How does Superman fit into the modern comic book world?

I was reading an Action Comics trade paperback today and this inspired me to do a short blog entry on Superman. After all, the man of steel was the character that started this whole genre that I’ve been a fan of for practically my whole life. And even though he wasn’t in the top ten that I posted last week, he’s always been a character that is very dear to my heart. The quintessential superhero and the inspiration for so many more that followed.

Even as a little kid, before I discovered comic books, I knew who Superman was. I got my first comics in ’84, but before that I had already seen the Christopher Reeve movies. And for some reason Superman was such a well-known character, that everybody just knew who he was. I don’t know what it was like in the USA in the early eighties, but that was certainly not the case with other superheroes here in Holland. And even now, when every superhero is popping up on the big screen, I still think Superman is better known by the mainstream audience that doesn’t watch these kind of movies. Whenever a superhero character appears in a cartoon or TV show, it will have that red cape, will be able to fly and will strike those classic Superman poses.

But how does the character fit into today’s comic book world? Things have changed a lot through the years. During the 90’s a lot of violent anti-heroes became popular and these last few years the focus has often been on diversity as far as subjects like ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation are concerned. Batwoman became a lesbian, Jewish woman, Thor became a woman, Captain America became an African American guy, Iron “Man” became an African American girl and Ms. Marvel became a Pakastani American girl. Personally I think this different take on a lot of characters is a nice breath of fresh air, but how does a guy like Superman fit into a world like that? He’s not a killing anti-hero like the Punisher or Deadpool, who are now popular thanks to their movies and TV shows, and he’s still just a very straight, white guy. Can a character like Superman still be relevant in this time?

I think it’s a good thing to keep Superman exactly the way he is. Sure, there have been some small changes during The New 52 and Rebirth, but the basics of the character really haven’t changed that much. I suppose it’s a pretty hard character to write for, since he’s practically flawless and unbeatable, but that is also what makes him the classic superhero that he is. There are enough other characters out there that have a lot of personal issues and very questionable moral codes, so we need Superman to show us what the right thing to do is. And that’s exactly what makes his interaction with Batman so much fun, both in the Justice League comics and in the movies. He may not be my favorite comic book hero and not even be in my top ten, but the man of steel certainly has a special place in my heart and the character should definitely get the respect he deserves.