         

 

A Dark Knight in the City of Tomorrow?

It looks like Superman and Batman will square off in Man of Steel 2.

So I have to weigh in immediately on what is probably the biggest news to come out of SDCC 2013, assuming of course that you're as big a DC Comics fan as I am.  It seems that yesterday Zack Snyder, director of Man of Steel, announced that the inevitable and already insanely anticipated sequel would feature none other than The Dark Knight.  Rather than just blandly announcing this fact, they had actor Harry Lennix who played General Swanwick in MOS, quote Batman's epic words to the Man of Steel as he delivers a legendary beating to him in Frank Miller's classic The Dark Knight Returns:
"I want you to remember, Clark...in all the years to come...in your most private moments...I want you to remember...my hand at your throat...I want you to remember...the one man who beat you."  After these words rang out, attendees to the panel saw the famous Superman symbol for hope appear on the screen with the instantly recognizable Bat symbol behind it. 
I can only imagine the explosion of applause and screams that burst forth from the crowd upon seeing the two most famous superhero symbols appear together on screen.  Ever since rumors of an eventual Justice League film began circulating and we saw dozens of DC Easter eggs pop up in Man of Steel, everyone's been speculating on how Batman would return to the big screen after his much debated disappearing act at the end of The Dark Knight Rises.  Christian Bale stated that he's hung up the cowl for good and as much as I loved his Bruce Wayne/Batman, I understand that The DK trilogy was meant to be a standalone, self-contained world.  As hard as it is to imagine someone else donning the bat-suit, perhaps it's time to inject some new blood into the character and set it apart for the world set up in MOS. 
I took the Wayne Enterprises satellite destroyed in MOS more as a wink to a Batman sighting in a future JLA film rather than him popping up in MOS 2.  It struck me as being similar to the references in Iron Mans 1 & 2  for S.H.I.E.L.D and the Avengers Initiative that pointed the way to the Avengers film.  Still, it's pretty badass to imagine Superman and Batman being onscreen together as soon as 2015.  It's what every fan, this one included, have been waiting for practically their entire lives.
Snyder stated that MOS 2 would pick up right after the events of the first and show Supes dealing with the consequences of killing General Zod.  One of the big questions is who's going to be responsible for rebuilding Metropolis after the epic battle.  I hoped, given all the LexCorp references, that Luthor would step in and rebuild the city while trying to turn public opinion against this alien.  Jeremy Jahns, who does film reviews on Youtube, mentioned that one of his theories for the sequel involves Bruce Wayne possibly teaming up with Luthor to rebuild Metropolis, initially unaware of what kind of person Luthor is.  Superman on the other hand, finding out what a prick Luthor is, tries to expose the truth and therefore earns the contempt of Bruce Wayne who suits up and confronts the Man of Steel.  Jahns pointed out that Batman has trust issues and naturally would be suspicious of an alien who's of the same species as Zod and has so much power.  Batman also wouldn't like the fact that Superman killed Zod, given his own "no-kill" policy.  In The Dark Knight Returns Frank Miller famously destroyed the Superman/Batman friendship, showing how their different worldviews would keep them at odds; Superman usually sees Batman as a common vigilante and Batman sees Superman as a big blue boy scout.  Since they'll eventually have to work together in Justice League, it stands to reason they will resolve their differences eventually, but perhaps in MOS 2 they'll start out as adversaries, each one trying to get the upper hand much like in The Superman Animated Series "World's Finest" string of episodes.  They can show how cunning Batman is, how he can bring someone as powerful as Superman down to earth.  Since MOS 2 is still a Superman film, I'd still like to see another Superman villain like Metallo or Brainiac but just because Batman is going to be in it doesn't mean one of these guys won't appear.  Once Bats discovers Luthor's true intentions and thirst for power, he'll be forced to team up with Superman and Luthor will have to team up with a villain such as Metallo or man his own battle suit, perhaps using Zod's Kryptonian armor.  This is one direction I'd love to see the sequel take now that it looks like it's going to include Batman.
Whatever path the sequel takes, just having Batman and Superman together in the same film is like having your birthday on Christmas after winning the lottery.  Man of Steel, in my less than humble opinion (which is the only opinion that matters naturally) has gotten Superman back on track and we're finally ready to start venturing into the great big DC universe we've known so well in the comics.  Having DC's two flagship heroes together in one film is hopefully just the start of a lot more superhero team-ups on the big screen.  
        

