Superman - The Man-of-Steel Movie

[Omen]

Well now… about Superman – oops, I’m sorry… they’re calling him the Man-of-STEEL, this is one of those titles that brings ALL kinds of emotions to comic book fans all over the world. For those who don’t follow comics or understand what I’m talking about let me explain…

We have a nasty little LOVE – HATE relationship with Superman.

Superman is all but iconic and lays the foundation to all things ‘Superheroes’. He represents the beginning of an era as well as the immortality of an industry. He lets every generation know that superheroes will exist as long as there are children, fans, and those who simply want to see something different. This is why we can’t help but to love him.

There is nothing worse than finding one of your parent’s records, your high school cassette tapes, or even a floppy disk that has something on it that brings back memories, but NOT having something to play it.

This is the current position of the Man-of-steel. He is not relevant.

He is out of his time.

He is a struggle to write as a character because there are very few issues that he can’t solve with his powers and abilities. We are talking about a character that can lift a building, survive a nuclear explosion, fire beams from his eyes with the heat of the sun, blow cold breath that can freeze people and objects in place, run around the world in less than a minute, fly around the world even faster, and create sonic shockwaves by clapping his hands.

Oops… did I forget to mention, he’s over six feet tall, square-jawed with Asian black hair and classic blue European eyes. You can lay a dresser across the width of his shoulders to measure them, his six-pack hurt the eyes to look at, and his body naturally displaces soil, grime, and oils to protect it… the guy doesn’t even get acne.

Here’s another big one, which matters in OUR generation… he’s EMPLOYED!!

This guy has a job that gives him the freedom to carry out missions all over the world alone and with the Justice League without any reprimands! We’re not talking about the smoke-break argument or coming back from lunch 7 minutes late!

We’re talking about a cosmic adventure out there on OA (Green Lantern’s planet) and/or Apokalypse (Darkseid’s planet). Did I mention, he even works with Batman on detective cases that takes days to solve? Moving on…

Clark makes $30k to $40k a year and has no complaints about a light bill. He’s single with NO kids (would you believe?). He doesn’t have to help his parents… neither set (the humans or the Kryptonians). He doesn’t get sick, so his insurance company loves him and he never has a car problems.

If I ever said these things about someone as a basic description, the average person would blow me off in disbelief. This is why our so beloved Man or Steel is lost. What real problems can he have that he can’t solve?

A bank robbery… yea, right. Falling in Love with Lois?

Have you been to ChristianMingle.com or Match.com, Clark?

Keeping an identity? This is TOTALLY stupid in the age of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google Mail!!

Protecting his parents? Dude, you’re Superman! C’mon, who REALLY gonna’ threaten them and walk away ALIVE, other than Doomsday or possibly Batman?!?

This is why I was SO glad when Zack Snyder got his hands on this character. He knows the only way to reboot this character is to make him grim and to show his weaknesses. He knows how to challenge his heroes in more ways than the standard. When he ‘Story-tells’, he focuses on the nuances that make a character mortal instead of the stubbornness of their superiority.

His challenge will be bringing the two together… and there are SO many of us praying that he gets it right with this version of Superman…

…oops – Man-of-Steel!!

-Omen

Attachments:

[Emu]

Alot of superheroes are being remade and shown in a darker light. I mean look at Arrow (Green Arrow) and now Superman (Man of Steel), I think this society can relate to the grim society of superheroes better than superheroes that are perfect in every way, merciful, and morals that impact their every decision. So it's a good selling tactic.

[The Muse]

People are always drawn to mythical figures that they can relate to.
Look at the Greek and Roman Gods of mythology...they were guilty of murder, assasination, incest, rape, poligamy, drunkenness, violence, jealousy, etc....all of the worst components of human society.
It stands to reason that the made over superheros are going to be a draw for modern people since they share common weaknesses and failings of character, morals and spirit.

