Favorite Superman Incarnation

[stargazer01]

ATTENTION: You can select 2 favorites. I know it's hard to just pick one. ;D


So which one is it and Why? I know there is also "Superboy" but there were no more spaces left for that one, sorry.


Edit: oop, sorry I misspelled the word Interpretation.

[Jimbo]

Reeve movies (I can't see anyone not choosing that) - Just Superman and Superman II though

Smallville (during its heyday) - seasons 2-3 were great, I recall 4 being OK, but after that, it just got really bloated and lost its focus.

Honorable mention: Superman Returns

[Legsy]

I grew up with the Reeve movies. I love 'em, even Supes IV. It reminds me of my childhood.

Smallville is the other. I've been watching since it premiered. I've grown older with it. There's a lot of crap involved, but there are some good gems in there. More recently than before.

[matt]

The Reeve movies, I also like 1985 - 1995 Superman comics, Liked Superman -Secret origin.

[The Phantom Menace]

The Christopher Reeve Movies (excluding Cannon's Superman IV)

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1st Season)

[Matt in the Hat]

Of course the reeve stuff is a landslide. So i voted for L and C, and the original Adv. of Superman. George all the way, baby!

[SGB]

Reeve movies easily.

[Deleted]

I shall go against the grain and say, in fact, that the Superman in the Superman movies is NOT my favorite incarnation. Not to go against the grain, but because it's true.

My all time favorite is from Superman: The Animated Series. I don't know why but it is. I just love the character in it. The Clark is a perfect blend of smart and nerdy and cool and confident, and Superman wasn't a blowhard powerhouse, he had his limits but always pushed them, no matter the consequences. I want to rewatch the entire run. Some of the most amazing Superman moments were in this series.

My second favorite is the entire run of Superman basically from Dan Jurgens beginning until the Zero Hour fiasco happened. Christ, that was fucking stupid. But yeah. That whole chunk of comics, I guess basically from 89 to 94? Not just the ones he'd do but the other ones, as well. Just so well written. So human. The most human Superman's been, really, is during that time, I feel. Other than when he was turned into the Kryptonian Man. Or whatever that was.

[belloq]

Donnerverse and Animated Series. I can easily say that TAS's pilot is my favorite Superman movie second only to STM.

[crazy_asian_man]

Well...
This poll is a little odd for me, because I consider the Superman Reeve movies and Superman Returns as one choice- it's the same (for the most part) interpretation of the character.

But it's not just the character, it's the choice of crystals as the basis for Krypton and the Fortress of Solitude & the portrayal of Superman's first reveal & the approach taken to the whole myth- even the tiny portion devoted to Smallville had a very poetic fairy tale quality to it that made you feel like it was something special, not a cranked out film with no heart.

But it's mostly the choices Donner/Mank/Puzo made in interpreting so many years of comics and tv and movies as well. I would totally have been fine even with a whole hour devoted to the Smallville section to really get even more of a sense who this character that we followed from birth had become and his personal journey with such a unique situation (though I know many who aren't as much into character study in a comic book film & would probably hate this).

(An aside: Smallville in the beginning had parts of this, that I adored, but the character study aspect quickly became a backseat to defeating the (usually) one-note baddy of the week.)

Anyhow, I was skeptical before the movie even came out (and even thought photos of Reeve looked too young for how the character was drawn by Curt Swan at the time)- but upon seeing it, immediately fell in love with it & could not wait for the next installments that I'd hoped were coming.

Superman Returns - even as a 'quasi-sequel' - embraces the foundation of the previous choices, so it's the same interpretation imo and not really a separate incarnation- just an updated one.

The second favorite I'm going to cheat on: It's a toss-up between growing up seeing glimpses of the repeated B&W tv Superman George Reeves as the ultimate cool good father figure to the world & thriling to his flights as a child- and -different sections of Superman comics when I floated in/ out of comics...

As an example- Reprints of the original Shuster/Siegel stories that would appear in Superman giant-size specials; 1960's 'depowering of Superman/removal of Kryptonite' saga that gave me chills but excitement at the same time (now reprinted in Trade paperback); the occasional 'giant size specials' that would take reprinted stories from different eras of Superman- some more fantasy based than others (had a major crush on that Mermaid Superman fell for... so what if she had a big tail instead of legs?)- later on a section of the Byrne era when Superman (presumably for the first time since Siegel/Shuster) would be SOLELY responsible for art/writing/creative direction of Superman for a stretch- a lot of fresh and interesting choices that had WEIGHT for once, because all three books on Superman that would come up seemed to obey the same rules and have some strong sense of continuity... some of the Jurgens stuff that followed slightly before/during/after the "Death of Superman" story- then bowed out again & was attracted again recently to Geoff Johns work on Superman* (*although I despise Geoff Johns' retcon of Superboy prime's demise/turn into a twisted serial killer).

Long winded answer, but just sharing the bits really enjoyed/experienced in the comic run of Superman (though I should also mention the Alan Moore stuff as well-- BRILLIANT way to end the Silver Age).

Ok, shutting up now. Sorry for the long-windedness....

[ye5man]

I love the simplicity of George Reeve's first two seasons.

With movies, you can't really flesh out the characters as you would in a TV show (not that Reeves was fleshed out too much, lol). At least in Lois and Clark, their relationship moved forward. At the end of Superman 2, it was back to the status quo.

I can't really decide on a favourite interpretation. I dug the "family" Daily Planet vibe in Lois and Clark and George Reeves that was lacking in the films. I dig all the outer space stuff you find in the comics. So its a mixture of many components (plus what mood I am in)

I agree that Reeve and Routh were pretty much the same. A (not so subtle) remake of STM is hardly ground breaking stuff.

