Approaching Superman as a character, not an icon

 Enough folks told me that My Adventures with Superman was good that I eventually checked it out. And it is good, good enough for me to finish the first season and plan on watching more at some point.

Superman is a fascinating phenomenon. So

much of the superhero genre as we know is because of Superman. The character was a global icon decades before the internet made it lazy to be known worldwide.

And yet, because the character is kind of all powerful and unflinchingly benevolent, he is allegedly really hard to write. 

Honestly, I think that’s hyperbole. He hasn’t been out of print since 1938 and has held down multiple titles and that’s not counting other media. Every other media. That’s a lot for a character who creators aren’t supposed to be able to write.

I think it’s more honest to say that you can’t write Superman like Batman. (Except that that has been done. More than once)

That said, My Adventures with Superman does a good job. It’s Superman is just starting out and is still figuring out his powers, making him less all mighty. But more than that, he is always struggling to do the right thing. And that’s where the hook is.

This Clark Kent doesn’t struggle because he has some flavor of inner dark side. He struggles because he is inexperienced. Because he is dealing a world with a gray morality. And because he has the baggage of a more complicated Krypton. But that doesn’t change the fact that his end goal is to save everyone.

The drama isn’t how will Superman stop supervillains. It is how Clark will keep on making the good choice, no matter what it costs him. I mean, we all know he’s going to do both. The character stuff is just more engaging.

That said, that makes  My Adventures With Superman sound all serious. It’s not. It’s also actually funny and sweet without going overboard. My favorite characters are its interpretation of the Brain and Monsieur Mallah. They are a caring couple who also happen to be mad scientists who would be at home in Girl Genius. Man, I hope they show up in the second season.

My Adventures With Superman is sweet, uplifting fun. It doesn’t ask what does Superman do. It asks who is he in a way that makes us invested.