[werewolf]

l think there are potential ways to make Superman ascessible but l would not try to go too far in turning him 'grim and gritty' as is the fashion. lt works for a street level character like Green Arrow.
But Superman is about as far from street level as you can get.His power level has varied considerably over the last 75 years. l would probably tone it down from the peak levels or he'll just seem too powerfull to worry about. [lf he can move planets and turn back time etc.]Of course his feats still need to be impressive.l see no reason he cannot display self doubts especially early on though he aught not to become paralysed by them. The temptatation to take advantage of his abilities should be dealt with too to show why he ultimately avoids that.He is not an earth human but he was raised as one and the Kryptonians for all their science were far from moral paragons. hIS CHARACTER WILL BE AFFECTED BY WHEN HE LEARNS OF HIS ORIGIN AND HOW. [The comics have differed on this].Does he view himself as essentially alien or as a human who just happened to be born on another planet?How much of him is Clark Kent and how much is Kal el? Having generally good intentions need not be presented as if he was a boring and unrealistic boyscout as many complain. l don't feel all superheroes should be so imperfect they can't be told from the villains.l don't say there should be no comics or movies in the genre that involve moral ambiguity. But l disagree that they all need to.Superheroes were meant to inspire as well as entertain. There aught to be a spectrum not just one end of it.Being imperfect need not always mean wallowing in our basest instincts or desires.Part of the problem is that heroes often end up being reactive rather than proactive . The villains can do as they please regardless of the consequences which fits a certain type of wish fulfillment and is why many actors and actresses like playing them. The heroes are more contrained by their own codes or the law and that can be frustrating .They generally go into action only after the villains have done something.The more preemptive they are the more morally ambiguous they become.Superman can briefly flirt with such ambiguity but he can't cross that line too far or for too long without ceasing to be the character he was designed to be.When the movie comes out l guess we'll see if they strike the right balance.

[John Reid]

Being born in 1955 from the cradle I was watching "The Adventures of Superman" and of course "The Lone Ranger". In those days their was a clear distinction between good guys and bad guys. Heroes like Superman offered hope to the world and set an example for the children who watched them and read the comic books which were written for 8-12 year olds.

Because Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Peter Parker and all the rest never smoked, drank, did drugs or cursed, neither then did I. They were my role models.

What role models do children have today? Comic books are now written at college level and contain as much sex and violence as do the movies, Tv shows and video games they must compete with.

Superman doesn't seem relevent simply because he is no longer written for the children that he was created for in the first place. Compare the Max Flescher animated Superman cartoons with this movie "Man of Steel" you mentioned. Does it evn seem like the same character?

What is wrong with writing comics for children? Why must we make superhero movies for adults to enjoy?

If they must find interesting psychological twists in Superman he certainly has plenty of those. The Superman/Clark Kent duel identity has always made him popular simplly because all of us real life Clark Kent's who always feel like if only people could see past the our surface and see the brave hero that lay within.

Clark Kent is who he is. Superman is what he can do. Superman is popular also because he is an outsider who desperately wants to fit in, but never can. How many of us have felt like an alien in our own world?

The Clark/ Lois/Superman triangle has always been popular as well simply because Clark loves Lois who loves Superman. While he could simply just tell her who he is, he wants her to love him for his humanity not because he can bench press a 747.

Clark Kent often trips, spills things and is seen as an idiot. He of course only pretends to be. Ever think about that? Perhaps in his attempt to impersonate humans, this is the way he sees us.

I hope they do not try and make Superman into the same emotional wreck as they did Batman. I also cannot help but notice that the red trunks are missing. Why oh why must Hollywood think that they can "improve" on the iconic costumes. The red trunks have always kept him from looking like he is wearing ballet tights which personally I have always found a bit embarrassing to look at with the male dancers for reasons I am sure I do not have to articulate here.

I have not really enjoyed too many of Super-hero films done to date. It seems to me that George Lucas is the only director in Hollywood that gets that these square jawed characters were supposed to be ACTION heroes.

I'd like to see Batman, Spider-Man, Superman and the others done in the same take your breath away action as Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Even after George Lucas showed them the way they still don't seem to get it.

Just my 2 cents
Knight-Hood

[The Muse]

agreed

[thesuperheromethod]

Great debate. For me MoS and Batman were always kind of the same character just at opposite sides of the spectrum. Both orphans. Aliases. Secret hideouts. Gotham\Metropolis are seemingly both inspired by NYC.

The main difference is that Batman uses fear while Superman's focus is on hope. Dark vs Light.

Agree John Reid, I really hope they don't take Superman down the gritty reboot route. Often I feel film-makers deconstruct a character because they don't respect the source material in the first place. No-one wants to see a chirpy batman whose alter ego works at Target- the same goes for a dark Superman movie.

