Comics The Clark Kent Thread (mostly pics, bio, guise)

[Spike_x1]

Some pics...

 

[The Sage]

I think that both Clark and Superman are real; simply showing different elements of the whole. As Clark, sure, he trips once in a while and stuff like that to avoid any suspicion that he could possibly be Superman to anyone who happens to notice a resemblance. Still, as a (very good) journalist and farmboy at heart, he fights for truth and justice for those who can't speak for themselves, is a gentle soul, has friends and relationships, etc. As Superman, he doesn't have to fake the occasional stumble, he's still a farmboy, compassionate, and has all of those other personality traits that he has as Clark; he just goes about acting on them in a more hands-on way, instead of writing about them, just as a lot of humans do to bring about change in the world.

As for how the "Kal-El" identity fits into all that, I think that it was summed up very well at the end of MOS, where Superman says that Krypton gave him his powers, but Earth made him who he is. He still respects Krypton and its heritage, but he was raised with Earthly values, and is therefore truly a human being at heart, rather than the whole "alien alone among humanity" crap that Bryan Singer and others keep trying to force down our throats.

While that's a nice view, I disagree with Byrne's take on Superman. If you make Superman just a simple farmboy with superpowers, you take away a lot of the great qualities that make him who he is.

One of the qualities of Superman is that he's the ultimate immigrant, a guy who comes from another heritage but adopts our mantra and fights for us, but he never loses where he's from and that's always important to him. He's the walking American Dream. If he's just a farmboy, you lose that: he would be just a U.S. citizen with some heritage of another civilization.

Another unique quality I like is that it is both Earth and Krypton that make him who he is. The Kents' upbringing give him his morals, his sense of right and wrong. The knowledge of his heritage I believe helps give him the drive to fight for a better world on Earth. Krypton was a civilization that achieved the best out of its potential; they conquered disease, war, and attained peace. Its only flaw was its pride, which lead to its destruction. Superman is able to fight for a better world on Earth, not just because he was taught right from wrong and that his powers are for more than personal show-off, but because he knows that it can be achieved; he's from a civilization that did. And I believe he's also here to make sure we don't repeat the same mistake as Krypton did.

It's both, the same way his abilities are a byproduct of both worlds: his Kryptonian physiology and Earth's atmosphere and yellow sun.

 

[Spike_x1]

While that's a nice view, I disagree with Byrne's take on Superman. If you make Superman just a simple farmboy with superpowers, you take away a lot of the great qualities that make him who he is.

One of the qualities of Superman is that he's the ultimate immigrant,

Why can't he be "the ultimate immigrant" and still be a farmboy at heart? I wasn't aware of such a limitation.

Superman's been referred to many times as supposedly being the most human of us all, and that really doesn't work at all if he's actually a 50/50 split between Kryptonian and Human at heart.

I'd much rather have the so-called "all american" (for lack of a better term) farmboy whose values come from Earth and his upbringing.

a guy who comes from another heritage but adopts our mantra and fights for us, but he never loses where he's from and that's always important to him.

I never said his Kryptonian heritage wasn't important to him; I just said that it's not the driving factor in his actions, whereas the actual motivator for what he does is the values that the Kents put into him.

He's the walking American Dream. If he's just a farmboy, you lose that: he would be just a U.S. citizen with some heritage of another civilization.

I don't see how . I never said that he'd magically forget where he came from. I mean, I have Scottish heritage, which is very important to me and something that I never wish to forget, but I'm still 100% Canadian at heart. It's the same with Superman; just replace "Scottish" with "Kryptonian", and "Canadian" with "Human".

 

[The Sage]

Why can't he be "the ultimate immigrant" and still be a farmboy at heart? I wasn't aware of such a limitation.

How can you be the ultimate immigrant and a farmboy at heart?

Superman's been referred to many times as supposedly being the most human of us all, and that really doesn't work at all if he's actually a 50/50 split between Kryptonian and Human at heart.

Couldn't the fact that Superman's an alien be the reason why he's the most human of us all? That outsider's POV could be what allows him to see the beauty and potential in people that a regular human being couldn't. I believe he views the world on a perspective larger than most people could fathom. I believe it's why Superman doesn't fall prey too often to many of the vices that people do. Part of the reason anyway. The other part being the Kents' upbringing. That's all I'm saying.

I'd much rather have the so-called "all american" (for lack of a better term) farmboy whose values come from Earth and his upbringing.I never said his Kryptonian heritage wasn't important to him; I just said that it's not the driving factor in his actions, whereas the actual motivator for what he does is the values that the Kents put into him.I don't see how . I never said that he'd magically forget where he came from. I mean, I have Scottish heritage, which is very important to me and something that I never wish to forget, but I'm still 100% Canadian at heart. It's the same with Superman; just replace "Scottish" with "Kryptonian", and "Canadian" with "Human".

Why can't it be both? Why can't the pride in his heritage and the Kents' upbringing be the driving force behind his actions?

 

[Spike_x1]

How can you be the ultimate immigrant and a farmboy at heart?

I really don't understand the question. Is there anything at all stopping him from being an immigrant and still having those wholesome farmboy values? Any reason why he can't be both?

Couldn't the fact that Superman's an alien be the reason why he's the most human of us all? That outsider's POV could be what allows him to see the beauty and potential in people that a regular human being couldn't. I believe he views the world on a perspective larger than most people could fathom. I believe it's why Superman doesn't fall prey too often to many of the vices that people do. Part of the reason anyway. The other part being the Kents' upbringing. That's all I'm saying.

I think the character you're talking about is the Silver Surfer.