What's Next for the Man of Steel?

Metallo as he appears in Action Comics: The New 52.

I figured I'd continue the Man of Steel track I've been on for about a month now and discuss a few of the possible storylines I'd love to see explored in the inevitable sequel.  As with my first Man of Steel post, this one will have it's fair share of spoilers so those who haven't seen the film yet and somehow stumbled onto this blog shouldn't read any further.  As I mentioned previously, I loved the film immensely and was overjoyed by Superman's return to the big screen.  Being a diehard fan of Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, I'd love to see the Last Son of Krypton get the proper trilogy treatment he deserves.  I'm interested in the idea of an eventual Justice League film, but since there's no solid evidence pertaining to that yet, I'll leave that for another time. 
One of the best aspects of Man of Steel is the sheer amount of Easter Eggs to be discovered.  Most of them are quite subtle and unless you're an avid DC Comics reader, pretty obscure.  The most obvious eggs are the references to LexCorp sprinkled throughout the film.  LexCorp is of course the nefarious billion dollar company run by #1 Superman baddie Lex Luthor.  Three times in the film we see the LexCorp logo, twice on the sides of trucks and atop a distant skyscraper in Metropolis.  Just as the Joker is arguably Batman's most well known arch-enemy, Luthor is undoubtedly Superman's most beloved baddie and although these references are subtle, they seem to serve the same function as the Joker card that Batman turns over at the end of Batman Begins.  I know I wasn't alone in hoping for an après credits scene in which we might catch a glimpse of the legendary chrome dome, but the LexCorp references are certainly not just winks to the fans.  Luthor is Superman's best known rogue, so it stands to reason he will pop up in the sequel but not as the real estate obsessed goon who keeps trying to build new continents.  I imagine we'll finally get to see the brilliant and cunning mogul who owns more than half the city and has his hand in everything.  Just as Nolan saved the Joker for the Batman Begins sequel, I feel that Luthor will pop up in Man of Steel 2, although most likely not on his own.

Brainiac pissed and ready to smoke someone

 There is no Kryptonite in Man of Steel, a refreshing change considering how predictable the Kryptonite ploy has become.  Whether they'll introduce it at some point is unclear, but I tend to think we won't be seeing any of the green stuff.  Since Kryptonite is Luthor's only real weapon against Superman, he'll have to team up with a super powered villain to take Superman down or get some steel skin of his own.  Superman's battle with Zod leaves a huge chunk of the city in ruins and also undoubtedly creates some distrust and suspicion towards Superman from those high up in the military.  This is Luthor's opportunity to clean up the city and play on people's fear to turn public opinion against the being he considers an alien invader.  The military, in their paranoia will turn to Luthor, undoubtedly earth's greatest mind, to find a way to stop Superman.  This could be the way to also introduce Lois's father, General Sam Lane as a military liaison who's deeply suspicious of Superman and works with Luthor to stop him. 
In the film, Zod sheds his heavy Kryptonian armor in order to engage Supes in aerial battle and leaves the armor atop what appears to be a LexCorp building under construction.  My friend pointed out that Lex could find the virtually indestructible armor and have top scientists reverse engineer it to create a battle suit like the Kryptonite powered one Lex sometimes wears in the comics.  This could also be a way to introduce a villain such as John Corben, an army Sergeant who becomes Metallo.  Similar to adamantium, the indestructible alloy grafted to Wolverine's skeleton, Metallo is a nearly indestructible metal that if used to reinforce a suit of Kyrptonian armor would be a challenge even for Supes.  Whether Kryptonite is used to power the suit or not, Metallo could still be a formidable adversary for Superman in the sequel.
Another way to go is to have Luthor be contacted by the cyber being known as Brainiac who has been alerted to the presence of the last Kryptonian on earth.  In the New 52, Brainiac is introduced as a being who collects and preserves specimens from dying planets.  Brainiac's plan could be to collect Kal-El as the last of his species as well as eventually collect earthlings by shrinking down the city of Metropolis like he did with the Kryptonian capital Kandor.  Brainiac seeks Luthor out since he is considered earth's foremost scientific mind.  The two of them, along with a military presence, could combine their efforts to neutralize the Man of Steel. 
Of course it'd be terrible to ignore one of the film's most epic easter eggs, which would be the Wayne Enterprises logo on the innocent satellite that got taken out in the battle.  It's too early to say if this is anything more than a nod to Chris Nolan for his input in the film, but just like the LexCorp logos, this sighting confirms that the billionare playboy does very much exist in this world and I feel it's only a matter of time before we'll be seeing him again. 
There are a few other directions a sequel could take, but I'd like to see a variation of either of these storylines.  I'm also curious to see where they take the Lois/Clark relationship now that Lois knows his secret from the start.  The way I see it, they can maintain the playful dynamic when they're at work while also having a deeper relationship.  In order to protect his secret, Lois can still be slightly dismissive of Clark at the office even as she grapples with the difficulties of falling in love with someone who belongs to the world.  In my mind, it makes for more a complex and compelling story  while also maintaining a bit of the old Clark and Lois rapport. 
Bottom line is there are many places they could go in future sequels without falling back into all too familiar territory.  Man of Steel opens up a veritable universe of possibilities for DC Comics and I for one can't wait to see what they pull out of their hats in the upcoming years.               
     

