Superman's Life and Career Timeline

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When is Supergirl supposed to arrive to Earth? After Clark marries Lois? They don't show it in that picture collage.

They've been vague about it. I suspect that's because they are planning on restoring the broad strokes of Kara's pre-Crisis history whenever the dust on the latest continuity reshuffle settles, but I could be wrong.

[stargazer01]

They've been vague about it. I suspect that's because they are planning on restoring the broad strokes of Kara's pre-Crisis history whenever the dust on the latest continuity reshuffle settles, but I could be wrong.

It only makes sense that she arrives years after Superman debuted in the world. When he's had plenty of adventures and experience. Before that? Makes no sense to me to have 2 supers at the same time.

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It only makes sense that she arrives years after Superman debuted in the world. When he's had plenty of adventures and experience. Before that? Makes no sense to me to have 2 supers at the same time.

Even if Kara arrives only a couple years into Superman's career, he'd still have been on Earth for more than two decades and become the world's greatest superhero, on top of his adventures with the Legion in the 30th Century.

[stargazer01]

Even if Kara arrives only a couple years into Superman's career, he'd still have been on Earth for more than two decades and become the world's greatest superhero, on top of his adventures with the Legion in the 30th Century.

2 years into Superman's career seems too little to me. I want Superman to be fully established when she shows up to the world.

[Ascended]

2 years into Superman's career seems too little to me. I want Superman to be fully established when she shows up to the world.

Agreed. I think it's important that Superman get several years in as a public hero so the world can really come to adore and trust him. You've gotta have that "S" shield's reputation built up a lot before you can bring in a character who is going to feel the burden of wearing it.

Kara's story is better when you can play up the weird divergence with her and Kal; she's older yet he's the adult, she remembers Krypton yet the family emblem is viewed very differently on earth, etc. And for that to happen properly, Clark has to be firmly established first.

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I don't think it took very long for Superman to become the Earth's foremost champion. Once the JLA forms, he's firmly established himself as the best of the world's greatest heroes. You could push Kara's arrival to right before Crisis. That would allow them to retain Kara's original death in Crisis without it being wiped from everyone's memory. It always rubbed me the the wrong way that both Superman and Superboy's deaths and returns are memorialized and celebrated by the world with giant statues in Metropolis, while Kara's isn't.

I suppose that helps with the idea that the accomplishments of women are largely overlooked, but you'd think with all the timey-whimey shenanigans Superman & co. have gone through by now, they'd be able to acknowledge Kara's proper place in history.

[Kuwagaton]

Kara better reflects a story as if Crisis never happened. She blends silver age characters with post flashpoint plots and the apparent erasure of the other Supergirls. She also doesn't seem to acknowledge that Michael Turner story. I'd prefer her showing up after he is well established but not so long that slightly aging isn't a problem. Though that's just the comics. You can easily blend it altogether in your head to make it fit in as your best understanding.

Year One works for Batman because he is supposed to be fallible, by concept. Watching Superman goof up doesn't have the same appeal, so his pre costume or Superboy years are more interesting than a young Superman imo.

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You can easily blend it altogether in your head to make it fit in as your best understanding.

Which is Bendis's current policy towards past continuity as well. In his last Word Balloon podcast, he said the character's history has been rebooted and retconned so many times that the best approach is to assume everything you want happened, all the stuff you don't like didn't happen, and proceed from there. Anything that doesn't seem to fit can be chalked up to the Anti-Monitor, Time Trapper, Parallax, Superboy-Prime, and Doctor Manhattan making a mess

[Ascended]

K
Year One works for Batman because he is supposed to be fallible, by concept. Watching Superman goof up doesn't have the same appeal, so his pre costume or Superboy years are more interesting than a young Superman imo.

Yeah, if Superman (and by extension heroes in general) have such a high degree of trust among the public it doesn't make sense for Superman to show up and make rookie mistakes in the public eye. He should be extremely competent and capable from his first day as a public figure. He can make *some* mistakes of course, and should continue to make mistakes through his career (he's not perfect), but the kind of big mistakes you'd expect a new hero to make? Those learning moments should happen to Clark beyond the public eye, during his pre-costume youth or with the Legion or whatever.

Which is Bendis's current policy towards past continuity as well. In his last Word Balloon podcast, he said the character's history has been rebooted and retconned so many times that the best approach is to assume everything you want happened, all the stuff you don't like didn't happen, and proceed from there. Anything that doesn't seem to fit can be chalked up to the Anti-Monitor, Time Trapper, Parallax, Superboy-Prime, and Doctor Manhattan making a mess

I think its a better approach than trying to nail down each and every detail. Continuity is an illusion that only matters when the creators want it to to matter. Might as well say that everything happened in some fashion, and let fan head canon take care of the rest.

I know retcons and reboots always get a lot of hype but I feel like it's just DC pointing out their continuity mistakes and shining a big spotlight on it, saying "Look at how we screwed up! Look at it!! Now we're gonna tell you how those stories in your longboxes didn't happen at all with a new continuity that'll be just as broken within a couple years!"

[stargazer01]

Agreed. I think it's important that Superman get several years in as a public hero so the world can really come to adore and trust him. You've gotta have that "S" shield's reputation built up a lot before you can bring in a character who is going to feel the burden of wearing it.

