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Kane Knight
04-22-2012, 10:37 AM
Right, so, does anyone think there's any market for a less perfect young Superman?

One of the things that kind of bugged me with Smallville is Clark Kent never really grew into the part. There's few missteps that can't be accounted for by shit like red kryptonite. Since this is the modern take on a young Kent's journey from boy to Superman, I thought it'd be more interesting to see a less paragon-esque Clark.

It doesn't have to be the "Spider-Man" route, where he's kind of a jerk until something bad happens, but really, what kid doesn't want to bust loose? And what kid under special restrictions doesn't want to bust loose even more, especially as a teenager?

Note I'm not really asking for "accuracy's sake," because we throw out realism the minute we have guys who can fly and microwave shit with their eyes. I just think it'd be more interesting to see a young Superman actually screw shit up without some sort of twinkie defense.

This may have happened in the comics; I don't know. I was never a big reader of Superman comics, but I know they've explored a lot of shit. Also, I pick on Smallville specifically because the only other show I know about that did this was Superboy, and I never saw that. Didn't seem to have that theme.

Swiss Ultimate
04-22-2012, 01:26 PM
I think there's an audience for it, don't know if producers are willing to try the formula again though. I get what you're saying though, it'd be fun to see a young asshole transforming into not only a responsible adult but fucking Superman. Would be a great arc.

That said, don't know if I could do that in a TV series. A movie would be a perfectly place to show that kind of transformation. Birth of Superman.

dronepool
04-22-2012, 01:32 PM
It sorta happened in the first arc of Morrison's Action Comics, but not stretched out.

http://www.mycomicnetwork.com/v2/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Action-Comics-1-Running.jpg

http://gigaom2.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/comics-2.jpg


http://cromeyellow.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/actioncomics_1.jpg

Lock Jaw
04-22-2012, 02:08 PM
Check out Superman: Earth One. I don't exactly recall, but I remember thinking he was kind of a douche.

Swiss Ultimate
04-22-2012, 02:11 PM
That Superboy is such a hypocrite. "The law is important for rich people, but not people as super-powerful as myself."

Kane Knight
04-23-2012, 12:33 AM
I think there's an audience for it, don't know if producers are willing to try the formula again though. I get what you're saying though, it'd be fun to see a young asshole transforming into not only a responsible adult but fucking Superman. Would be a great arc.

That said, don't know if I could do that in a TV series. A movie would be a perfectly place to show that kind of transformation. Birth of Superman.

I was just thinking in general. A TV show mostly came up because of the Smallville connection. A comic arc would be great, and I like what Dronepool was showing off. I was thinking more just an average teen than an asshole, but that would work, too.

Though the difference is kinda subtle.

Fignuts
04-23-2012, 12:52 AM
Why is Superman being written like Batman?

We already have a Batman.

Kalyx triaD
04-23-2012, 01:36 AM
What you speak of can certainly be a vehicle for Conner.

Tom Guycott
04-23-2012, 01:41 AM
Why is Superman being written like Batman?

Because he sees that criminals are a suspicious and cowardly lot.

Nowhere Man
04-23-2012, 05:29 PM
Why is Superman being written like Batman?

We already have a Batman.

Because Morrison was trying to write Superman the way he was in the original Action Comics #1--back in the 30s and early 40s, Supes was more of the dangerous-outlaw-vigilante type, dragging gangsters around the city skyline by their ankles, spanking hookers (no, seriously), etc. It wasn't until after World War II, and particularly the Frederick Wertham case that blamed comics in general and Superman in particular for encouraging violence in children, that they toned him down and built him into the 'Big Blue Boy Scout' that he's been ever since.

As for whether there's a market for a younger, inexperienced Superman, the fact that Smallville ran as long as it did suggests there's enough interest in the general audiences for it. I'm not sure how much you could tweak his personality, though-- Superman's been pretty well established the way he is for decades, and pretty deeply entrenched into pop culture so that the common perception of him will always be that of an old fashioned goody-two-shoes type of guy. Something similar happens every time they scale back his powers; in the 80s and 90s, Supes was watered-down so much that he was getting his ass handed to him by pretty much every random villain that showed up that week and was usually never seen again, yet non-fans still bitched about him being "too powerful." It's one of those cases where perception equals reality, and I'm of the opinion that rather than go against it, it's better to figure out how to make it work for you.

However, if you want to see a younger superhero with a similar power-set who struggles with the pressure of being a hero with the realities of being a teenager/young adult and doesn't exactly have the strongest moral compass all the time, I highly recommend 'Invincible' by Robert Kirkman. Or, if you specifically want to read one that's Superman, the miniseries 'Secret Identity' by Kurt Busiek--it's a non-canonical Elseworld story, but it's quite good.

Lock Jaw
04-23-2012, 05:40 PM
I love "Secret Identity". Technically it isn't about Superman, but some dude in the "real world" named Clark Kent, who turns out to somehow have the powers of Superman. Pretty sweet though.

Nowhere Man
04-23-2012, 07:14 PM
Also, if you want to take the 'non-perfect Superman' route to its extreme, then I think 'Irredeemable' by Mark Waid takes it farther than just about any other writer has ever had the balls to do. In that one, a Superman stand-in called the Plutonian has all the same powers as Supes (and I'm talking Silver Age god-like Superman) but none of the emotional maturity for the job, so he can't take the pressure, the terrible consequences of making a mistake, the sneering cynical press, and he snaps and becomes a genocidal lunatic. It's pretty fucked up (actually, it's really fucked up), but it's also one of the best takes on a Superman-style figure I've ever read.

Lock Jaw
04-23-2012, 07:15 PM
I need to read that. I think I read the first few issues, then got sidetracked. I do loves me some Mark Waid, though, so I should read it.