Compare his 80th anniversary (2018) to his 75th (2013)

[JAK]

The 80th anniversary sees Superman in a far better place than 5 years ago, when:

*the New 52 version of Superman was continuing to dive to new depths of mismanagement and creative bankruptcy

*DC/WB only felt promoting Man of Steel was sufficient as a 75th anniversary celebration, doing virtually nothing special beyond an animated tribute (Batman got an original short) and a collection of stories that had already been reprinted dozens of times before (Superman:A Celebration of 75 Years)

*Man of Steel was released, revealing that Goyer and Snyder's goal with Superman was the character's complete deconstruction and then reconstruction into a dull, ugly, cowardly, violent, and murdering caricature of the Iconic Superman)

*WB showed its complete lack of faith in their own creation, NotSoSuperman, by announcing a mere month after the release of Man of Steel that a sequel would be replaced with a team-up with the Bat-Cash Cow.

*DC released The Adventures of Superman, a half-hearted attempt at publishing out of continuity tales of the Iconic Superman that managed to only last a year despite the stellar creative teams involved.

I doubt anybody on here would accuse me of liking Zach Snyder, the DCEU in general, or the New52.. but even I think there's more hyperbole in there than is necessary. I really don't think anyone set out to destroy Superman. They may not have nearly as much of an idea of who the character really is than I'd like... but that's not the same thing. Making an attempt that could be seen as a bit tone-deaf for what people generally might have been after, certainly, but that's different than them wanting him to fail. I might have agreed more if I'd read this the day or week after seeing Man Of Steel, but that would have been that anger talking.

Five years later, we find Superman:

*at the end of a wonderful two-year run of comics that have restored the Iconic Superman and his Super-Family of Lois and Jon
*the Iconic Superman represented (in two episodes, at least) on the small screen in Supergirl
*Superman's 80th anniversary and the 1000th anniversary of Action Comics celebrated with the dignity and pomp it deserves
*numerous tributes to the enduring legacy of the Iconic Superman in and out of the comic book medium
*a large push on the part of DC/WB to promote a high-profile creator's take on Superman and his mythology.

While the last item on that list is still uncertain, Superman is finally and fully returned to his iconic state in the comics. Despite the horrors of the Snyderverse and NotSoSuperman, this was all I and many other fans wanted. Whether DC is about to undo that yet again (specifically, Dan DiDio) remains to be seen. All that I want to see now outside of Bendis not destroying the Superman of the last two years is the death of the Snyderverse and a full reboot orchestrated by people who actually know, understand, and above all, love the iconic versions of the DC Comics heroes.

I do fully agree that Superman's in a better place now than he was 5 years ago. However.. depending on how you look at it, the DCEU is either shifted from being the Snyderverse (or JL killed it, for those fans who enjoyed MoS and BvS), and it's becoming it's own thing. If they use Wonder Woman as a guiding star of sorts, they could be fine. And Henry, imo, doesn't need to go. I've said that since MoS, as much as I hated it at the time. Henry is fine, he just needs a good script and a great director (here's hoping Patty Jenkins).

[Green Goblin of Sector 2814]

The 80th has been better. Definitely. Superman's comic status quo is just better now than it was in 2013.

[daBronzeBomma]

Here's a question:

While we know that AC1K is the official 80th anniversary issue for Superman in 2018 ...

What was the official 75th anniversary issue in 2013? Or was there not even one?

[Tra-EL]

I'm just going by feel but my overall gut vibes tells me Superman is in a much better place than he was in 2013 overall. I feel the buzz around comics and media much more and even though the DCEU slipped up over the years, there hasn't been a higher demand to get Superman right on the big screen for awhile. There was hype for Man of Steel but with Henry Cavill teasing for whats to come, fans and the media have latched on to the "Where's Man of Steel 2?" questions. Henry has to be coy at the moment, especially with his negotiations with a second contract from WB and maybe Shazam! so we have to remain patient on that front but 2018 isn't over yet for Superman. I really do believe that before the year is coming to a close, we'll have some Superman movie buzz with maybe a director attached and a slate. Aquaman and Shazam! are up next and it's possible Superman plays a role in one of those films so we shall see when buzz for those two movies kick into gear.

I know shows like Supergirl and Krypton don't feature Big Blue but it's still his world and his property where the \S/ is currently in pop culture's minds so with that, I'm all for any Superman related material we can get.

[Lvenger]

Here's a question:

While we know that AC1K is the official 80th anniversary issue for Superman in 2018 ...

What was the official 75th anniversary issue in 2013? Or was there not even one?

Superman Unchained #1 was meant to be the commemorative series for Superman's 75th anniversary I believe.

[Netherman14]

So far, the 75th Anniversary has proved superior an attempt in my opinion.

[JackDaw]

I have a go at Times crossword a couple of times a week usually...often Mondays and Thursdays. I've begun to suspect that compiler is a Superman fan, seems to slip in related clues on occasion, mayhap to celebrate 80th.

Very first one today: "Superman's girl is about to drop Italian dish".

To save anybody else wasting time thinking about the clue...I'm confident the answer is "Lasagne". (The meaning is "Italian dish". To drop is "sag", and Superman's girl is, of course, "Lane". Put Lane around sag...and you get "lasagne'.)

[Minerboh]

I think there is definitely more excitement as far as the Superman comics. Love him or hate him, Bendis is creating a ton of buzz for the Man of Steel. Also, Supes has had solid monthly comics for a while now.

Mainstream media appearances I’d say he’s much worse off. In 2013, fans were excited about getting a new Superman solo flick. Since then things haven’t been great.

Regardless of Cavill’s performance in Justice League and BvS, the character of Superman took some major hits. He had a better showing in Justice League but the embarrassing cgi on his upper lip/mouth made him a laughing stock.

Injustice 2 was an amazing game but it once again portrayed Superman as a brutal insane dictator and Batman as the incorruptible hero.

There are two Superman themed shows on tv and neither of them stars Superman himself.

Overall it feels like Infinity War has overshadowed everything else in pop culture in 2018, including Action 1000. Sadly, this is the year of Thanos and not Kal El.

Plus WB didn’t produce any cool animated shorts like they did for his (and Batman’s) 75th. Wtf?

An overestimated hypocrite was a more accurate description if you ask me.
Batman never managed to forgive Superman and Damian for going out of line but he gave access to Harley Queen inside his Batcave?
Harley Queen?

[daBronzeBomma]

So far, the 75th Anniversary has proved superior an attempt in my opinion.

How so?

I feel Superman's 75th was a louder deal, but not necessarily a better deal than his current 80th.

In 2013, there was WAYY too much emphasis placed on one aspect of one off-shoot medium (MAN OF STEEL movie) than the character as a whole.

In 2018, if there's any talk of the character's legacy (and there is), it's all about the overall history or the current comic books of the character, which feel like a truer celebration than a single movie.