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  1. #16
    Mighty Member L.R Johansson's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by exile001 View Post
    Please no! I can't stand these versions of CK and find them utterly uncredible.

    I always liked the explanation that people wouldn't think twice that Suoperman would have a secret identity. To be honest, if there were a real version right now, I'd certainly assume he spent most of his time saving people around the world, hanging with Batman and Wonder Woman and doing stuff at his Fortress of Solitude rather than continuing on an increasingly unnecessary disguise that just about made sense up to 15 years years ago.

    The Clark Kent reporter angle was a way for Superman to know about problems. He got the news first. This was probably irrelevent by the Silver Age when he could see and hear across the entire planet.

    I love Superman's supporting cast and the only way to keep them is for him to keep working there, so I just shut off my mind to the nonsense of it and believe that, as I said before, no one would ever think Superman walked among them.

    I do like your idea of CK wearing a 'stach. A really unconvincing over-sized one!
    I was thinking the other way around... a really small and subtle one. xD


  2. #17
    Phantom Zone Escapee manofsteel1979's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jon Clark View Post
    I think the key to the disguise has to be simplicity. Things like wigs, extensions, fake facial hair all might give a different appearance, but they also offer too many chances of going wrong.

    1) Clark is loose, Superman is rigid: The super-muscle control lets him do a more extreme version of the "Stomache in, Chest out" type stance. So Superman is cut and ripped muscularly while Kent is less so, possibly even being flabby. Same with the stance - Superman stands straight, Clark sort of slouches. Even Clark's face is fuller. This is enhanced by the baggier clothes he wears as Clark contrasted to the form-fitting Supersuit. If you saw a picture of the two side by side Clark looks 2-3 inches shorter and a good 40 lbs heavier. For an artist I would recommend giving Steve Lombard a more Supermanish build and Perry a more Kentish one then trying to remember to use those characters as a guide for which way Kal should look in a scene.

    2) Mannerisms: Clark speaks in a hesitant manner, peppering his speech with many "Do you think?"s and "If you want"s. He always is fidgeting with something- trying unsuccessfully straighten his tie, rearrange stuff on a desk. It would be this type of thing where his clutziness usually manifests. Not the slapstick level of some of the Reeve films, but while no one expects Clark to have these things happen they aren't totally surprised when they do. Superman on the other hand is very confident and contolled. He is less commanding than Batman- he doesn't give off a "I'm in charge here" air, but you do feel that Superman is aware of everything going on around him.

    3)The glasses: Superman is actually using his super-visions while wearing these things. Anyone else looking thorough the glass has trouble making out anything more than shapes (and then only those of large objects). From the outside they not only make the exact shade of blue in his eyes hard to determine, they also make staring him in the face a bit disconcerting as his eyes look not quite right. The glasses tend to create lens flares around his face in pictures or on TV (which is one of the reasons he will never be an on-air personality). The glasses actually warp slightly other electromagnetic wavelength making it hard to get a scan of Clark's face with many types of scanning tech. This along with his control of the facial muscles throw off most facial recognition software as Clark's face doesn't read with the same contours.
    The downside is that without his powers Clark has to fall back on more ordinary glasses and actually can't see well as a result.

    4)Voice: The usual change in pitch of course, but also a variation on speed. Clark tends to speak rapidly. Giving the same "1 minute" speech Clark will tend to finish in under a minute, while Superman will usually finish on the minute mark. Clark has a slight regional accent (Midwestern if we have Smallville in Kansas) while Superman speaks like an actor who has been trained to remove any hint of an accent.

    5)Kal-El. Looks more like Clark when he has no powers, but speaks and acts more like Superman.

    By and large everyone is fooled by this. Jimmy is too star-struck by Superman to notice any details. Perry falls into the "don't want to know" plausible deniability zone. And Lois is the one who picks up on the little slips Superman makes (a Clark like mannerism, a glimpse of Clark without glasses, etc) but early on she can't quite pinpoint the exact things that make her suspicious.
    I like all this quite a lot. However, stuff like his accent or speech pattern etc are kind of hard to catch with any kind of reliability because, lets face it, comics are a largely visualy based medium. Of course you could have another character or Clark point out or mention these things via inner monologue, but it's something that would have to remain a minor detail subject to when or if a particular writer remembers to utilize or more likely not utilize it. In fact the accent/ speech pattern thing HAS been mentioned or utilized in passing in the past, although i can't pull out specific issues and grab quotes. The rest of it, particularly all the body language stuff is easily acheivable with a talented enough artist that resists just merely drawing Supes with a pair of glasses and calling it Clark Kent.

