Opinions on Superman: Truth

[HeroVladimir93]

Superman is and will always be my favorite superhero. I've read Superman comic books since 2009 on a regular basis. It always gets me excited to pick up Action Comics and Superman to see what will happen to my favorite superhero. When the New 52 started in 2011, I had no idea when they were going to do with Superman. It never really crossed my mind that DC would release a story that portrays Superman as a broken and defeated man, hated by the world he swore to protect. He would be shown as a cynical and angry person that would go into conflict with characters that would otherwise be his friends and allies.

Superman: Truth is a controversial storyline, there is no doubt about that. Perhaps, that was DC's intention. Don't get me wrong; I knew they'd had to do something with this character and this story in general to make the comic books intriguing. It'd be hard to make an epic story where everything is fine in Metropolis but never really crossed my mind, that the catalyst for this storyline would be a villain blackmailing Superman into giving up his superpowers in exchange for keeping his identity secret, and then Lois Lane would reveal Superman's secret identity to the entire world, an act that would make Superman public enemy #1. Truth works on the principle that all the heroism and goodwill Superman has established don't stand for much when his secret identity gets out. His powers have decreased, he has very few allies, public opinion has turned against him and he has become angsty and cynical.

We're talking about Superman here; a character that represents hope, optimism and determination even in the harshest of circumstances. Whether it's Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Darkseid or Doomsday standing in his way, Superman would never stop fighting for what he believes in. He has complete faith in his friends and allies and trusts them to do what they believe is right. You can't tell me that Superman, a character who believes in redemption and second chances, could sever ties with all those friends and loved ones out of anger or a misguided belief that keeping his distance would keep them safe. That just doesn't make sense to me. It doesn't make that Superman would be backed up into a corner so badly that his personality would change so drastically and he would push away any friends he still has left, even if they insist on remaining at his side. It doesn't make any sense to destroy everything we believe Superman to be.

And yes, I get it, the DC editors and writers that took part in the decision-making process of Superman's character in this story wanted to do something unexpected with him. They wanted to add another dynamic layer to this character and explore and answer the question: "what if Superman was hated by the world he swore to protect?" But perhaps they forgot to ask the question: "would he ever give into the anger and cynicism produced by that situation? Is there anything that could ultimately break him?"

Many stories, both within and outside the New 52/DC You era, show Superman inspired by humanity's goodness and capacity for self-improvement. Superman cares for the people around him because they give him as much hope as he gives them. I've always believed that even if his secret identity got out, even if his powers were significantly reduced, Superman's personality and attitude wouldn't change. He would still be the same happy and optimistic person he has always been. He might be a strange visitor from a distant world, but he truly made Earth his home and has earned humanity's trust.

Before you say that the New 52 Superman does not fit the traditional and classic portrayal of Superman, let me answer that certain writers, like Grant Morrison and Scott Snyder, have tried to resurrect that portrayal and I've reacted positively to their stories because they celebrate what made Superman great in the first place and they don't try to reinvent the wheel with the character and his community. In fact, I liked Superman: Lois and Clark better than I liked Truth because it was born from the love and admiration that Dan Jurgens had for Superman, while Truth was born from the cynicism that DC's higher-ups clearly held for Superman during that time, wanting him to become the next Batman or something like that.

Some of you might claim that Truth makes Superman all the more relatable to the audience and that breaking him makes him feel more human, but the thing is not of all us break and thankfully so, otherwise where would we be right now? Where would we be if humanity's greatest heroes chose to give into anger and self-preservation?

Was it really necessary get Superman to lose his powers? Was it necessary to reveal his secret identity to the world? Was it really necessary to destroy his relationships with the people he cares about? No, it wasn't. Truth was worse than a deconstruction, it was borderline character assassination. If the intention was to tear Superman's legend apart and then rebuild it from the ground up; then it could have been done so much better. Just look at Superman: Earth One or the DC Extended Universe.

And yes, in the back of our minds, we knew that Superman and any other hero like him, wasn't infallible. We knew even the bravest among us can be backed up into a corner, they can lose what makes them special and unique, but a true hero is defined by his ability to overcome his anger and cynicism, not let himself be dominated by them. And by having Superman look angry all the time, getting his own allies and the people he protects on a regular basis against him and take away his powers, then you have twisted one of the greatest heroes in fiction beyond recognition.

And if you think I'm taking this too seriously, you might be right because you could certainly say "This is just a comic book," but if Superman has taught us anything is that comic books can hold great sway and impact in our lives. It's that they can become more than just comic books and for a lot of people, myself included, Superman had become more than just a character in a comic book. He had become an ideal to aspire to. We've already seen too many heroes fall and the last thing I've ever wanted to learn was that Superman had been broken and defeated.

Well, that's all I can say. Those were my honest feelings about Truth. I disliked the story and the way it portrayed Superman and his community; even so, it has not diminished my love for Superman in any way. Truth did not ruin Superman, in fact, it has made me appreciate the good Superman stories even more. Now, it's your turn to tell me how did you feel about the way Superman was handled in Truth. I'm interested in reading your opinions below.
Superman.jpg
The real Superman. When you absolutely, positively need someone to save Metropolis, accept no substitutes.

[DragonPiece]

Did..did you only read the story in the main Superman book? I feel like you missed a lot of what Greg Pak did with the status quo in Action Comics.