Character talk: Superman of JUSTICE LEAGUE: GODS AND MONSTERS

[Superlad93]

I've just finished reading the full story of the Superman tie in for JUSTICE LEAGUE: GODS AND MONSTERS, and I must say I enjoyed it for what it was. But I was disappointed in it for not being what it could have been. Here's are my thoughts from my other thread

So after reading issues 2 and 3 I've come to the concussion that Bruce Timm was very much inspired by Philip Wylie's 1930 Gladiator. It's widely accepted that the character and the novel seemed to have been in part an inspiration for Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster when creating their own musclebound man-god. But Siegel and Shuster decided against the more ambiguous soul searching protagonist when creating their Superman. The character of Hugo Danner (Gladiator ) was a child gifted with inhuman amounts of strength and ability, and was every tormented by the prospect of his place in the world. These ideas would find their way back into the Superman myth with more contemporary telling (Man of Steel film) but never quite to the level of ambiguity that Danner displayed at times.

Timm's re imagining of the Superman concept goes farther into Danner's territory and embraces it. Hernan is a troubled young man who hears the call of the stars but his heart is rooted in the Earth. That dichotomy is also parallel by the idea that he has a seemingly unquenchable rage beating inside of him, but he has a gentle heart that was nurtured by his adopted family. Objectively speaking this is a more to the point easily digestible idea for the Superman concept's struggle with it's theme of nature vs nurture. It's very plainly spelled out with two contrasting sides. The Clark's version of the idea is a bit more subtle. It's a little funny when you want to explain it to someone because they'll go "well then his alien family was bad or not great in some way, right?" With most takes you can't in good conscience ever say yes to that. It's always more complicated than that. It's usually more nuanced. But what it translates to mainstream is "oh so then everyone he's related to is just awesome, huh?".

Timm gives the reader a clear and strong distinction to wrap their minds around. But instead of going the way of say the early seasons of Smallville or Byrne's Man of Steel reboot in the 80's, Timm and DeMatteis (co writer of the comic) just use his alien heritage as a back drop to only be alluded to when it's weaved in with religious talk by the characters. You see, in the book Hernan abilities, his mental torment over his place, and his being found in a field are all attributed to his faith driven family (his mother in particular). This is again like Danner in that his father's experiments on his mother (the actual reason for his power) are in the end given a religious tone (I wont spoil how if you'd like to read it).

In my opinion the third act for this book is the strongest. But it suffers from not being allowed to breath more. Please show us Hernan's time in the army. Or maybe give us a little of his world travels. I'd very much enjoy a depiction of his choice not to leave Earth for good. The art would have really taken center stage on that one. And the emotional punch would have been quite strong. I think I'd really enjoy the ideas being presented in this book if they were allowed to really express themselves. Like take the idea that Hernan's "Krypton" is not Krypton itself (well it is) but Mexico. Mexico is where his families roots are. It's the language he weaves in and out of English. It's a very down to Earth and easy to digest take on the immigrant idea for Superman.

There are a lot of aspects to this concept that would do well if just allowed to take it's take and build. I sincerely hope that this take finds some legs and is allowed to become a true blue alternate Earth in the vein of Earth 2 with book and all. After the movie I hope it's not the last we'll see of Hernan Guerra the Superman.

What does everyone else think? Have you read it? What are your expectations for the direction? I know he's not your more traditional Superman, but I think a case could be made for this Superman to be a really interesting and even valid take on the concept beyond "he's bad Superman". Thoughts....

[fredrol]

I've just finished reading the full story of the Superman tie in for JUSTICE LEAGUE: GODS AND MONSTERS, and I must say I enjoyed it for what it was. But I was disappointed in it for not being what it could have been. Here's are my thoughts from my other thread



What does everyone else think? Have you read it? What are your expectations for the direction? I know he's not your more traditional Superman, but I think a case could be made for this Superman to be a really interesting and even valid take on the concept beyond "he's bad Superman". Thoughts....

I read the comic prequels, and I must say that Zod (Hernan)'s willingness to kill--and his enjoyment of doing so--is rather troubling. I appreciate that we now have a Black Superman in Val-Zod, and now a Latino Superman in Hernan, but I have to say that in the comics, he comes off as a sadistic serial killer, not a socialist fighting for social justice.

[OpticDreams]

I really enjoyed the character, I for one hope an ongoing gets made.

[MarvelMaster616]

After reading all three issues, I'm completely sold on this character. I can safely say now that Hernan Guerra has exceeded my expectations as a new Superman in a new world. I think this series did an excellent job of establishing who he is and detailing just how different he is from Clark Kent. Being the son of Zod, we already know he's got a different set of inner demons to deal with. The narration from his sister was very well-done in that it established how he had this darkness within him. It's a darkness that Clark Kent never had to deal with. He always carried himself as a strong, pure soul that his adopted family nurtured. Hernan had none of that. He still had a family that loved him, but they were more conflicted about him than the Kents. They didn't know how to deal with him when he started acting out. And unlike Clark, he experienced the hardships of poverty and racism directly. It really colored Hernan as a different kind of Superman with a different take on this world.

And after taking this story in, I feel like this is a Superman who can offer a different perspective than Kal-El and it's a perspective worth exploring. Hernan isn't the same as Zod in that he just wants to conquer and subdue. Hernan does have a sense of justice that's similar to Clark Kent, but he's more willing to kill and use violence to obtain it. He's also more willing to be crass and selfish. In a sense, he's a lot more human in that he'll save the day, but he'll also drown his sorrows in a stiff drink. I think it's something that adds a layer of complexity and vulnerability to his character. He's in this vast gray area between the idealism of Superman and the cold pragmatism of Zod. And no matter how the movie pans out, I really hope we see more of this Superman moving forward. I think right now, Hernan Guerra has more going for him than Clark Kent.

[DochaDocha]

I read a lot of complaints from certain other sites that this Superman is going to be another one of those grimdark anti-heroes, but I'm glad to see it doesn't really go all the way. Yes, he kills, but I don't think that's enough to say he's a dark character. There are degrees, and in my book, at least three distinct ones: guys who kill kind of haphazardly, guys who kill out of a deemed necessity, and guys who simply don't. Superman traditionally falls in the last one (duh), and I think there are a lot of fans who make no distinction between my first two levels. I think that's a mistake. The standard action hero in TV and movies generally falls in my middle category. So the next time someone says, "Oh, it's one of those intended-to-be-ironic takes on Superman where he kills, but it's so commonplace now that it's not ironic anymore," I just say it's just taking Superman away from exceptionally resistant to killing to more in line with standard vigilantes, which is no more or less plentiful than the heroes with no-kill rules.

Anyway, I see nothing wrong with this interpretation of the character, but I feel like it's still missing something. If the naysayers are right about one thing, I think it's that it doesn't feel as fresh of a take on Superman as you'd probably want it to be. Still, I think it's a good set up for the main course, which is the movie coming out in less than three weeks. My socks weren't wowed off, but I'm still generally happy with these books.