kryptonusprime

[kryptonusprime]

Light Superman '25 spoilers:

Why has nobody talked about a "dimensional imp" showing up in the background of Metropolis about halfway into the new Superman movie?

The moment I heard those words I was like "wait, did Gunn sneak fucking Mister Mxyzptlk into this movie?" Because if so I thank him very much.

[kryptonusprime]

Thing is, "origin stories" are a fairly unique element of superhero mythology borne out of the status quo-based storytelling in the comics the genre originated in. The origin of a superhero gets retold a lot in the comics and the movies because that's fundamentally what you need to understand a superhero: the story of who they are and how they came to be. Writers constantly referred back to the origin in the Silver and Bronze Ages of Comics because 9/10 times the origin was the only past story that mattered to the current one. And that constant retelling made those origins even more important because they solidified the heroes' motivations and their personalities by getting reused so much.

Compare to, like you said, Sherlock Holmes where the motivations for going around and solving mysteries are treated as entirely irrelevant to the actual acts of solving mysteries, or Beowulf or The Odyssey where the "why" of these characters being Special Guys Who Are Going to Do Cool Shit is mostly relegated to narration and flashback that maybe gets mentioned once before we're off to kill Grendel and get lost at sea or whatever. It's not a discrete series of events that defines the hero's abilities and motivation, just "some stuff that happened earlier." The "origin" is a peculiar element to the modern myth of the superhero that's slowly become one of its defining elements.

Admittedly you're still completely right and we absolutely did not need Superman's origin for this movie. I just immediately had thoughts when you compared Superman to Sherlock Holmes and the differences in how similar genres of stories are constantly retold.

One thing I really liked about James Gunn's Superman is how it understands that culturally we're now at a point with Superman (as well as Lois and Lex) that he's like Sherlock Holmes, a character who does not need an origin retelling every time we get a new movie.

[kryptonusprime]

Everyone talking about how Lex Luthor as played by Nicholas Hoult is such a magnificent grade-A hater, as if they're just now realizing that he is, makes me realize just how underserved Lex has been in the movies so far. Before Gunn and Hoult, movie Lex has been portrayed as a snarky wannabe real estate tycoon and a spoiled, bitter, manic rich kid.

Like, this is the guy who kicked the already-dead Doomsday because he was so angry something other than himself had killed Superman. This is the guy who once heard of a prophecy stating that Superman would come to save the enslaved people of Apokolips and prevented that prophecy from happening just to deny Superman glory. This is the guy who fucking cured cancer just as part of a ploy to kill Superman.

This is the guy who once had the power to give every single being in the universe pure happiness, forever, with the only string attached being that he couldn't use that power to harm anyone…

…and he threw all of it away in a heartbeat because he couldn't stomach the idea of not being able to hurt Superman.

And movie audiences are just now getting a version of Lex that captures even a fraction of that sheer despicable petty loathing. I am torn between sadness that it took this fucking long to make it happen and joy that now more people understand what makes Lex such a wonderful villain.

[kryptonusprime]

What a total annoying douche.

I love him so much.

Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner

SUPERMAN (2025) — dir. by James Gunn

[kryptonusprime]

I’m so happy that the Superman movie has let me talk about different characters with people who don’t read comics. I can’t believe I get to talk about Metamorpho with people. I fucking love that guy and now Matt from work knows about him, too.

[kryptonusprime]

Huh. Forgot about that line.

But you bringing it up now reminds me that when Krypto does meet the Kents' cows, he's actually quite gentle and restrained with them!

As unruly as that dog is, he's a lot smarter than I gave him credit for on my first viewing.

"I didn't want him to kill my parents cows" he's just a baby! He doesn't know any better!!!

[kryptonusprime]

This may be the most obvious statement ever and one that dozens of people have made previously, but I still want to say it: James Gunn is so fucking good at needle drops. He has a special talent for picking songs that are a bit less listened to by casual music listeners such as myself, and then presenting them in such a way that a first-time listener cannot divorce from the association Gunn makes with his films' characters and themes.

