The Superman Look: Shaping Superman

[Sun_Down]

maybe he should look like me

Alright, why does no one else find this hilarious?

 

[hammy]

I don't see any reason why Superman has to be any bulkier than this. This is plenty. I don't like the Steroid versions of Superman, anyway. That's just for comic artists because they like to draw that way. Much more than this and he could never get away with being Clark.

 

[ubertroy]

I have always compared Superman with THOR. THOR is, and SHOULD BE noticably bigger. Here is how I remember them. I will list how I think others should be as well.

Superman is no midget but he shouldnt tower over everyone either.

THOR: 6'6'' 640lbs. Asgardian bone and muscle is more dense than human.

SUPERMAN: 6'3'' 225lbs. He's Kryptonian. They are what humans WOULD be if not for imperfections in human genes, politics, environmental polution etc.

HERCULES: 6'5'' 660lbs. THOR has him by an inch but he should be a bit bigger.

Captain Marvel: 6'3'' 240lbs. I've always felt Cap should be a little larger than Superman. For some, I think size would enhance the image. Imagine a woman from Metropolis saying ''WOW, he's bigger than Superman!'' Imagine the impact it would have on Cap's image.

Aquaman: 6'3'' 340lbs. I think they actually list him at 6'1''. He should be Superman's height or even slightly taller.

BATMAN: 6'2'' 215lbs. This is certainly big enough for him to get the job done. He shouldnt be jacked. At 6'5'' and 240lbs. He wouldnt be as effective.

Jonn: He's 6'6'' and his weight varies. He should be just over 300 in fimilar form.

Hawkman: 6'6'' 280lbs. He's a huge guy.

THING: 6'3'' 800lbs. Ben has never been a HUGE monster. His heart and fighting ability has always played a key part, along with his strength. in his winning fights.
For the record: BEN SHOULD be AT class 100 or slightly above.

HULK: 8Ft. 1200lbs. That's plenty. He doesnt need to be larger than that. He still towers over most of the Earth's population of humans.

 

[Spider-Fan83]

I always thought, superman was usually described around 6'5" (in the comics) (i know Reeves was 6'3-4 and in the movie, he's described as 6'4") but, I just looked up a bunch of bio sites, and, they all say 6'3' too
weird

 

[Venomfan]

dont know if its already been said, but do people even think Superman has a secret identity? i mean he's on the news, and pictures and everything without a mask on, why would anyone think he's also pretending to be some other guy they work with

 

[manofsteel4life]

dont know if its already been said, but do people even think Superman has a secret identity? i mean he's on the news, and pictures and everything without a mask on, why would anyone think he's also pretending to be some other guy they work with

no kidding...lol

 

[slave2catwoman]

Because they look exactly alike. I don't think anyone would suspect anything if he did not have the same group of friends as Clark and Superman. But you can't fool everybody with such a flimsy disguise.

 

[Lead Cenobite]

It is conceivable that Kryptonians are naturally a little taller and more physically impressive than your average Terran. Superman could get away with a cheesy disguise if he did not hang around with the same group of friends in both identities. That has always been a really stupid part of the Superman mythos.

I'd say it's one of the more clever parts. It's not as easy as putting on a mask that covers most of your face.

Still, I agree in part. IMO, Superman shouldn't interact with the DP staff anymore than he does with the rest of the people in Metropolis. Lois should fall in love with him because of what he does, and not because of his physique and eyes, and Jimmy probably shouldn't be his friend, just Clark's.

 

[hammy]

dont know if its already been said, but do people even think Superman has a secret identity? i mean he's on the news, and pictures and everything without a mask on, why would anyone think he's also pretending to be some other guy they work with

I know, I've thought the same thing. t: Except for the fact that he conveniently seems to disappear right around the same time Clark shows up. Superman is friends with Lois, Jimmy, etc. But you never see him having a beer with Clark...

 

[COMPO]

I don't think people really see any harm in it i mean they do interview him so it would be okay for him to be seen with them.

 

[ubertroy]

I know, I've thought the same thing. t: Except for the fact that he conveniently seems to disappear right around the same time Clark shows up. Superman is friends with Lois, Jimmy, etc. But you never see him having a beer with Clark...

There are some things about Superman and Batman that may never change.

You just have to leave a little for the imagination. If my friend wore a Batman mask, I'd still be able to recognize him. Batman if very different from Bruce but a close friend could still tell. It just makes the story more interesting to not know.

Bruce and Clark will always be Batman and Superman. The entire rest of the DCU can be rebuilt around them and they will still remain the same because, when it all boils down, it's STILL comics and they are STILL the most important characters in all of comics.

They are the last ones to actually look cool with the 'outer undies' (though I do like that Superman costume that pops up every now and then, The one from the ''Ultimate DC'' article WIZARD did a few years ago.

 

[ubertroy]

If you make them TOO realistic, they wont be comics anymore. You dont want to make them too realistic or you'll end up dating some girl who will talk you out of reading them. LOL

 

[hame4479]

Alright, why does no one else find this hilarious?

\
O trust me, I I find it laugh out loud funny. Can u say delusional.

 

[hammy]

If you make them TOO realistic, they wont be comics anymore. LOL

Agreed. That's what makes them fun.

