My mind is on "big blue" a lot these days. I'm writing a story about World War II. The overriding idea is that it is supposed to represent a shift from the old world to the new world and the stunning moral polarization of that war.
The more I research the Nazi movement, the more I realize that they weren't really anything new. The Nazi movement was more based on the mythology of the past. That is, it was a movement to return to moral and genetic purity represented by their wholly mythical Aryan heritage dating back to the fall of Atlantis (which was said to have fallen due to pure blood pollution). It's very "Garden of Eden" if you swap the Tree of Knowledge with Jungle Fever.
The Nazi religion was a wholly constructed belief system which used elements of pagan and generally non-Christian beliefs. Heinrich Himmler was not only the architect of this religion, but it's most ardent believer. It was only by reaching into the ideas obscured by the haze of history that Himmler was able to give a sense of legitimacy to his completely made-up religion. Even the Nazi aesthetic recalled the misplaced glamor of medieval times where Divine Right echoed the divine purity of blood central to the Nazi belief system.
Nazi's believed that through racial purification, militaristic determinism, and strength of will, the reality of Nietzsche's ubermench could be realized. Superman was likewise inspired by the Nietzschean ideal, but expressed through the sensibilities of poor, hardworking, American Jewish immigrants who believed this ideal could only be present in a populist, altruistic, forward thinking individual with absolute humility.
Siegel and Shuster's creation was a huge, overnight success with a radio program and movie serials spinning off from his comic book series in a way never previously seen. The phenomenon of his popularity was somewhat analogous to the superhero craze currently in style. But whether or not people were reading, listening, or watching Superman, everyone was talking about him and before you knew it, he became as American as baseball and apple pie.Take a moment and think about that. Before he could fly... before he met Lex Luthor or Lois Lane... before kryptonite... he was an American legend the likes of which there has never been nor will likely ever be. And he isn't even real!
Of course, he is also the undeniable Father of Superheroes. Like classic mythology, from Superman's creation flowed a pantheon of superheroes. Sure, there had been superhuman figures for all of human history, from the aforementioned classical gods to the tall tales of the Old West to the pulp heroes of Doc Savage and the Shadow which directly inspired Superman, but whether it was the god-like powers or the colorful clothing, Superman started something entirely new.
I recently finished the autobiographical novel "An Unlikely Prophet" in which the writer, protagonist, and former Superman writer Alvin Schwartz concludes that Superman represents the pinnacle of human consciousness. With Buddha-like grace and humility, Superman drops whatever he is doing at the moment to help those who need helping, then quietly hides in the guise of mild-mannered Clark Kent (a name that seems phonetically designed to convey blandness [much like Carson Daly]). Schwartz theorized that the humility and blandness of Clark Kent is a necessary contrast for the balance of his transcendental abilities. Like anyone who regularly engages in an extraordinary life, the simple, ordinary pleasures of life become precious and even sacred.If the Nazis represent the worst of humanity (and I believe the general consensus is that they do), Superman represents the best. Nazism is the bold quest for a mythic ideal routed in the past. Superman is the Man of Tomorrow.He is a concentrated ideological counterpoint to fear itself. He was a way in which people were able to vicariously become invulnerable to the effects of the Great Depression and the inevitable threat of war. Try to remember that at the time, no one knew if and when the Great Depression would end and the Nazi threat seemed unstoppable. Superheroes in general, and Superman in particular, filled a need to believe in a supernatural force of justice and protection.
Likewise, superhero popularity not only peaks during difficult times, but precedes a period of reform. It started during the Depression in 1938 and ended soon after the allied victory in 1945. The harsh conservatism of the fifties killed the industry, particularly with Seduction of the Innocent which sought to ban the form based on accusations of contributing to juvenile delinquency. The form reached new heights of popularity (defined by comic book historians as the Silver Age) starting with the 1957 introduction of the new Flash, but marked most dramatically in 1961 with Stan Lee's Fantastic Four beginning an era of flawed superhumanism... as though the superheroic essence of Superman was expressed through "real" people for the first time. This was the same year of JFK's inauguration. Furthermore, comic books experienced a renaissance in the harsh, capitalistic, Cold War period of the Reagan administration as marked by 1986's historic graphic novel Watchmen which stripped superheroism of its blind idealism in order to deconstruct the concept in an inarguably adult manner. This preceded the greatest marketing bubble in the comic book history in the early nineties (corresponding with the election of Clinton) when comic books gained incredible popularity, in large part assisted by Tim Burton's Batman which led to a glut of superhero movies and cartoons unequaled until now.Today, superheroes are more popular than ever. The glut of Hollywood blockbuster superhero films will historically overshadow the superhero flirtation of the late 80s and early 90s. The Spider-Man movie marked this movement, but Batman Begins nailed it down. Meanwhile, in the comic books, the 1999 Warren Ellis/Bryan Hitch series "The Authority" started a shift in comic book storytelling by featuring a proactive, sociological, and politically motivated group of superheroes whose extraordinary powers had brutal consequence including the mutilation of both people and entire cities. Love it or hate it, comic books had to respond to it. Frequently, the series made parodies of established superheroes, which were brutalized by the narrative, as if to ask, "Why aren't you fixing our real problems?"
