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Thursday, July 21, 2011

Poor Superman...

I was just reading through the October DC solicits again, and a thought struck me. In two separate comics, you have superheros fighting poor Superman. Batman in the JLA, and Supergirl in Supergirl.

What's up with that? I mean I get the whole "Superman is very powerful so beating him is a benchmark of awesomeness" thing. But it's not like either character hasn't gone up against Superman before.

I mean, I get that the JLA is a flashback story, but is there any fan who actually doubts that Batman would think of a way to take out Superman? (I'm a fan who prefers Superman as a character to Batman, Bruce Wayne version at least, but I have no illusions about who'd win that fight. Heck, I always figured that was one of the things Clark liked about him.)

As for Supergirl, well, it seems like a rite of passage for many teen heroes to go up against either Superman alone or the entire Justice League (in the case of teams like the Teen Titans.) Can't we just assume the teenager will win and therefore prove him or herself?

It's an unfair fight anyway. Clark may be more powerful, but unless he's mind controlled or something, he's always going to fight hobbled since he's grown up with the idea that he might kill someone if he wasn't careful. (And when he IS mind-controlled, he's always going to lose through narrative contrivance anyway.) He's certainly not going to go all out against a much younger cousin or his non-metahuman ally.

Eh, I'm sure the comics will be enjoyable anyway, I just think it's an old overused gimmick.

10 Comments:

  • At July 22, 2011 2:51 AM, Blogger Ununnilium said…

    It is, in fact, a huge cliche. :/

     
  • At July 22, 2011 4:58 AM, Blogger Diabolu Frank said…

    I'm not of the "Batman will find a way" school. I'm of the "screw Frank Miller, that's friggin' Superman" school. Batman wins are like a balding middle aged man in a Porsche.

     
  • At July 22, 2011 6:40 AM, Blogger Ununnilium said…

    Honestly, Batman winning over Superman makes sense to me. Back through the Silver Age - heck, the Golden Age - the characters who give Superman the most trouble are those who can out*think* him. And since Superman is almost always being controlled one way or another in these tussles...

    (And note that, at the end of The Dark Knight Returns, Batman *loses*. It's all part of his plan, of course, but...)

     
  • At July 22, 2011 8:33 AM, Blogger notintheface said…

    Anyone who thinks Batman would beat Superman should read the Supes/WW "Sacrifice" story arc.

     
  • At July 22, 2011 9:11 AM, Blogger Jer said…

    Feh. If they're writing the story correctly Batman doesn't need to beat Superman in a fight because he can talk him out of it. Unless there's mind control involved and then Batman will win because Superman is being mind controlled and it's a freaking superhero story.

    Alternative universes where Superman is a complete shmuck aside (like Miller's Dark Knight Returns), there's no reason for Superman and Batman to ever actually fight anyway. And in those alternative universes where there is a reason, Superman is a shmuck and therefore the bad guy and therefore Batman wins.

    I wish they'd stop with the cliche - it makes both Batman and Superman look like tools when they fight "Marvel style".

     
  • At July 22, 2011 9:39 AM, Blogger kalinara said…

    I should clarify that I'm of the:

    "In a fair fight, Superman would win. But it's never a fair fight because either Superman is mind-controlled/bespelled or generally is holding back against his friends, while Batman packs a kryptonite ring because he's a dick that way,"

    school.

    If that helps at all. :-)

     
  • At July 22, 2011 3:46 PM, Blogger SallyP said…

    Nah...they're fighting him because Lois has been dumped...and they probably think it's his fault.

     
  • At July 22, 2011 6:15 PM, Blogger Diabolu Frank said…

    I should also clarify. I'm of the "so over the both of them pretending these matches aren't about their unrequited man-love" school. That's why I went ahead and subscribed to Stormwatch instead of Justice League. Well, that and that other Manhunter...

     
  • At July 22, 2011 10:57 PM, Blogger Captain Infinity said…

    I thought the whole idea of DC scrapping the legacy of the JSA in order to make Superman the first hero was to have him be an inspiration to the other heroes. So why does everyone want to fight him?

     
  • At November 28, 2011 7:56 AM, Anonymous Manuel said…

    Well, I do not really believe this will have success.
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