Real Steel: Exploring the realism of "Man of Steel"

A handcuffed Superman being escorted by military personnel.

Alright, even though it's been in theaters for over a month now, I figured I'd share my thoughts about Man of Steel, which as of now I've seen five times.  If that isn't enough of a clue as to what I thought of the film, I'll just come right out and say that yea, I loved the film.  This isn't going be an objective review so much as it is a summary of the aspects of the film I enjoyed as well as my thoughts about why this isn't your daddy's Superman film and therefore might not be for everyone, so be warned, there will be spoilers.  If you haven't seen it yet, (go see it now!) and don't read any further. 
Let me start by saying I've been a Superman junkie my entire life and in fact can't remember a time when the Man of Steel wasn't present in my imagination.  I went from dressing up like him and running around my yard, (seriously who didn't) to finally picking up comics here and there and enjoying his adventures on the printed page.  Batman was always lurking in a dark corner of my mind as a very close runner up to Superman, but the Man of Steel was just always the king of the comic book mountain in my view and any Superman film was like Christmas and my birthday combined.  I grew up watching Chris Reeve take flight and needless to say he was my all time favorite idol, as he was for just about every Superman fan; he'll always hold a sacred place in my heart.  Having said that though, as I grew older I longed for a more contemporary Superman movie with an updated story and special effects.  So much had changed in Superman comics since Reeve first took flight in Superman: The Movie and I wanted a film that reflected some of those updates.  For one his origin had been retold countless times, most notably in John Byrne's seminal Man of Steel mini-series.  Also villain's such as Luthor and General Zod had been updated to reflect more modern concepts of villainy.  Much as I wanted to love Superman Returns, I finally had to admit that it was a letdown, at once relying too much on the original film to the point of remake while also taking too many liberties with the myth.  Also, given how far visual effects had come since 1978, Superman didn't really get to strut his stuff in Superman Returns.
Well, this isn't a problem plaguing Superman at all in Man of Steel.  The film is packed with enough spectacular action to make your eyeballs bleed.  The visual FX are simply stunning and we finally get to see Superman unchained, performing feats at full throttle.  Some naysayers are complaining that there's too much action and destruction in the film, probably the same who griped about the lack of action in Returns.  To these complaints I point out with some passion that the sheer destruction in the film shows realistic repercussions of godlike beings battling each other .  The world of the film is our own, down to the familiar stores like Sears and Seven/Eleven.  For once, the film shows the physics at work when two super powered titans are throwing each other around a city.  If buildings weren't collapsing and debris falling it would be unrealistic.  The stakes in the film are meant to be very high.  General Zod means business and refuses to let anyone stand in his way.  Unlike Terrence Stamp's iconic Zod from Superman II, who simply wants vengeance against Jor-El's son for being imprisoned in the Phantom Zone, this Zod is a Kryptonian warrior on a mission to restore his beloved home-world on earth, albeit at the cost of every human life.  Zod doesn't give a shit about any human life and he fights like it, throwing Kal through building after building in the film. 
Unlike past film versions of Superman, this film gets inside the mind of the generally clean cut Man of Steel in a unique and refreshing way.  Rather than being just a spectator to his remarkable abilities and watching him from afar, the viewer gets to ride alongside him and see the full picture of what it's like to grow up knowing you're different but not knowing why, and therefore having to restrain yourself when you're capable of doing so much.  The film expresses this quite nicely.  Young Clark is shown to be an outcast who is regarded as a freak by his peers because his parents shelter him so much.  We see just how much Martha and Jonathan love this alien orphan as their own and only want to protect him from being rejected by the world.  Kevin Costner does a great job conveying Jonathan's dilemma in wanting to protect his son above all else yet knowing that Clark will one day have to face the world.  One scene that's taking a lot of flak involves a flashback to Clark's teenage years showing how Jonathan is killed by a tornado while rescuing the family dog from their car.  Rather than let Clark reveal his abilities, Jonathan sacrifices his own life and Clark watches helplessly as his father disappears.  To some it might seem silly that Jonathan would even risk his life to save a dog; these people don't know Jonathan Kent.  The way I see it, the Kent's believe all life to be precious.  This is one of the core values that they pass on to Clark.  However, when it comes to his son, Jonathan would gladly give up his own life to protect his secret; that's what makes him such a great father.  Young Clark trusts his father so strongly that as much as he wants to save him, when Jonathan holds up his hand to tell Clark to stay put, he does out of that trust.  It's only years later that Clark begins to wonder if his father was wrong in thinking the world wasn't ready for the knowledge of his abilities and therefore feels a sense of guilt in not having saved his father.  This provides Clark with an internal conflict that is relatable regardless of how powerful he is.
