Tag: Superman

#479 Some of the greatest Superman stories (or not)

Superman death in issue 149
FLASHBACK! There’s no doubt that Superman is one of the most significant characters in the history of American comics. He ended up setting the template for what would be the dominant genre in American comics after the Comics Code came into effect. Of course, the types of stories told in those comics, and their tone, has varied wildly over the years, which makes it difficult to try to determine which stories are the best of the lot, but naturally people make the attempt, including DC Comics itself.

This week Kumar and Tim look at the 1980s collection “The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told”, as well as Alan Moore’s “Whatever Happened To the Man of Tomorrow”, which is currently being published in a collection with two other Moore Superman stories. Are these actually the greatest Superman stories?

Featuring Batman’s superior party prep skills, swimming the interplanetary water spout, and the symbolism of the ads in the original printing of “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow”! *Choke* (Originally published December 28, 2015.)

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#716 1950s “World’s Finest” might be world’s goofiest

World's Finest Comics

If you’re not into the drama of the past few decades of DC Comics, come with us back to the 1950s, when the exploits of Batman and Superman in World’s Finest Comics made the ’60s Batman TV show look like The Dark Knight Returns! Superman and the Dynamic Duo’s lives in those days were a constant stream of identity switching, time travel, alien visitors, tricking Lois Lane, and even goofier shenanigans. Tim and Kumar discuss (while frequently bursting into laughter).
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Comic Books’ Sungazing Symbolism

For years, There have been comic book stories of superheroes that represent the power of the Sun. From Superman to Wolverine, there have been secret messages of the Sun that was put in our new mythology called comic books.

In school we were taught that Hercules is real literature and comic books were not real literature. However, comic books were created with the same format as all the world mythologies that used to be religion for the ancient people listening to the myths. Hercules was taken from the name Heracles from Greek Mythology. The Romans learned Astrology from the Greeks. One of the Astrological symbols is the symbol of the Lion of the sign of Leo. Leo is ruled by the Sun. In Roman Mythology, Hercules fought a lion as the first of his twelve Labors. There are twelves signs in the Zodiac. In Astrology, the Lion represents the Sun. This story represent Hercules’ master over the Sun. Before Hercules could master the other labors, he had to master the lion who represent the Sun. In Science class, we were taught that all of the planets revolve around the Sun. With this, the Sun is the most important of the Universe.

Superman has super strength just like Hercules. Superman had a father who was not from the Earth just like Hercules and Jesus. Superman gets his strength from the Sun. Sometimes the Sun is Red when it sets. Sometimes the Sun is yellow. The letter S on Superman’s chest is the color red with a yellow background. The Symbolism is evident of you do enough research for Sun Gazing on YouTube.com.

Wolverine has super senses just like Superman. Wolverine heals, so he is almost almost bulletproof just like Superman. In The Bible, Jesus is described as the light of the world. In religious art, Jesus is depicted as having a halo around his head that looks like the Sun. Jesus also healed the sick. The healing symbolism is similar to Wolverine and Superman. Jesus was Jewish. The people who created Superman were Jewish. In the original comic book Wolverine wears a yellow suit. The Sun is yellow. Also, Wolverine never gets old, like the Sun. Wolverine has been around for a long time, like the Sun. His emotion are neutral. The Sun is a neutral energy. The Sun is the middle point of the Universe. The school system, comic books, and ancient mythology told us separate pieces of the story of the Sun.

When you look at comic books, see if you can find Sun Symbolism in the stories.

Sources
Mondo Kirby – Jack Kirby interview, 14 August 1992

Nurebelent on YouTube.com

Master of Earth on YouTube.com

Royal Bloodline on YouTube.com

The Metaphysics of Christ Consciousness

The Metaphysics of Christ consciousness pt 2: who was Yashua

The Metaphysics of Christ Consciousness pt 3

http://www.supermanhomepage.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman

#494 Batman vs. Superman

Batman vs. Superman

Kumar talks with both Emmet O’Cuana and John Roberson about Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. How does Zack Snyder see these characters, and how is his vision at odds with the established ideas about these characters? How can we think about the events in this movie in a way that makes sense?

Music:

“Superman’s Song” – Crash Test Dummies

“I Whipped Batman’s Ass” – Wesley Willis

“(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman” – The Kinks

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#479 Some of the greatest Superman stories (or not)

Death of Superman

There’s no doubt that Superman is one of the most significant characters in the history of American comics. He ended up setting the template for what would be the dominant genre in American comics after the Comics Code came into effect. Of course, the types of stories told in those comics, and their tone, has varied wildly over the years, which makes it difficult to try to determine which stories are the best of the lot, but naturally people make the attempt, including DC Comics itself.