[Omen]

Awww… the smell of great points about a topic are oh-so-sweet in the morning!

You guys are definitely right, but an idea hoped for is not welcomed in our modern age.

“A story is a concept, idea, and plot created in one’s mind; a book (comic) is nothing more than the vehicle it travels in.”

During our age, a time a little longer that yesterday and after the last dinosaur fell, there was something magic about the cheap pulp paper that comics were printed on, the cheesy ads entertained us as much as the story (X-ray glasses, anyone?), and the colorful covers that made us hurry into the corner store to see what’s new.

We received an escapes into excitement and wonder all for the simple amount that Momma could give us on the sly, without missing it when she tallied up the grocery in her cart.

A mystery story, a journey to the far side of space, or the might of a god with an identity of a mild-mannered man could be experienced for a dollar or less… heck, it made us want to read.

The joy of holding the paper is something missed by this generation. The anxiousness of getting to the store takes a level of patience that was not taught to our youth. The treasure created by collecting has no emphasis in the digital age; for a digital comic created today will be EXACTLY the same as a hundred years from now.

Data doesn’t age.

Collecting has no value, other than the joy of knowing the entire plot of a story.

Today, there is nothing special about knowing the rich details of an obscure character story, or comic… Google can solve that in seconds. I can find out the original Captain Mar-Vell’s real name in no time. I can learn the origin of the original Vision with a click of my finger. The line-art of Jack Kirby can be zoomed-in on and the mismatched coloring of Captain America’s first round shield can be corrected in seconds using photoshop.

The art and its mistakes are not as valuable anymore, as pen-and-pencil is replaced with templates and digital art.

In comics:

Swear words..? A norm.
Smoking and Drugs..? A norm.
Antihero tactics and moody attitude..? A norm.
Cleavage, big-boobs, sex, and butt-tight clothing..? Mandatory!

Welcome to the new age, in which the youth are not the demographic that can afford a $4.99 escape, or shall I say, comic. Mainly because they would rather get what they want from a character or story off of the internet for free. They have no interest in collecting and much less in waiting for anything less than their login to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

The highest purchasers of comics are 32 years old and above. They are considered the ‘Elder-Kids’ and the ‘Youthful-Adults’. They are the old-world Nerds that separate themselves from Geeks while carrying the weight of an industry in which prices continue to increase because sales continue to decrease.

These Elder-Kids are the ones that nostalgia loves the most, but only as much as the few collector comics they missed when they were young, but now can afford because they have a job or a career. After that… these Elder-Kids are just too dang choosey to give many ‘new’ innocent and idealistic heroes a chance… mainly because they can't relate to them.

Does Superman have a car payment? How much does he make a year? If we get written up for coming in late or sliding in from an 'extended' lunch... how is it, he hasn't been fired after carrying out a mission on Apocalypse or across the galaxy?!? I mean, heck, in the last movie he came back after 5 years and got his job back. I called in a day late from vacation and got FIRED!! It took 9-months to get another job!!

These Youthful-Adults are also annoyed by many of the modern characters, because they read comics with the desire to ESCAPE reality, NOT to be reminded of it. From this, aspects of the story are relatable, but the powered up characters dealing with them are somewhat unrealistic; hence… it makes no blasted sense!!

If Bruce Wayne is worth $80 billion (as last posted on the internet)… why in the heck is he out there every night trying to stop crime personally when he could hire G.I. Joe, the United States Marine Corps, CIA, FBI, the Taliban, ISIS, Terror Group-56 Unknown, or a Mexican Cartel to come into Gotham to clean things up in a month?!?

He’s one of the smartest men on Earth, but hasn’t done the math to figure out that he couldn't clean Gotham up if he solved 10 crimes a night, blocked 50 assaults a week, and had 100 more Robin’s living in his mansion sharing space with him (by-the-way, where in the HECK does he find so many 'look-a-like' young boy orphans WITHOUT being investigated??).

Basically, he doesn’t want to clean Gotham, he wants to beat people up!!

Even sadder, the Elder-Kids and the Youthful-Adults, that I speak of, are one in the same; they are us.

Man, I’m telling you, life sucks when you become an adult.