    I actually though have always thought that Clarks friends at the Planet (especially, Lois,Perry and Jimmy) already know the truth, or should. That moment in ALL STAR where it's heavily inferred that most of the Daily Planet staff (or his closest co-workers/friends like Jimmy) had known for a long time they were working alongside Superman and it was this unspoken thing was quite endearing. I like the fact people respect his decision to hide his identity beneath the bumbling nebish facade without questioning it or being suspcious of his motives and trying to expose him to make headlines, all because they trust him and his reasoning and judgement because they love and respect him that much. I wouldn't mind seeing something to that effect incorporated into the current DCU. They sorta kinda with Lois when Perez was writing SUPERMAN, but sadly that was dropped.
    Last edited by manofsteel1979; 07-28-2014 at 09:44 AM.

  3. #18
    Astonishing Member DochaDocha's Avatar
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    In the comics, I think his secret ID are fine.

    If you wanted to make a Superman story as plausible as humanly possibly, then I think you'd need to have some extreme measures. The point about not interacting with the DP staff as both Superman and Clark is extremely valid. Glasses, voice, and posture change aren't going to hide subtle, distinctive details of a person's body that give things away, such as less-subtle things such as scars and birth marks, and more subtle things such as cut of teeth, pores, hair line, folds in skin, etc. So, again, if you want to tell that story that's as much like having a secret ID in real life, you can't do Superman the way Superman has been traditionally done. As such, for that type of story, I agree with the OP.

  4. #19
    Legendary Member daBronzeBomma's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by L.R Johansson View Post
    Yeah, this is one of the pet peeves of anti-Superman fans - how people can possibly be fooled by Clark Kent's disguise, and not be able to tell that he is Superman.

    Great topic! Diving in now!


    The best way to do this, is probably to look at two of the best versions of the disguise - the All-Star Superman Clark Kent, and the Christopher Reeves Clark Kent.


    Loved Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's take on the differences. MUCH more convincing.


    Different personality - Clark Kent must be as differing in demeanour from Supes as possible.

    Agree 100%. That was kinda the whole point of the secret identity from Day 1. Also really embodies the aspect of hope ... as in we hope that there is a Superman version of ourselves hiding within our seemingly faulty Clark Kent exteriors.


    Different hair - The different hair-style is a good start, but it needs to do more. Perhaps some kind of extensions, or a wig of some sort, could be introduced. I.e, Clark has a pony-tail, but Superman does not.

    I agree. I always thought hair would be the easiest way to visually separate the two. My admittedly radical solution is two-fold: First, give all Kryptonians (goes for Supergirl and Power Girl and even half-breed Superboy) naturally blue hair. Not "blue-black" hair, but actual alien-looking blue hair (and eyebrows and other body hair). Second, give them some Kryptonian tech (maybe the eyeglasses) that allows them to "mimic" human appearance. Clark gets common "brown-black" hair, but Kal has naturally bluest blue hair.


    Glasses, of course.

    I think this is the key right here. Make the eyeglasses are redesigned form of Kryptonian mimicry/cloaking tech. Say Jor-El and Lara provided the tech in the rocketship (or Kal built it himself out of parts from the ship). The eyeglasses now serve two practical purposes: One, they actually make possible his Terrestrial appearance. Two, they confound any and all Earth-level scanners or sensors to reflect back that Clark reads as a normal human being, not a solar-powered alien one. Also, they mask Kal's otherwise tremendous bio-energy signature.


    Contact-lenses - play up the aspect of Supes INhuman eyes, and make him wear lenses with a completely different colour -preferrably brown.

    Like the idea of Clark having brown eyes, or a definite different eye color than Kal. Like better the idea of Kal having inhuman eyes, i.e. like Gambit's (red on black) or G1 Autobots (all-blue).


    Baggy, ill-fitting clothes - play up the aspect that Kent is a goof-ball, and can't dress properly. If the clothes are too big, it also helps conceal his muscles. This part was forgotten by Byrne, who made it clear that Kent was openly athletic.

    Right on. Clark should be actively trying to avoid public attention while still trying to make a difference as Clark. Tough balancing act. Hated the openly athletic Clark.

    Also, with regards to his powers (Super-Everything), one aspect that needs to be introduced: Super-slouching. I can make myself look a solid 2 inches shorter or taller depending on my posture. Now, Superman should be able to take that to ridiculous levels. With super-slouching, he can make Clark look like he's 5'10" and a bit doughy, while Superman can stand tall at 6'5" (no way should Affleck tower over Supes).


    Different voice - Clark Kent's voice must be different from Superman's. Super-muscle control takes care of this.

    Hunh, kinda thought this was already a given. But yes, I concur.