 The decision to have Lois Lane, played wonderfully by Amy Adams, discover Clark's secret early on in the film is probably another sore spot for purists.  While I was surprised at first, I came to see that it made perfect sense and admired the guts it took to take such an unexpected route.  I went in expecting the usual, timid Clark Kent alter ego that Lois simply dismisses as she swoons for Superman.  Truth is, as much as I've always accepted this as part of the story, even I had to admit that it's not that realistic and always made Lois Lane seem really oblivious and thick which doesn't suit a Pulitze Prize winning journalist.  In most Superhero films these days, the female lead almost always discovers the hero's identity, or in Iron Man's case, the hero reveals it himself.  In today's world it would be nearly impossible to maintain a secret identity for long.   I could never believe Lois was a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and investigator when she couldn't figure out that Clark and Supes were the same  after spending so much time around both.  Harder still was it to believe that Clark would be into her when she could be so curt and dismissive of him at the Planet.  In Man of Steel, Lois feels like a real match for Superman, someone in which he can find compatibility and trust.  Adams conveyed Lois's toughness and determination to get at the truth along with her compassion very well.  Instead of being only a damsel in distress, falling off buildings and needing Superman to catch her, Lois pulls her own weight in the film and even saves Superman a few times.  He still catches her in the film, but for the first time they seem on more even ground and you get a sense of what they see in each other.
As mentioned earlier, the Visual FX in the film are often breathtaking, especially the scenes of Krypton.  No longer is the planet a Hoth-like ice world based on crystal technology.  Instead it has unique animal and plant life and a distinct topography ravaged by years of abusive strip mining.  The Kryptonians have simply exhausted their resources and made the planet's core unstable.  The movie spends a good deal of time on Krypton, showing it to be a unique place with a real sense of history, which creates a feeling of sadness at it's demise.  Because of the extra time on Krypton, the movie skips over the all to familiar landing of his ship and discovery by the Kents.  Instead the film uses flashbacks to show important moments in young Clark's troubled childhood.  This non-linearity is a refreshing take on what is arguably the most well known Superhero origin story.
Without a doubt, the most controversial moment of the film occurs towards the end, when Superman ends the battle with Zod, which has already ravaged a huge chunk of Metropolis, by breaking his neck to save a family from the wrath of Zod's heat vision.  Most people are familiar with Superman's "no-kill" policy in the comics and therefore this scene would be shocking to many longtime Superman fans.  However, what those fans are overlooking is the fact that Superman has in fact killed in the comics.  He was forced to execute an alternate Zod and his two followers with Kryptonite for decimating all life on a parallel earth.  Even in Superman II, he kills a suddenly powerless Zod by picking him up, rather happily I might add, and throwing him into what seems to be an endless hole in the Fortress.  In Man of Steel, Superman pleads with Zod not to hurt the family but Zod, who's lost everything, is determined to destroy every last human and then kill Kal.  Superman has no other choice but to kill him quickly, after which he yells out in despair.  Clearly, he never wants to have to do that again. 
The film is surprising and even radical at times for Superman purists, but I don't think this is a bad thing at all.  At his core, Henry Cavill's Superman embodies the essential elements of the character that have always been there.  Much as it might pain people to hear, Superman is not just an American hero; he's a universal icon loved the world over.  He's still dedicated to helping people whenever he can.  Rather than being a flawless, clean cut defender of truth, justice and the American Way, Man of Steel's Superman fights to defend his adopted world and help good people wherever they may be.  He does what he has to do in the film to stop his own people from wiping out an entire planet that may very well fear and hate him.  There's almost an X-men feel to that.  He also tries to inspire people to do good things for each other and provide an ideal of hope, which is what his chest symbol means.  The Superman in Man of Steel is one who can be embraced by all people who crave an inspiring example of the potential for human goodness and decency. 
 