Between nostalgia and common sense, I have no idea what titles to pick when I walk into a comic shop.

Nowadays, I just look for heroes in costumes that are fighting villains in costumes and call it a day!



-Omen

[The Muse]

Ah...nothing like a big helping of disillusionment to go with my morning coffee....

[John Reid]

Is Superman relevant today? Many of the heroes of the past outlive their age. James Bond by todays standards is clearly a sexist with little or no regard for women. The Tarzan mythos clearly has white supremacist themes at its core. Batman can now be seen for what he represents, a billionaire who cracks the heads of the poor for stealing. Frank Miller saved Batman from extinction by re-writing him in the Dark Knight Returns to be a man with very serious mental issues. This will not work for Superman. Once you move away from his moral perfection you destroy the character. I still have not seen MOS so I won't comment on it too much except to say that I don't want anything to do with a Superman who murders his opponents. It is diametrically opposed to everything he stands for. I have no problem with his perfection simply because he an alien after all. If you look at movies from the past Hollywood used to be comfortable with the idea of a hero who was a good guy through and through and always triumphed over the villains who were morally bankrupt. It was a good message and whether they knew it or not it influenced people to try and be like their heroes. Nowadays evil has triumphed in our movies and in our society as a whole. It has triumphed because it has successfully convinced the population that a true good guy is a fantasy. That all people are evil to a degree and there are only shades of grey, no black and white. Is this really true? Or is it that those who make the films are uncomfortable with the idea of a truly good man, because if such a creature exists, what does that make them? So they make only movies with flawed heroes. Even anti-heroes seem too goody goody for them anymore. So we see films with heroes like those in The Watchmen who are all flawed or disturbed in one way or another, Rorschach murdered villains right an left and the Comedian shot and murdered a Vietnamese girl he impregnated. V for Vendetta again gives us an ultra violent murder to look up to. Kick Ass gave us Hit Girl and Big Daddy who left carnage and bodies in their wake. The audience cheered them on. In this evil society Hollywood wants to give us a new Superman, but really does not know how? How to portray a moral hero in an immoral world without making him seem "corny" or humorous? In the world according to Hollywood good people do not exist, there are only bad people and really bad people and their audience is being persuaded to believe this lie and consequently go out of the theater and act accordingly. Nor is this attitude restricted to superheroes but to heroes in general.

[werewolf]

One argument l weary of in comics ,books or movies is that the hero/heroine/protagonist must be 'relatable'.l admit such a character that is totally alien to the audience is a tough sell.But all too often l see 'relatable' translated in a one to one way.lf l'm single so should the hero be or vice versa if married. He/she aught to be the same race/religion/ethnicityor age as the prospective audience or they won't 'get' him/her or sympathise.lt's a bit less true in fantasy or Scifi because characters might not even be human and the way they age might differ. Our religions might well not exist in that world.But any tale set in a relatively modern time and place or even in known history tends to receive the one for one criticism.Kids need or want only young characters, men prefer male protagonists and women female ones etc.Frequently, it's not merely a matter of representation within the story.lt's treated as a necessity as in audience x can only appreciate a hero from that category or 'type'.Similarly, because the world is seen as more gray than say 50 or 75 years ago 'flawed' heros are viewed as a must. But flawed often ends up meaning morally ambiguous with the heroes nearly as bad as the villains.A hero with even altruistic aspirations is treated as a fool or unbelievable.
[since we're all psychologicly damaged and ultimately selfish how dare the hero be better.He/she can be more powerfull and braver, more willing to perservere but not more noble of purpose.]

[thesuperheromethod]

I think it basically comes down to lazy writing. It's easy to make a character cold, dispatching witty one-liners as they hurl (typically colder) crooks around. Explosion. Emotion. End scene.

It's a little harder to depict a character transcending their flawed environment. The internal struggles etc. I don't need to see a reflection of myself in these movies but I should care why X is fighting Y.

Of course there's studio pressure etc. but if you continually write\reboot franchises with the same characters- except slightly darker or "realistic" eventually there's nothing left of the original character.

Diminishing returns anyone?

[Omen]

You guys made some seriously great points. The victims of today’s reboots are the characters themselves.

In storytelling, ‘relatability’ is the anchor to a reader’s attention, hence the jargon term ‘Anchor’ when you hear us critiquing and reviewing stories.

