Darkseid* is overused. So is Lex. They should use Bizarro, Metallo, Toyman, Ultraman, and Parasite.
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Which of his solo adventures have you read?
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I believe I read some of post crisis Man of Steel back in the proverbial day. I liked S:TAS and the '66 New Adventures of Superman.
My involvement with the Psychology of Supervillains club offers both the month’s villain and the related hero, so it’s like a double dose. So when we hit one of Superman’s rogues, I will get some Superman action.
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So this one’s always bugged me / been on my mind.
Superman is super strong and can lift just about anything. The objects he lifts though do not share his super strength. How can he lift a building or tanker without it crumbling under its own weight, or simply just piercing through it? Only answer I can find in the comics is in Superman #1 by John Byrne (from way back in 1987):
So there’s some sort of telekinesis involved? I don’t recall seeing this anywhere else, so I’m not sure if it’s still considered canon (probably is now that Death Metal made “everything matter”). I also remember some folks in other forums talk about an “aura” that he projects onto such objects, but I haven’t come across that explanation outside of the Lois & Clark show (where it only applies to his costume).
Your thoughts?
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I have never read this explanation before, but it sounds good. I’m not sure how realistic it is, but how realistic is Superman?
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Suspension of disbelief is necessary when it comes to superhero comics, for sure. The ability to do so varies from one person to another. I’m pretty good at “letting stuff go”, but this has always been one of those little things that nagged at me.
The image of Superman carrying the building in the theatrical cut of Justice League… I laughed both out of amusement and annoyance.
Telekinesis or “aura” helps explain that away a little bit. Funny thing is, in the Man of Steel movie we see a little bit of a similar effect. When Clark and Zod took flight for the first time, stuff started floating around them. Clark with the dirt, and Zod with the construction debris.
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It’s comic book logic gone awry. It should crumble because of how a building is built to stand.
my biggest beef is when Zod first appears, he’s as powerful as Superman in a matter of minutes when Supes has been soaking in the rays of the yellow sun since he was a toddler.
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I try to think of it like a charged cell phone- Superman hasn’t been storing energy for years, he’s just constantly replenished.
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I think Toyman below is right. A few elseworlds portray as constantly charging, but in the main universe Kryptonians have a max at how powerful they can be from Earth’s sun. This allows Superman to fully recharge from when he is in space, and for evil Kryptonians to charge enough to equal him in a period of time that depends on the writer.
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I don’t know. Haven’t seen a definitive take on the whole solar battery thing. In the comics, Supes’ powers seem to fade in a matter of minutes/hours when under a red sun, so I figure (maybe) it doesn’t take him that long to charge under a yellow one? Then again, the DC One Million version lived in the sun for God knows how long and he emerged much more powerful (haven’t read it; just what I understood from what I’ve read about it). Seems that aspect may differ from one writer to another.
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I have seen versions where it is minutes, some hours, some days, and some in seconds. I prefer them to say how much he is drained so I can know that detail.
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That he loses his powers so quickly under a red sun would explain why other Kryptonians power up so quickly when on Earth.
For some reason, I like the idea that his power comes from being under the yellow sun for so long. I know i had a mini-tirade about it in another Superman thread.
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Spoken like a true comic book fan!
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Well, in a constructive, positive way. Of course.
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Of course. Wasn’t implying otherwise 
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Thanks for clarifying. I also wanted to clarify that said tirading was not troll-like (trollish?)
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That Superman looks great!!! Me being picky, I saw you got this at Ollie’s which means you got a great price on this, the Daily Planet lettering is more bubbly than I like. As I said, I am being picky on this piece. Superman looks amazing, which is what matters the most and I really dig the coloring of the background and the shading on Supes.
One thing that I really appreciated and even took for granted was the style of Metropolis (this applies to Gotham in BTAS as well). On top of that, the show had A+ voice acting. If that wasn’t enough, the stories were excellent. @Reaganfan78 as I know you dig animated series you might want to check out Tubi TV (Tubi TV is a FREE AND LEGAL streaming app on Roku, Apple, Amazon, game systems, computer, phones/tablets) for the 80s Ruby-Spears Superman series. The animation is great and the stories are excellent. Please keep in mind that the show is heavily influenced by the comics of the era.
Count me in as very excited, too!
They might be under-appreciated but I think things are slowly changing. In the new digital-first series Sensational Wonder Woman issues 3 and 4 (series is currently on Comixology and worth the $0.99), she has to go to Warworld and fight Mongul. I am not sure if Wonder Woman has a history with Mongul but I have always associated him with Superman.
I miss and love Bibbo!!! I even included him on my bookmark that is currently in my Lois Lane: A Celebration of 75 Years book.
(feel free to save and print and laminate for your own use!)
I don’t mean to go off subject but Silver Banshee vs Black Canary would be a fun Who Would Win entry!
I don’t think it is telekinesis. I think it is his heat vision holding the molecules together. At least, that is what I got from that example.
Now to make this post even longer, what are some of your favorite stories or trade paperbacks?
A few of mine in no order, I have included pictures of the issues that make up the collected editions when applicable:
One last thing, as Bibbo was mentioned, which I love, I do want to say that I think Superman has the best supporting characters in comics. The only character that I think comes almost close, okay not very close but none really do, is Witchblade. I think the supporting cast matters greatly in the telling of Superman stories. Everyone from Lois, Perry, Jonathan, Martha, Jor-El, Lara Lor-Von to Jimmy Olsen, Cat Grant and Ron Troupe. Not to mention the Metropolis Police Department characters like Maggie Sawyer.
Edit: sorry for making this post crazy long but I didn’t want to make multiple posts to reply to everything that I wanted to reply to.
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Let me see if I can reply by memory here (multiple quotes is a pain on mobile):
- Welcome to the thread! I’m hoping we get more & more Superman fans joining the fun.
- I think what was implied was that he used his heat vision to solidify the dirt. He then mentions that he flies objects by “sheer force of will”. I still think that’s some kind of telekinetic ability. Anyway, it’s but one explanation. All opinions are valid
- Awesome bookmark! Saved to my gallery of random comics art. Thank you
- I don’t know what it is about Bibbo. His kindness? His unabashed admiration of Superman? I guess every time I read “Sooperman” it reminds of my own goofy love of the character
- Favorite Superman books? I’ll try to limit myself to 10 (not particularly in order; just wanted a different bullet style):
- Superman: For Tomorrow
- All Star Superman
- Superman: Brainiac
- The Unity Saga (Bendis)
- Superman/Batman: The Return of Supergirl
- Kingdom Come
- Superman: Doomed
- The Man of Steel (Byrne)
- Superman: Secret Origin
- Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow
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That is a solid list of books. I haven’t read all of them but the ones I have read are great reads. How could I forget about Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? Seriously, that is one of my favorite books!
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