Superheroes

[DailyRich]

I think that those who have taken this tack don't "get" the core idea of Superman: He never wanted to be a "leader of men" or one-man government; he always only wanted to respect the world, protect and nurture it... just what you'd expect from a farmer's son. The "Boy scout" jibes say it clearest, and you'll notice that Superman never contradicts anyone who ever called him that. At most, he's a policeman. Ultimately, he is as Miller presented him in Batman Returns: The obedient super-soldier.

But I don't think it's an unreasonable topic of exploration that that attitude might change over time. That after years, decades of having to seemingly right the same wrongs over and over again, a man with the power Superman possesses might justify to himself a more active role by saying, "I can protect a lot more people by making sure these things never happen in the first place."

[kater]

Nor are we talking about Superman specifically, but the all-powerful, black/white trope that he represents. The wish fulfillment character is always ripe for exploration because it is quite limited and two dimensional, it's not attacking Superman so much as asking 'what if' and in the last four or five years there has been a reaction to the whiter than white hero figure.

[Steven L Jordan]

...in the last four or five years there has been a reaction to the whiter than white hero figure.

Four or five? How 'bout back to Wolverine? Heroes with questionable morals have been a popular subject of superhero mythology for quite some time.

But in the same way that we don't expect all policemen to just go corrupt after X number of years in a tough precinct, I would expect Superman to occasionally get tired and even frustrated of his lot, but not to just give it up and take over. His sense of responsibility demands he fight the good fight as long as he is able... ours is not to question why, and all that. Among other things, that farm boy's life gave him pretty bulletproof morals that should preclude his taking anarchist actions.

That's why I thought Kingdom Come was a better foretelling of Superman's actions in such a situation: Faced with a world that didn't accept his morals, he was more likely to retire than take over; and faced with a crisis caused by the other heroes, he was more likely to try to reinforce his original sense of morals on others than to declare himself ruler over all.

Anyway, just my take on the Big Spitcurl.

[hippokrene]

I get a feeling that deep down, for 90% of the planet, everyone's favorite superhero is Batman, even if they won't admit it, because EVERYONE'S favorite is Batman.

Superman is still more popular than Batman in inner city areas.

[Raytrek79]

I like the Ironman movies and I've always had most respect for Captain America but (I may be abused for this) my favourite is M.Night Shamalans Sentinal in Un-breakable (Bruce Willis) because he is who I am most like.

[alinabenson]

'Batman'

I like Batman a lot rather than other Superheroes for some reason, a bunch of graphic is the novels, lol.

[CodanOfCanada]

Batman is a shoe in. He's had great authors, like Steven Engleheart, Len Wein, Frank Miller, Grant Morrison etc. and great artists (Neal Adams, Jim Lee) working on him. His character is phenomenal and much more down to earth (at least these days) when compared to most superheroes. Every author has a Batman story to tell.

But let's skip the obvious, everyone knows Batman. Some overlooked truly great characters like the Swamp Thing easily compare to most Batman comics. From it's original horror/occult roots with Len Wein's excellent prose to the 80's when Alan Moore started something new in comics when he took the reins of the Swamp Thing, he's been one of the most multi-faceted characters in the biz. Easily some of the most artistic story telling and top notch art, especially from Totleben. You really grow with the the Swamp Thing. sorry for the pun

Neil Gaiman's Sandman is another great character, though not really a super hero like the original from the 30's and 40's was. He's actually a god. And because of that you get all kinds of interesting tales both modern and historical. Other than Moore, Gaiman is the best comic author around.

And lastly, good ol' Captain America. He's always been interesting, but for an excellent read, check out Ed Brubaker's extensive catalog. Making the Cap seem more down to earth and mixing in a lot of spy intrigue and mystery worked wonders.


...

Also Wolverine is awesome, another Len Wein creation, but no need to toot his horn, you all know him. Miller's mini-series with Claremont in the early 80's was fantastic, and really started to introduce the real "Logan". Plus he's Canadian!

[ebusinesstutor]

As a kid when I read comics, I always connected with Spiderman more then Superman. I liked both, but Spiderman seemed more real with real life problems.

And Superman was just too powerful so it was tough to find powerful enough super villains to really challenge him.

I quite enjoyed the Batman Beyond TV series. A great new take on Batman with a young protege taking on the Batman role in an armoured suit that now flies with an aging Bruce Wayne mentoring him.

[Action Avenue]

It's a tie for me between Captain America & Batman. Cap: He embodies honor along with bravery and represents the best of what a good soldier should be. Batman: He freakin' Batman, for crying out loud! He has no super powers, yet he uses his ingenuity and his image to the ultimate advantage.

[albertjr]

I like all of them .
Because they are all for making the world out of the bad things .
I respect all and really wanna see them in real .
I believe they will come .

[ankit12690]

batman is one of my best favourite...