This week Kumar and Tim look at the 1980s collection “The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told”, as well as Alan Moore’s “Whatever Happened To the Man of Tomorrow”, which is currently being published in a collection with two other Moore Superman stories. Are these actually the greatest Superman stories?

Featuring Batman’s superior party prep skills, swimming the interplanetary water spout, and the symbolism of the ads in the original printing of “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow”! *Choke*

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#442 The DC Super Friends: A kid’s-eye view

DC Super Friends issue 17

More than once, this podcast has explored the question of comics for kids. What we’ve never done, though, is ask an actual kid about his opinion of the comics he reads!

So this week, Kumar is joined by his son Ashwin, 7, to discuss eight different issues of DC Super Friends, from a few years back, and also a 2014 issue of Scooby-Doo Team-up!

DC Super Friends issues discussed:
#17 Just In Time
#18 This Am Not the Title
#5 Go Ape!
#11 Imp-Possible!
#16 Stopped Cold
#7 Just My Luck
#8 Nothing to Fear
#13 The Greatest Show on Earth
Scooby-Doo Team-up #5

Continue reading #442 The DC Super Friends: A kid’s-eye view

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#396 Dan Jurgens: Superman, Thor, and 30 years of change

danjurgens

Tim Across America, part six! Having worked in mainstream American comics for three decades now, Dan Jurgens has seen a lot of change. The number of publishers, the type and amount of fan interaction (thanks to the Internet), the method of comics distribution, and the way the Big Two search for new talent have all changed greatly in that time. And, the Big Two now actually discourage the creation of new characters. Why? This week, Jurgens reflects on those changes — some good, some bad — in a talk with Tim.

He also discusses his work on Superman and Thor, how technology has helped film steal some of comics’ storytelling edge, and more.

Also, in the Minneapolis edition of Ask a Retailer, Tim talks to Paul Miller at Comic Book College!

AND, our new feature DCP In Touch, and a talk with Kumar and Mulele about their successful Kickstarter project!

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REVIEW: Supergods – What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human

By Grant Morrison

Spiegel & Grau 2011

Grant Morrison is a decisive subject in comics. Many love his work. Many love to hate his work. Many just don’t know what to think of him.

What Morrison delivers with Supergods is a unique text about comics. It is part history, part deconstructionist analysis, part personal memoir, part reflexive view of his own work. It is a varied and interesting book that provides some fascinating insight into his ideas about the superhero.

The book follows a basic chronological structure that is divided along 4 ages: Golden Age, Silver Age, Modern Age, and Renaissance (starting the late 1990s). He deconstructs covers of famous comics such as Action #1, Detective #27, and The Dark Knight Returns #1. Certain key characters and stories are reflected on. It is not really any unique ground that is tread as far as the history of comics is concerned, were it not for Morrison’s uncanny intellectualizing of the materials in a way that augments their historicism with a psychological attention reflection on the material. Continue reading REVIEW: Supergods – What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human

REVIEW: Action Comics #775

Joe Kelly, writer. Doug Mahnke and Lee Bermejo, pencillers.

DC Comics, 2001.

“Masks are for hiding. Capes are for play. ‘Villains’ don’t share their plans before they smoke you — ‘cept in campaign speeches. Or the pulpit or in front of the classroom. Reality is a mite bloodier than sitcoms or comics. The greys stretch out farther… Evil scientists. Bogey-men. Gimps in tights who want to ‘rule the world.’ From now on they’re yours — and the rest are ours to do with as we see fit.”

— Manchester Black (leader of The Elite) speaking to Superman

Despite some things you might have heard me say, or what you might have read in my diary that I keep under my pillow, I don’t really care about Superman in the greater context of things. I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the Clark / Superman dichotomy, or what principles Superman embodies. If anything, I agree with Gary Groth’s 1988 essay that really Superman is a symbol of commercialism, exploitation, and the gangster morality of the comics industry. I love the first Christopher Reeve movie. And I like the character to the extent that he opens the door to stories in which, say, Jimmy Olsen uses a “Helmet of Hate” to turn Superman into a red devil with horns and then the horns crack open and tiny Supermen fly out, all drawn in an almost inappropriately naturalistic way by Curt Swan.

Continue reading REVIEW: Action Comics #775

#307 Getting some Action (Comics)

Action ComicsIf you’ve paid two seconds of attention to American comics recently, you probably know that DC “soft rebooted” its entire line, shipping fifty-two #1 issues last September. Since hyping the latest DC/Marvel news is not really our thing, we’ve been leaving that to other podcasts. But since Marvel zombie Tim, of his own free will, decided to pick up Grant Morrison’s Action Comics, and Kumar is a sometime Superman reader, we decided to present here our take on the first four issues.

Also, why reading comics on an iPhone is still a less-than-satisfactory experience; and, you too can be a DeconstructingComics.com columnist!

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