New Superman for the "Twilight Age"

The 'moral compass' of such a Superman in modern Kansas would be a drastically different from the original Superman.

Suffice to say that one of Superman's main themes has always been that he's a paragon of virtue, even despite god-like power that we all know would likely corrupt any one of us. Part of that virtue is tied to his Kansas upbringing. Whatever your broad-brush views of rural society, Kansas people were no better educated or fair-minded 60 years ago than they are now. Common sense tells us that the opposite is true.

Just think about what's changed in the last 60 years. Think. If it was plausible that Ma and Pa Kent were upstanding, virtuous people back then, it's equally plausible now. Thus, your thoughts on the current political climate are irrelevant.

And thus, yours is a gratuitous (and ineffectually ambiguous) political cheapshot. In future, if you think that you you have to preface your post with a skirting-the-rules disclaimer, then it's probably not a good idea to post it. It's sorta like saying, "No offense, but ..." What follows is rarely polite or constructive.

Originally Posted by Iggy_Kamakaze Nice build

You people? What do you mean you people!?

Once again, facts undermine the passion of the internet.

How dare I point out that it is well established that Superman is often defined in other worlds by the place where and people by whom he is raised.

You were replying to someone who said that a Superman brought up in 21st century Kansas could gain a solid moral compass, just as he was given one in 1950s Kansas. Your reply? A gratuitous slam on modern-day Kansans.

An Elseworlds title featuring a Soviet-raised Superman is a different animal entirely.

Originally Posted by Iggy_Kamakaze Nice build

...It was just as likely that he could have gotten a solid moral compass in Soviet Russia, as well. Or are you saying that there were no good, honest people in Soviet Russia? That's a pretty broad brush.

Since this title seems to have everything in common with an Elseworlds title, I have chosen to look at it that way. Since we're looking at 21st century Kansas as opposed to 1950's Kansas, it is quite reasonable to look at the national headlines that have come out of Kansas since the 1950s, particularly within the last 20 years or so. If you're going to change Superman's origin for the purpose of this tale, you would almost have to.

I'm sorry if I make a judgment based on national headlines out of Kansas. But, as a writer, if I'm going to change the origin of a character, I'm going to look at the setting and take the most controversial and interesting aspects. And the modern, 21st century Kansas that emerges is a much different beast than the mythic 1950s Kansas of Superman's origin.

If you're not going to change anything, why bother? It'll just be the same Superman with different dates.

You didn't because someone got banned for posting something about them for a month >.>


As far as looking at this as an elseworlds tale... Congratulations, you win. IT IS AN ELSEWORLDS TALE.

That is why it is called Earth-1. Earth-1 is not the prime DC universe. The prime DC universe is "New Earth" or "Earth-0". A number of other elseworld tales are also other universes... such as the TDKR universe which has it's own numbered universe.

Yeah, sorry: I do feel a little more comfortable with the idea that a Soviet-born Superman would be less morally upstanding. I'm sure there were decent people living in the USSR, but the government had eyes. Are you seriously trying to draw a moral equivalence between modern-day Kansas and the Soviet Union?

The point of that Red Son story, as I saw it, didn't really have anything to do with the Soviet Union in particular. The Soviet Union could just as easily have been substituted for any totalitarian state. In fact, Red Son highlights just how important those hickish Kansans were.

And this new book, if WarpFactor's video review is any indication, is a new twist on that same theme. Instead of arriving in Metropolis with an ingrained moral compass, the modern Superman is unsure of himself until we (humans) inspire him, ultimately, to become the paragon of legend. Kansas values, if you will, are supplanted by, or supplemented with, life experience in the modern world.

It's fine to say that our contemporary, information-overloaded, introspection-ridden culture would change the boy. It may even be fine to tinker with the characters in Clark's Kansas upbringing, make them less attractive. There's a difference between, "Here's an alternate-timeline story showing how Superman could have turned out if he were born in X place at Y time," and, "Here's an alternate-timeline story showing how Superman turned out to be a reactionary nut-job because those idiots in Kansas have suddenly somehow regressed in the last 60 years."

Do you really believe that Kansans were more enlightened before the Civil Rights' Movement, before Post-Modern Feminism, before the Federal Highway Act? Nevermind countless advances in science and communication

Originally Posted by Iggy_Kamakaze Nice build

But it wouldn't be the 1950s in the regular comics anymore either, would it?

How old is Clark? 30s, 40s?





P.S.

Geez Durakken, ease up on the "you're stupid" talk. Folks hit the thread for some good ol' fashioned Twilight-hatin' and suddenly people are jumpin' all over 'em for it.

One might say they're over-reacting to the over-reaction.

One word; superfart.

A million times this! I know the origins of the costume are from the carnival strongmen but those undies on the outside are horrid. I think the Twilight Superman looks dreamy.

That isn't his underwear on the outside.

It may not be his undies but it sure does look like he got dressed in the dark.

On New Earth Clark Kent is like 44 years old in terms of years he has been around on Earth... It is unknown of whether whether there was a relative time thing which could technical put him thousands of years old and his physical age is supposedly in his late 20s early 30s.




To me people are spazzing over TDKR Batman not acting like New Earth Batman and Nazi Superman not acting like New Earth Superman... the criticism is just off.

They should be criticizing say, the bad writing or the crappy deformed art...

$20?

The run JMS had on Thor was very good...I am a huge Thor fan and I hold it almost in as high a regard as Simonson's....

Currently, Superman is officially 29 years old, according to DC.

Wow, really?!

I would of put both Batman and Superman in the Early to mid 30's area, with no more than a few months difference in their ages.

This also allows for Bruce Wayne to have adopted Grayson (he's rich with the best lawyers, so he can get away with it).

Yeeeeeeeaaaah... No.

2000 was the last official DCU timeline and that + the few years needed for certain stories put him no younger than that later 30s at best.

Unless they are trying to argue that he was like 14 when he made his debut as Superman (not Superboy) That'd be kinda funny.

DC said in 2009 that Superman's official age is 29, reiterating what they said 20 years ago. Sorry, man.

You can't get hung up on chronology in the stories. He's 29 and you just have to handwave away the fact it's impossible for him to have had all the adventures he's experienced in the 4 to 7 years he's been "officially" active in the DCU. (Depending on which writer you read. Byrne placed his debut around age 25. In Birthright his debut was about age 22.) Yes, it's silly, but that's just the way it is.