Superman being called 'Kal' - when did it start and how much does it continue?

If you care for Moses comparisons (and I do, and don't think the similarities are coincidental; they're also far better than the Jesus comparisons...), the Kal-El persona of Superman is most closely associated with the child of Hebrew slaves set adrift to escape doom, the Clark Kent persona matches up most with the adopted Egyptian prince, and Superman correlates most with Moses' life as a prophet.

Is this a perfect analogy? Of course not. Few people would equate living in rural America with anything princely, and Superman didn't come back to save the people of Krypton from their fate. But his identity as the Last Son of Krypton is one that shouldn't be overlooked as a minor aspect of the character.

I personally started calling him "Kal" as something of a reaction against that trend [I]DKR[/I] started where certain people, in and out of universe, exclusively call him "Clark" regardless of whether he's wearing his glasses or his cape or not. I think calling Superman "Clark" can cheapen Clark Kent, crusading journalist and mild mannered everyman. And just because it happened to him so much, I kind of associate the act of calling Superman in full cape "Clark" with the pre-Flashpoint era Superman, whose frequently self-doubting characterizations I am not overly fond of. Not to say of course that I generally subscribe fully to the idea that Clark is entirely a facade, of course he's not. But I think the distinctions between his selves are important.

So... "Kal".

On another note, there's [URL="https://imgur.com/a/UoOvu"]a fanfic [/URL]out there where Bruce lists reasons why he's sad, and one of them is:

[quote=Bruce Wayne]Clark was having a Moment and I thought he might like to be called Kal, but I changed my mind too late and ended up calling him Kalk. I tried to play it off but I don't think it worked.[/quote]

Which has got to be one of the best things ever written about either of Superman's names, or Batman's personality.

[QUOTE=Sacred Knight;4473045]Yep. Kal-El is just as much his name as Clark Kent is. Suppression of that side of him is a post-Crisis trait that I don't want to come back. Superman is Kal-El is Clark Kent. It all blends.[/QUOTE]

However, Clark doesn't know he is Kal-El until he is pretty older.

He was raised as Clark, which include his powers.

Kal-El represents part of his heritage, but not so much about his life.

[QUOTE=Konja7;4480613]However, Clark doesn't know he is Kal-El until he is pretty older.

He was raised as Clark, which include his powers.

Kal-El represents part of his heritage, but not so much about his life.[/QUOTE]

That's not always true. In the Silver and Bronze Age he didn't leave Krypton until he was a toddler, and remembered it really well, until repeated Kryptonite exposure caused those memories to fade a little in later adulthood. In the current Frank Miller miniseries as well, even though he left very young, he remembered Krypton better and better as he got older, rather than worse.

And then there's something like Zack Snyder's [i]Man of Steel[/i]. Despite being based in part of Byrne's [i]Man of Steel[/i], Snyder's is very different. In Byrne of course he's actively dismissive of Krypton. In Snyder, learning about Krypton allows him the insight needed to bond more fully with Earth. Before learning about his heritage, he's an itinerant worker with no friends. Afterward, he's finally the Clark Kent he was always meant to be. Learning that he was Kal-El is what made Clark Kent possible. I always thought that was very poetic in a lot of ways.

[QUOTE=Adekis;4482053]That's not always true. In the Silver and Bronze Age he didn't leave Krypton until he was a toddler, and remembered it really well, until repeated Kryptonite exposure caused those memories to fade a little in later adulthood. In the current Frank Miller miniseries as well, even though he left very young, he remembered Krypton better and better as he got older, rather than worse.

And then there's something like Zack Snyder's [i]Man of Steel[/i]. Despite being based in part of Byrne's [i]Man of Steel[/i], Snyder's is very different. In Byrne of course he's actively dismissive of Krypton. In Snyder, learning about Krypton allows him the insight needed to bond more fully with Earth. Before learning about his heritage, he's an itinerant worker with no friends. Afterward, he's finally the Clark Kent he was always meant to be. Learning that he was Kal-El is what made Clark Kent possible. I always thought that was very poetic in a lot of ways.[/QUOTE]

That's an interesting insight. Like he needed to find the missing piece of himself to fully embrace the life he adapted to since childhood.

[QUOTE=Konja7;4480613]However, Clark doesn't know he is Kal-El until he is pretty older.

He was raised as Clark, which include his powers.

Kal-El represents part of his heritage, but not so much about his life.[/QUOTE]IIRC in most versions where he DOES leave Krypton as a baby, he learns about Krypton as a child, so that when he becomes an adult he's already figured out the secret identity thing.

[QUOTE=Konja7;4480613]However, Clark doesn't know he is Kal-El until he is pretty older.

He was raised as Clark, which include his powers.

Kal-El represents part of his heritage, but not so much about his life.[/QUOTE]

Really that's only true in the first few post-Crisis based origins, Byrne and the triangle era revamp. Maybe Birthright? I can't quite remember there. But in most, he learns who he is much earlier, including the current continuity if we can take the SO base at face value, which until contradicted I think we can. In most origins he has much longer to embrace all that he is, Kryptonian included.

[QUOTE=Tzigone;4429767]When did calling Superman "Kal" become a thing. It makes sense in the Silver Age. Through a good portion of that era, he had some memory of Krypton or else all his communication with AI Jor-El. I recall a Superboy story where he didn't like Jonathan Kent calling him "Clark" because he wanted to be called by his "real name" when they were in private.

