DC Rebirth Superman Became More Archetypal!

The Superman and His Rebirth! 

5 to 7 min read

The General Character Concept

The man of steel on the big screen was iconic because of Christopher Reeves. There have been other actors since him, a few before, but he seems to be the one that stuck in our heads and influenced comic art in the 80s to the early 2000s. I prefer genuine conceptions to be honest, forgive me for being a pariah but Reeves gave us an over saturated, family friendly example of bad story telling, and he did that cheesey sodding grin!

General Impression...

This Superman in the DC Rebirth graphic novel series consists of an Action Comics run, as well as one from the Superman comics, they correspond well. We can see a gentle nod to the classic era Superman and those earlier comics but it doesn't try to be Christopher Reeves. It might not be a perfect graphic novel series for everyone because you'll see filler and some family focusing parts; look, you can't have continuous shit smacking action. I was impressed with how the writing smuggled Superman back into print! You have to roll with the story.

When You Think About It...

This kryptonian is the last person you would want to seduce your wife or girlfriend. He's got a perfect masculine form, most earth women fall at his feet and he can fly. I mean, you can't pick a fight with him because he's stronger than anything you can see. But he wouldn't, he's a good guy!

In the New 52 there was a thing between him and Wonder woman, but that was all retconned into something that never happened. You see, what makes Superman so good is his high morality, his extremely selfless nature. He's unlikely to have dodgy images on his hard drive or snort anything in a dodgy shitter. The man is a long suffering prime specimen of virtue, which despite sounding boring, makes him a champion we need in our fantasy world! 

We are essentiallly viewing the future miles down the road in a possible comic creation still straining its neck nodding to the 80s movie. SPOILERS: Clark Kent and Louis Lane lost everything, and went into hiding. After surviving on an alien planet during the convergence event they finally arrived on the New 52 version of earth. It was yet another parallel world for them, not their own. It already had a Superman of its own who was a bit of a tit! Isn't that a mad premise? Clark remains in the shadows and focuses on his family, but he had to make himself available to assist if needed he couldn't be a cop-out. END OF SPOILER. 

Confusing Stuff and Underwear

If you liked Superman as a kid, you really should read these. Admittedly, it can be a confusing story if you dont follow a savvy reading order. I recommend starting with the New 52 death of Superman. However, those Iconic red trunks and all that old school hero get-up eventually return, in the end—a nod to the character's rich historical legacy. It's different with Batman because. . . well, realistically, there has been a glut of underwear-free batman movies since 1989.

The artwork is eye candy and compliments the enjoyable read, providing vivid colors that vitalise the dynamic angles in various action scenes. I love how the art conveys the feeling of being high as Superman takes off. Sadly there is more than just the one artist. I still found myself wondering how he managed to father a child with Louis Lane on the first place: a strand of this Kryptonians hair can hold a ton, his sneeze can blow over a car, when he flicks a peanut it's as deadly as gun shot, so how could he fornicate with a fragile earth woman without blowing her head off? 

Critics and Naysayers

SPOILER: The introduction of Mr. Oz was a bit of DC sneakery. There is a lot of that in this series. He was huge a misdirection from the upcoming Watchmen event that overshadowed every Rebirth publication. This mysterious mass manipulator from behind the scenes, was a cool addition to Superman lore. END OF SPOILER. 

Of course there are people who moaned about Superman's so-called diluted issue, but, in comparison, Green Lantern's New 52 and Rebirth make this Superman look astounding in comparison! Traditionally, the man of steel is hope and a symbol who inspires everyone - exactly what it says on the tin. This Clark Kent, (in hiding), is plagued by doubt after the generic bland convergence story arc. Okay, yes, he witnessed the death of that worlds version of Superman, insecurity haunted him after super criminals came for his son. We see his human side.

If classic Superman is the fully restored optimal version of himself, Clark is not quite A1 for much of his story. He's had to learn why his kryptonian qualities weakened, and so, this gives rise to his family priorities. Sadly, there is no stupid marital bickering over things like the correct method to boil an egg, or you know, maybe disapproval of Louis wanting more filler? Either way, we would all love his powers! I'd be straight on the worlds strongest man show just to demoralise those giants. 

Verdict. 8/10

In these comics he starts out as more of a Super-bearded-man, the husband, the dad, son and friend, maybe more real than the action figure he has been before. That is refreshing. Nothing is more fitting than a family for Superman; sadly however, this fatherly take didnt convince writers to let our iconic and unwavering beacon fart on his son once or twice, or belch at the dinner table - dropping a dumb gaff to his wife would've gone done well. That's what most real dads do, or is that just me?