Superman Story In Truth & Justice #4

[Robanker]

I do tend to think of Clark as less of a "reasonable liberal centrist" and more of a "progressive firebrand," based on his Golden Age pedigree. That said, ultimately this looks pretty damn good. I'll look forward to reading it for sure!

I think he starts as the latter and as he gets older he doesn't change his beliefs but he starts to think about this actions a bit more. I don't like when Clark is treated as some symbol of stagnation as some tend to push him.

[Ascended]

That's how I see it in my head too; Clark's still the hard leftist he was originally, but with age has come wisdom and a smoother touch.

Actually, given how crazy both sides have become Clark probably looks more centrist than he should, but only in comparison to the vocal extreme ends of the spectrum.

[Robanker]

That's how I see it in my head too; Clark's still the hard leftist he was originally, but with age has come wisdom and a smoother touch.

Actually, given how crazy both sides have become Clark probably looks more centrist than he should, but only in comparison to the vocal extreme ends of the spectrum.

Almost certainly. In my take, he eventually put himself into a bad position with his original approach and eventually had to refine his manner in which he influences the world. But he absolutely started out as someone who just tried to force the rules to change and learned that entrenched power isn't something that can be physically moved.

But a Superman that just wants things to stay the same is also wrong. I do think Clark looks at the world as something that needs to change in its heart for him to trust it's lasting change. If he can just swing his weight around and make people behave, that works until he's dead and then the problem persists. For that reason, he learned a better approach and moved from inspiring fear of reprisal to inspiring action in the hearts of others. It's a different type of leading by example, or at least one that makes more sense to me entering my 30s than I understood fresh out of high school and even college.

For all the good Byrne did (and while we **** on him a lot here, there were some genuinely strong qualities to his run), losing that socially conscious edge to Clark really harmed the character and continues to until this very day. Granted, that edged out in the 50s/60s when the full material value of the character had been firmly established, but he had the chance to reposition Clark to greater heights and instead kind of doubled down and made him (as Bored has once put it eloquently) a yuppie. He kind of had it all going his way, why would he try and buck the system for the little guy?

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Yeah, had Byrne not doubled down on making Clark/Superman into the Republican wet dream of the American heartland, then I think the character would be in a much better position today. Readjusting the characters political orientation back towards his original roots is something that really needs to happen if DC wants him to have any relevance beyond a Nostalgia Magnet.

[Robanker]

Yeah, had Byrne not doubled down on making Clark/Superman into the Republican wet dream of the American heartland, then I think the character would be in a much better position today. Readjusting the characters political orientation back towards his original roots is something that really needs to happen if DC wants him to have any relevance beyond a Nostalgia Magnet.

Yara Flor is basically golden age Superman in SM/WW whereas Jon is his father so the current trajectory seems to be Superman is the warm nostalgia blanket they want you to return to when you've been living on the edge for too long.

Time will tell, but all indicators aren't pointing to a promising future.

[Korath]

Yara Flor is basically golden age Superman in SM/WW whereas Jon is his father so the current trajectory seems to be Superman is the warm nostalgia blanket they want you to return to when you've been living on the edge for too long.

Time will tell, but all indicators aren't pointing to a promising future.

Which is a shame because he was way better in FS:SoM.

[SiegePerilous02]

For all the good Byrne did (and while we **** on him a lot here, there were some genuinely strong qualities to his run), losing that socially conscious edge to Clark really harmed the character and continues to until this very day. Granted, that edged out in the 50s/60s when the full material value of the character had been firmly established, but he had the chance to reposition Clark to greater heights and instead kind of doubled down and made him (as Bored has once put it eloquently) a yuppie. He kind of had it all going his way, why would he try and buck the system for the little guy?

The plus side of that era is the lore expanded, so at least we were getting some other stuff to give Superman a unique and exciting flavor even if the socially conscious edge was downplayed/removed.

But Byrne chucked most of that stuff, so we were left with something that didn't have the exciting aspects of either the Golden or Silver age iterations and was just a boring middle ground. Which I guess appealed to nerds of the 80s, but the character has been paying for it in the long run.

[manduck37]

I'm going to have to check this one out. This is exactly the kind of Superman content I've been looking for lately. Based on what people have been saying here, it sounds really good.

[Robanker]

Which is a shame because he was way better in FS:SoM.

While I went glad with how by committee that book felt and how Jon kind of **** the bed at being Superman, I am glad he was at least different than his dad. Finally.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I liked this story a lot. A little heavy-handed, perhaps, but I’d rather see Superman stories with a strong point of view than the same bland pablum that we tend to get.

[BBally]

Issue 5 is out

[Prime]

That's how I see it in my head too; Clark's still the hard leftist he was originally, but with age has come wisdom and a smoother touch.

Actually, given how crazy both sides have become Clark probably looks more centrist than he should, but only in comparison to the vocal extreme ends of the spectrum.

I've never see Clark as a leftist tbh. Just as someone who doesn't like assholes. From both sides.

Shouldn't they have used Superbro for this?

[Alpha]

We've discussed these things before, but I definitely think Clark would be socially conservative. He was raised by a traditional family and despite his abnormality, that traditional family was the system that surported him through the hardships. He just thinks it's essential to promote this. I'm not saying he would be intolerant of homosexual couples, but he probably wouldn't have been anxious for them to adopt. He also worries a lot about single mothers and wishes they would stay together. Although maybe some depictions of Lana Lang with either a single tutor or an abusive family would change his mind seeing as she managed to be a great person despite those things.