    Clark Kent cannot have people around him that interact with Superman - That's right. Superman can't regularly meet and talk to Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Perry White, while still maintaining his job at the Planet. They will eventually figure it out, even if he's THAT good at acting. The solution is to NEVER give Clark the job at the Planet, at least not in the capacity of a reporter on the City -beat. A writer, working at home, or perhaps a blogger, is a better solution. Or maybe he works as a janitor at WGBS, or as a copy-boy. Superman can still interact with the people at the Planet, but Clark Kent must be a virtual unknown to them.

    THANK YOU! I agree with this, only I would flip it: my solution is to never have SUPERMAN interact with members of the Daily Planet in any meaningful way unless he has already shared the Secret with them. Superman should seem a mystery, an enigma, not giving out interviews to people who also know Clark very well. Clark Kent should definitely work at the Daily Planet and interact with Lois and Jimmy and Perry on a regular basis, but Superman must be a virtual unknown to them.
    Last edited by daBronzeBomma; 07-28-2014 at 11:43 AM.

  5. #20
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    I like the suggestions the thread starter posted. I think there should be more effort in Superman having an alternate personality than just putting on the glasses and suit. Alter the hair and eyes a little bit then make his mannerisms and speech patterns a little different than Superman's

  6. #21
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    I think the more obvious effort that Superman takes to disguise himself, the more evident it is that he is hiding something. The glasses and combed back hair--along with his business suit--is very nearly perfect.

    It fascinates me that some artists are able to draw Clark and Superman in such a way that you really don't confuse the two. And it's admirable how a few actors have been able to make that distinction simply through great acting skill.

    The only way I could see improving the disguise is if the two looked exactly the same. Then it would be totally a matter of the artists making the distinction through facial gestures and body language--and actors would have to use their talent to completely show the difference.

    In the '40s there were several super-heroes who wore absolutely no disguise and yet somehow no one realized their secret. And in the '70s, once the WONDER WOMAN TV show was set in modern day, there was virtually no effort to make Diana Prince look any different than Wonder Woman--except for Diana sometimes wearing her big Deirdre (from CORONATION STREET) glasses, but a lot of times she went without.

  7. #22
    Father Son Kamehameha < Kuwagaton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Kelly View Post
    I think the more obvious effort that Superman takes to disguise himself, the more evident it is that he is hiding something. The glasses and combed back hair--along with his business suit--is very nearly perfect.
    Agreed. I think Quitely and Allred were just good enough with subtle details to give as much distinction as needed.

  8. #23
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    Superman III (grandson of Superman) solution was to have more than 1 identity. He 'killed' off the Kent id and and created ids such as a traffic controller and a tennis pro. Careers that gave him a lot of free time as Superman but still have him interact with regular people.

  9. #24
    Mighty Member L.R Johansson's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Toreador View Post
    Superman III (grandson of Superman) solution was to have more than 1 identity. He 'killed' off the Kent id and and created ids such as a traffic controller and a tennis pro. Careers that gave him a lot of free time as Superman but still have him interact with regular people.
    That's a very interesting take. In truth, Superman's sensory powers have been enhanced to the point where the news-thing is not as vital any more, and with todays technology, Superman can just flip up his smart-phone and instantly check some of the modern news-apps. He can even set some alarms, and have them go off when certain news-sections update.

    So the idea of several secret ID's isn't such a bad one.

    Btw, do you by chance know what issue that Superman III story was?

  10. #25
    Mighty Member L.R Johansson's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by daBronzeBomma View Post
    Great topic! Diving in now!

    I agree. I always thought hair would be the easiest way to visually separate the two. My admittedly radical solution is two-fold: First, give all Kryptonians (goes for Supergirl and Power Girl and even half-breed Superboy) naturally blue hair. Not "blue-black" hair, but actual alien-looking blue hair (and eyebrows and other body hair). Second, give them some Kryptonian tech (maybe the eyeglasses) that allows them to "mimic" human appearance. Clark gets common "brown-black" hair, but Kal has naturally bluest blue hair.

    I think this is the key right here. Make the eyeglasses are redesigned form of Kryptonian mimicry/cloaking tech. Say Jor-El and Lara provided the tech in the rocketship (or Kal built it himself out of parts from the ship). The eyeglasses now serve two practical purposes: One, they actually make possible his Terrestrial appearance. Two, they confound any and all Earth-level scanners or sensors to reflect back that Clark reads as a normal human being, not a solar-powered alien one. Also, they mask Kal's otherwise tremendous bio-energy signature.

    Like the idea of Clark having brown eyes, or a definite different eye color than Kal. Like better the idea of Kal having inhuman eyes, i.e. like Gambit's (red on black) or G1 Autobots (all-blue).
    Ey, welcome to the table! Have a seat. =)

    A different hair-colour is certainly an achievable thing - I'm not really a fan of this inhuman hair-thing tho'. It kinda' makes sense, since the Kryptonians are Aliens, after all. Logically, there would be several differences towards humans, in the exterior look.