Every story written appeals to a certain Demographic; no matter how small the group may be (even if it’s one person) or how constrictive the traits are (short, bald, old, employed, rich, smelly, smart, noble, innocent, etc.)

In the world of business, the constrictive demographics are released and widened to appeal to the group that is perceived as those most willing to pay to experience the traits on display.

In the current age of the internet, texting, social media, and false images… selfishness is at an all-time high only to be followed by narcissism, escapism, intolerance, and the lack of responsibility protected by the ‘masks’ of an online alias, a password, and various apps/websites.

Accountability is endangered and it is being hunted down vigorously by this era of false courage.

The masks people wear online allow them so-called, ‘freedom’ when commenting online and giving their opinions. Negativity is often the reward for impulsiveness typed during an emotional reaction to an event. The positive would mean more to those reading… but it takes a desire to share it, especially when the positive feeling didn't create a strong emotional reaction.

Example: If Batman saved the Joker from falling, and described the action as... "I am not a killer." People would accept this righteous action and feel satisfied with the character when they left the movie theatre.

BUT...

If Batman would have drug Joker into the middle of a fully populated jail cell and slit his throat in front of the other inmates and said, "Gotham is under my protection!" then walked away... Twitter servers would have exploded from comments and tweets all around the world!!

Selfishness, intolerance, and the mask... SELLS!!!

The overwhelming statistics of this age proves that ‘darkness’s sells while the ‘light’ stays in inventory. Things that are negative, dark, and shocking pull at the emotional strings of those watching which is perfect for this new-age impulsive society… hence, the new superhero trends.

A positive Superman would be welcomed, but he would not sell.

A common-sensed based Batman could clean up Chicag... oops, sorry... Gotham, but he would not sell.

A fully dressed conservative female superhero would actually be good for young girls to look up to, but she simply would not sell.

And so… selfishness, the mask, and impulsiveness become the ANCHORS to attract today’s youth.

Batman is the epitome of this, while Superman’s new path is striving to let him play on that same playground.

I mean, hey, did you notice in the movie during the scene with the gravity device destroying New Yor… oops, sorry… Metropolis when all those people were getting flung in the air and slammed into the ground, to their deaths… he flew through that madness to save little, miss Lane falling from the plane.

Did I mention that she was the only person, entity, object, and piece of matter falling downwards while EVERYTHING else was being drawn upwards into the air, against gravity, towards the gravity machine!!!

I’m sorry… I’ll move on. The movie was still good!!

Anchors are necessary to link the viewer to a story. Viewers who experience stories without anchors that serve their demographic, lose interest and wander away. In business, that is a lost sale.

-Omen

[werewolf]

l suspect l'm dead in the water then.l can't think of many demographics my novels really serve.My characters are too old for the young adult audience and the timeframe not current enough.The horror probably isn't intense and explicit enough for horror fans while not sexy enough for the paranormal romance readers.l'll just have to hope the mix will attract somebody.But l know my taste is often out of sync with what is popular today.l can rarely find tv shows l really like, don't often go to the movies and have virtually given up on comics of late.

[The Muse]

You cant write your work off yet werewolf. (pardon the pun) You may be surprised at the audience that may exist for your stuff.

[werewolf]

l hope so.l'm probably paying too much attention to the internet complaint factory, though also looking at what movies ,tv etc. that come out.lt's a worry l've always had.l don't see my taste reflected often so writing to it makes me uncertain who else would be interested.As for this specific book it's somewhere between dark fantasy and paranormal romance more than straight horror.[returning to the internet 'critics' l constantly read horror fans wanting higher bloodier body counts and no 'emo' monsters in romances.]And yet for the romance crowd l fear it might be too tame and old fashioned.The time period could be too far back for most modern audiences to care about it though l'd like to think that's not so.l guess time will tell.

[Omen]

You don’t have anything to worry about, you’re just looking at things from the wrong perspective.

Here’s something for you… we’ve had multiple editors go over your first story… NOT ONE BAD REVIEW!!! In fact, we’ve received comments like ‘Very detailed’, well-written, outstanding research, etc.‘

What you have to understand is that when you create and write, it is better to concentrate on doing your best… ‘WHY?’ Because the best time to identify your key demographic is after your piece of Work has been completed.