But economically, I think Clark's motto should be "we should provide great power, and acknowledge great responsibility". Of course he believes in autonomy and merit, but despite his humble economic background, he deeply understands privilige. I mean, he was a great person, but you can't deny that so many things in his life were so much easier in an unfair way simply because of his powers. I think he could easily see how economic status from birth would change a person's life. Plus he understands the struggles of a farmer. How even out there with a self reliant life, you still depend on other stuff, like healthcare. When his father had a heart attack Clark had to travel miles before finding a hospital, and his parents probably didn't have enough money for insurance. Even if they did, who knows if their insurance agency would agree to pay for an old man that had a heart attack "this was probably a pre-existent condition". Maybe his dad survived the heart attack and had to take a boatload of medicine, now it's a chronic condition, is the insurance gonna help him pay enough? Plus now he can't run the farm. Should Clark stay in Smallville to help him take care of the farm? What is his father gonna do for work once he doesn't have the body for farming? Martha hasn't worked ever since Clark was born, and probably even long before. What kinda job is she gonna find that will sustain her? Maybe Clark can find a job and send some money every month. I guess he doesn't really need to eat. And it's okay for him to have a cold apartment, doesn't really bother him. Not every family is lucky enough to have a superpowered son who doesn't require basic needs.

I think he would also understand that in the world he lives in it's not enough for everyone regardless of their origin to get one of those few chances for success. There should be more opportunities. He isn't out here only trying to fix the worst. He helps people everywhere every day. And even if you don't get into the middle class, having a normal job shouldn't be this hard when we have so many resources and so much excess in so many commercial areas. He is a reporter for goodness sakes (which doesn't mean he is left leaning, but does mean he is exposed to the intrincancies of economic struggles). Do we really want an utopia for the few and distopia for the many? Isn't Legion of Super-heroes the fullfillment of his dreams? Doesn't really seem like a freemarket society to me. I think Clark would definitely understand this. Unlike other characters like Bruce Wayne, who would see issues in society, but still thinks his own private decisions are enough to change the system, instead of institutional change.

Clark would still be very skeptical of the government and fight against corruption. I personally think he would support getting money out of politics. He might be fully supportive of the electoral college tho, specially coming from a rural background.

Oh and even if Clark was against gay marriage he would totally be pro choice. He can see brain synapses and how our minds light up when we have a huge idea or feel a lot of pain. He would see the intricacies of the human body, and in particular the mind. He would know the difference between the fetus of a 2 and a half fetus's brain and that of a 8th months' fetus. He would distinguuish between the two.

To be clear, I recognize that all of my opinions are completely expressed through my own filter, but I am not representing my own political positions. I am totally against the electoral college and think marriage and adoption should not be restricted by conservative ideas. But I don't think Clark would see it that way.

[Robanker]

I've never see Clark as a leftist tbh. Just as someone who doesn't like assholes. From both sides.

Shouldn't they have used Superbro for this?

Superbro is not the only socially conscious Superman. Just the most recent. They're all Superman, though.

[Vordan]

Yep this story is definitely going to make some folks mad. But for me it’s very satisfying to see my personal politics embodied bu Supes.

.

I can’t agree at all frankly, and putting my personal beliefs aside I’ll try to explain why using the actual comics. People typically get far too hung up on the rural background aspect that they forget the other parts: He’s a reporter in a major metropolitan city, and since the Daily Planet picks fights with billionaires and big megacorps I doubt it’s right-leaning. He knows his planet died because the leaders failed to heed his father, the chief scientist, warnings about the apocalypse which would doubtless echo in the back of his mind with regards to stuff like climate change. He’s against the death penalty, a natural outgrowth of his qualms about killing:


As for gay people I point to his feelings with regards to Maggie Sawyer. He’s never had any problems with her sexuality whatsoever and they had Byrne Post Crisis Superman of all people, who was a Republican, feel that it was unjust that Sawyer was discriminated against:


Portraying any hero as against homosexual couples nowadays would render a character nuclear. The only conservative heroes at the Big 2 tend to be dicks at best, like U.S.Agent, or are just flat out evil. Saying Superman is socially conservative would basically be surrendering him to the people who just want to write him as a fascist dictator. Hell look at Chris Reeve! That dude was portrayed as basically the embodiment of the 1950s coming into the troubled 1970s to remind us of better times, and that dude was still anti-nuclear. Captain America is guy from the 1930s yet doesn’t harbor any prejudices at all even though that’s not really realistic. The original intent of Siegel and Shuster was that Superman was a progressive champion of tomorrow, and that is ultimately the interpretation I respect. There was a time when Clark wasn’t a farmboy from Kansas and there may come a day when we need to return to that interpretation for him to appeal to the next generation.

I mean really if we followed this line of logic that says because he was raised in Kansas he’d be conservative down the rabbit hole, Clark would definitely be a MAGA supporter. He’d definitely believe in QAnon. Kansas overwhelmingly is Trump country, and that’s where this line of logic leads us. But where does that leave the character? Nowhere but to be the villain. Just like how Batman and Green Arrow and Ted Kord are “good” billionaires who somehow run their companies ethically without hurting their profits, Clark has all the good and none of the bad. That’s why he’s a hero.

Edit: Also I’ll throw in this personal detail: I grew up near Plano, IL. Yeah the one Zack Snyder used for Smallville in Man of Steel. My parents are conservative, but I’m not. I’m friends with a guy who grew up in rural Missouri, same deal, his hometown is very right wing but he isn’t. So where you grew up doesn’t necessarily dictate your beliefs for the rest of your adult life, especially after college.