Glen
Weldon, National Public Radio’s go-to comics guy, dives into 1938
precedents and origin of the nation’s favorite alien son and most
popularly long lasting superhero,
detailing his career up to the start of (British!?) Henry Cavill’s 2013
movie incarnation. Born from the cheerfully geek and extended
adolescent minds of Jerry Siegal and Joe Schuster, he was actually first
conceived in 1933 as a villain and refined during
a long gestation.
Originally
representing “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” when we regarded
those elements without much irony, his powers, psychology, approach to
doing good,
and political orientation have shifted around a bit during our 75 year
acquaintance. Recently, and probably most awkwardly, a storyline had him stand
in solidarity with Iranian protesters and renounce
U.S. citizenship, although that seems likely to be a momentary bobble.
Weldon’s exhaustive, and sometimes mind-numbing, detailed handling of
Superman’s graphic and cinematic evolution across years, parallel Earths,
and story lines should be sufficient to solve most fanboy-or-girl
controversies without bloodshed. It would also be an good research
starting point for examination of just what the big guy’s life may, or
not, say about “the American Way.”
-Joseph Chmura
Assistant Director and Access Services Librarian
