Credit – DC comics
Jerry Siegal and Joe Shuster are heroes of mine. They created my favorite comic book character, Superman in 1938, with the release of Action Comics #1, and heralded in an age of escapism, fun, and entertainment. With the inspiration of imagining themselves heroes, with powers and abilities far beyond that of mortal men, Siegal and Shuster almost instantaneously created an iconic American symbol. Superman represented all that America aspired to be, and gave us hope, challenged us, and defended us in times of crisis. Truth, Justice, and the American Way. DC Comics was the bastion of Superman, and for most of Superman’s existence, Superman was held to a higher standard, and never messed with, other than to clean up timelines and universes. But at the core, Superman remained true to how he was originally created. DC Comics, though, has been purposely changing Superman’s history and foundation, over the last decade. One of the main reasons, is DC’s insistence on hiring activists with a real hate for America. There are many more reasons and possibilities, from ESG funding to copyright issues, but one thing is clear…Superman is not the same hero he was 10 years ago.
Superman Renounces His American Citizenship?
For me, it began back in 2011, with the anniversary release of Action Comics #900. In this issue, written by the very left David Goyer, Superman renounced his American citizenship and questioned his slogan of Truth, Justice, and the American Way. I was floored. And it wasn’t like this was told right out of the gate. No, DC Comics waited until the end of the comic book to give us this huge revelation. Superman, who was raised by the very American John and Martha Kent in Smallville, Kansas, instilled in Clark, a foundation of American ideals. Superman doing this seemed foreign to me and against everything he stood for. It also seemed like a slap in the face to his parents and to the fans. Maybe David Goyer just hated America and wanted to show it through the perfect American symbol. Who in their right mind would think of doing that though? But who was I to judge? I was just a paying customer who grew up believing a man could fly.
Credit – DC Comics
DC Comics, With Brian Michael Bendis’ Help, Fast Tracked Superman’s Demise
Then there was Flashpoint, in which Barry Allen changed DC’s entire timeline, messing with a lot of DC’s characters, but specifically Superman. Superman was now in a different costume, Martha and Jonathan Kent both died when Clark was young, and he wasn’t married to Lois Lane. It was complete trash, and hard to get through. Then came Rebirth, in which we saw a lot of the New 52 basically scrapped, and the original Superman was back, albeit with a slightly different costume, married to Lois Lane, and they had a pre-teen boy named Jon. Rebirth, for the most part was an enjoyable read across all titles, and Superman was written well enough, that all seemed normal again in the universe. But then writer Brian Michael Bendis came, and the downfall began. Bendis conveniently aged up Clark and Lois’ son Jon to fit a storyline, and then Bendis revealed Superman’s secret identity to the whole world. Why? For a few minutes of social media fame. Superman’s secret identity was intrinsic to his character, was fun, and didn’t need to be revealed. It was a pointless gimmick. Bendis is the big A-Ha writer in comic books, who leaves a path of destruction in his wake, and then leaves to destroy another character. Bendis had changed everything that was going right in the Superman titles, for a big moment reveal, that just ended up pissing off a lot of fans.
Credit – DC Comics
DC is Constantly Reinventing Superman to Keep Superman
DC was not done, however. In a grasp to invent a Superman that was theirs, they decided to tear down the Superman that fans could relate to and grew up with. In a separate story line in Action Comics this past year, Superman left Earth with the Authority, in a noble quest to free Warworld from the clutches of the evil Mongul. Superman , before he leaves, tells his son Jon that he’s the Superman of Earth now. Subsequently, this new Superman of Earth has come out as bi-sexual, and can be seen protesting in the name of climate change. DC Comics also had Jon Kent conveniently change Superman’s decades old slogan of Truth, Justice, and the American Way, to Truth, Justice, and a Better Tomorrow. So stunning and brave this new Superman is. Some of these changes played two parts, neither benefitting DC Comics financially, but did manage to stir up the ire of the fans. The rumors are, that Superman is being altered, as well as their mainstay of characters, to qualify for ESG(environmental social governance)funding, and because of copyright issues with the Superman character. In 2015, then President Obama, signed into legislation, the ability for companies to qualify for government funding based on their ESG scores rather than qualifying based on their profitability. This of course has singularly benefitted those companies that are run by Democrats. They don’t have to worry anymore if no one is buying their products, because as long as they are environmentally and socially left, they will be able to keep the lights on thanks to your tax dollars and the government. The other issue, is Superman’s copyright status. In ten years, Action Comics becomes public domain. So that means, anyone could reprint Action Comics #1, use the exact likeness of Superman and any characters in that specific issue, without fear of reprisal. To thwart this, DC is continually changing the way Superman appears in the comic books. Hence why they now have Jon Kent as the new Superman. Doing that and making him bi-sexual and protesting climate change kills three birds with one stone.
