Faster than a
speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings
in a single bound! ("Look! Up in the sky!" "It's a bird!"
"It's a plane!" "It's Superman!")... Yes, it's Superman ...
strange visitor from another planet, who came to Earth with powers and
abilities far beyond those of mortal men! Superman ... who can change the
course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent,
mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a
never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way!
Superman is THE man. I always said that Green Lantern
brought me to comic books, but it was Superman that made me fall in love with
them. It's not just because he can fly and has really cool powers. It’s his
whole attitude that makes him likable. With his powers he could rule the world,
but does he? Of course not, he helps people and does so expecting nothing in
return. This time of year we talk about Santa Claus, and he and Superman have a
lot in common. So much so they actually met once in a comic book, who knew
that? It was a great issue to. Besides having a home base in the North Pole,
Superman and Santa have a love for people which is remarkable. Where Santa
expresses that love by giving of himself with no expectations, Superman does it
by helping them. They are both symbols of hope, which we desperately need at
times.
So, I thought I would list off some of the people who have
made this character come to life. But first, let's discuss my favorite comic
book version. Superman has been brought to life by some legendary people
including Curt Swan, Marv Wolfman, and Jerry Ordway. However, this is my favorite:
The John Byrne Superman, circa 1986-1988. John Byrne relaunched
the character with his Man of Steel mini-series twenty-five years ago. This was
THE version for me; it made me love the character. No longer an all-powerful
demi god like in the 70's, he was a down to Earth Kansas farm boy. Clark Kent
was the real person and Superman was just a name he used to operate in public.
This enabled Clark to be more human, rather than just a stereotypical klutz.
John Byrne only worked on Superman for a couple years, but his issues are among
my favorite stories ever and I still cherish them to this day.
Now, on to the film versions. These are in order of
how much
I liked them, not the order they first appeared. Quick note, most of the
videos need to be played on YouTube by following the link. Sorry about
that, hope you can still appreciate them.
Christopher Reeve (Superman I-IV)
I mean, who else? Christopher Reeve defined this character
in so many ways. He truly was Superman. What I always loved was that he wasn't
always serious. This was a Superman who knew how to have a sense of humor, even
joke around. However, when things were serious you knew it! Christopher Reeve
created a Superman you DID NOT want to piss off! I hated Superman IV as much as
anyone. As for Superman III, I had issues with that one. Superman II was never
a favorite for one simple reason; they had Lois and Superman get together! That
should not have happened. It was a good movie though. Of course, Superman: The
Movie was the classic. I remember the first half being boring when I was a kid,
but that's because I was a kid and I have grown to love it and appreciate as an
adult. Simply put, Christopher Reeve WAS Superman!
Dean Cain (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman)
I HATE that this series has not stood the test of
time. It
seems no one has heard of it or seen it. It was a big hit around '93.
When I
first heard Dean Cain I figured it would never work. However, he did a
great
job. I think the reason being that he took the role very seriously. That
seriousness came through and made the character a, well, character
rather than
just someone putting on a blue suit and playing. This Superman was a
little cooler, more reserved than Christoper Reeve's. This
was after the Byrne revamp, so we had a Clark Kent who was a normal guy.
Sure,
he was a little goofy but he was still just a regular guy and Superman
was just
a name he used to operate in public. In fact this may be the most
realistic Clark, until Tom Welling anyway. Even though the focus was
Clark, there was still plenty of Superman. He would fly in and save the
day and we loved it! The first two seasons were
really good, and yes the last two seasons went downhill. However, that
was due
to the writing and the fact that they rushed the Clark/Lois
relationship.
Danny Dark (Superfriends)
There have been many animated versions of Superman over the
years. However, my favorite will always be the old Superfriends show. Including
The World's Greatest Superfriends and Challenge of the Superfriends. In these
shows Superman's voice was provided by Danny Dark, and for me he WAS Superman.
The voice was perfect. He performed the voice for every Super Friends version
through the 80's, and no matter how many versions there have been since this
will always be the standard. He was able to give Superman a strong, assertive
voice which was also not pompous or arrogant. As for the other animated series,
I just never saw them and really am not able to give a good opinion on them.
Tom Welling (Smallville)
Like many, I did not have much interest in this version.
Reducing Superman to a teen drama? Really? I admit, I was very wrong. Ok, sure
this show had that teen crap but if you looked past that this series did a
great job with the Superman mythos. They recreated characters that I never
thought any show would do, and usually very well done. Lex Luther was
fantastic, but that is another article. Tom Welling looked the part, and played
it very well. I would love to see him as Superman literally, maybe someday. The
plights of young Clark Kent made Superman more human, and once you get past the
corny dialogue and sappy stories (and endless story lines!), it was good. Below is a clip of the end of
the series, and I gotta tell you as a Superman fan this was great. Hearing that
iconic John Williams music, I watched this and felt like a little kid all over again.
George Reeves (The Adventures of Superman)
While I have great respect for George Reeves, I had to admit
I was never a fan. This show was old even for me, and I just never got into it.
Not saying it was bad, it wasn't and for lots of people George Reeves is the
person who put Superman on the map. I totally understand that. It's safe to say
none of the other people on this list would be here without his inspiration.
However, at the same this is very much old school Superman. Clark Kent was just
a nerdy wimp; Lois was just a damsel in distress, and so on. I also thought he was a little to old. Not my personal
favorite, but considering what he started I have total respect for him and what
he did in that series.
Brandon Routh (Superman Returns)