 

[slave2catwoman]

I turn girls onto comics. I never let them talk me out of reading them. Maybe it's because I am getting older, but I really enjoy more realistic comics. What if Superman existed in real life, in the world we live in, what would happen? Those are my favorite stories.

 

[Sun_Down]

\
O trust me, I I find it laugh out loud funny. Can u say delusional.

LOL, thank you. It's pretty obvious that one of those pictures isn't that poster. I'll let everyone guess which one.

 

[hammy]

Why do you say that?

 

[The Joker_1000]

I don't see any reason why Superman has to be any bulkier than this. This is plenty. I don't like the Steroid versions of Superman, anyway. That's just for comic artists because they like to draw that way. Much more than this and he could never get away with being Clark.

This is exactly how Superman's physique should be, maybe a little less bulkier though.

 

[The Joker_1000]

I re-watched "Superman Returns" today & I feel that Routh has the physique, he should just make his muscles a bit more toned. He should also try to get some abs or he should at the very least wear a muscle suit with abs.

 

[not_a_victim]

For about the 12th time...
The problem is deeper than any actor's physique. The problem is that comic book artists have been waaaay overdrawing the characters for years.
For example, someone like Batman will have this on their official bio...
"Height: 6'2"
Weight: 215 lbs.
Batman has the strength and endurance of a man his height and weight that participates in intensive regular exercise."
That's all well and good, but then the artist who draws Batman will then draw them at about 6'6" and looking like a ripped 270 pounds.
THAT is the fundamental probelm. If we had been exposed to characters drawn by artists who really know what the heck 215 pounds looks like on a guy who is 6'2" tall, we would not be having this discussion.
Edit: Don't get me wrong, I think someone like Batman or Capt. America should be big, fearsome looking guys, but dont tell me he weighs 215, then draw him at 270. Say he weighs 270.

 

[ariellem]

Excellent point. I suppose it's like camera angles and lighting in movies, the artists trying to make their subjects look more imposing, but you're right - it gives the reader a false sense of what they would look like in real life.

Goes for the women, too! How many tall, super-thin DDs or EEs really walk around on this planet?

 

[The Joker_1000]

Agreed. Make a character look as they should. To be honest, someone like Superman who stands at 6'4-6'6 should be said to weigh about 270 lbs, not 225 lbs.

 

[A Dark Knight]

I re-watched "Superman Returns" today & I feel that Routh has the physique, he should just make his muscles a bit more toned. He should also try to get some abs or he should at the very least wear a muscle suit with abs.

I think the same way, size wise Routh was great, but for MOS he should work on getting more ripped while holding the same size and IMO he will look the part perfectly.

 

[Brian Braddock]

For about the 12th time...
The problem is deeper than any actor's physique. The problem is that comic book artists have been waaaay overdrawing the characters for years.
For example, someone like Batman will have this on their official bio...
"Height: 6'2"
Weight: 215 lbs.
Batman has the strength and endurance of a man his height and weight that participates in intensive regular exercise."
That's all well and good, but then the artist who draws Batman will then draw them at about 6'6" and looking like a ripped 270 pounds.
THAT is the fundamental probelm. If we had been exposed to characters drawn by artists who really know what the heck 215 pounds looks like on a guy who is 6'2" tall, we would not be having this discussion.
Edit: Don't get me wrong, I think someone like Batman or Capt. America should be big, fearsome looking guys, but dont tell me he weighs 215, then draw him at 270. Say he weighs 270.

Fantastic post. Co-sign.

It's for exactly these reasons that I admire artists who draw different characters with different body types (ala Adam Hughes, Alan Davis etc) as opposed to artists who just seem to use a cut-and-paste bodybuilder-type physique template for every damn character they draw.

I mean, jeez, some artists draw the Flash with the build of Mr.Olympia for chrissakes.

It pisses me off because those artists either are very lazy or just don't have the talent to draw distictivly different body-types.

 

[Nightwing1977]

For about the 12th time...
The problem is deeper than any actor's physique. The problem is that comic book artists have been waaaay overdrawing the characters for years.
For example, someone like Batman will have this on their official bio...
"Height: 6'2"
Weight: 215 lbs.
Batman has the strength and endurance of a man his height and weight that participates in intensive regular exercise."
That's all well and good, but then the artist who draws Batman will then draw them at about 6'6" and looking like a ripped 270 pounds.
THAT is the fundamental probelm. If we had been exposed to characters drawn by artists who really know what the heck 215 pounds looks like on a guy who is 6'2" tall, we would not be having this discussion.
Edit: Don't get me wrong, I think someone like Batman or Capt. America should be big, fearsome looking guys, but dont tell me he weighs 215, then draw him at 270. Say he weighs 270.

I concur. Many draw heroes massive big like bodybuilder to look strong & heroic. That why in real life, you're not going to get big bodybuilder type of actor. It just doesn't work. You should see this jerk at Countingdown forum name BatSTUD. He think anything in comics should work in films, even thought that isn't true. He think anyone who play Supes should be buff like a bodybuilder or at least like the comics. Welling wasn't that big like a bodybuilder & want Welling to play Supes in JLA. See how crazy that is? And Reeve wasn't much of a brick & people like him anyway. As long the actor playing Supes isn't skinny like a skeleton or whatever, he's fine.