Many young creators try to go the opposite path and write for a certain demographic which often leave their stories standard and the interest for them fleeting.

A Classic is any Story, Song, or Film that is still relevant and impactful 25years after its creation. It is a piece of Work that can hold its own against the best during any age we may choose to call ‘now’. Your stories have the suspicious air of ‘classic’ dancing around on the whispers of those that have been lucky enough to read them.

It’s not always about selling 100 books right now… sometimes it more cool to still be able to sell 10 books in a hundred years simply because your story is still on the shelf!!

-Omen

[werewolf]

Thanks for the pep talk.l've worked on especially the first novel for so long, through so many rewrites it's hard for me to tell if it's good or not. On a good day l think it's preety good while when l'm depressed l fear it's.....less than good.lt was one of those stories you write because nobody else seems to be coming out with what you're looking for. So, you have to do it yourself.

[Omen]

Uhm... Supes is gonna be meeting the Dark Knight this week.

I'm so EXCITED!

-Omen

[John Reid]

One more point I would like to make out of the paradox of Hollywood reality vs actual reality.

Hollywood refused to put the X-Men in spandex and opted for black leather because they felt that colorful costumes would be unrealistic.

Yet if you watch the news I am sure you are aware of the real life superhero movement in which real people put on colorful costumes spandex and capes and go out seeking to help others. In movies it is unconsidered "unrealistic" but not in reality.

So too the Hero. The nightly news likes to end it's broadcast by showing everyday acts of heroism. People who risk their lives to help others, people who go the extra mile to do good deeds, not for praise or fame but for no other reason than because it is the right thing to do.

The only time we see heroes like that in films is when they are portraying an actual event that occurred. Yet if a fictional hero is brought to life on the screen then he must be shown as flawed or crazy because Hollywood considers that "unrealistic"

Maybe the old fashioned hero will make a comeback on the big and small screen when Hollywood finally has an epiphany and realizes that heroism does actually exist in real life

[Omen]

I finally saw the Batman-v-Superman movie and had mixed feelings about it. There were quite a few 'HUNH, dat don't make sense' moments, but overall I enjoyed it.

First-things-first... Batman killed. YES! This is how his career began and it is so fitting that this is how his career should come to its end. Even normal cops get battle fatigue over the years as they see the cycle of crime repeat with each new generation, especially after they've sent dozens to hundreds to jail for the EXACT same crimes repeatedly.

Superman dealing with his 'god' syndrome? It's not unique and it wasn't terrible... he FOREVER seems to be outta place and out of his era in time. He was literally presented on a level of comparison to 'humans and ants'.

Here's the reality, humans SERIOUSLY don't care what an ant thinks.

When that aspect is thrown on the table for discussion, suddenly Superman doesn't make any sense. Even if a kid grows up with an ant farm, he may respect ants, but he doesn't really care how they feel. Superman survived a nuclear bomb, lifted an island, flew around the Earth fast enough to turn back time, and hovered down to get a cat out of a tree all in the same breath of his career.

Him being arrested? A laughing matter.
Him going to court? Frivolous.
Him being punished? He's an immortal solar battery that can lift over a thousand tons and is invulnerable... REALLY?

Moving on...

Wonder Woman was AWESOME!!! At first, I thought she was too skinny, but watching her in action changed that. She was a warrior! In this movie, Wonder Woman was equal to what Black Panther was in Civil War. They were both secret weapons and movie makers!

I’m waiting to get the Ultimate Rated-R version of the movie, now. I’m hoping that the extended footage answer some empty holes presented by the current version.

[John Reid]

Well I haven't seen B V S and probably never will, so have no fear of spoiling it for me. MOS finally came to regular TV. I watch the first 15 minutes of the Krypton scenes and then switched the channel.

I must be the only person left on earth who hates Computer Graphics. To me they simply do not look remotely realistic. The characters seem weightless and not touching the ground because they aren't really there. The only time it works for me is when the whole movie is CG as in Avatar, which I also did not like.

But it looks especially 2 dimensional when they put CG characters next to real actors. The Hulk nearly ruined the Avengers for me. I would much rather have seen a very large actor in green make-up. He would not have been as big as CG Hulk true but far more 3 dimensional looking.

