Should Ultraman get a re-invented?

[Patrick Gerard]

Ultraman is kind of like Bizarro, in that there's sort of a few different versions of him. And then you can factor in the other characters called "Ultra", who Ultra Comics kind of ran into in a hellapocalypse take on Limbo in Ultra Comics # 1, including the original Siegel & Shuster Ultraman from 1940.

But then, there's kind of a few different versions of Superman, too, aye?

You mean the Don Shelby one from 1940?

[Patrick Gerard]

Yeah, but the different versions of Superman all work off the same blueprint, which is the origins in Superman # 1. Every other version of the Superman origin either expands upon that or expands upon an expansion upon that, or contradicts another expansion.

When we first met Ultraman in the 60s, he didn't have an origin at all. He was just a crook version of Superman who gained new powers from Kryptonite instead of being hurt by it and that's all we knew. Eventually we found out his father from Krypton-3 was named Jur-Li and wound up in Kandor-1, but that's rarely adhered to.

I think the problem is that Ultraman is so rarely used that there's impulse for consistency. Because there's no initial origin story, there's no blueprint for Morrison or Kelly or Johns or anyone else in the last twenty years to derive their origins from. As a result, Ultraman is always different, often down to his very personality. He's got no consistency.

Although: Siegel and Shuster didn't create the '40s Ultraman, that was Jon L. Blummer. It was neat to see him in Ultra Comics though.

I always liked Johns' idea to have two Crime Syndicates team-up, JLA/JSA style.

You could get into wild bizarreness like Ultraman cheating on Superwoman with an alternate Superwoman, Owlman framing Owlman for crimes, Quick of Two Worlds team-ups that are basically just bar hopping benders.

[K. Jones]

Yeah, but the different versions of Superman all work off the same blueprint, which is the origins in Superman # 1. Every other version of the Superman origin either expands upon that or expands upon an expansion upon that, or contradicts another expansion.

When we first met Ultraman in the 60s, he didn't have an origin at all. He was just a crook version of Superman who gained new powers from Kryptonite instead of being hurt by it and that's all we knew. Eventually we found out his father from Krypton-3 was named Jur-Li and wound up in Kandor-1, but that's rarely adhered to.

I think the problem is that Ultraman is so rarely used that there's impulse for consistency. Because there's no initial origin story, there's no blueprint for Morrison or Kelly or Johns or anyone else in the last twenty years to derive their origins from. As a result, Ultraman is always different, often down to his very personality. He's got no consistency.

Although: Siegel and Shuster didn't create the '40s Ultraman, that was Jon L. Blummer. It was neat to see him in Ultra Comics though.

AHHH! I'd seen Siegel or Shuster's name in some of those old strips, though - did they draw a bunch of those stories in Action Comics? They must've.

[theoneandonly]

maybe ultraman should be fl

[theoneandonly]

maybe ultraman should be fleshed out more rather than a simple makeover like