So anyway here's an analysis of the lyrics of "Punkrocker," a song I only heard for the first time a few days ago when I watched Gunn's Superman. Thusly, I am only capable of listening to this song through the lens of it being about Clark Kent.

So, y'know. Spoilers for Superman (2025). Lyrics by Teddybears. Song sung by Teddybears and Iggy Pop.

Verse 1:

"See me drivin down the street / I'm bored with looking good."

Superman constantly draws attention to himself simply by existing. And frankly, part of him doesn't want that. That's why he needs to be "mild-mannered newspaper reporter, Clark Kent" sometimes. Or even most times.

"I got both hands off the wheel / The cops are coming."

Consider the calm tone with which Iggy Pop sings this lyric, as well as the rest of the song. It's a tone of quiet, confident self-acceptance, juxtaposed with a lyric about seeming, nay, being dangerous and being condemned by society for it. It applies to Clark because Superman will do reckless things for the right reasons, no matter who comes after him for it. And he is ready to accept that.

"I'm listening to the music with no fear / You can hear it too if you’re sincere."

Clark has accepted the beauty and potential of humanity, and he knows that if other people would simply drop their cynicism and see the world as he sees it for just a moment, they could understand why he does what he does. And honestly, they, we could do it too.

Verse 2:

"I see you stagger in the street / And you can't stay on your feet."

Clark sees humanity struggling with itself, hurting itself in ways they wouldn't if they just accepted each other and themselves.

"And you're faking in your sleep / You wish that you were deep."

Clark sees the lying to oneself that some people do, the bitterness that acts as if cynicism is just accepting life's truth.

"You can't hear me laughing to myself / If you could you would be someone else."

Again, Superman knows that if humanity simply accepted each other and themselves, they wouldn't have to be the fakers the rest of the verse presents.

Verse 3:

"See me die on Bleecker Street / I'm bored with being God."

"See me sneering in my car / I'm driving to my star."

This verse honestly kinda threw me at first. It very much has an "arrogant rockstar" vibe, which goes against the character of Superman, as well as the way this song and its presentation subvert the usual pop culture image of "punk rock" . I wondered why Gunn would pick this song even after that verse. And then I realized that it ends with the same pre-chorus as the first verse:

"I'm listening to the music with no fear / You can hear it too if you’re sincere."

The point is not to say "I'm better than you," the point is to say "you can choose to be better. The only thing stopping you from coming up here where I am is yourself."

Superman exists above much of humanity, a state he achieves not by his incredible physical power, but by his choice to embrace the best parts of humanity itself. And anyone can choose to do that. That's what Superman wants for us.

Chorus:

"'Cause I'm a punk rocker, yes I am / Well I'm a punk rocker, yes I am."

This is the thesis of Gunn's Superman, expressed by the statement of "I'm punk rock" sung to the softest, poppiest music imaginable: "In a world of apathy, cruelty, and cynicism, being publicly and unashamedly kind is what it means to be 'punk rock.'"

Conclusion:

James Gunn is a master at selecting unique, lesser-known or remembered songs and placing them in contexts that simultaneously fit and redefine characters, and sometimes even the songs themselves in ways no one else could previously have seen.

Since Gunn presents this song (and the scene of Superman recovering from his injuries while reliving memories of the people he loves) as the movie's closing statement, I will forever hear "Punkrocker" as a song about looking down at other people who weigh themselves down through cynicism and apathy, and inviting them to come up with you where it's more dangerous, but also happier.

That's what this song means to me now, no matter if that's the original intent of the artist or not. That's how good James Gunn is at needle drops.

[kryptonusprime]

I'd say they give more of an "Elongated Man" vibe, weirdly enough.

i can‘t exactly put it in words, but something about the “Justice Gang“ makes me think that plastic man would be a great fit as their next member

[kryptonusprime]

DO YOU WANT TO READ COMIC BOOKS?

