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  1. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Kelly View Post
    If I was the Archie Goodwin of Superman's answer to BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT, the conceit of my SUPERMAN: TALL TALES OF SMALLVILLE would have first person narration by different unreliable narrators, who might be embroidering the truth. That way, you wouldn't have to consider every story as canonical and each creative team could take their own liberties.
    That's clever. I'd be down with something like that.
    "We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."

    ~ Black Panther.

  2. #17
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    The Modern Age Superman was not born on Krypton. He was born on Earth. It took the next 18 years for his body to absorb enough solar energy to have all his powers. During that time they appeared one at a time. Invulnerability and strength was first. After high school Clark traveled the world to learn as much as he could. This took five to ten years. After he made his first appearance saving the plane that Lois was on, he travels home to have Ma and Pa Kent help him figure out how to be both Clark and Superman.

    This is all explained in Man of Steel, Issue 1, 1986.

  3. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by boltmonster View Post
    The Modern Age Superman was not born on Krypton. He was born on Earth.

    This is all explained in Man of Steel, Issue 1, 1986.
    I'm pretty sure that hasn't been canon for the last few continuities, and might have been retconned as early as Loeb's Krypton re-work in the early 00's.
    "We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."

    ~ Black Panther.

  4. #19
    Ultimate Member SiegePerilous02's Avatar
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    I'm okay with him not being Superboy in his youth, but he should absolutely be doing a lot of heroic and weird things on the dl. And have adventures with the Legion, even if he isn't officially called "Superboy" while doing so.

    Him having a normal childhood until he up and decides he wants to be a superhero as an adult is dumb and the character needs to finally and definitively let that depiction go.

  5. #20
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    The Levitz Legion lore was that Saturn Girl put a mental block in Superboy's head so he forgot most everything he learned about the 30th century when he got back to the 20th century. Yet Superboy was supposed to have total recall--although some of his memories were patchy about Krypton on account of exposure to Kryptonite.

    Suppose that there was a consequence to Imra interfering with Clark's perfect memory. He gets back to Ma and Pa Kent and now he can't remember even having been Superboy, he's forgotten how to use his powers. Each time he returns from a future adventure with the Legion, Martha and Jonathan have to pick up the pieces, as their son desperately tries to remember who he is and who they are.

    He's continually re-encountering the Legion of Super-Heroes in Smallville, having completely forgotten that he met them before. The Kents have to keep going through the same scenarios over and over, like the family of someone with dementia.

  6. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by SiegePerilous02 View Post
    Him having a normal childhood until he up and decides he wants to be a superhero as an adult is dumb and the character needs to finally and definitively let that depiction go.
    Preach it brother!
    "We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."

    ~ Black Panther.

  7. #22
    Ultimate Member Ascended's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Kelly View Post
    The Levitz Legion lore was that Saturn Girl put a mental block in Superboy's head so he forgot most everything he learned about the 30th century when he got back to the 20th century. Yet Superboy was supposed to have total recall--although some of his memories were patchy about Krypton on account of exposure to Kryptonite.

    Suppose that there was a consequence to Imra interfering with Clark's perfect memory. He gets back to Ma and Pa Kent and now he can't remember even having been Superboy, he's forgotten how to use his powers. Each time he returns from a future adventure with the Legion, Martha and Jonathan have to pick up the pieces, as their son desperately tries to remember who he is and who they are.

    He's continually re-encountering the Legion of Super-Heroes in Smallville, having completely forgotten that he met them before. The Kents have to keep going through the same scenarios over and over, like the family of someone with dementia.
    I've seen a few ideas that toy with the idea of Clark's perfect memory and how that can be a blessing/curse combo, and I like this one too. I think a lot of people forget that Clark's abilities, especially when he's young, are a double edged sword.
    "We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."

    ~ Black Panther.

  8. #23
    Father Son Kamehameha < Kuwagaton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The World View Post
    Superman for All Seasons tries to rectify all of this by showing a Clark in his late teens saving Pa from a Tornado and having that be his moment of realization. Despite Superman for All Seasons being a good story I thought that was the weakest moment in the book. To me the instance still lacks impact or shock the way the moments in Batman and Spidermans lives do, helping with a Tornado is the Superman equivalent of opening a door. There's no risk or sacrifice involved just him doing something that's relatively easy for him the require little strain or danger.
    I think it's easy to come up with several reasons why tornados and severe storms are so popular with a young or turbulent Superman. One of my favorite gags pre crisis had him literally eat a tornado, but that pretty much ruins the idea of featuring disasters that the reader can understand. Most stories now do the "raining popcorn" idea where it's still harmless to him but each kernel he doesn't catch hurts others enough to hurt him. I thought For All Seasons did it pretty well but Adventure of Superman 573 was a cool complement, where he does take more of the initiative.
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  9. #24
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    Yeah I do think it's unfortunate that Clark never had that AHA! moment, which is something the character needs. That's one of the things I think Smallville did so well, was at least attempting to give Clark a reason to be a hero. And when you get to the end of the Season 11 comics, everything is nicely set up with the Justice League and him adopting the name Superman.

  10. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ascended View Post
    I'm pretty sure that hasn't been canon for the last few continuities, and might have been retconned as early as Loeb's Krypton re-work in the early 00's.
    It's all in the Superman you know. Not what they want for the next few months.

  11. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by boltmonster View Post
    It's all in the Superman you know. Not what they want for the next few months.
    But what if the Superman isn't the post crisis Superman, but the one in Superman TAS or Silver Age Superman, etc. Byrne Superman is the only Superman that had the ridiculous "born on Earth" concept, that has been ignored and used only in that version.

    Most other versions, even if they borrowed from Post Crisis, had Kal-el born on Krypton and handled how he learn about his powers as well as how he become Superman. Rebirth Superman is more Secret Origins/Johns Superman with elements of New 52, Post Crisis and other Superman imbued in his character.

  12. #27
    Ultimate Member SiegePerilous02's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by boltmonster View Post
    It's all in the Superman you know. Not what they want for the next few months.
    I choose to not know that version. Which itself was a new flavor after 50 years of another thing(s).
    There were things from that take that have stood the test of time (ymmv on which ones were worth it), but being born on Earth was thankfully not one of them.

  13. #28
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    That is why you read the stories that fit the character you know. Not all stories will do that. There are not many stories today that fit the Superman I know.

  14. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by boltmonster View Post
    That is why you read the stories that fit the character you know. Not all stories will do that. There are not many stories today that fit the Superman I know.
    That seems an odd way to go about things. If you only read stories that reinforce the things you know, then you don't really know the character, just a specific version.

    I understand the notion of just reading the stuff that appeals to your sensibilities; I wouldn't bother reading a funny Adam West style Batman book for example, since I prefer my Batman dark and crazy. But only reading the stuff that's similar to what you've already read and never branching out to try other elements just seems very limiting. I mean, what if you spent years only reading books with a more post-Crisis slant, only to learn that the Golden Age is actually much more appealing to you?
    "We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."

    ~ Black Panther.

  15. #30
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    DC has an expensive system for testing what flies and what doesn't with the public. They make a movie and if it bombs, they know that's not the version of Superman that the people recognize.

    I remember years ago on HOLLYWOOD SQUARES there was a question about Superman's cousin and I knew exactly what the answer was. Now, a game show couldn't get away with asking these questions about Superman's mythology. The answers keep changing.

    I used to pride myself on all my Superman triva knowledge--now I don't know diddly squat.

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