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    DC's new Superman Is a modern, cynical superhero

    By Vaneta Rogers, Newsarama Contributor | Newsarama – Thu, Sep 8, 2011

    Desperate times call for desperate measures.

    And, apparently, a whole new Superman.

    As the world is rocked by riots and economic turmoil, DC Comics is restarting its Superman comics to match the current era. This month's new, milestone "Action Comics #1," part of DC's historic relaunch of their superhero line, is scrapping the old, goody-two-shoes Superman in favor of a hero who isn't afraid to break the law and lose his temper.

    "I think right now, we're all feeling that way," said Grant Morrison, the writer behind the new Superman in "Action Comics." "Nobody has much faith in their elected leaders in the same way that they did. We all have a lot more cynicism and a lot more doubt about the people who are running our lives than we did when Superman was a 'Boy Scout.'"

    As seen in these preview images exclusive to Newsarama, this new Superman fights with criminals, but he sometimes battles the police and the government. "If anyone in the world's been bullied, then Superman exists to take out the bully, no matter how big or smart or armed that bully might be," he said."

    The original "Action Comics #1," published in 1938, introduced Superman as the world's first superhero. A copy of the now-rare issue sold for $1.5 million just last year. That original series was published continuously since its debut, but August's "Action Comics #904" was the monumental final sequential issue.

    Now the legendary series starts over for the first time, and Morrison said he found the task of writing a new "Action Comics #1" "daunting." But he compared the era of Superman's first appearance in the 1930s to the current day, justifying the hero's reintroduction.

    "A lot of people were losing their jobs and losing their livelihood [in the 1930s], and a lot of people were realizing there was corruption in high places," Morrison said. "I think we're at that time again."

    The new "Action Comics" - on sale digitally and in comic book shops Sept. 7 - and tells a very modern version of how a young, blue jeans-wearing Superman first shows up around 2005 in a modern yet dilapidated Metropolis, Morrison said.

    "Superman is just a guy who is very young at this point, and he has big ideas about what is right and wrong," Morrison said. "And he has the power to implement those ideas."

    Superman's alter ego, Clark Kent, has lost both his earthly parents before he gets a job as a reporter in the big city. As a result, Morrison said, Superman doesn't have the elderly Kents urging him to make nice with the world.

    "It means that he can maybe go a little too far," Morrison said. "To a certain extent, he enjoys being on his own because no one can get hurt and it's all down to him. But at the same time, that means there's no limit on him as he loses his temper."

    In the previous Superman continuity, Clark had been married to long-time girlfriend Lois Lane for years. But the new "Action Comics" has Clark as a bachelor again, with Lois dating another man and working as a rival journalist.

    Plus, this new Superman can't fly yet - leaping buildings instead - and he can bleed.

    Why? Because Morrison said he was too disconnected from the world, and readers had trouble relating to him. The writer's opportunity to change the Man of Steel's world on a dime comes as part of DC's line-wide "reboot" of their entire superhero universe, allowing creators and retailers the chance to get to know these decades-old characters when they're just beginning their crime-fighting careers and gaining experience on the job.

    "The whole thing we're doing in this new Superman is to watch him learn and grow and progress, and I find that's what makes the big difference," Morrison said. "The guy we had before was in his prime. He was eternally in his prime, and everything he did was going to work out.

    "So what we're trying to do is bring back that proactive Superman, but also allow him to change and to make these mistakes and to get beaten up a bit, and to have to come back and rethink his mission," he said.

    "I wanted to see him sweat a little and to bleed a little," Morrison said, "and to restore him to a kind of humanity that we could all understand before moving him on."

    Got a comment? There's lots of conversation on Newsarama's FACEBOOK and TWITTER!


    Newsarama.com is the go-to source for the latest comic book and genre entertainment news, reviews and commentary. Newsarama's passionate audience contributes to lively discussions ranging from classic and new comics to movies, TV, manga, anime and more. Watch previews, interviews and more on our video player, sneak peeks of new comics on our Comic Book Viewer and sign up for our RSS feeds. And be sure to join our community so you can voice your opinion on our articles and in our lively forums.
     