No seriously, do you want to read comic books? Have you just gotten out of James Gunn's excellent new Superman movie and thought "man, that was good. I want more of that! I want more of superheroes doing good, helping people, punching bad guys, and being kind?"

Because as a kid once upon a time, I felt that way after I watched Batman Begins and The Dark Knight back-to-back with my parents, and soon went to my local library to begin renting every single Batman graphic novel I could find. (Please don't read The Killing Joke at roughly age 12. Really not something you should be doing. Trust me.) And then spurred on by memories of cartoons I loved as a kid, I started reading the New 52 Justice League collections I found, and then a few years later when DC announced Rebirth, I started reading individual comic issues. And now I read a lot of comic books, mostly from DC.

So I ask you again,

Do you want to read comic books?

If the answer is "yes," then I might be able to help.

Short answer: Right now, I’d recommend starting with Superman Unlimited #1-2, and The New History of the DC Universe #1, and if you're feeling up to it all of Justice League Unlimited and all the Absolute Universe series so far.

Long answer: Turn this on for atmosphere and read on.

So the first thing you need to understand about superhero comic books is that they're fundamentally bunch of grand interconnected soap operas. Characters come and characters go, characters have messy relationship drama, characters die in epic, tragic overwrought ways, and those same characters get brought back in a few years when it's clear the audience misses them.

And the thing about soap operas is that very, very few fans of those soap operas, if any, have watched every episode, and those who do prrrrrobably wouldn't recommend it. So don't worry about reading every single comic book for whatever character you want to follow. It ain't worth it.

But it might just be worth it to find a good starting point, pick a comic series and follow it monthly. To drop in on the characters you love and see what they're up to this week. To discuss what you enjoyed and didn't enjoy this week with friends online and in person. That's just fun, and it's an experience I will never truly tire of.

So, if you want to try that, where exactly should you start, especially if, as I mentioned, you just walked out of James Gunn's Superman and decided you wanted more? First, I'd recommend trying to find a local comics specialty shop with comicshoplocator.com, and plan to go there to pick up whatever comics sound good to you. Also, many TCG and board game shops sell comics, so if you frequent any of those, ask around! Keep in mind that most comics on average are $3-5 per monthly issue, so budget accordingly. Also, not all comic shops are created equal, so make sure it's a place you'll enjoy coming to often. If you don't have any good comic stores near you, read on to the end of the article where I'll mention another way to read comics digitally.

I'd first start with Superman Unlimited #1, by Dan Slott and Rafael Alberquerque.

This is a nice, simple issue set around a thrilling high-stakes action sequence involving an asteroid made of pure Kryptonite. But relevant to the topic of "what should a new comic reader pick up," it also has a nice recap of Superman's history and a "who's who" of his supporting cast. If you've never read a Superman comic before, this will tell you everything you need to know and is a fun superhero story besides. The first two issues are out already and should be easy to find in a comic shop, so you'll be able to get a quick and easy start to the series and its legendary titular character!

What if you're interested in the wider DC Universe and all the other heroes? Then I'd recommend The New History of the DC Universe and Justice League Unlimited, both by writer Mark Waid.

JLU features a new, expanded version of the League designed for quick responses to all kinds of threats to Earth and humanity, from forest fires to terrorist plots to time traveling telepathic apes. Yeah, this is a very silly, comic book-y series, which is why I love it. I also love it for this post because it features so many heroes from across the DC Universe, from obvious favorites like the Trinity of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman to obscure favorites like Doctor Occult and Red Tornado, and yet always gives readers enough information to know who's who, what they do, and what's going on.

New History, meanwhile, is essentially a history sourcebook narrated by Barry Allen, who is currently retired as the Flash. It lists a bunch of classic DC heroes, what they did, and how it all tied together to create an epic legacy for today's heroes. The rest of the series will continue this all the way up to the present day.

For New History, only the first issue is out right now, and it should be pretty easy to find!

