SUPERMAN: Whatever Happened to The Man of Tomorrow
Questions:
1. What is your reaction to the text you just read?
For a lot of it there seemed to be a weird disconnect with what I felt helped me take the story more seriously. The first time was when Lois casually sat on the couch and allowed her husband to insult Clark Kent in front of the reporter, the second time was when Superman was distressed about his life/death situation and he was primarily focused on his romantic endeavors instead of all other things he has to deal with as Superman, and then the third was when Lois' husband insulted Superman again. Now that I've reached the end I've realized that Lois' husband might be Superman, but I was taken aback by her reaction to his slander of Superman at first because obviously what happened to him was no laughing matter. I feel like the reporter might have found that weird, insensitive & strange that Lois was so casual about it. It's not anything that ruined the comic for me but I feel as though it could have been done in a more tactful way. I feel like this comic delved into that sort of new age dark writing that the 80's brought on but still kept 1 foot in the campy age. I felt this especially when Superman was lamenting about his unfinished life and his love triangle between Lois and Lana. It was sort of funny because he is a superhero, there are a million and 1 other things he has to be responsible for/worry about that are seemingly more important on top of his love life. It was these elements on top of the sort of dark atmosphere of the whole comic with Superman's closest friends dying/etc.
2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the story with which you could connect?
I guess I felt relatable to Superman through his guilty conscience. He felt responsible for luring all the villains to his friends and family and I sometimes have a guilt complex like that. Of course, no one I know is dying because of me (thank god) but that was the only aspect I found relatable. This is a huge trope I think with Superhero comics where they feel they're responsible for the pain their job brings to others. I've had times in my life where I felt that things I've done have inconvenienced others even if I didn't intend it to, and I'm sure others reading the comic find that relatable as well. The comic still felt a little campy and otherworldly, not quite to the point of the more modern comics where I felt like it was on as deep of a level. I feel as though in general the whole concept of being a superhero is not that relatable so it was difficult to find a moment in the story where I actually thought of a time in my life that was similar.
3. What changes would you make to adapt the story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?
As an animation student and someone who already loves many of the DC comics movies and cartoons, I would probably adapt this story into an animated film. I think that a lot of the dialogue could be adjusted and moments we have alone with superman to clearly understand his feelings. I think animation has the power to convey the emotional moments more as well. It gives you more time with the characters and observing how they feel. I wouldn't do this comic in a live action film medium because personally I feel kind of disenfranchised with a lot of comics>live action/animated>live action medium because I feel it takes a lot of the fun and elements of these mediums that make them entertaining and different and erases it. I don't have a Superman example for this, however, for example, I'm never satisfied with any Batman movie entirely because I feel no one can portray the Bat family/robins/batgirl correctly in the film without either being too silly/funny/campy or too gritty/serious. Newer movies completely removed this aspect of the comics but its essential to the story and Batman's character development. It's difficult to pull off the balance between comic/live action in a way that still honors the comic medium but creates a good live action film. I feel that the superman Live action movies can attest to it this as well. That's why I feel animation in particular is a good medium because it has the ability to honor the original comics properly through art direction/viewer perception & expectations for the medium. When I say viewer expectations I mean certain things might be more acceptable in animation but less acceptable in live action.
1. What is your reaction to the text you just read?
For a lot of it there seemed to be a weird disconnect with what I felt helped me take the story more seriously. The first time was when Lois casually sat on the couch and allowed her husband to insult Clark Kent in front of the reporter, the second time was when Superman was distressed about his life/death situation and he was primarily focused on his romantic endeavors instead of all other things he has to deal with as Superman, and then the third was when Lois' husband insulted Superman again. Now that I've reached the end I've realized that Lois' husband might be Superman, but I was taken aback by her reaction to his slander of Superman at first because obviously what happened to him was no laughing matter. I feel like the reporter might have found that weird, insensitive & strange that Lois was so casual about it. It's not anything that ruined the comic for me but I feel as though it could have been done in a more tactful way. I feel like this comic delved into that sort of new age dark writing that the 80's brought on but still kept 1 foot in the campy age. I felt this especially when Superman was lamenting about his unfinished life and his love triangle between Lois and Lana. It was sort of funny because he is a superhero, there are a million and 1 other things he has to be responsible for/worry about that are seemingly more important on top of his love life. It was these elements on top of the sort of dark atmosphere of the whole comic with Superman's closest friends dying/etc.
2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the story with which you could connect?
I guess I felt relatable to Superman through his guilty conscience. He felt responsible for luring all the villains to his friends and family and I sometimes have a guilt complex like that. Of course, no one I know is dying because of me (thank god) but that was the only aspect I found relatable. This is a huge trope I think with Superhero comics where they feel they're responsible for the pain their job brings to others. I've had times in my life where I felt that things I've done have inconvenienced others even if I didn't intend it to, and I'm sure others reading the comic find that relatable as well. The comic still felt a little campy and otherworldly, not quite to the point of the more modern comics where I felt like it was on as deep of a level. I feel as though in general the whole concept of being a superhero is not that relatable so it was difficult to find a moment in the story where I actually thought of a time in my life that was similar.
3. What changes would you make to adapt the story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?
As an animation student and someone who already loves many of the DC comics movies and cartoons, I would probably adapt this story into an animated film. I think that a lot of the dialogue could be adjusted and moments we have alone with superman to clearly understand his feelings. I think animation has the power to convey the emotional moments more as well. It gives you more time with the characters and observing how they feel. I wouldn't do this comic in a live action film medium because personally I feel kind of disenfranchised with a lot of comics>live action/animated>live action medium because I feel it takes a lot of the fun and elements of these mediums that make them entertaining and different and erases it. I don't have a Superman example for this, however, for example, I'm never satisfied with any Batman movie entirely because I feel no one can portray the Bat family/robins/batgirl correctly in the film without either being too silly/funny/campy or too gritty/serious. Newer movies completely removed this aspect of the comics but its essential to the story and Batman's character development. It's difficult to pull off the balance between comic/live action in a way that still honors the comic medium but creates a good live action film. I feel that the superman Live action movies can attest to it this as well. That's why I feel animation in particular is a good medium because it has the ability to honor the original comics properly through art direction/viewer perception & expectations for the medium. When I say viewer expectations I mean certain things might be more acceptable in animation but less acceptable in live action.
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