What is your favorite version of Superman?

[DABellWrites]

Imagine if Brainiac had existed in the '40s. I think Fleischer would've loved him.

Damn you. Now I want that.

[Jim Kelly]

Damn you. Now I want that.

Since there was a 1940s version of Metallo (a.k.a. Metalo), I'm sure if one looked deep enough in those comics one could find a Brainiac-type character, as well.

[Falcon16]

Damn you. Now I want that.

I think someone should do a Superman comic set in the '40s that has a plot similar to Superman TAS "New Kids in Town..." Brainiac travels back in time to kill Clark in the '40s.

[TheBatman]

Comics: Siegel/Shuster, Grant Morrison

Live Action: Christopher Reeve

Animation: Fleischer

[Shadowcat]

Currently reading the post-Crisis era, and I’m almost at the end of Byrne’s run. It’s really good. There are some missteps (like the Fine version of Brainiac), but otherwise I’m really loving it. It’s got a kinda raw, kinetic energy going on.

[Jcogginsa]

The gestalt version that exists only in my head

If that's not allowed, then Grant Morrison's version

[JediBatman54]

Injustice because he is tragic

[Adekis]

The gestalt version that exists only in my head

If that's not allowed, then Grant Morrison's version

I think this is true of a lot of fans. It's certainly true for me.

My favorite Lois and Metropolis are from the 90s. My favorite Luthor and Jimmy are from the '60s. My favorite Superman and Clark are from the New 52, which is already kiiind of a mix of the early Golden Age and late Silver Age? And the list goes on. There's no singular unified version of the character and his whole world that's just the ideal for me. Just variations on a theme where I like the execution more or less across 80 and counting years of media.

And I think that's kinda neat.

[manwhohaseverything]

I think this is true of a lot of fans. It's certainly true for me.

My favorite Lois and Metropolis are from the 90s. My favorite Luthor and Jimmy are from the '60s. My favorite Superman and Clark are from the New 52, which is already kiiind of a mix of the early Golden Age and late Silver Age? And the list goes on. There's no singular unified version of the character and his whole world that's just the ideal for me. Just variations on a theme where I like the execution more or less across 80 and counting years of media.

And I think that's kinda neat.

other than morrison,I kinda get superman from other sources in bits and pieces from companies,storytellers..etc other than from dc itself.It's safe to say i love superman as an archetype,more than the dc character.

[Adekis]

other than morrison,I kinda get superman from other sources in bits and pieces from companies,storytellers..etc other than from dc itself.It's safe to say i love superman as an archetype,more than the dc character.

I definitely have gotten elements of how I think of Superman from outside of DC, in stories like Marvelman or Supreme, or Gladiator for that matter. But also from just like... interviews and thinkpieces? Sometimes from creators who worked on the character and his world, sometimes just from fans who apply their reading to it. It could be anything from an open panel discussion with Elliot Maggin confirming that to him, Luthor held himself back out of spite but legitimately would have been a hero without Superman around to distract him, to Tim Burton's sweeping descriptions of Clark Kent's alienation and relationship to Krypton in the unmade Superman Lives, to just... a blog post, or even a forum comment, that I find particu.arly insightful, or memorable. Anything can influence my perspective on my favorite character if I find the idea compelling, interesting, and generally matches up with my perspective on the character.

[Ascended]

The gestalt version that exists only in my head

If that's not allowed, then Grant Morrison's version

This.

Like Adekis, and I imagine everyone else, I pull from bits and pieces. Movies, shows, different eras, other IP, stuff I've heard or seen people say that has nothing to do with Superman beyond me thinking "hey that kind of applies and I like it."

[JBatmanFan05]

For me, the Fleischer cartoons hands down...
and in comics, the original Siegel/Shuster version, in particular the Superman from the daily and Sunday comics strips and the first couple dozen issues of Action Comics.

-M

Yes, I have to pick Fleischer/Famous Superman (which I believe Siegel wrote some or all of them). And I've kind of come to realize that Fleischer/Famous Superman may even trump Siegel/Shuster GA comic Superman in that it's like this streamlined pure distillation of the Golden Age comics Superman.

[Zero Hunter]

John Byrne, of course.

Same. I love that this Superman was so much more relatable than previous versions. That and he was not super-god level strong and so many powers he could do literally anything, and was not constantly pulling new powers out of his ass.

[magha_regulus]

I think this is true of a lot of fans. It's certainly true for me.

My favorite Lois and Metropolis are from the 90s. My favorite Luthor and Jimmy are from the '60s. My favorite Superman and Clark are from the New 52, which is already kiiind of a mix of the early Golden Age and late Silver Age? And the list goes on. There's no singular unified version of the character and his whole world that's just the ideal for me. Just variations on a theme where I like the execution more or less across 80 and counting years of media.

And I think that's kinda neat.

We have similar tastes I think. I also really like the way Maggin explored Superman's perspective