Controversial Superman Opinions

[phonogram12]

I don't know how "unpopular" this is, but they should've just had the Post-Crisis Superman be the exact Superman who's around today from Rebirth onward. But Geoff Johns and his Donner-hijinks already diluted the brand enough by bringing too much silver age nuttiness into it before Flashpoint, that we're never going to see that dude again.

Ha, see my issue with Superman is that they haven't brought enough silver age nuttiness to today's comics. In fact, one of the only things I really do find myself agreeing with Geoff Johns on (I can't stand most of his other writing for the most part) is his SA tendencies. In fact, the only Superman book I'm picking up right now is Superman '78 (well, and World of Krypton if that counts).

Lois and Clark season 1 was the best media interpretation of the character and his world, ever. (Now there's a true unpopular opinion)

Oooh! Yeah! It is, indeed!

[TheBatman]

I don't know how "unpopular" this is, but they should've just had the Post-Crisis Superman be the exact Superman who's around today from Rebirth onward. But Geoff Johns and his Donner-hijinks already diluted the brand enough by bringing too much silver age nuttiness into it before Flashpoint, that we're never going to see that dude again.

And this may be unpopular, but in regards to the bolded...good! That guy was dull much of the time.

I'll take Geoff Johns restoring Zod, Brainiac, and the LOSH to their more accessible, better selves any day. One of the very few modern canon Superman runs that I actually enjoyed

[Ascended]

Ha, see my issue with Superman is that they haven't brought enough silver age nuttiness to today's comics.

I dunno about "nuttiness" but I definitely agree about missing the more unique aspects of Clark's mythos.

I get why DC wanted to make Superman a little more serious and a little less....Silver Age.....but they really threw the baby out with the bathwater. And some of the Bronze Age stuff, like For the Man Who Has Everything and Whatever Happened to...? already showed how those fantastical elements could be applied in a more mature (or at least slightly less silly) way.

What I really missed, and still miss, is the dichotomy and duality. Superman wasn't just Clark in a cape, but neither was Clark just Superman in glasses. The psychology behind Silver Age Superman...the stories barely touch on a lot of the ideas there, we don't necessarily get the kind of deeper exploration modern writing would attempt, but hot damn the stuff there makes for one of the most compelling and unique characters in fiction. The layers and contradictions are pretty rich, despite the lack of current writing sensibilities (and often quality).

And when post-Crisis put all that crazy stuff away, it failed to replace it with things of equal, lasting value (for the most part, obvious exceptions are obvious) and it resulted in Superman feeling generic and boring.

I've been very happy to see a lot of stuff return to the fold over the years, but I wish DC and its talent remembered that the duality between Clark and Superman is where the actual character is found.

[Johnny Thunders!]

I say this all the time, things that came from the hated Silver Age: Braniac, Bizarro, Phantom Zone Criminals, Supergirl, Krypto, The Justice League, Imaginary Stories, The Legion of Superheroes,,, arguably the Supersons concept and the New Gods if you include Jimmy Olsen comics as part of the Silver Age.


Even the Death of Superman stories and the idea of tyrant or evil Superman. All Silver Age ideas.

[Agent Z]

The Silver Age has all but completely overtaking any new ideas introduced afterwards.

Also, I suspect a certain segment of the Superman fandom would be much more happy if they weren't so damn insecure over some people not liking Superman.

[Stanlos]

Random . I just saw Eternals and they did a great job developing a true conundrum for the heroes. Their Ikarus reminded me a lot of Superman and it made me feel weird thinking that they did a better job than the DCEU. Their effects were top notch and not at all PS2 cutscene like MOS

[manwhohaseverything]

The Silver Age has all but completely overtaking any new ideas introduced afterwards.

Also, I suspect a certain segment of the Superman fandom would be much more happy if they weren't so damn insecure over some people not liking Superman.

Correction,donner superman with silverage ideas.

[daredevil1]

Ha, see my issue with Superman is that they haven't brought enough silver age nuttiness to today's comics. In fact, one of the only things I really do find myself agreeing with Geoff Johns on (I can't stand most of his other writing for the most part) is his SA tendencies. In fact, the only Superman book I'm picking up right now is Superman '78 (well, and World of Krypton if that counts).



Oooh! Yeah! It is, indeed!