I am not sure why Hollywood is so in love with their new CG toy. I far preferred the original Star Wars with it's toy models and muppet Yoda over the later CG versions.

So you tell me that in the new film they make Batman a killer. That was hardly a surprise since they made Superman one in the first film.

Whenever it comes to regular TV I will probably force myself to watch it, just to see a Batman who is not in an all rubber frogman suit like all of his predecessors (Minus Adam West)

Now once again I would like to point out that George Lucas was the only director in the world that portrayed his heroes like they should be. Heroes, not anti-heroes, not vigilantes. Is there anyone who can debate that the Star Wars franchise and the Indiana Jones Franchise were big box office hits?

Yet in George Lucas directorial world, he had no trouble making the clear moral distinction between the heroes and the villains. Good guys were good and bad guys were bad and no one walked out of the theaters.

So the argument that Superman can not be pure good or it won't sell simply does not wash. Comic book heroes are action heroes and if they would stop wasting film on origin stories and building up to the action and just jump right into it, then I assure you the movies would sell without having to drag the hero down to the level of the directors portraying them.

Imagine a Fantastic Four movie directed by George Lucas. It would open with the Kree/Skull war with earth caught in the middle and be non stop breath taking action from beginning to end. If any origins were mandatory they would get a brief description in the dialogue and nothing more. Romance too would get a kiss from Reed and Sue and that would be about it. No nudity, gory violence, or foul language required. The good guys would me moral and the bad guys immoral and yes, it would sell, the same way Star Wars and Indiana Jones would. Imagine a Batman film done like Raiders of the Lost Ark? Batman chasing Ras Al Ghul all around the globe in non stop action with him escaping one harrowing death trap after another. That wouldn't sell? Of course it would.

So the problem with Hollywood runs deeper than just money. Even goody goody movie makers like Disney could not make a Lone Ranger film in the style of the Clayton Moore versions? They had to drag him down and make him look stupid and foolish. I wonder what Walt Disney would have thought of that? He made Zorro and the Scarecrow of Romney and he played them as heroes.

Did you say an "Ultimate Rated-R" version? Oh good grief. What's in that? Superman and Batman get it on with Wonder Woman in a super threesome? Wouldn't surprise me a bit.

[Omen]

I find myself looking at ‘old world’ comics, such as Blue Beetle, Captain Midnight, Son of Vulcan, Judo Master, and the original Justice Society of America, hoping to be reminded of what is missing in today’s storytelling. Much of it has to do with the things you’ve mentioned.

Back then, there was a fine line and clear barrier between the good guy and the bad guy. Back then, there was an emphasis on teaching the next generation how things 'should' be, while using superheroes as the personification of morals and ethics to strive for.

Today… we are simply in a new age. The needs of ‘ME’ shines brightly, ‘MY’ concerns come first, and ‘SELF’ reigns supreme. If ‘I’ am hurt by another, the act of revenge should not only be expected, but embraced. Taking the high-ground of forgiveness is seen as weak and invites further attacks from those that has caused pain.

Today… the anti-hero and vigilante are supreme.

Today’s heroes are not built around what ‘should’ be, instead they are a reflection of ‘what is’.

The gay movement? Let’s increase comic sales with gay marriages and gratuitous gay sex in comics.

Racism? Let’s create a black version of Batman (the new Nighthawk) and have him maim white folks.

Sexual liberty? Let’s make Starfire a whore and have Wonder Woman diminished to a love triangle between Steve Trevor and Superman.

Minority presence in comics? Let’s make Captain America Black, Thor a woman, Spider-Man half Puerto Rican and Black, the new Iron Man a Black woman, and the new Hulk Asian. Why not simply create new characters?

Because it would take too much work and incur too much risk!

Superman is a force of nature. Wonder Woman represents equality, fortitude, and honor. Batman is ingenuity and potential wrapped up as a gift called ‘relatability’ for the normal fan.

We are in a time in which the true hero needed is CREATIVITY.

[The Muse]

Jul 7, 2016 13:11:18 GMT -5 Omen said:

We are in a time in which the true hero needed is CREATIVITY.

Hear Hear!!

[John Reid]

Yep...Too bad no one has created a character with the values of old and set in the modern world. Oh wait, I did that. "The Adventures of Knight-Hood" by John Reid on sale now at amazon.com