The Superman Look: Shaping Superman

[Sun_Down]

yes Pitt was bigger and certainly more cut

But he just flat out isn't. If you just wanna spout complete unabashed bull****, then fine, but you just couldn't be more wrong.

 

[mego joe]

I like Gary Frank's artwork, way back to his run on Supergirl with Peter David. I think he'll do a great job with Superman in ACtion. However, Curt Swan's SUperman will always be the standard.

Go back and look at Swan's SUperman. THat's a big guy. He could kick but with or without powers. The trick is tha Swan made him not only big but also tall. He has a huge chest.

Curt Swan defined the visual standard for Superman. Period.

 

[Comicfan]

Frank also dropped the gargantuan design some artists implement for the world’s strongest hero.

“I don’t understand the ‘monstrously huge’ approach at all. The truth is, it doesn’t matter how big your pec is, you aren’t going to stop a bullet with it. Superman’s power doesn’t come from having a buff physique; it comes from the fact that he’s from Krypton. So it makes no sense to me that he needs to look like a steroid freak. Plus, he also has to look right as Clark.”

 

[superbaby]

Post the shirtless pic but i can do you one better i have seen his so called shirtless body in motion when he was swimming to get a feel of flying also saw him on the dvd of returns when he was training and yes Pitt was bigger and certainly more cut. I personally dont blame Routh but the people he worked with.

ya, he just needs to get a little bigger than ordinary man and get rid of the muscle suit.

 

[Qwerty©]

ya, he just needs to get a little bigger than ordinary man and get rid of the muscle suit.

Do you want the suit to look even more ridiculous? The muscle suit needs to be there or we'll have a costume that is too wrinkly and baggy in some areas.

The muscle suit isn't there to add weight, BTW.

 

[sepharih]

I don’t understand the ‘monstrously huge’ approach at all. The truth is, it doesn’t matter how big your pec is, you aren’t going to stop a bullet with it. Superman’s power doesn’t come from having a buff physique; it comes from the fact that he’s from Krypton. So it makes no sense to me that he needs to look like a steroid freak.

I'm sorry, but this is incredibly silly...especially when it's coming from an artist.
It has absolutely nothing to do with him needing to be huge in order to have Superstrength. It has to do with visually exemplifying his great strength. Yes, Superman would technically be just as strong if he were four feet tall and skinny as a stick, but he wouldn't convey the same strength that he does when he's 6'4 and built like a brick wall now would he?

I like my Superman huge and imposing. An immovable pillar of strength.

 

[not_a_victim]

There is no need for Clark Kent to hide his physique. He is a "farm raised boy", and he is just a big guy.
Reeve portrayed this perfectly. In SMTM, when he is in Lois' apartment as Kent, trying to get Loois to go out for their date, Lois leaves the room. Clark, having made the decision to tell Lois he is Supes, takes off his glasses, and straightens his body. Reves gets about four inches taller and seems to gain about 20 pounds of muscle when he straightens up, and everytime I see it, I go, "Holy Crap, Reeve was awesome at hiding how tall and big he actually was!!" Reeve had a way of slouching and hunching his body to hide his true height and weight. That is part of his diguise.
Now Reeve was no Mr. Universe, but he did pack on considerable muscle for the part, even changing his jawline through muscle development. Routh was probably about the same size as Reeve when the movies where made, but his boyish, coupled with the claustorphobic cut of the costume, really destoyed the illusion of size.

 

[ariellem]

When will people just look at the pics of Routh shirtless when he was training?

Please post many. We will look.

 

[Hack and Slash]

I have seen those in the extras of SR dvd

 

[TheComicbookKid]

The hulking Superman isn't the problem to me. It's when he turns into Clark that I'm just like, don't u see the muscles about to burst the seams of his shirt? I don't care how thick your glasses are or how much you hunch over.

 

[not_a_victim]

The hulking Superman isn't the problem to me. It's when he turns into Clark that I'm just like, don't u see the muscles about to burst the seams of his shirt? I don't care how thick your glasses are or how much you hunch over.

And again, the solution is two part...
1. Explain that Clark built his physique by working on the farm, and
2. Minimize the extent of his size by the slouching, hunching that Reeve did.
The slouching and hunching serves two purposes; 1) it minimizes his size, and 2) it makes him seem meek.

 

[TheComicbookKid]

And again, the solution is two part...
1. Explain that Clark built his physique by working on the farm, and
2. Minimize the extent of his size by the slouching, hunching that Reeve did.
The slouching and hunching serves two purposes; 1) it minimizes his size, and 2) it makes him seem meek.

Not trying to apply a full real world logic to the story obviously.

1. Muscles don't stay unless you work them out. Unless he's still working on the farm, then he'll lose the muscle.
2. The slouching only works to a certain extent in my mind. Like Micheal Clark Duncan slouching won't make me not see his large physical body.

 

[sepharih]

The hulking Superman isn't the problem to me. It's when he turns into Clark that I'm just like, don't u see the muscles about to burst the seams of his shirt? I don't care how thick your glasses are or how much you hunch over.

If you are capable of suspending your disbelief to where you can accept that a pair of glasses, a change in demeanor, and (in some versions) a slight change in hair style will make you unrecognizable to everyone around you; then, and I'm asking this question sincerely, why is this too much of a stretch?

 

[TheComicbookKid]

If you are capable of suspending your disbelief to where you can accept that a pair of glasses, a change in demeanor, and (in some versions) a slight change in hair style will make you unrecognizable to everyone around you; then, and I'm asking this question sincerely, why is this too much of a stretch?

