Favorite DC Hero?

[cultcross]

Batman, no question about it. I find the character fascinating and never get tired of reading Batman comics. No other comic character comes close for me.

This. I'm not a massive fan of comics and superheroes but Batman is the big exception - both as a kid and now, I think the character is great, and I'm always interested to read new stories and watch new films.

I like Batman but surprised how popular he is over Superman. I guess "The Dark Knight" interpretation has to do with it over the campy version years earlier.

Certainly that's part of it, especially as recent attempts to bring Superman to cinema have been, imho, terrible. But to me, Superman is a really dull character because he is just way too invincible to be interesting. Although he is often mentioned in the same breath as Batman I see little equivalence between the two. Batman is stretching the imagination but is ultimately just a guy in a suit with a lot of money. In theory at least, a street mugger who got lucky could take him down. But Superman makes Jesus Christ look like a Hogwarts first year when it comes to powers. The difficulty of writing stories for a character who has so many powers is, I think, part of what makes his films so reliant on either kryptonite or equally super-powered bad guys.

 

[theenglish]

Certainly that's part of it, especially as recent attempts to bring Superman to cinema have been, imho, terrible. But to me, Superman is a really dull character because he is just way too invincible to be interesting. Although he is often mentioned in the same breath as Batman I see little equivalence between the two. Batman is stretching the imagination but is ultimately just a guy in a suit with a lot of money. In theory at least, a street mugger who got lucky could take him down. But Superman makes Jesus Christ look like a Hogwarts first year when it comes to powers. The difficulty of writing stories for a character who has so many powers is, I think, part of what makes his films so reliant on either kryptonite or equally super-powered bad guys.

This is a fault with people who write Superman though, not the character himself. There are a couple of ways that Superman can be written to be interesting without turning his stories into slug fests.

One is to have a character that Superman basically has to outwit because for whatever reason his powers are useless. Grant Morrison's recent Action series arc used this type of story.

The other requires the writer to understand that the defining aspect of the Superman character is his strict allegiance to his moral code and sense of duty and his refusal to believe in the no-win scenario. It is not just about stopping the bad guy, it is about stopping the bad guy without killing him or her while saving EVERYONE. Grant Morrison also used this very well, I thought, in his Action Comics run. The recent movie demonstrated a complete misunderstanding of this aspect of Superman.

 

[Skywalker]

The other requires the writer to understand that the defining aspect of the Superman character is his strict allegiance to his moral code and sense of duty and his refusal to believe in the no-win scenario. It is not just about stopping the bad guy, it is about stopping the bad guy without killing him or her while saving EVERYONE. Grant Morrison also used this very well, I thought, in his Action Comics run. The recent movie demonstrated a complete misunderstanding of this aspect of Superman.

Was it really a misunderstanding or a catalyst for Superman's decision-making in the future? Until Batman v. Superman comes out next year I think it's too soon to render judgment on that particular scene. We don't know yet how those events affected his characterization, except that he was visibly distressed by what he'd just done.

 

[The Lensman]

Jack Knight