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September 9, 2008

Ramblings - The Superman Problem

Oh, I love this! I get to complain and rant and it doesn’t bother anybody. So, today’s topic, the famous “Man of Steel.”

So, why Superman you ask? Well, frankly, I don’t like Superman. He’s just not my cup of tea. As a fan of the dreary, somewhat dark, and tragic genre you find in Batman, Superman is like my brand of Kryptonite. However, I recently went on the endeavor to write a poem inspired by each member of the Justice League. Don’t ask why. Anyway, I started off with Superman, and the question arose....

How can a person who writes morbid poems write Superman?

To me, Superman is the epitome of superheroes. He’s what everyone else aspires to be, in their own way. He can fly, he has super strength, he has the best quality of morals, he’s kind, need I go on? Sure, Superman may doubt himself, may have problems, but he’s Superman! You can’t leave him on a sad note.

And yet, ah the yet, here is the reason for the ramblings.

Why in the world does everyone who isn’t in the comic book medium make Superman depressed?

Take the song “It’s Not Easy” By Five For Fighting. Here’s a sample of the lyrics.

“I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
I'm just out to find
The better part of me

I'm more than a bird:I'm more than a plane
More than some pretty face beside a train
It's not easy to be me

Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see”

What the hell?????????

He’s not naive???? They call him the Big Blue Boy-Scout! Like I said, sure, Superman is (not really) human. He has moments of doubt, where he may question himself and what he does, like at the end of Justice League (the cartoon) and he seems like he’s going to disband the League. Yet, he doesn’t dwell on this, he doesn’t mope and brood.

Jeez, he sounds like Batman.

I think, for the upcoming issues with this, that’s the problem. The success of Batman is doing great-things for the comic=movie medium. They are going for more realistic, more possible, but also, darker. The movie companies are (rumored to be) recently planning to release new Superman movies following Batman’s success, ie. making it “realistic and dark.”

Um...Superman realistic and dark?

No!

Superman will never be realistic. He flies! A bullet can bounce off of him; he can carry tons; he can move almost as fast as the Flash, which is still super-speed. How can that every be realistic? And talk about dark? Superman stands for hope, hope in the good and in justice. How can you destroy that by making Superman dark?

You know, these are just my opinions, but I still think someone has to agree somewhere. I watch Justice League and often skip Superman-oriented episodes. I am not a Superman fan, and never have been. However, I still believe in honoring a character and what he stands for.

Why can these people?

Opinions? I’d love to hear them!

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