Superman
Superman is a superhero with incredible powers and abilities. He is sworn to fight injustice and crime wherever he finds it, as well as having taken a personal oath never to take the life of another living being. Superman is one of the greatest such champions in the universe, having been involved in literally hundreds of adventures against dozens of dangerous enemies. He is a member of the Justice League of America, a team of the world's greatest super-powered crimefighters. Superman's abilities include enhanced strength and vulnerability; the ability to fly; enhanced vision, including the ability to see through most substances (except lead) as well as being able to concentrate light to create a destructive heat ray (his 'heat vision'); the ability to survive without food or oxygen; etc. His powers are derived from the radiation of a 'yellow' Sun, such as our own. Superman is vulnerable to Kryptonite, which consists of irradiated meteorite fragments of his native planet.
Superman was born Kal-El on the alien world of Krypton, to a highly-advanced race of scientifically-minded beings. His father was Jor-El, possibly Krypton's greatest scientist, who alone saw that internal geothermic pressures would one day destroy their native planet. The disaster came sooner than even Jor-El suspected, however, so that he barely had time to launch his son, the infant Kal-El, into a rocket that soared into deep space and eventually reached our world; Krypton was soon destroyed in a cataclysmic explosion that turned fragments of the planet into Kryptonite, which were hurled across the cosmos.
His rocketship having landed on Earth, the infant was quickly found near the town of Smallville by John and Martha Kent, a kindly older couple who had been unable to bear children; subsequently they raised Kal-El as their own, giving him the name Clark Kent. Discovering their child's super-abilities, they instilled in him the importance of keeping his gifts a secret from the larger world. In time Clark would take the name of Superboy and begin a series of adventures in and around his hometown of Smallville, as well as in the future world of the 30th century in which he would team up with the group of super-powered teenagers called the Legion of Super-Heroes. Upon adulthood, Clark moved to the city of Metropolis and took the name of Superman.
Superman has naturally collected his share of enemies over the years. His greatest foe is perhaps Lex Luthor, a scientific genius who has used his gifts for crime, and whose sole goal is the destruction of the hated Superman. His animosity goes back to when, as a youth, he sought to become a friend to Superboy, in a way trying to prove the mental equivalent of Superboy's physical prowess; a laboratory accident caused Lex's hair to fall out permanently, and he blamed Superboy, who was wrongly accused of purposely causing the mishap. Brainiac is a green-skinned (later, more robotic) criminal from another planet who stole entire cities from various worlds for his collection; one such city was Kandor from Superman's native Krypton. It was only after several years of effort that Superman was able to restore Krypton to its normal size (after the structure had been shrunk and placed into a bottle, hence the term 'the Bottle City of Kandor'). The Anti-Superman League was a group of criminals from various worlds who had been defeated by Superman in the past, and now banded together and were sworn to destroy him. Terra-Man was a cowboy from the Old West who utilized alien technology in the form of weapons and tools that resembled 19th-century Earth items. The list goes on.
Superman's supporting cast and continuity are also notable. Clark Kent, upon arriving in Metropolis, soon went to work for the Daily Planet, a major newspaper, in order to be kept informed of breaking emergencies that might require his help. His colleagues at the paper included boss Perry White, cub reporter Jimmy Olsen, and fellow correspondent Lois Lane. Lois would quickly fall for the masculine good looks of the newcomer Superman, all the while unsuspecting that she worked alongside his alter-ego, Clark, every day. Jimmy Olsen would gain fame as Superman's Pal, and have adventures of his own (often being forced to signal Superman to come to his aid when things got too dangerous). Miraculously, Kal-El's cousin Kara Zor-El managed to survive the destruction of Krypton, along with her native Argo City. Kara - after an interval of apprenticeship - soon gained fame as Supergirl, the Maid of Steel.
Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1, published by DC Comics (then called National) in 1938, and has continued to appear in that title unto the present day. That successful debut was quickly followed by Superman #1, the character's regular title, which - although rebooted at one point - also continues. The character - one of the first of the true 'superheroes' - proved so popular with young readers that his corporate owners lost no time in capitalizing on him. Soon came a Superman movie serial, as well as radio programs and a popular TV show; Superman toys and action figures; trading cards; a novel; various more comic book titles, including World's Finest in which Superman teamed with Batman every month; etc. Even Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen got their own titles, in the form of Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane and Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen.
Copyright 2007 Todd Frye
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