Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Superman Returns!




I did this doodle to try out a new ink brush that I just bought and in honor of the new Superman film that is premiering today. Just a quick 20 minute drawing to relax a little before grinding out some paperwork for the day job.

As I did the drawing, I started to think about what meaning Superman has in my life. Why is he relevant to me.

Superman is just so powerful of an icon that his importance to western culture cannot be understated. First and foremost, he was the first superhero. The one that all others are but an imitation. Certainly he is first among his fellow supermen. He is the fastest, strongest, and greatest of them all.

Not only that, but all other superheroes "become" their alter ego. Superman "becomes" Clark Kent. Clark is the fiction, Superman is the fact. Very cool indeed.

There are also the parallels with Jesus Christ.
Jor-el, realizing that his world is ending in every sense of the word, sends his only begotten son to the planet Earth, where he will have Godlike powers compared to the humans. He will be the salvation of Earth.

He will use his power to fight for Truth, Justice, and the American way...

In this post 9/11 reality that we live in, who among us would not marvel in awe! Who among us would not shout "Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's SUPERMAN!

If only, on that day, he would have been there to stop those planes... I can see him now, at the last moment lifting those planes, one by one, away from the towers, tearing off the aluminum skin of the cockpit and bending it around the hi-jackers after setting the planes down safely in front of the nearest police station... Later, Mayor Giulliani on behalf of a greatful city presents the Man of Steel with the key to the city.

Superman Returns...

Welcome back Superman. We need you now more than ever.

16 comments:

Libby said...

this is great, tim!! and so right!!

Anonymous said...

Very nice! I always preferred a lean,, mean Superman over the barrel chested one of the Curt Swan days......

Tim said...

Thank you very much for stopping by Libby! Please come back.

Joe- The Curt Swan Supes was okay for his day, but I always felt Supes was younger, like 25 or so. His portrayal stems from the conservatism of the "50's" and the wholw "Father knows best" mentality.

shoprat said...

A wonderful fantasy for a sad day

Here is a little tidbit

Hebrew language

El = God (Elohim is plural though when refering to the one true God all verbs are singular though the noun is plural.)

Kal = All, Every, or Entirety

Jor (Yur) = True

However it is unlikely that Jerry Shuster and Joe Siegel (the creators of Superman) knew that as they were only a teenager when they created him.

It is ironic that he was originally a villain who relied on a chemical for his powers, but was later transformed into a hero in whom they were inherent. (Special features of the DVD for Superman 1)

I may talk about this myself someday.

The Conservative UAW Guy said...

Superman where are you now
Everything's gone wrong somehow
The men of steel, men of power
Are losing control by the hour.

Yeah, I'm old, but Genesis was cool (sometimes).

Great pic, Tim.
I wish he would show up...

Tim said...

SR- I think they did know. They were both Jewish, so knowing Hebrew by 13 is needed to complete a Bar Mitvah. Correct me if I am wrong, Mark.A very thoughtful observation.

JimmyB- For a brief moment, that fantasy helped me feel a little better. That's what we get from our heroes. If only for a brief shining moment, we rise above the real and are inspired and comforted that somebody will save the day and make it all right again, even if it is just a fantasy, it gives us a reason to go on even in the face of great dispair. This movie comes at a time when we want somebody to finally set things right. The people are hungry for heroes.

Chuang Shyue Chou said...

Yes, shrewdly observed. There is that JC parallel alright.

Deadman said...

"They were both Jewish, so knowing Hebrew by 13 is needed to complete a Bar Mitvah."

True. In addition, they both probably got a very traditional upbringing at the time and place in which they were growing up - 1920's Cleveland.

I did a Google search for them as well as Jor-El. There is a ton of info, I can't wade through it all. It would seem very coinmcidental that they chose a name like Jor-El out of the blyue.

HOWEVER, what DOES seems highly unlikely to me is that two Jews with a traditional upbringing at that time would give any consideration whatsoever to any parallel to Jesus Christ. That is the part that really doesn't make any sense. Jews actively aschew any concept of Jesus as the son of G-d or Messiah. It runs counter to everything that Judaism espouses about the Messianic concept.

Tim said...

Thank You for this comment, Mark. The paralell with Christ is merely MY observation, I'm not really saying that THEY thought up Supes as a Christ like savior. He does seem though, to be a secular messiah and savior of mankind. There is also a paralell to the story of Moses, whose mother sends him floating down the nile to escape death at the hands of Pharoh and who returns in adulthood to lead his people to the promised land...

Tim said...

By the way, I went with my son yesterday to watch the film, and it is powerful. I'm not ashamed to admit that I had tears running down my cheeks from the joy of watching the Man of Steel in action again after a long absence. I loved the film and encourage everybody to go see it. Brandon Routh is an even better Superman than Chris Reeve, and Kate Bosworth has got to be the prettiest actress in movies right now

Anonymous said...

Suppose Supes was Jewish. That'd be a Bris that people would talk about for YEARS......

Deadman said...

What the hell would you use to cut off the Man of Steel's foreskin?????

Tim said...

A Kryptonite scalpel!

The WordSmith from Nantucket said...

Good answer!

He will use his power to fight for Truth, Justice, and the American way...

Well, you'll have to strike out that last part, now.

I couldn't tell if you had actually read my entire post, or just skimmed; and whether or not you were addressing me or just the commenters who expressed anger. Mine was more out of being irked than angry. It's not enough to keep me from seeing or enjoying the movie.

And how on earth can Capt. America agree with Dan?!?! On what?!

The WordSmith from Nantucket said...

Your drawings are impressive, btw.

shoprat said...

Mark
If it was done on his 8th day, he was probably still on Krypton

;-)