For JLU, the first eight issues are out, some of which are part of a crossover with one of Mark Waid's other books, Superman/Batman: World's Finest. For simplicity's sake I'd recommend tracking down the first five issues, and then learning about the "We Are Yesterday" story that follows. You may also want to look for the DC All-In Special, which sets up the epic storyline that is running through various DC books of 2024-2026, particularly JLU and the Absolute books. Speaking of which…

If you really want something new, different, and a little more tied to commenting on today's world, then I'd recommend the Absolute Universe books by various writers, set in a different universe where many famous heroes lose the most essential parts of their origin stories and are thrust into a world that is far, far more resistant to being changed for good… but they still choose to be heroes anyway.

Absolute Batman (series written by Scott Snyder) is now a younger dude from the seedier part of Gotham, who works as an engineer while facing down a conspiracy by Gotham's rich elites to tighten their grip on the city's status quo. Also, he lifts. A lot.

Absolute Wonder Woman (series written by Kelly Thompson) is now the last of the Amazons and a witch raised by the sorceress Circe in the depths of Hades, now free to face down the monsters and step in to help a world the gods have abandoned.

Absolute Superman (series written by Jason Aaron) is now escaped from the destroyed Krypton… as an adult, not as a baby. Burdened ny memories of a world plagued by an oppressive caste system and a society hostile towards new ideas, Kal-El finds that things are not so different on Earth and quickly ends up becoming a Champion of the Oppressed.

There's also series for Absolute Flash (written by Jeff Lemire), Absolute Green Lantern (written by Al Ewing) and Absolute Martian Manhunter (written by Deniz Camp), but I'd recommend trying those out after the Trinity's books.

While some of these series have been running for almost a year, meaning it may be difficult for someone new to find the earlier issues, the first trade paperbacks (collected volumes of multiple monthly issues) of those comics will release in bookstores in August, and the series are also available on DC Universe Infinite, a service that basically acts as a Netflix featuring almost everything DC Comics has ever published. They also contain Webtoon-style vertical versions of the Absolute books formatted for mobile reading.

So yeah, that's a pretty quick and easy guide to getting into DC right now! I threw this together in a couple hours both to get the good word out to anyone who just saw Gunn's Superman, and also to test out the formatting of Tumblr since I'm new here. I just really like comics and I wish more people would read them and not be turned off by the dismissal they receive from culture at large.

If any more experienced Tumblr users could tell me what tags to add to attract more new aspiring comic readers, please let me know so I can add them. I don't want to just preach to the choir. And if you have any more questions about DC books, please feel free to ask and I'll be happy to infodump some more.

And if enough people like this, I might follow up with a really half-assed Marvel new reader recommendation list, IDK.

[kryptonusprime]

So Superman (2025) was damn good.

Corenswet absolutely killed it as Superman, even if I wish we had gotten more than ONE scene with him as "mild-mannered reporter, Clark Kent."

Brosnahan captured that classic Lois Lane drive perfectly, and her and Corenswet's chemistry was amazing.

Hoult is the best live action Lex Luthor we've ever gotten. Yes, even better than Rosenbaum. Every other live action Lex loses by a landslide.

The Justice Gang was cool and didn't overshadow the Superman stuff. Mr. Terrific had a great presence, Hawkgirl had one really cool moment, and Guy Gardner was an annoying unlikable dickwad (which of course means he was absolutely perfect). Metamorpho was fun and tragic even if he wasn't in it much.

Luthor's lackeys, Engineer and Ultraman, were great. So were all his other goons, including Eve and Otis. I really loved that they genuinely bought what Lex was selling about Superman and actually had a team vibe and weren't just there because the villain has to have henchpeople.

It's not perfect, though. Gunn straight-up said "I'm going to bring together the best Daily Planet cast ever and then do nothing with them except for a minor third act subplot.” And that one subplot with Jimmy has… problems.

But the film still rocked, and is absolutely the Superman film we all need right now. Please go see it.

[kryptonusprime]

I Have a Tumblr Blog Now

Don’t know what I’m going to do with it yet, gonna figure out the formatting, probably going to get into some arguments about Batman.