Superman

History of the character

Superman is born in 1933 of the inspiration of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two friends who met with the college of Cleveland (Ohio). Impassioned science fictions, they publish a fanzine (a review of weak diffusion) entitled precisely Science Fiction . Siegel writes the scenarios and Shuster illustrates them. It is in this fanzine that for the first time the name of Superman appears, in a history of most astonishing: an insane scientist equips a man with superpouvoirs which becomes cheap and cruel Superman.

After this first completely unperceived version passed, Siegel decides to entirely re-examine its copy: it makes of sound Superman a hero defender of the weak and the oppressed. It adapts also its stories to make them hold in a format comics : indeed, the beginning of the year 1930 sees quickly developing this kind of cartoons in the United States. The editors do not hang however and Superman is found with the wall cupboard.

1934 mark second birth of Superman. Siegel and Shuster develop all the universe surrounding the superman: the origins kryptoniennes, Kal-L (today Kal-El), Clark Kent, Metropolis, Laws Lane, the yellow, red and blue costume with the S red on a yellow pentagon (the whole plated in a symbol on the medium of the chest)… Once again the editors balk to publish. Four years afterwards, Siegel and Shuster are located by the publisher cd. Comics to occupy the pages of the magazine Action Comics .

Before even appearing in Action Comics , the character of Superman underwent many modifications. One is the success which awaits the son of farmers.

Since 1938, Superman remained a character surpuissant defender of the right causes. However, several stages in its long career are to be distinguished.

Kal-L

Superboy (Kal-El)

Crisis one Infinity Earths

Man off Steel

In 1986, after the publication of the minisery Crisis one Infinity Earths , on Marv Wolfman (scenario writer) and George Pérez (draftsman), editor cd. decides to give Superman to the last style. With this intention, they engage John Byrne, complete author famous for his services on X-Men and Fantastic Four. In the minisery Man off Steel , Byrne redefines Superman (which forever be Superboy and whose capacities are less powerful), but also its enemies (Lex Luthor, who is not any more one insane scientist but a tycoon of finance, Bizarro…) and his/her friends (Lane Laws, Perry White, Jimmy Olsen…). Then, Byrne draws jointly the new series Superman , like Action Comics , series which will present, every month, Superman associated with another character with universe cd.

This new departure made it possible to give the genesis of the character flat and to reverse the couple Superman-Clark Kent: starting from this series, it is well Superman which is the secret identity of Clark Kent, which made it possible to develop many aspects of the “humanity” of Superman, its sentimental relationships to Lois Lane (see televised series below).

Kal-El (current version)

In the current version of its history, Superman was born on the Krypton planet under the name of “Kal-El”. Still baby, it was placed in a spaceship by his father, the scientist Jor-El, and his/her mother, Lara, because the planet was under the threat of a total destruction.

The vessel left Krypton right before the fateful explosion… At the end of very a long voyage, it lands on the planet Ground. Kal-El is found by a couple of farmers of Smallville, (Kansas). Jonathan and Martha Kent, which do not have a child, then decide to adopt it and maintain the secrecy on its origin.

Kal-El is renamed “Clark Joseph Kent” and grows surrounded by his/her friends Lana Lang (its first love) and Pete Ross until its capacities appear with him at the time of its adolescence.

Young adult, Clark decides to settle in Metropolis to become journalist. He is engaged there by Perry White, the editor association of the Daily Planet . He works there with the photographer Jimmy Olsen and with the principal one to defer newspaper, Lois Lane. This one éprend of Superman but scorns Clark. This one hides its identity of superman behind a naive pace, a broad pair of glasses and clothes.

The day of its arrival with Metropolis, Clark uses its capacities to avoid a catastrophe. Consequently, in the form of Superman, it saves lives, fights the malicious S… to change costume, the comics shows Clark entering a phone box; later, it makes use of a small room of storage of the newspaper. Kal-El is one of the pillars of the Justice League off America like one of the most appreciated supermen.

The death of Superman

AlStar

In 2005, within the framework of the label AlStar of cd., Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely launch All-star Superman , a supposed series to tell adventures " iconiques" of Superman, based on the elements of the character that everyone knows and released from any continuity.

Principal stories within the framework of the regular series

the death of Superman , followed a world without Superman and the return of Superman (1992-1993). ('' " The death of Superman" '')

derived Mini-series and series

Kingdom Like , mini-series of Mark Waid and Alex Ross, being held in the future where Superman which was withdrawn must return to face a new generation of quarrelsome hero.
Superman - Red Its (2003): if the capsule of Kal-El of before Crisis had fallen in the USSR. This Uchronie inside the Superman universe makes it possible to conclude in an ironic way on the bonds between Lex Luthor and Superman.
Superman: Birthright (2003-2004): tell the first years to defer of Clark Kent, then its arrival with Metropolis vis-a-vis his/her former friend Lex Luthor who wants to benefit from the Krypton technology. This series was launched thanks to the success of Smallville , and constitutes the fourth origin of the character of Superman (after those of 1938,1944 and 1986). Published in France by Semic in the homonymous review, then in the monthly review Superman of Panini.
Superman: Secrecy Identity (" Identity secrète" in VF), mini-series which tells under the feather of Kurt Busiek and the brush of Stuart Immonen history of an young man baptized Clark Kent which is discovered the capacities of Superman. Published in France by Semic in bookstores, then continued by Panini.
Superman: End off Century (" End of siècle" in VF) one-shot scenarized and painted by Stuart Immonen, an adventure of Superman confronted with the stories of family and magic of Lex Luthor and its ex-wife, whereas the festivities of the new millenium approach. Published in France by Semic in bookstores.

Characteristics

Superman is also called " The Man of Acier" ( The Man off Steel ) and " The Man of Demain" ( The Man off Tomorow ).

The symbol on the chest of Superman forms an S, but in the history, it is supposed being a symbol kryptonien meaning " Hope ". This symbol has usually a yellow bottom, but it has some times replaced by a black bottom when Superman carried mourning.

The capacities of Superman are conferred to him by the yellow sun of the Earth of which it absorbs radiations and thanks to the terrestrial attraction for some. All kryptonien exposed to the sun in the same way can acquire the same capacities (Superman fought some).

Superman is equipped:

of a super-force allowing him to raise very heavy objects or to even move small stars.
of a super-speed which enables him to move practically as quickly as the light.
of a invulnerability thanks to which it can resist fire, the balls, the high pressures, with heat, cold, with nuclear explosions etc…
of the possibility of stealing more quickly than the sound.
of supervision giving him possibility to see with thousands of kilometers or to observe things microscopic, as through objects (except those which are out of lead) and to see in the total black.
of a thermo-vision allowing him to heat a target with its eyes.
of a super-hearing thanks to which he hears conversations in a ray of several hundred kilometers of distance, and can locate the most negligible noises.
of a super-breath thanks to which it can freeze of the objects.
of a super-memory which enables him to remember all that arrived to him during its life, of speaking all the languages, and very quickly assimilating those which it learned forever

Weak points

The principal weak point of Superman is the Kryptonite , fragment of the Krypton planet unfortunately arrived with him on Earth. It exists various colors of which some have an effect specific, often harmful, on the superman or other Kryptoniens. Lead protects Superman from the effects of the Kryptonite.

Superman is also vulnerable to the magic .

It loses its super-capacities when it is under radiations of a red sun , such that which lit Krypton.

Its super-capacities are decreased under a orange sun .

Superman is also disturbed and vulnerable the day of sound birthday kryptonien

Celebrates celebrated in the beginning every six years kryptoniennes, the birthday kryptonien is translated in the superman by depressions and a loss of contôle of its capacities.

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