Kal-El
Credit – DC Comics
Superman is White…so That Must be a Problem
Even more nefarious, is DC Comics’ hiring of writers who hate America and think white people are racist. John Ridley for example, Oscar winner for 12 years a Slave, was brought on by DC Comics to write a mini series entitled ‘The Other History of the DC Universe’. John Ridley’s goal with this mini series, was to tell the stories of superheroes, who were people of color, and get their perspective on Superman. In one issue, Ridley has Black Lightning accusing Superman of having white privilege. In an interview with The New York Times, Ridley explained his story, and how these other superheroes see Superman, and if Ridley got pushback as a result.
“No, because it is not about Superman being a bad guy. We visit Superman and other heroes through the lens of these characters. Even though Superman is an immigrant and truly an alien, his passport is stamped because of the way he looks and because of the way he presents himself. All of these characters have to reconcile how they view other people and whether they’re being fair. If I made Superman or Batman or Wonder Woman bad people, I’m sure we would have had pushback. But it was all fair game if it came from a perspective that felt real and grounded.”
In other words, Superman is a white guy who gets a free pass. Come on man. And just a little detail for Mr. Ridley. Superman is actually a refugee since his planet exploded and an alien…not an immigrant. But we all know why that was said. Ridley also wrote another political charged Superman mini series, called ‘Superman Red and Blue’. You can probably guess what that stands for. Yep…Conservative vs Liberal, or Republicans vs Democrats. Because that’s what fans want to read about. In issue one of Red and Blue, John Ridley writes a story depicting a time Superman was raped and tortured at the hands of a communist Soviet named Colonel Koslov. Superman, in the story, is reflecting on the time he was captured by Koslov as a result of being bombarded with Kryptonite radio waves. Superman retells the story in horrific detail that is disturbing. These are just some of the feel good stories that DC Comics thinks will unite the fans. That was sarcasm. This is, in my opinion, is Ridley’s way of tearing down a recognizable symbol of America, and also knocks down a man based on the color of his skin. It’s really insidious what DC Comics is doing to Superman, and they are getting away with it because they have nothing to lose.
Credit – DC Comics
Truth, Justice, and the American Way
Jerry Siegal and Joe Shuster are heroes in their own right. They created a character that millions have looked up to and that fans have rejoiced over. As much as these activists that DC Comics are hiring, try to destroy our favorite past time, you’ll never convince me that Superman is nothing other than 100% American. He was created by two teens who wanted to escape from their reality and into a world of wonder, hope, and imagination…and they succeeded. All through the decades, Superman has stood up for America. Whether it was joining forces with our soldiers in WWII to fight Nazism, asking kids to help buy war bonds to support our troops, or watching Christopher Reeve as Superman, flying to the White House with the American flag in his hands. telling the President, he won’t let him down again. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were part of an interview in the 70’s, where the interviewer asked them how they would define Superman. Jerry Siegal responded by saying Truth, Justice, and the American Way. It really is that simple. DC is perverting an American icon for self serving reasons that are embarrassing and shameful. DC Comics doesn’t deserve Superman, and he should be ripped away from DC as quickly as possible…but that’s just wishful thinking. The best we can hope for, is that DC Comics dies a quick death, so the fans are spared further humiliation, at the hands of selfish activists.
One Response
They can’t even leave Superman alone…He’s been an iconic hero for close to a century?