Superman, nicknamed The Man of Steel, is a fictional character and superhero who first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938 and eventually became the most popular comic book hero of all time.

The character, who was created by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, subsequently appeared in various radio serials, television programs, and films. Superman was born Kal-El on the planet Krypton. He was sent to Earth in a rocket by his scientist father Jor-El moments before Krypton exploded, landing on Earth outside the town of Smallville, where he was discovered and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent. As he grew, he discovered that he possessed superhuman powers. When not fighting the forces of evil as Superman, he lives disguised as Clark Kent, a "mild-mannered reporter" for the Daily Planet. Clark is married to fellow reporter, Lois Lane.

Superman is a loan translation from the German Übermensch (literally "over-man" or "super-man"), which has a distinct meaning and a more negative connotation.

Synopsis

Superman's origins, abilities and relationships have changed over time. Editors and writers used the process of retroactive continuity, or retcon, to adjust to changes in popular culture, eliminate restrictive segments of the mythos, and permit contemporary storylines. These changes, while significant, permit the retention of the core elements that make Superman an iconic character.

The modern story of Superman's origin parallels that of other cultural heroes and religious figures who were spirited away as infants from places where they were in danger.

In the legend extant in the early 1960s (and memorably summarized at the start of each episode of the 1950s Adventures of Superman television series^[2]

Superman in popular music

Superman has long been a popular subject for music, inspiring songs by artists ranging from The Kinks and Barbra Streisand of one generation through The Sugarhill Gang, Genesis, R.E.M., Crash Test Dummies, and Spin Doctors to current performers like Eminem, Dream Theater , Three Doors Down, and Five For Fighting. See: Superman in popular music

Superman parodies/references

• Apollo (Wildstorm comics) of Stormwatch and The Authority is often seen as a Superman-pastiche. He also gets his powers from the sun, wears a spandex outfit with a triangular logo on the front, and possesses the powers of flight, heat vision and super-strength. As a humorous twist, Apollo is the homosexual lover of Midnighter , the corresponding Batman-pastiche.

See: Superdupont, Superlópez

Notes

1# Moses, Gilgamesh)

2#⇧ Narrator Bill Kennedy intoned at the start of each program: "Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look! Up in the sky. It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Superman! Yes, it's Superman - strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman - who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel with his bare hands, and who disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a neverending battle for Truth, Justice, and the American Way."

External links

Comics

• DC Comics - Superman

Animated Cartoons

• Superman: The Animated Series on toonzone.net

Essays

• An Analysis of Superman, The Man of Steel
• Superman - The Man
• Theoretical Origin of Kryptonians
• IDENTITY CRISIS: The Many Faces of the Man of Steel Commentary on the origins of an American cultural phenomenon
• The Photonucleic Effect
• Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex an essay by Larry Niven about Superman's sexual and reproductive problems. (Note: This essay deals with adult subject matter and may be offensive to some people.)

Fan Pages

• Superman Homepage – "Everything you ever wanted to know about the Man of Steel and more"
• Superman Through the Ages – a website focusing mainly on the pre-Crisis version of Superman
• Superman Supersite
• Superdickery – The darker side of Superman
• Krypton: the fanfilm – The page of the fanfilm "Krypton"
• Superman: The Last Son of Krypton – Recently Superman has returned to audio dramas, the first medium he appeared in outside of comic books. The audio dramas are produced by a full cast of over fifteen people with full sound effects and music score, and are available for free download in .mp3 format