80 Years of Superman

2018 marks the 80th birthday of the big guy himself - the OG superhero.

Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938.

Actually, there were precursors to Superman. But he popularized and defined the 'Superhero' character-type and genre. He was the template for countless characters who came later, with his flying, strength, the secret identity and so forth.

There were a couple predecessors in comics, but his ancestry might stretch back to ancient Myth; the Greek Pantheon of Gods had incredible powers and sometimes walked among mortals.

Maybe that's the "super" part, at least.

The "hero" part may have its roots in characters like Zorro, Robin Hood, and the Scarlet Pimpernel (though those are more like Batman types). Wikipedia suggests Popeye as an early version of a superhero!

It's always been neat to me that the original template version of the superhero is still active in fiction to this day, and one of the major icons of the genre. Really, it's still Supes and Batman, created a year later, who are the Titans of superherodom.

He featured in comic books and newspaper strips, on the radio and in early television programs, cartoons, and of course, in 1979, began the era of big budget superhero movies in Superman The Movie, starring Christopher Reeve (who still defines the character on film. No offense to those other guys!)

Anyway, I just read the other day that it was ol' Clark Kent/Kal El's birthday, so it seemed worth a mention!

For an incredible Superman story (and an incredible superhero story in general), the graphic novel
'KINGDOM COME' by Mark Waid and Alex Ross gets the highest recommendation.

Happy Birthday, Man o' Steel! May the Kryptonite never cross your path! Except, you know, for dramatic purposes.

I think I'm going to honor the man again in another Newspost or two; there is more to say about him.

-Banes


Hey, how about a song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9vrfEoc8_g

That's something I still listen to sometimes when I want to feel inspired!