BEST versions of Superman!

[TheCape]

Count me among the fans that love Post-Crisis Superman, for some reason this is the version i connect with the most, i love how no matter what doubt and insecurities he migth find himself wallowing from to time, i like how he eventually gets back up and does the rigth thing no matter the circumstances, in spite of the whole "Clark Kent is who i am" and etc, this is guy that definetly enjoys both being a superhero and his civilian life. The storytelling of this period was also quite amazing, even with the rocky start in the Byrne days, i can't thing in another time period when things were this consistent within the main books and of course the supportting cast, althougth they weren't the most nuanced characthers in the media, they managed to make the city of Metropolis to feel like a living and breathing and seeing how Superman actions affected their lives was pretty damm fun.
Of course i can left out the many artist that make this whole thing a joy to wacth (or as i call it "azucar para los ojos"), Dan Jurgens, Bob Mcleob, Tom Grummet and the man that was literary born to draw Superman punching a tank Jerry Ordway, he migth be my favorite artist on the books and i still hadn't found a Superman that looks better than his.
ordway+3.jpg
Ok, is decided i'm going to do an apreciation thread with this guy at some point .

[manofsteel1979]

Great thread! Since others have covered my comics and TV faves , I'll bring up what I consider the best animated Superman and the most pure realization of the original Siegel and Shuster man of action incarnation...The Fleisher/ Famous Studios cartoons, Particularly the first 6 or so.

[manofsteel1979]

Count me among the fans that love Post-Crisis Superman, for some reason this is the version i connect with the most, i love how no matter what doubt and insecurities he migth find himself wallowing from to time, i like how he eventually gets back up and does the rigth thing no matter the circumstances, in spite of the whole "Clark Kent is who i am" and etc, this is guy that definetly enjoys both being a superhero and his civilian life. The storytelling of this period was also quite amazing, even with the rocky start in the Byrne days, i can't thing in another time period when things were this consistent within the main books and of course the supportting cast, althougth they weren't the most nuanced characthers in the media, they managed to make the city of Metropolis to feel like a living and breathing and seeing how Superman actions affected their lives was pretty damm fun.
Of course i can left out the many artist that make this whole thing a joy to wacth (or as i call it "azucar para los ojos"), Dan Jurgens, Bob Mcleob, Tom Grummet and the man that was literary born to draw Superman punching a tank Jerry Ordway, he migth be my favorite artist on the books and i still hadn't found a Superman that looks better than his.
ordway+3.jpg
Ok, is decided i'm going to do an apreciation thread with this guy at some point .

That Ordway painting...Wow.

[TheCape]

That Ordway painting...Wow.

I know, i had the same reaction.

[Ascended]

Oh, much love for the Fleisher cartoons as well! Cant believe I forgot to mention them in my first post!

[HandofPrometheus]

Post-Crisis Superman- I went into John Byrne's run as a newbie to Superman. I knew Superman from movies and cartoons but never delved into Superman from the comics. Boy, when I read Byrne's run I fell in love. This was definitely one of my favorite runs. I didn't get a chance to read past his run but this is definitely the Superman I would always look back to.

DCAU Superman- One of my first exposures to Superman. Perfect Superman in the T.V side of media. Kinda a jobber but I still love him.

[superduperman]

I can't believe I forgot the Fleischer cartoons either! They're basically the animated GA! What's not to love? And his costume was one of the best ever! I'd like to think of New Frontiers as sort of the future version of the Fleischer Superman! Darwin Cook made the right call picking his costume for the book! I've never seen Justice League Action. Is it any good? It sounds of a Justice League version of Batman Brave and Bold.

[Mister BoMan]

There are parts of Superman versions of Superman that I like.

Silver/Bronze Age Superman The Superman I basically grew up on. Of all the version I love this the best.
Superman Rebirth Right now I am loving Superman Rebirth. I love that Superman and Lois are married and also has Jon "Superboy" Kent. His history has a mixture of all the great Superman stories.
The Donner Superman Christopher Reeve defined Superman for a generation I was apart of. His theme "verisimultude" and it worked. The Krypton and Smallville scenes were magnificent. Reeve and Kidder had great chemistry together. The John Williams theme is still awesome. Look of the influence the first Superman movie has done to comics and movies in general. We see the influence in the comics over the years, but look at the impact it made with Patty Jenkins Wonder Woman. Christopher Nolan referenced Superman the Movie when he was talking about Batman Begins. Even Geoff Johns and Kevin Feige over Marvel Studios have told of the influence on the Marvel movies.
Post Crisis Superman John Byrne's post Superman stories was great and I loved his run along with other Post-Crisis stories by Jerry Ordway, Dan Jurgens, and others of that were excellent.
DC Movies Man of Steel Superman I think the Henry Cavill Superman is a modern masterpiece. Loved Hans Zimmer score. I loved the story. Great cast as well. The fight between Superman and Zod was great. I thought Henry Cavill and Amy Adams had great chemistry as well.
The Fleischer Superman My favorite of the cartoons.Classic work by the animators.
George Reeves Superman Loved the George Reeves Superman all the way from the bw to the color episodes. Loved also his Clark Kent.