Kara's story is better when you can play up the weird divergence with her and Kal; she's older yet he's the adult, she remembers Krypton yet the family emblem is viewed very differently on earth, etc. And for that to happen properly, Clark has to be firmly established first.

fully agree, let Superman be The Last Son of Krypton for a while, and to become the embodiment of hope to the world. That takes some time.

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I think its a better approach than trying to nail down each and every detail. Continuity is an illusion that only matters when the creators want it to to matter. Might as well say that everything happened in some fashion, and let fan head canon take care of the rest.

I know retcons and reboots always get a lot of hype but I feel like it's just DC pointing out their continuity mistakes and shining a big spotlight on it, saying "Look at how we screwed up! Look at it!! Now we're gonna tell you how those stories in your longboxes didn't happen at all with a new continuity that'll be just as broken within a couple years!"

While I adore continuity-centric storylines and all the various ways DC ties itself in knots trying to reshuffle it every few years, I agree. Continuity is just a tool creators can use to inform new stories. The moment in becomes a straight jacket upon creativity itself, they've missed the point. Continuity is meant to serve the story, not the other way around.

What makes DC and Marvel so unique is their long histories stretching back decades that creators can plum to tell new stories and flesh out the inhabitants of these fictional universes more and more. However, like any garden or forest, if it isn't regularly trimmed or culled from time to time of dead weight and reseeded with new life, the entire thing dies.

[Vordan]

I hold writers to the run that immediately followed them and events that happened within their runs. Other than that I don’t get too worried about continuity, it’s pointless to be too worked up in serial characters continuity. I do like writers such as Johns and Morrison who are great at drawing on characters history to build up the story in the modern day.

[Kuwagaton]

Eh, Johns and Morrison can weave cool stories regardless but they're not what I'd call good at continuity. As in they don't work in things that happen just before their runs or parallel because they simply favor something else.

It absolutely makes sense for an incoming writer to see it that Bendis way. And basically, that's getting us back to the pre crisis approach where you could just throw a young Batman into Smallville and move on as convenient. Everything and nothing. But this isn't at all the same demographic as it was decades ago and you can't count on endless casuals to pick these up for completely disposable entertainment. I think if someone is interested in finding out about Superman and the best answer to simple questions like when he met Kara is personalized stuff DC has no finger on, there's a problem.

One reason manga has taken the young demographic superheroes crave is because of excellent world building.

Yeah, if Superman (and by extension heroes in general) have such a high degree of trust among the public it doesn't make sense for Superman to show up and make rookie mistakes in the public eye. He should be extremely competent and capable from his first day as a public figure. He can make *some* mistakes of course, and should continue to make mistakes through his career (he's not perfect), but the kind of big mistakes you'd expect a new hero to make?

Two comics I got on Saturday: an all ages JL comic where Superman gets a ticket for texting while flying, and a reprint of King's first regular Batman issue where Jim asks why they don't use the phone to talk as the missile they're talking about hits a plane above them. The latter obviously is taken seriously where the former isn't, and it demonstrates clearly that while a Batman can be confident, there are limits to who he is that Superman doesn't have. Either man can make a regular mistake but Superman both has his stuff together and a superhuman competence that should set him apart.

[Ascended]

fully agree, let Superman be The Last Son of Krypton for a while, and to become the embodiment of hope to the world. That takes some time.

Exactly. And I think it works better for Clark this way too. This gives him time to really process the idea of being the last of his species, you have time to really milk that concept for all its worth. And then Kara shows up, and its the universe bringing a little hope back to Clark.

It works better for both characters when Superman has had a few years to really cement his role and reputation.

[ENAMELANIMAL]

Hey Folks! I am new here but perhaps some of you are also on some other comic book forums and may recognize my name.

I really enjoyed this particular thread and every ones contributions as I am currently in the process of writing my ultimate Superman film pitch that I hope to turn into a script after I refine it.
Id really love to share it with fellow Superman dorks.

A quick summary of the idea

This film takes place over the first 35 years of Clarks life.

Clark recounts his life story to strangers he is talking to at a grocery store in Smallville.

He has outlived almost everybody that he grew up with.

It set in no specific time but rather the world of tomorrow, fashion and style are a mix of old and new, technology much the same, everything should feel used and tactile, the world should feel lived in.

It takes a lot of influence from films like Forest Gump and Big Fish. I have featured a lot of images also that help put a visualization to how it would also look such as costume design, technology concept, metropolis and Krypton.

The point that I'm up to is having just finished the Smallvillle life of Clark.

Someone else on the forum has read it and had this to say
"I read it - it's this 85 year old man, friendly, big, almost Santa like, still a big man, warm, likeable... he looks like he has lived a life. He's friendly, in a natural way, children gravitate towards him, but i guess like now, in most societies, the elderly are often over looked when they just want to be heard and share stories that were more influential than we realize. He shares his story, then is able to continue it to those that listen in the store from a child to a worker. His story of course - being superman. It's a totally different angle to what we would have seen on film and pretty timeless. nice work"

I know this might be a bit much for a first post but Im just excited.

Send me a message if you would like to read what I have done so far.

Thanks AA