I haven't read 52, but maybe it makes sense there, too.

But it seems like I've seen Diana, at least, call him that in a post-Crisis era. I remember being surprised by it. But my memory may be faulty. In any event, it really never made sense to me in post-COIE era because he'd never lived on Krypton, really, or gone by that name. He thought of himself as an Earthling...some of the time, anyway. Clark's the real guy (version I prefer).

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone knew where calling Superman "Kal" began, and how widespread it was (in regards to number of people using it or years used)?[/QUOTE]

Could you (or anyone really) please tell me what issue this was where Superboy asked Pa Kent to call him by his kryptonian name in private? I know I've seen it somewhere before, but for the life of me just can't seem to find it.

I need clarification on the question. Is it when did people start calling him "Kal"? Or is it when did they start calling him "Kal-El"?

To me these are different questions. I prefer that he is always called Kal-El--not Kal. It's not like two syllables is so much harder than one syllable. And I like the sound of Kal-El--it sounds alien enough. Kal sound like a regular Earth name--and I wonder if calling him "Kal" is an attempt to normalize him--like calling Charlie Brown "Chuck."

In the Donner SUPERMAN, Jor-El always says "Kal-El," doesn't he? That just sounds so cool--Marlon Brando saying "Kal" wouldn't have the same ring.

I used to think that "Kal" was a more recent development and something that started post-1987. But in my reading I've run across this a few times in earlier comics--although, I can't remember off the top of my head the first instance. "Kal-El" becomes common enough in the Weisinger Era, because so many stories reference Krypton.

If his friends want to use a name other than Superman, Kal-El seems the wisest choice. I find it ridiculous when other super-heroes call him Clark in his Superman identity--likewise with Bruce when he's Batman. They are giving away his secret identity. It's better to get used to calling him Kal-El, so they don't slip in public and call him Clark.

Martha and Jonathan should never call him Clark when he's being Superboy--or Superboy when he's Clark. They ought to never call him Kal-El even in private when he's acting as their son. I've been reading THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY and they are very clear about this. They are the ones guiding him and establishing how he should behave as Clark and as Superboy. Even in private, they want him as Clark to always act like a regular human so it will come natural. This is an interesting angle that Cary Bates works in these stories, as we see that the adult Clark and Superman roles are essentially the legacy of Jonathan and Martha.

I know my question is a separate question from this thread altogether, but do you happen to know the superboy issue where Clark asked Jonathan to call him by his kryptonian name? Not saying I agree with him calling him that. I just want to know where to find the issue out of a completionist type mindset to fully understand the context of that particular story.

[QUOTE=Timothy Hunter;4472649]I would prefer people referred to himself as Clark Kent instead of Kal El. Clark Kent is Superman not the reverse.[/QUOTE]

Maybe, but Clark Kent doesn't pretend to be Superman.

[QUOTE=Marvelsoldier;5674910]I know my question is a separate question from this thread altogether, but do you happen to know the superboy issue where Clark asked Jonathan to call him by his kryptonian name? Not saying I agree with him calling him that. I just want to know where to find the issue out of a completionist type mindset to fully understand the context of that particular story.[/QUOTE]

I think you are referring to the Superboy story in [I]The Superman Family #196.[/I]

[QUOTE=Last Son of Krypton;5675684]I think you are referring to the Superboy story in [I]The Superman Family #196.[/I][/QUOTE]

Thanks man. Much appreciated.

[QUOTE=Last Son of Krypton;5675684]I think you are referring to the Superboy story in [I]The Superman Family #196.[/I][/QUOTE]

Yes, thanks. In that story Superboy is using the Mind Prober. His super-memory wasn't perfect, because of exposure to Green K., so he created the Mind Prober to help him remember events on Krypton. After using the Prober, the Boy of Steel asks Jonathan why he won't call him by his Kryptonian name. Pa Kent says that Clark is the name they gave him and he will always call him that--not Kal-El.

But later in the story, Jonathan discovers the epicentre of an earthquake, risks his own life and calls out "Kal-El" to bring Superboy to that location. And after the Red and Blue Blur has solved the crisis, Jonathan again calls him "Kal-El."

I find it hard to believe that Superboy and Jonathan would have this falling out over his Kryptonian name. It conveniently creates some drama and drives the plot. And family drama isn't unusual. I can chalk it up to Superboy going through puberty and Jonathan having a moment of self-doubt. And maybe Cary Bates had some personal issues he wanted to work through and this story allowed him to do that.

Note that in this story Superboy's Kryptonian name is always given as "Kal-El" not "Kal."

I think that Jonathan and Martha would have worked all this out by now. Just when the story takes place is dubious. As drawn by Joe Staton, Superboy looks around 14 years old. However, this story is after Jonathan and Martha were youngified. But the earliest stories of their youth treatment had them without glasses--by this time Jonathan is looking older and has specs. But he's not looking as old as he will look in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY.

Since Clark is dressed as Superboy, I think Jonathan would know it's not a good idea to call him Clark when he's in costume. And it makes no sense to me that he would insist on calling him Clark in that situation. However, in this story, apparently the Kents are the only ones who know Superboy's Kryptonian name. Using that name would be highly suspicious to anyone listening in. And the Kents can never be sure that someone isn't montoring them--the Superboy Revenge Squad had a habit of doing that.