Others I was to mention parts of are : Superman:Birthright by Mark Waid was a great origin. Golden Age/ Earth 2 Superman loved this version and wish he would return in some way. New 52 Superman- Loved The Morrison Origin and loved the t-shirt look he had during Greg Pak's run before rebirth. Superman Earth One- Loved the costume and some of the elements of the Luthors ( I want it for the main continuinity, but liked it for an alternate earth.) STAS- Loved some of the new villians introduced like Volcana, Livewire, and Luminus. Also nods to Clancy Brown Luthor, Brainiac,Metallo, and General Jax-Ur and Mala.

[Johnny Thunders!]

Silver Age Superman, Superman Red Superman Blue. What happens when Superman really tries to solve humanity’s problems? Well, let’s just say, you came to the right place.

[Assam]

FAMILY.jpg

My love for Kenan Kong completely outweighs my liking of any version of Clark.

That said, this just came out, and this scene is fantastic; a great showing for what makes Superman Superman.

https://youtu.be/qIC4-xtT0FA?t=356

Only context you need is that in this series, the Superman usually around is the biggest ******* possible.

[My Two Cents]

Superman movie from 1977

Superman is one of my absolute favorite characters
and I thought the movie captured all the 40 years of Superman perfectly
up to that point.

[Dispenser Of Truth]

Morrison's: Extending through his Action run (hell, I'll even fold in Pak's work as an extension of that), JLA, Final Crisis, and All-Star, since he's made clear he intends that all as one character.

Strange Visitor (from Adventures of Superman #16)

Birthright

American Alien: Not what I'd want the main take to be, but if you're doing straight-up Superman As One Of Us, this is how.

Bronze Age: Silver Age had a better batting average, but this is where he really starts to take shape as a *character* under Maggin, Kirby, Bates, and Moore.

Fleischer

Ennis's take in Hitman

George Reeves' Superman

Secret Identity (insomuch as he counts)

The current CW version

[Soubhagya]

All Star Superman: Grant Morrison essentially wrote a book 'How to understand Superman in Twelve issues or less?'. If i would make a list of my favorite comics it will always come in the first place. Superman faces his death in the only way he could. As Superman.



The greatest power of Superman is not his enormous strength and shooting lasers from his eyes (which are awesome btw) but the fact that he always uses those abilities to help others because that's the right thing to do. And by doing so he inspires us to use our abilities to do the same thing.

The key point in this is he is an inspirational figure. If he can help he would drop everything at the drop of a hat to help someone in need.



One can see his wondrous world, his insane adventures and his terrific supporting cast. One can see his best origin story in my opinion. And have a glimpse into his future. How great is this book! And how great is this Superman!

DC One Million: When i think of All Star Superman i can't stop at only that book. I see DC One Million too. While All Star hinted at his future, this one showed his future. And what a future it is! While being an awesome story in itself with beautiful themes and ideas, it also shows the future of Superman. Superman essentially achieves the impossible.

While speaking about his mission statement there is an important thing to be mentioned. While he is an inspirational figure the key point here is that of choice. He could easily take over the world and impose his morality over everyone. But he does not. He is here to keep us safe. What we will do with the safety is up to us. And he trusts us that more often then not we will make the right choices.

And this story is the vindication of his trust. The heroes were inspired by him. The people made the right choices. And thus everything is alright. All those battles, those hard fought victories meant something. Being the central figure of DC one can see that how the world revolves around him almost literally. As a fan i can't be happier.

While DC One Million is a story of Superman's world, it also is a story of his heart. Taken as a love story All Star Superman is about separation while DC One Million is about the reunion. And i cannot be more happier then this.

While technically not a sequel one can fit them together loosely. Or one may keep them separate. It is the choice of the reader.

Silver Age Superman: I have read a few stories from here thus can't describe it more satisfactorily. I may not have that much love as others but any version which can give All Star Superman can't not be termed among the best. And it perhaps is the best. The stories here can be limited only by one's imagination. These stories are crazy. And it has a charm of its own. The things he did were goofy and over the top, but the key point here is that 'he has time for this.' His presence essentially ended crime and suffering. Not my favorite version but i enjoy it a lot.

Post Crisis Superman: My favorite is quite different from Silver Age. This is my favorite Superman.



The above panel is a strong statement. It contradicts so much from the previous versions of Superman. Thus, while it creates righteous disdain among the fans, it also is one of the main reasons why i love this version. The thing which attracts me the most about Superman is the 'Super' behind Superman. There are awesome powers and great feats which fills one with awe and admiration. That is one 'Super'. At the same time he is 'Super' because of the person he is. His kindness, his politeness, his moral compass and his sacrifice. With his powers he could do anything. But he does what is right.