    However, it's been ingrained for so long, that the Kryptonians are more or less externally identical to humans, in a parallell evolution ( in fact, this seems to be common in DC, tons of their aliens are even MORE similar to humans than those in Star Trek.) that a drastic change like this feels a bit... too much.

    I think the general idea, is that Kryptonians are meant to be what humans COULD be, if we let ourselves grow, and evolve, culturally, mentally, and physically.

    The magical glasses feel a bit counter-intuitive as well - Superman isn't meant to use too many gadgets, he's meant to mostly use his incredible powers, that's inherent to the character.

    I think, the thing you can do with the eyes, to make them different from humans, can actually be fairly subtle. Perhaps he has some kind of different reflectivity in them, that "inhuman blue" that Waid mentioned in Birthright. Perhaps it could even be more obvious - like, he even has some sort of fractal-patterns in them, indicating his massive bio-energy.

    I'm also not a fan of Superman having access to Kryptonian technology from the get-go - it's always been a part of the mythology that he has to learn about his heritage, and it takes time for him to actually understand what it means.

    Incidentally, I'm not opposed to the change that DC implemented to the DAXAMITES recently - they've actually got those Gambit-style eyes - more inhuman, than Kryptonians. Some changes in the powers as well, makes sense to me - make them different from Kryptonians.

    The different hair-colour could work tho', if the change is a bit more moderate - Alan Moore had Supreme change his hair-colour to black, with dye or something, from his silver-white, as a child, to conceal his identity.

    I guess I'm more inclined towards simpler, more common solutions to improving the SiD - grease, dye, contacts, glasses, and a paste-on 'stache.

    I've gotten convinced that a wig (or similar) is probably too risky, and the hair-dye might not be practical. Keep it simple, but not TOO simple.

    Even tho' I didn't like Superman's long hair in the 90's, it might not have been such a bad addition, after all... Superman has that big, wild, hair, which actually almost conceals a bit of his face.

    Kent meanwhile, had a very slick, neatly tucked pony-tail - it actually changed their looks fairly well.

    THANK YOU! I agree with this, only I would flip it: my solution is to never have SUPERMAN interact with members of the Daily Planet in any meaningful way unless he has already shared the Secret with them. Superman should seem a mystery, an enigma, not giving out interviews to people who also know Clark very well. Clark Kent should definitely work at the Daily Planet and interact with Lois and Jimmy and Perry on a regular basis, but Superman must be a virtual unknown to them.
    Cheers! Your solution works pretty well, too - and it's actually less of a change of tradition than my idea. =) Eventually, I suppose Lois would be a problem tho', but perhaps it's destiny..? She would be unable to let go of getting that exclusive with Superman, even if he goes to George Taylor at the Star, and gives the scoop on himself. It would escalate for a year or two - until finally she might get it.

    That might be when the facade breaks, and she figures it out. And I suppose that's ok.

  11. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by L.R Johansson View Post
    That's a very interesting take. In truth, Superman's sensory powers have been enhanced to the point where the news-thing is not as vital any more, and with todays technology, Superman can just flip up his smart-phone and instantly check some of the modern news-apps. He can even set some alarms, and have them go off when certain news-sections update.

    So the idea of several secret ID's isn't such a bad one.

    Btw, do you by chance know what issue that Superman III story was?
    Sorry, afraid not. It was a back-up series in Superman or Action Comics.

    Hold on, let me check....

    Okay, the back-up stories were titled 'Superman 2020' that were in some Superman comics in the 80's. He was the protector of the floating city New Metropolis. The stories ran somewhere between issue #354 and #372 (I don't think he was in all the issues since I only remember a few stories about him).

  12. #27
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    I remember when Clark Kent still wore a fedora. If only they were still in fashion...

  13. #28
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    What if Kal-El simply has the ability to slightly alter his eye color, skin tone and hair color?

    Superman could have black hair and unearthly blue eyes.

    Clark could have dark brown hair and blue eyes.

    Just a thought.

  14. #29
    Incredible Member Jon-El's Avatar
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    I just know I never recognize co-workers when I see them away from work. There was one guy who worked out at my gym and it took months before he looked familiar to me.

    I work tv broadcasting so maybe it’s a media problem!! We just don’t pay attention to each other’s look very well. Or we’re just easily fooled!!

  15. #30
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    I think the more comic booky gobbley gook they add onto the Superman's Secret ID, the better. It's only really a problem in live action. In the comics, most artists draw them so completely different, so it works, and those that draw him exactly the same, but with glasses are doing that to make a point.

    I think it's a failure of creativity to not do some crazy stuff with the Clark/Superman dichotomy. The least interesting Superman incarnations, have them as the exact same dude, and that's just boring to me.

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