Like I say, at least Smallville is original, well next to SR anyway.

[crazy_asian_man]

With movies, you can't really flesh out the characters as you would in a TV show (not that Reeves was fleshed out too much, lol). At least in Lois and Clark, their relationship moved forward. At the end of Superman 2, it was back to the status quo.

It's true that they never went that deep with the character. But (like many of Donner's films) they gave you enough to care about them. In STM, since the story was able to let you see the character from birth to the present, that gave one an added layer of connection to him, rather than if they just started with- BAM! Metropolis.

There are other ways to connect the audience to the character; I'm sure Nolan has that covered.... but it'll be interesting to see how much Nolan & company will flesh out Supes.

In BB/TDK, Nolan gave you enough, and as on-target as I think you can get w/Bruce Wayne from the comics--- so when he was more part of an ensemble in TDK (I wonder if anyone has counted the percentage of screentime Bale has in TDK? If you subtract doubles, probably pretty low)..... but that film was pretty close to perfect, even with a Batman that wasn't on screen all the time. (Or even most of the time it seems).

I'm sure at this stage the mandate from WB has to be 'MORE ACTION'!!!! But question is whether or not there's enough care for the character in the film. Again, will see.....

Is there anyone else here kinda wish Donner were involved on some level? If Nolan/Donner were to get together (polar opposites).... THAT would be truly fascinating imo.

[EnriqueH]

The Reeve movies.

I enjoy all interpretations of the character though.

[stargazer01]

Well...
This poll is a little odd for me, because I consider the Superman Reeve movies and Superman Returns as one choice- it's the same (for the most part) interpretation of the character.

But it's not just the character, it's the choice of crystals as the basis for Krypton and the Fortress of Solitude & the portrayal of Superman's first reveal & the approach taken to the whole myth-

I AGREE, CAM. I really wanted to put them together, but thought some people would complain about it, so I didn't...

[Metallo]

My favorites are Superman TAS and The Reeve films.

The Adventures of Superman rounds that out as the holy trinity of Superman adaptations from the comics and even did some things BETTER than the comics that the comics took or were inspired by later. Brainaic, Mercy, Inspector Henderson, etc.

For me the best, most "pure" version of Superman lies somewhere in the intersection of STM, AOS's first season, and Superman TAS.

[Knight]

Grew up on Reeve as Superman,he is Superman-period for me. My love for the character and myth derives from my fascination with Superman/Reeve.

I look through comics and would sway to buy them more if the art work was more Reeve-like. Loved the 80's Superman comics for that reason. Used to love drawing them too.

Superman Returns,Smallville, Animated series and L&C. That said, I haven't seen the Superboy TV series since I was a kid. I would love to give them a try now.

[Jimbo]

Reeve gave good performances, even in the bad movies. His was a Consistently Great Interpretation.

[Deleted]

I think he's pretty bad in a lot of the Donner Cut, to be honest. Way too theatrical.

Theatrical works when you're in a dramatic play. Not when you're in a movie.

[Knight]

Yea,strange that he was in and out during Donner cut. Excellent during that scene after he destroys the fortress.

[stargazer01]

I voted for the Reeve movies and Superman Returns. It's not a perfect adaptation but it's my favorite because it explores and presents the character in a very epic and mythic way, and it also humanizes him just enough to make him relatable. Plus Reeve and Brandon are pure awesome in the role. Oh and the music, that music is unforgettable.

My second choice are the cartoons, most of them, especially the newer ones and the Fleischer cartoons. AND the comics. Now, I haven't read all of them, not even close, but I adore the Alan Moore stories, All-Star Superman, Secret Identity, Exile, Last Son among a few others.

Still haven't seen Lois and Clark or Superboy. Have seen some of the George Reeve eps, which I liked enough, and some Smallville, but could never get into it.

[crazy_asian_man]

I think he's pretty bad in a lot of the Donner Cut, to be honest. Way too theatrical.

Theatrical works when you're in a dramatic play. Not when you're in a movie.

As talked about, could well be:
(1) the fact that it was one of the first scenes shot for the film, with the Brando deadlines...
(2) Reeve just getting started- and then having to act vs. Marlon Brando....
(3) Poor editing by Thau

The scenes feel stilted, but I don't think that's Donner's fault. We were able to see what Donner could do with STM. He's mentioned that he would have liked Brando to come back to reshoot stuff as well- wouldn't be suprised if he had Reeve redo stuff, as he'd gotten more used to the character later on, as well.

Also, adding to the mix, the mismatching (in tone) Lester scenes makes it stand out even more... in a bad way.

[stargazer01]

Interesting POLL,

YOUR FAVORITE ORIGIN FOR SUPERMAN

www.comicbookresources.com/?page=poll&id=65

LOL...

[Jimbo]

Oct 27, 2010 20:02:56 GMT -5 @stargazer01 said:

Interesting POLL,

YOUR FAVORITE ORIGIN FOR SUPERMAN

www.comicbookresources.com/?page=poll&id=65

LOL...

"Smallville - All the emo I need" ;D

[Jor-L5150]

difficult.

in the comics i'd say byrne-to-death of superman.

but i usually say :
1) S:TM
2) S:TAS

way way way way the fuck down at the bottom of the bottom of the motherfucking bottom:
- lois and clark , any ep after the pilot

[stargazer01]

way way way way the fuck down at the bottom of the bottom of the motherfucking bottom:
- lois and clark , any ep after the pilot

Um, are you really sure?