This is Superman?

I didn’t grow up reading any of the big American comics. I haven’t seen any of the movies or the TV shows. I don’t get any of the pop culture references to just about anything. My friends claim I didn’t have a childhood. So it was interesting reading Superman for the first time. It was not what I was expecting.

The artwork was the first thing I noticed. I was surprised at the roughness and simplicity of it. The shading is done with simple black cross-hatching. Eyes are made with two black dots. Background figures sometimes don’t even have eyes. The sky never has clouds in it. Etc etc. One of the first things I learned in this class was the reason figures are kept simple – so people can identify with them. Yet these figures seemed too simple. If Superman weren’t wearing his cape, he’s essentially the villain. He’s just an average looking guy. Perhaps that’s what’s so special about it – that appearance-wise, Superman is average. I was especially irked by the fact that Louis never recognizes Superman as Clark Kent. All Superman does is put on a cape. He doesn’t don a mask or morph into a different figure. It’s the same, simple guy.

Besides not being able to recognize Superman as the guy she works with, Louis’ personality irked me too. She’s made out to be a shallow, mean, unintelligent girl. Yet she’s also attractive. It’s an interesting stereotype, as is the whole male/female relationship. I won’t get into it now, but I just want to shake Superman and tell him that she’s not worth it.

The last thing that annoyed me is the dialogue. Just like everything else in the comics, it was insubstantial and quick. It even moves at a quicker pace than Tintin, albeit much shorter in length. Some stories move so quickly, they don’t really make sense. In number 3, for example, the dinner guests agreed to go down into the mine without a moment’s hesitation. Why not? The most interesting aspect of these comes were the ads at the end. But alas. Enough complaining.