If Superman's alien heritage heightens his humanistic views, and is the reason why he's the most human of us all, then it really lessens (and almost negates) the impact of the values that the Kents and humanity would've instilled into him, and instead, it reduces his "most human of us all" status to just a big coincidence that Kryptonian values happen to coincide with (and go above) Earthly values. That would make his values not really human at all, but rather more along the lines of being an angelic alien; and as neat and good as that is, it's certainly not human.

Why can't it be both? Why can't the pride in his heritage and the Kents' upbringing be the driving force behind his actions?

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this particular front. I just don't see why pride in his heritage has anything to do with what he does, rather than it simply being 100% attributable to the Kents' upbringing. Treasuring his place as being The Last Son of Krypton is great thing for him to do, but it's not what makes him fly around saving people. He wasn't raised as Kal-El. He was raised as Clark Kent, so as far as I'm concerned, that's who he is, and that upbringing is what makes him do what he does.

 

[SuperDaniel]

While that's a nice view, I disagree with Byrne's take on Superman. If you make Superman just a simple farmboy with superpowers, you take away a lot of the great qualities that make him who he is.

One of the qualities of Superman is that he's the ultimate immigrant, a guy who comes from another heritage but adopts our mantra and fights for us, but he never loses where he's from and that's always important to him. He's the walking American Dream. If he's just a farmboy, you lose that: he would be just a U.S. citizen with some heritage of another civilization.

Another unique quality I like is that it is both Earth and Krypton that make him who he is. The Kents' upbringing give him his morals, his sense of right and wrong. The knowledge of his heritage I believe helps give him the drive to fight for a better world on Earth. Krypton was a civilization that achieved the best out of its potential; they conquered disease, war, and attained peace. Its only flaw was its pride, which lead to its destruction. Superman is able to fight for a better world on Earth, not just because he was taught right from wrong and that his powers are for more than personal show-off, but because he knows that it can be achieved; he's from a civilization that did. And I believe he's also here to make sure we don't repeat the same mistake as Krypton did.

It's both, the same way his abilities are a byproduct of both worlds: his Kryptonian physiology and Earth's atmosphere and yellow sun.

Tell me where this isnt showed in the post-crisis version? Because you`ve been reading the wrong comics.

 

[SuperDaniel]

I really don't understand the question. Is there anything at all stopping him from being an immigrant and still having those wholesome farmboy values? Any reason why he can't be both? I think the character you're talking about is the Silver Surfer.

If Superman's alien heritage heightens his humanistic views, and is the reason why he's the most human of us all, then it really lessens (and almost negates) the impact of the values that the Kents and humanity would've instilled into him, and instead, it reduces his "most human of us all" status to just a big coincidence that Kryptonian values happen to coincide with (and go above) Earthly values. That would make his values not really human at all, but rather more along the lines of being an angelic alien; and as neat and good as that is, it's certainly not human.I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this particular front. I just don't see why pride in his heritage has anything to do with what he does, rather than it simply being 100% attributable to the Kents' upbringing. Treasuring his place as being The Last Son of Krypton is great thing for him to do, but it's not what makes him fly around saving people. He wasn't raised as Kal-El. He was raised as Clark Kent, so as far as I'm concerned, that's who he is, and that upbringing is what makes him do what he does.

Totally agree!

 

[The Sage]

Tell me where this isnt showed in the post-crisis version? Because you`ve been reading the wrong comics.

Tell me where this isn't shown in the pre-crisis comics. I thought the whole "Krypton is where I'm from, but it's Earth that makes me human" was Byrne saying Krypton isn't that important.

 

[bestever23]

wow I love this picture of Clark

Honestly you can tell me you see Superman being that guy from that picture

It looks just like another nerdy guy worried

nothing looks like a brave courageous guy like superman

very good job on that pic

 

[Stallion9979]

i wont go into a huge detailed explanation but i will give my simple view...

he has 3 sides to his personality

Smallville Clark...the real man...raised by his parents with friends he grew up with...this is the heart of who is and who he was before superman was even a concept...

Metropolis Clark...someone introverted a bit clumsy...the reason for this is so that he cant keep distance with the uber celebrity that is superman...slouches...its so that anyone that sees him who as clark kent is a novelist and award winning persona could never be connected...

Superman...this is him at his prime...stands tall...authoritive voice...meant to inspire...to stand next to superman would be like standing next to a god...i mean you would be in constant awe...

he tweaks his mannurisms slightly between personas so as to keep each identity unique...

 

[mego joe]

i wont go into a huge detailed explanation but i will give my simple view...

he has 3 sides to his personality

Smallville Clark...the real man...raised by his parents with friends he grew up with...this is the heart of who is and who he was before superman was even a concept...

Metropolis Clark...someone introverted a bit clumsy...the reason for this is so that he cant keep distance with the uber celebrity that is superman...slouches...its so that anyone that sees him who as clark kent is a novelist and award winning persona could never be connected...

Superman...this is him at his prime...stands tall...authoritive voice...meant to inspire...to stand next to superman would be like standing next to a god...i mean you would be in constant awe...

he tweaks his mannurisms slightly between personas so as to keep each identity unique...

I think to go a step beyond that is to say that the 3 different aspects of his personality are not any different than the average person- just to greater extremes.

A work, at home, visiting family- we all have different aspects of our personality that become emphasized depending upon our environment. Often, the people that know us at work may not know a lot about our family or home life and vice versa.

Superman is not like J'onn J'onzz who purposely disguises himself as a human to blend in, Superman had a human upbringing and knows what it is to be human. It is part of who he truly is.

So when the question is asked:

"Who is Superman really? Clark or Superman?"

The answer is that he is really both or all 3 if you prefer, he is one person with extreme facets to his personality, so extreme that they can be unrecognizable from one another.



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