   

 
   
   
 
  

Capes and Cowls: The Wonderful World of Comic Books

Some legendary faces along with some lesser known ones from the DC Universe.

I've been a comic book fan for as long as I can remember.  During that time, my two bigs have been Superman and Batman, which is not surprising since they were the first two superheroes and established the basic archetypal blueprint for virtually all spandex clad heroes who followed in their wake.  As I got older I was introduced to other characters such as The Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, Aquaman as well as a multitude of others mostly from the DC Universe.  I didn't grow up reading any Marvel comics.  Even though I liked Marvel characters such as Spiderman, X-men, Hulk, and the Fantastic Four, I never knew where a good place to start would be in order to familiarize myself with these characters.  Even with DC, it was only as I got older that I started to seriously read issue after issue in sequential order and became familiar with the continuity of Superman and Batman.  Since those early years of dressing up like Superman and jumping off the bed or the couch and pretty much anyplace where I could get some air but avoid seriously hurting myself, I've acquired what I think is a pretty considerable store of superhero knowledge.  Still, I don't consider myself a comic book expert by any means and am still being taken to school by people whose know how seems to rival the comic book writers themselves.  I'm aware that there's still so much I've yet to learn, particularly from the Marvel Universe since my only real source of knowledge has been from the successful Marvel films and the meager stack of Marvel comics I own (a few Thors, X-men, Spiderman.)  Given the surge of comic book inspired films that have flooded theaters recently, both great and mediocre, I've been reading whatever I can get my hands on, from DC, Marvel, and companies such as Image.  As much as I'm a comic book fan I'm also an appreciator of film, one who understands that comic books/graphic novels and film are two unique mediums of storytelling, both containing their own sense of verisimilitude and therefore don't always mesh perfectly.  As much as fan-boys would like to see their favorite comics and stories translated panel by panel to the big screen, the truth is that certain comic book elements don't translate well to film and belong solely in the pages of a comic.  Ironically, it sometimes seems that the closer a filmmaker gets to the source material, the harder it can be to buy into the story.  As a fan of both comic books and many of the films based on them, I hope to move from one world to the other, discussing the big titles and collections I've been reading and hearing about along with the big comic book films coming out one after the next.  My aim is to find ways to bridge these two worlds by finding similar themes and concepts explored in different ways.  I also wish to discuss certain Sci-Fi and Fantasy works in both television and film.  In a lot of ways Comic books have moved out of the cramped hole in the wall stores and dingy basements and into the spotlight where they're more glamorous and widely loved than ever before.  As comic books  move further into the mainstream and writers and artists, both in the comic and film worlds, seek to add their own spin to classic and more contemporary characters with mixed results, it becomes clear that this is a very exciting time to be a comic book fan.  Indeed, the future still looks very bright for people in tights.