Is Superman overrated?

[Superdog]

double post

[Superdog]

Like "overrated" seems to be "I don't like something that is popular, whether it's well earned or not".

Yeah, I agree. Both terms seem to be meaningless when used by people on the internet. How exactly do you succesfully gauge something's current "rating"?

[Stanlos]

Yeah Superman sucks, Batman rulzzz

Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. I think that Batman can be good. But not when written as intimidating the likes of say an Aquaman or a Martian Manhunter. Batman as a leader/tactics and sleuth-behind-the-scenes functions for me. The moment he joins a straight up physical fight were superpoweredbeings are being creamed and he is getting punched by Etrigan and the likes and not dying? Well, I have checked out of the story. The best thing about SUPERMAN: SACRIFICE was that at least there when the murderous SPB enters Bats is a corpse. Out of DECADES it was the only place I had seen that.

So I say, no the Post Morrison (or maybe Post Frank Miller) Batman reeks. Batman as done by Giffen/DeMatteis actually is more plausible and effective. He was still all dark and crotchety like so many like but there were no shenanigans about his place in the food chain as there have been lately.

[Dustin Neal]

I see what you are doing...yes, Supergirl is superior

This.

I agree. :)

[Chainshada]

Superman is overrated, Batman is overexposed, Supergirl is perfect.

[Adekis]

Superman? He's underrated, people are right about that. Just because he was the first doesn't mean he isn't the best.
It would, however, be true to say he's not regularly written to his true potential. A lot of his best attributes have gone into other characters.

I think there's a couple reasons. First of all, that people think he's too strong, and that he's become irrelevant. These are both remnants of the Silver Age, when he had virtually nothing to do with the actual social issues of the day and could balance Jupiter on his little finger.

Except that the 50s TV show and the Chris Reeve movies are still what most people know of Superman. He's a bit cheesy and vanilla, and he needs some attitude in both. Those two instances also tend to just makes up powers and give them to him on the fly, like super-telekinetic-wall-rebuilding, super-turning-back-time, and super-spliting-into-two-seperate-Supermen-to-protect-his-identity.

I'm not making any of those up, either.

The public's conception of Superman is of a vanilla, irrelevant god.

He needs more attitude and more relevance, which is something I think he's got plenty of if you adapt Morrison's Superman a bit.

NotSuper brought up Superman's relevance a few months ago very nicely:

Superman seems to fit right into our current era (with the 99% vs. 1%, for example). He's not a relic, he's an idea whose time has come again.

Batman's not overrated except compared to Superman, where everyone likes to say things like "Batman can beat Superman" right after "Superman is too strong, Batman is cool because he's normal". Batman's not cool because he's normal, he's cool because he's a rich ubermensch!

Superman's secret identity is normal, but even then, Clark Kent is only cool when he has his moments of abnormality, like when he takes down a crime boss with legitimate journalism, or when he's a super-good friend to Jimmy or Lois. Those are important moments, because Clark is always supposed to be a super-good-guy (and not a super-pushover).
Still, the really cool stuff comes in when Superman fights space dictators, Kryptonite terminators, and yes, crime bosses. There just always has to be a balance, because Clark is what makes him relatable.



I digress though. Batman isn't overrated, but people misunderstand why they like him and where he stands in relation to Superman. Superman is underrated, but I'm hoping that will be remedied.

[Lexrules]

Anyone who thinks Superman is overrated needs to get their comic book geek card revoked.

Superman has been and always will be the man.

[Francisco]

Clark Kent should be taking on crime bossess and corrupt politicians while Superman fights alien invasion and natural dissasters.

[Superdog]

One of the problems with Superman is that so many good "Superman" stories don't have Superman in them at all. Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman's Marvelman is better than any Superman story I've read and is basically a Superman pastiche.

[dupersuper]

Is Superman overrated?

I'd say quite the opposite.

I think Batman has probably had better writers over the years.

Better than Moore, Morrison, Kirby, Perez, Stern, Busiek, Azzerello, Rucka, Simonson, Kessel, Ordway, Bates, Maggin, Wolfman, Byrne, David (counting Supergirl), Waid, Simone, Immonin, Schultz, Kelley, Priest (counting Steel), Johns, DeMattis, Seigel, Giffen...?

[BBally]

One of the problems with Superman is that so many good "Superman" stories don't have Superman in them at all. Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman's Marvelman is better than any Superman story I've read and is basically a Superman pastiche.

Actually Marvelman started out as a British knockoff of Captain Marvel before Alan Moore got a hold of the character

[Superdog]

Yeah I know, but it's still in that Superman mold.

[Hamdinger]

Nope. He is the original superhero

Hugo Danner, the Phantom, and Zorro all disagree with you.

[Francisco]

Hugo Danner, the Phantom, and Zorro all disagree with you.

Hugo Danner had super powers but didn't have a costume... The Phantom and Zorro had costumes but didn't have powers.
Superman was the first with both super powers and a colorful costume. The original superhero, baby.:D

[Guicho]

Hugo Danner had super powers but didn't have a costume... The Phantom and Zorro had costumes but didn't have powers.
Superman was the first with both super powers and a colorful costume. The original superhero, baby.:D

If that's your criteria, then:

Doctor Occult Created by Siegel and Shuster
More Fun #16 Dec. 1936
Costume: Colorful!
Powers: Astral projection, Hypnosis, Illusion creation, Telekinesis