That actually isn't a large stretch to me. The kid in that Virginia Tech shooting was a American, but all his dormmates thought he couldn't speak English because he was so quiet. It's the same principal. People don't notice you or their impression of you is that of course you're not Superman. People from the South are considered stupid if they have a thick southern accent. You'd notice if a baby was 100 pounds no matter how quiet he was.

 

[Crook]

Not trying to apply a full real world logic to the story obviously.

1. Muscles don't stay unless you work them out. Unless he's still working on the farm, then he'll lose the muscle.

O...k...

So he still works out, even after moving out the farm. It's a hobby of his. No big whoop.

2. The slouching only works to a certain extent in my mind. Like Micheal Clark Duncan slouching won't make me not see his large physical body.

Except none of our actors will ever be as big as MCD, so that won't be a problem. At best, we have a very tall, and built (but not Mr. Olympic) actor.

Reeve perfected the mannerisms, and it definitely looked like 2 different people.

 

[TheComicbookKid]

We were discussing the comics.

 

[sepharih]

That actually isn't a large stretch to me. The kid in that Virginia Tech shooting was a American, but all his dormmates thought he couldn't speak English because he was so quiet. It's the same principal. People don't notice you or their impression of you is that of course you're not Superman. People from the South are considered stupid if they have a thick southern accent. You'd notice if a baby was 100 pounds no matter how quiet he was.

...sorry...but that's a terrible analogy. Even if we were to buy this as a plausible explanation for why day to day people he walks by don't recognize him; the fact is that Supes converses, in both identities, with people on a daily basis who continuously fail to recognize him. There's no logical excuse for that.
So I ask again, if you can accept that his 'soul mate' and the mother of his child can have a casual conversation with him on a daily basis without her ever putting two and two together, for the aforementioned reasons, why is him having a large amount of muscle mass too much of a stretch?

 

[not_a_victim]

We were discussing the comics.

Wrong forum.

 

[TheComicbookKid]

I'm sorry if you don't buy it, but that's it. It's all about preconceptions. That Clark Kent is an afterthought, while Superman is the major star. You look people in the face all day, but you can't remember them all immediately even those you work with. Now a hot chick with huge cans is something you go tell your friends about. For me it's about being normal versus abnormal. I know people like Clark, I've only met a few Micheal Clark Duncan type people. Even the bumbling can be over done if it draws too much attention to him.

Like I said. This is all my opinion. It's still a matter of suspension of disbelief. How the hell does Batman buy a Batwing? I don't care.

 

[TheComicbookKid]

Wrong forum.

the original post was talking about the upcoming Action Comics run. No wanted a Micheal Clark Duncan looking Routh in the movies.

 

[manofsteel4life]

I'm sorry if you don't buy it, but that's it. It's all about preconceptions. That Clark Kent is an afterthought, while Superman is the major star. You look people in the face all day, but you can't remember them all immediately even those you work with. Now a hot chick with huge cans is something you go tell your friends about. For me it's about being normal versus abnormal. I know people like Clark, I've only met a few Micheal Clark Duncan type people. Even the bumbling can be over done if it draws too much attention to him.

Like I said. This is all my opinion. It's still a matter of suspension of disbelief. How the hell does Batman buy a Batwing? I don't care.

i agree

 

[manofsteel4life]

for one..you cant have any connection between Clark and Superman....having him bulky can cause to much suspicion for Clark

 

[Crook]

Size alone does not single you out. It also has a lot to do with your presence, and ability to "blend" in with others.

It's why I was always a fan of the bumbling Clark, he may be big, but everyone pretty much glances past him because he's really just "that guy" you see from time to time. No one special. Or significant. Just there.

My only real problem with the disguise is it's a stretch for Clark's friends. These are the people that see him every day AND interact with him. So you'd have to be a blind ****** not to see it.

 

[sepharih]

I'm sorry if you don't buy it, but that's it. It's all about preconceptions. That Clark Kent is an afterthought, while Superman is the major star. You look people in the face all day, but you can't remember them all immediately even those you work with. Now a hot chick with huge cans is something you go tell your friends about. For me it's about being normal versus abnormal. I know people like Clark, I've only met a few Micheal Clark Duncan type people. Even the bumbling can be over done if it draws too much attention to him.

Actually, let's expand on this.
We often see celebrities wearing sunglasses in the hopes of concealing their identities from the average joe they see while going about their daily activities. They'll even dress in inconspicuous clothing. Despite their efforts, they are often still stalked by the paparazzi and are also quite often recognized by the previously mentioned average joe.
The word celebrity probably doesn't come to mind when thinking about Superman, but in the context of the DC universe he's probably the only candidate for "most well known person in the world" easily. His face is probably posted everywhere. He probably appears on television at least every hour. Even in the DC universe, there are action figures made of him. He is known and loved by, literally, billions of people all over the world.
Do you actually think it's possible that in all this time not one person has looked at Clark Kent and not recognized his star status. No. Impossible. Someone would have seen through the disguise.
But this isn't reality, it's a myth, so it doesn't matter. Just like him being body builder huge doesn't matter in this sense.

In short, if you can buy him concealing his identity with a pair of glasses, change in stance, etc. there is no reason you can't buy him being bulky as well.

 

[Crook]

The difference with celebs though, is paparazzi are ALWAYS at their side, 24/7. And there's also a huge difference between wearing regular clothing and a red/blue suit.

Hard to catch up with a guy if he's superfast and is flying everywhere.