The Authority also caused a stylistic shift in comics referred to as "decompression" by its proponents and "blockbuster" or "Hollywood-style" by its detractors. This style utilizes a minimum of narration and dialog with NO SOUND EFFECTS. (No "bam," "pow," "biff," or all of those other campy onomatopias commonly used in news articles to patronize the fan base.) With a greater focus on the visual elements, it soon became common for comic stories to span four to six issues which could then be marketed more easily in reprinted collections. Many fans have resented this as writer's laziness at best or the-tail-wagging-the-dog at worst.
Then came "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American way?" Written as a clear counterpoint to the topics raised in The Authority, this SINGLE ISSUE, printed in Action Comics #775, featured the modern, cool, violent superheroes known as The Elite who condemn Superman's inaction and old fashioned values. Manchester Black (the leader of this team) comments, "Good pounding the snot out of evil in bright tights. No questions. No 'gray areas.' It was a perfect bloody dream for a boy who lost a mother to lung cancer an' a father to Adolf. An' then I woke up... 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 grays stretch out farther." This at a time when Superman's popularity was at a particular low and the character had suffered from years of poor writing. This position is reflected in the story when children start tossing their Superman toys for Elite action figures. Writer Joe Kelly was putting Superman to the test to answer the question all comic fans were asking, "Is Superman hopelessly out of date?"
Superman takes the issue to heart, especially when he realizes that it is very possible that he might not be able to stop them. The story concludes with the Elite calling out a challenge to Superman on live television to decide who will be Earth's champion. Superman gets considerably beaten until he gets desperate creating a whirlwind vacuum to suck the air from the lungs of an invulnerable opponent before using his heat/microscopic/X-ray vision to precisely lobotomize Manchester Black, a telepath. Superman stands victorious, and admits that he had a moment of weakness when he had to do what it took to survive... he had to fight dirty. And it scared him. And it scared everyone who saw it on television because Superman has to be better than that. Manchester Black tells him he's living in a dream world. Superman replies, "You know what, Black? I wouldn't have it any other way. Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us. And on my soul, I swear... until my dream of a world where dignity, honor and justice becomes the reality we all share - I'll never stop fighting. Ever." This comic was voted the most important comic of the decade by Wizard Magazine.
Less than a month ago, metaphysical writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely finished their twelve-issue story arc on "All-Star Superman." It is already widely regarded as a modern classic. Blending decompression and single-issue storytelling, Morrison uses smaller, self-contained stories to represent all eras of Superman's history from his humble beginnings as social avenger in the depression through his bizarre cosmic sitcom adventures in the sixties and his more pragmatic (and boring) representation through the seventies, eighties, and nineties. His goal: to find the essential Superman... the mythic Superman. The essence of superheroic altruism lost in our cold and pragmatic world.With such a strong, political and ideological shift coming, I can't help but feel that there is a need for that same superheroic essence. We are leaving the pragmatic cynicism and fear that has defined the Bush administration and are now responding to calls of hope, responsibility, and accountibility. President-elect Barrack Obama's reputation has reached legend before achieving office with numerous suggestions that his popularity has reached a level reserved for Jesus Christ, Moses, and... Superman.
"Superman Returns," the latest Hollywood approach to the franchise, was financially disappointing and critically panned for being a throwback to Richard Donner's Superman films of the seventies and eighties (the aforementioned "boring period"). When compared to the success of The Dark Knight, Warner Brothers has decided to create a new Superman movie unconnected to any of the previous films. To them I say, don't screw it up.
We do need Superman. Not just superheroes, but Superman. We need him for the same reason we needed Barrack Obama. Because we don't just need someone we trust or someone to protect us, we need someone to believe in and someone who believes in us. Not Batman. Not Iron Man or Spider-Man. Not the X-Men or the Watchmen. We need someone who stands up for the human ideal. We need someone who comes from humble origins who lives for a dream of a better tomorrow. We need someone who we know for a fact will never stop in his battle for truth and justice. We need someone who defines the American way because we've lost our way.Superman isn't just a storybook character. His symbol, THE most recognized icon in the world (aside from Mickey Mouse's silhouette), stands for the very best humanity has to offer. People from every belief system wear that icon like the cross because they want to believe in the virtuous ideal no matter how jaded, angry, and cynical the world might make them.
To paraphrase Homer Simpson, "I'm not normally a praying man, but if you're up there, please save us, Superman."
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