One of the most compelling aspects of The Superman Chronicles Volume 1, is the duality embodied by Clark Kent and Superman. Although Clark Kent is physically identical to Superman, the differences in their behavior and mannerisms establish a foil-like dynamic, emulated by subsequent comic characters. Foil characters contrast one another, thus highlighting particular character traits; foil characters may either have entirely different character traits, or may be replicas of one another differing in terms of only one important quality. Clark Kent and Superman, are an example of the former, and as foil characters, are presented in relation to their very obvious contradictions. Just as in Greek mythology, characters are assigned epithets, adjectives almost always associated with their names, in these action comics, Clark Kent and Superman are each designated particular, repeating adjectives. Panel 23 of page 87 reads, "the retiring reporter is replaced by the dynamic superman." Both "retiring" and "dynamic" appear in several other instances, as does the description of Clark Kent's transformation into Superman ["meek figure straightening erect," (i.e. pg. 87, panel 22)].
In addition to Siegel and Shuster's use of epithet, their presentation of Clark Kent and Superman is reminiscent of Janus, in Greek mythology. The dual personas arise from description and action. Whereas meek, weakling, spineless, ignorable, non-argumentative describe Clark Kent, super strong, center of attention, aggressive, and argumentative describe Clark Kent. As a result of these opposing qualities, it is not until pg. 96, panel 108, that the characters are associated with one another. In this excerpt, Clark Kent's thought bubble insinuates his Superman tendencies, and for the first time, it seems that the foil characters are synonymous. Hence, I wonder if there will be a gradual reconciliation of the dual personalities, during which Clark Kent's character qualities approach Superman's and vice versa.
I read your post and I just have to say that I loved your comment about the epithets in Greek mythology (I'm a classics major)! I also share that wonder of whether the two personalities will ever conjoin and become one. I'm not sure what everyone else thinks but I think that the concept of having a dual personality, or double life, whatever, keeps the tory going and keeps it interesting. I think we all want to see Superman be reveal at Clark Kent, (at least I do in terms of Lois) but I feel like for that plot line to keep going, it will never happen (I have no idea).
ReplyDeleteI think your last point, about the merging of Superman and Clark Kent, is extremely interesting, and I may have a bit of an answer for you. I think it entirely depends on whether or not you fixate on one version of Superman (comics vs. movies vs. TV). If you are wondering whether this will happen in the comics, I unfortunately can't offer any insight; however, if you care to view the more general depiction of Superman, I would argue that yes, the two are reconciled at some point. If you look at the show Smallville, you see that Clark Kent and Kal-El/Superman are not, in fact, separate personalities. Smallville offers a rather complex view of this since it has the advantage of depicting Clark as he slowly discovers his powers. In the show, Clark starts out as an average high school student who slowly comes to realize his identity as Kal-El. But he doesn't suddenly become a defender of justice. He maintains his human identity as well. After all, that IS how he was raised. He has human aspirations, but also feels a sense of responsibility due to the power he has. Both are shown to be large pieces of his identity, so Clark Kent and Kal-El/Superman are represented not as separate, one-dimensional identities, but rather as a single, complex identity attempting to maintain a balance between his seemingly different lives.
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