I do like Silver Age Superman, but not what Johns brought to it, which was 99% Donner/Krypton stuff. The Krypton obsession is what I dislike most about the pre-Crisis version and tend to agree with Byrne on it (I even think they rebooted the character because the Krypton longing was just too baffling and all consuming), but I'm not the hugest fan of the Donner movies since they don't really adapt the comics at all, and yet, that was what Johns shoveled us. It's kind of bizarre, like giving us the pre-One More Day Spider-Man back, but making everything about it be references to the Tobey Maguire series... okay, I guess? I'd much rather get pre-Crisis Superman back entirely, but Johns' hybrid was kind of offensive to everyone at the time.

[TheKryptonMan]

I do like Silver Age Superman, but not what Johns brought to it, which was 99% Donner/Krypton stuff. The Krypton obsession is what I dislike most about the pre-Crisis version and tend to agree with Byrne on it (I even think they rebooted the character because the Krypton longing was just too baffling and all consuming), but I'm not the hugest fan of the Donner movies since they don't really adapt the comics at all, and yet, that was what Johns shoveled us. It's kind of bizarre, like giving us the pre-One More Day Spider-Man back, but making everything about it be references to the Tobey Maguire series... okay, I guess? I'd much rather get pre-Crisis Superman back entirely, but Johns' hybrid was kind of offensive to everyone at the time.

DC is not making the right decisions for Superman/ Clark to be more popular.
When you see how many books Batman is in and Superman is basically now just in Action Comics, I'm not even reading Justice League..
Then you go over to Marvel , and they have Spider-man coming out 3 times a month ( I do love Spider-Man ) .
But my point is that Superman should have another book, and I don't count Jon's book which was Clark's .
We have PKJ , but we need another solo Superman book. I know Mark Waid is doing Batman/Superman , but there we go again more Batman, and I do love Batman too . But he's getting over exposed now. just my humble opinion.

[TheKryptonMan]

I dunno about "nuttiness" but I definitely agree about missing the more unique aspects of Clark's mythos.

I get why DC wanted to make Superman a little more serious and a little less....Silver Age.....but they really threw the baby out with the bathwater. And some of the Bronze Age stuff, like For the Man Who Has Everything and Whatever Happened to...? already showed how those fantastical elements could be applied in a more mature (or at least slightly less silly) way.

What I really missed, and still miss, is the dichotomy and duality. Superman wasn't just Clark in a cape, but neither was Clark just Superman in glasses. The psychology behind Silver Age Superman...the stories barely touch on a lot of the ideas there, we don't necessarily get the kind of deeper exploration modern writing would attempt, but hot damn the stuff there makes for one of the most compelling and unique characters in fiction. The layers and contradictions are pretty rich, despite the lack of current writing sensibilities (and often quality).

And when post-Crisis put all that crazy stuff away, it failed to replace it with things of equal, lasting value (for the most part, obvious exceptions are obvious) and it resulted in Superman feeling generic and boring.

I've been very happy to see a lot of stuff return to the fold over the years, but I wish DC and its talent remembered that the duality between Clark and Superman is where the actual character is found.

I do like what you say about the duality between Clark and Superman. Another reason to bring back the Secret Identity.

[Johnny Thunders!]

I think so called Silver Age Superman comics is kind of code for incredibly elaborate continuity deep storytelling where nothing is too out there. The whole mainstream comic super hero fandom is there. We got evil Superman stories in Amazon Prime with The Boys and Invincible. We have multiverse stories with overlapping heroes and villains in Spider-Man’s Multiverse movies, and we have Superman family stories on CW. In someways, Silver Age Superman stories are being told everywhere.

[SiegePerilous02]

The Silver Age has all but completely overtaking any new ideas introduced afterwards.

There weren't that many great or enduring ideas afterwards.

The ones that are comparable to what we got in the Silver/Bronze age can be counted on one hand, with some fingers left over.

[Agent Z]

There weren't that many great or enduring ideas afterwards.

I disagree.

[SiegePerilous02]

I disagree.

But what are the good/enduring ones that came after that are on the same level as Brainiac, Bizarro, the Legion, JL, Supergirl, Krypto, Phantom Zone, etc?

We got the marriage, some mileage out of evil businessman Lex, and a few good characters like Steel, Kon and Maggie, but that's largely it.

[Agent Z]

But what are the good/enduring ones that came after that are on the same level as Brainiac, Bizarro, the Legion, JL, Supergirl, Krypto, Phantom Zone, etc?

We got the marriage, some mileage out of evil businessman Lex, and a few good characters like Steel, Kon and Maggie, but that's largely it.

Krypton's flaws, Superman having a more manageable power level, the expanded Daily Planet staff, even Superman Blue was used fairly well by Morrison. If you add that to what you listed, it's around the same number of ideas as the Silver Age.