    123 comments

    • vrg
      vrg  •  8 mths ago
      What's next is Clark gonna shack up with Louis Lane.
    • vrg
      vrg  •  8 mths ago
      It wasn't kryptonite that destroyed Superman it was the Siegelites.
    • A Yahoo! User  •  8 mths ago
      supernarc!
    • 53
      53  •  8 mths ago
      and now they're ruining Superman. which will make the case of silver agers i've got in the closet worth that much more.
    • Game Slayer
      Game Slayer  •  8 mths ago
      At least he no longer wears his underwear outside his pants.
    • Gary S
      Gary S  •  8 mths ago
      and Rat Fink still don't give no damns
    • 1eyeopen
      1eyeopen  •  8 mths ago
      ...and Gay too!
    • BoredStiff
      BoredStiff  •  8 mths ago
      Boycott DC Comics!!!
    • redsky
      redsky  •  8 mths ago
      did things like 'new coke' not teach people anything? DON'T MESS WITH CLASSICS!
    • history
      history  •  8 mths ago
      A cynical superman, with no powers......isnt that just batman???
    • American
      American  •  8 mths ago
      Enough with the "super heroes" already. What is this, a nation of children? I can't find a decent movie at the theater, so crowded is it with "adult versions" of these comics. And why you're at it, enough with the "re-boots" of American icons; writers, make up a new character to reflect your juvenile neuroses.
      • New Yorker
        New Yorker 8 mths ago
        American, I agree 100%
      • Rand March
        Rand March 8 mths ago
        Escapism, as long as it's recognized as BEING escapism, is healthy

        I pity those who can't appreciate brief periods of pure fantasy
    • Me
      Me  •  8 mths ago
      I like the idea of a superhero that doesn't like their leaders and what not

      but please make a new character for it
      I liked superman how he was
    • RAmakai
      RAmakai  •  8 mths ago
      Just now I looked up DC's website, and it looks like publishers revamped all of their heroes... I think they should start creating new characters instead of revamping our favorite heroes!
    • Dan Schwartz
      Dan Schwartz  •  8 mths ago
      I sure hope this doesn't last, and they go back to the more traditional Superman. John Byrne's changes for the 1986 Superman "reboot" were pretty much abandoned, and hopefully these will see the same fate. I hope the upcoming new Superman movie won't be based on this version of the character! My idea for a Superman movie? Set it in the past. Kal-El lands on Earth in 1916, and is found by the newlywed Kents, who are hoping that the war raging in Europe (WW I) won't spread to the U.S. Take it from there.
      • Bigby
        Bigby 8 mths ago
        that's a good idea
    • Duke D
      Duke D  •  8 mths ago
      And no one will care.
      • andrew
        andrew 8 mths ago
        Actually, many people do.
      • Duke D
        Duke D 8 mths ago
        5 fanboys don't count on the bottom line.
    • A Yahoo! User  •  8 mths ago
      Superman was always the one hero who I admired for representing what I personally called (and coined) "The Heroic Ideal", which points out that we look for our fictional heroes to be more than what we are, to exemplify the better people we could be and to rise beyond the forces in our lives that force us to capitulate to failure and weakness. Early examples of this character was in the precursor to Superman, in the character of Doc Savage which Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster emulated when they created Superman. Doc had a code of ethics, never used a gun because he considered depending on them a weakness, and was a genius scientist, surgeon and physical giant at the same time. This superman (small s intented) is no different than any of the mutants of the week, who happen to suffer from their own particular angst and loss issues and decide to take it out on the world when they feel like it. In truth, after reading these first few pages, I don't see much difference between this superman (small s still intended) and the early characterizations of Magneto before he decided that killing lesser beings was just as palatable. The Man of Steel reboot by John Byrne was still the better path following the original Crisis on Infinite Earths...hey maybe that's what this is! We can just imagine that this all takes place on Earth - F. Thats F as in Feckless heroes who get are afraid to wear tights because they might get skid marks and were jeans, while not realizing that it makes it so much easier for the general populace to figure out their secret identities.

      Good going Grant, don't quit your day job....oh, maybe you should. Well, I guess that's why characters like Doc Savage keep coming back since they can be modified, but they still retain their direction. By the way, even Smallville went out of their way to stress the importance of Superman as someone that could inspire and make people feel better about a situation.
    • Paper Fan
      Paper Fan  •  8 mths ago
      This is so wrong.
    • Watchman
      Watchman  •  8 mths ago
      This is what happens when people try and reduce or take away its heroes' standards and morals (as Superman always represented) to fit that of the current, debaucherous and compromised standards of today's generation. It was overdue and expected, but very sad and shameful. Good thing Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, no matter what deluded people try and do to Him to make Him and His eternal word fit into their perverse lifestyles. People will always have Him to look to as the real standard of truth, justice and the kingdom of God way!
    • O.E.C.
      O.E.C.  •  8 mths ago
      No thanks.
    • Patrick
      Patrick  •  8 mths ago
      Don't know why these people can't come up with a new character. Yes I know that maybe everything's been done when it comes to superheroes and superman has brand name recognition but if they want to do something new I would try a new character altogether and leave superman alone
     Post a comment
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