8

Superman

Author: Multiple, originally conceived by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

Volumes: Multiple stories across various timelines [click HERE if you want to be overwhelmed by the sheer list alone]

Publisher: DC [click HERE for DC Universe subscription service]

For the longest time I wouldn’t have even dreamed of putting Superman on ANY list at all. I feel like there was this huge stigma surrounding the character when I was growing up, that even other comic readers of my age were wearing on their sleeve like it was their own original opinion.

Don’t get me wrong, there are many bad/ underwhelming Superman stories, but that’s what happens when you have actively existed for just barely under a century at this point at near enough 85 years! The fact he still exists and is a widely recognised figure is nothing short of an achievement in itself.

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created a lasting design with what is essentially the philosophy all other heroes can be measured by. He is the paragon yardstick, where despite how strong he is, he is judged by his actions with that power more than he is judged by the ability to punch things really hard.

Superman is the traditional saviour of the people, and with that, what matters to him more than fighting evil, is rescuing those in need. A lot of Superman’s best stories are where even with his skillset, he is stretched thin by multiple catastrophes, and to Superman even a single life lost is considered a loss overall.

The problem with modern day interpretations, especially in cinema, is that his want to save the helpless is often butchered and crammed into simply wanting to save the love of his life Lois Lane, which don’t get me wrong, would hurt him, but it isn’t something he really puts before any other innocent life.

This can be best summed up by two massively impactful comics. “Whatever happened to the man of tomorrow” written by (BIG SURPRISE) Alan Moore, and “What’s so funny about, Truth, Justice, and the American Way” written by Joe Kelly, two comics involving superman that will tell you all you need to know about just how far you can push this man’s unwavering heroic principles, and just why he matters in the ever expanding world of superheroes.

I still have a lot more I wish to read through with Superman, and I don’t want to sound like I’m an expert on the subject despite this being so influential that it made it into the top 10 of all places. I just can’t believe how wrong I was, and how wrong so many are about a hero we could use a lot more of in our lives.