And he is Superman because of the Kents. It is one of the best origin stories. And it is my favorite. The greatest hero in the world is but an alien. While his own world is destroyed he is accepted by this world as his own. He lost everything at birth but found everything among those people who adopted him. I am always happy to see him happy here. He is no lonely outsider here but very much among those who accept him. His upbringing in Smallville makes him the world's greatest hero. While Krypton made him Superman, it is Earth which makes him human. Here the human also includes that lifelong mission which i mentioned before. His values stem from the unsung heroes of the story the Kents.

I find it more appealing then my other favorite version Reeve's Superman. Superman here is no savior sent from the stars. But someone who lost his home and found it here. Earth's greatest son is not even her own. But she nurtured him as her own and made him everything that he is.

I see Superman as a man of action and find it boring if he goes again and again to his ghost dad(Jor-El) for advice. I would rather seem him visiting his home at Smallville with the Kents. They give advice as a friend. Being humble farmers they give advice to the best of their ability. At least they are not infuriating. In the end Superman has to figure out everything on his own. Advice like this has its own charm. One can have something fun like Tommy Monaghan 'Hitman' giving him life lessons/advice in 'Of Thee I sing'.

I have just about begun that era and i am already loving its supporting cast. I loved the story with Lori Lemaris. Cat Grant, Jose Delgado, Lana Lang, Maggie Sawyer are all interesting characters. And Lois Lane is simply the greatest. Lois's relationship can be more meaningful here as Clark Kent is not a lie. Everyone loves Superman. But who would love Clark Kent. My complaint is with Jimmy Olsen. I don't think this era was good for poor Jimmy. Nowadays, he appears in a scene to be shot dead in the next. And Kents are great.

I am really loving this era.


Superman Rebirth/Reborn: For Post Crisis fans this must be a godsend. As a DCAU Superman fan which was based on Post Crisis, I am loving this a lot. This era is the reason i love Superman. I had respect for Superman. But that was based on other media. I was not a regular comics reader before Rebirth. And between Superman TAS to the present there are not a lot of great Superman adaptations. On the other hand Batman had one awesome adaptation after another. DCAU was essentially Batman Animated Universe. Likes of Spider-Man and Wolverine took up the rest of my attention. It was Rebirth which re-kindled my love for Superman.

Superman and Action Comics are the first books to be read every week. The Superman family is a blast. And Superman himself is a combination of all his best versions. He has that confidence and swagger of New 52 and the soft touch before that. I find that really fascinating in Superman. Usually the powerful people are bullies and overbearing but he is not. He is stronger then a thunderbolt yet as soft as a rose.

I am not criticizing New-52. My initial impression was soured. And that kept me away from Superman for 5 years. It was in New 52 that i wanted to jump into comics. But it was so different for a DCAU fan that i stayed away from Superman. With my new found love i am looking at previous eras and finding gems everywhere. And while New-52 is not my Superman he is neat. I was unfair in not giving New-52 more chances. He is the same but somewhat different.

Like New 52 i have read very less from Golden and Bronze Ages. But each has its charm. For instance Action Comics #1 still holds up. Lois Lane is fierce and independent, Superman is fantastic even though a bit rough around the edges and the book lives upto its name. It is action packed. And the two masterful stories from bronze Age: 'For The Man Who Has Everything' and 'Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?' are an indication of the Bronze Age. It is the colorful world of the Silver Age but with more modern sensibilities.

Special mention has to be made of Supreme by Alan Moore. It is not strictly a Superman story. But it is a Superman story. Supreme is what happens when Alan Moore is given free reign in Superman. As a Superman story this might be better then even 'All Star Superman'.

[sunofdarkchild]

I also forgot the Fleisher cartoons. Astounding animation for the 1940s.

While not my favorite, the original 1930s Superman comics are surprisingly good. Most comics from that era have aged terribly and are painful to read, even the early Bob Kane/Bill Finger Batman comics. So it was a real surprise to see that the earliest Superman comics are still good even now. Kudos to Siegel and Shuester,

[Kuwagaton]

Bronze Age: Silver Age had a better batting average, but this is where he really starts to take shape as a *character* under Maggin, Kirby, Bates, and Moore.

I probably don't think about it much since I usually equate good stories to good character (when they aren't necessarily the same), but if I had to think of what makes my favorite version of his personality, I suppose it'd be his down to earth toughness. Like Adekis said, I take that roughneck thing into heavy consideration. I've always seen Superman as a younger cousin of Popeye, and I love it when he's like, "eh screw this" and just punches the weird thing floating around his head. He has the heart to stick himself out for people time and again but what that means is he'll be rolling up his sleeves when it's time to get dirty.

It's something that had been there in the sixties and seventies, but of all things Byrne I'm glad he brought Superman's "go-getter" approach to the fore, the way he wears down an obstacle regardless of the cope of his powers. I always liked his relationship with Perry because I feel as though they're similarly tough customers. Superman's the most formidable, upright yet crafty guy out there, so his enemies tend to specialize in destabilization. These are two of my favorite examples, in the small and large



These two stories follow the same narrative, haha.

Stern and Schultz are really my go-to writers for Superman's personality. He's the midwestern version of the renaissance man, for all that adjusted term might entail. Millar is also good there.