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So today I watched this show on the History channel which makes me wonder about the fates of typecast actors, among other things. Take George Reeves who played Superman on television and the movies during the 50's. After being found fatally shot in his home June 16th, 1959 controversy immediately sprang up about whether it was suicide or murder. That he was dead is a certainty. Sorry Reeves, no alien abduction/resurrection for you.
I was writing out my thoughts while watching the two hour show and had this long paragraph about his death but just consulting his imdb entry makes me pretty certain that it was suicide - if imdb is accurate, of course. He strikes me as someone who became trapped in the image of his character and couldn't escape. Others expected too much out of him and he finally lost it. A movie was made in 2006 called Hollywoodland that goes over the idea that he was murdered. If you're interested in that angle check out the film. I haven't seen it so I can't comment on it's worth.
Now dogman supes I have only one thing to say: WEIRD! It's no wonder that premise didn't last long. It reminds me of Krypto the super pooch and I cringe at the thought. That's like merchandising gone horribly wrong. No, it is not alright to slap the S on something and try to sell it as related to Superman. There's a line of comic books and even an animated show for Krypto and I have to wonder who watches that stuff. I tried to sit through an episode but almost gagged when the bat dog came into frame. If Batman ever came face to face with his canine rip off he'd fall over dead of disbelief.
Don't even get me started on all the forms of Kryptonite that popped up in the comics. For a planet that went ka-boom millions of light years away from Earth not only did fragments cross the distance in mind-boggleing record time but an amazing amount made the trip representing a vast spectrum of Krypton's mineral deposits. How did the Kyrptonians survive living on a planet that was riddled with poisonous radioactive rocks? Maybe that's the real reason the planet exploded. All the inhabitants were stark raving mad.
I'm sure theres a comic book explanation but I haven't read enough of them to know what it is. Frankly I don't want to know. Since then Kryptonite has come to stand as the catch-all Achilles Heel for any powerful being. When I say something is someone's Kryptonite the implication is generally understood. Because of this fall-back mechanism Superman could grow to ridiculous power levels. Need something to throw at him? No problem just sprinkle in a little bit of green space rocks and you're all set.
If you're familiar with Dragonball Z then this gradual transformation and the inherent problems should be all too familiar. Yes, I watched quite a bit of that show when it was in syndication. Then one day sometime after the Freeza arc I realized I already knew what was going to happen for the rest of the series: the exact same things that had happened for the prior episodes! I've never seen another show that stretched out a fight scene quite like it with all the gasping in horror and pointless exposition while the current villain powered up, changed forms, or just gloated.
Early on Vegeta blows up a planet. Yes, an entire freaking planet. But not long thereafter he gets thrashed by Goku. This is after going through a multiple episode battle and even transforming into his giant ape form. No, no, no, he can't get in his pod, fly up into space, and vaporize the entire planet and everything on it. He has to give the hero a chance to defeat him in close combat.
Pride cometh before stupidity?
That's how I first formulated my idea of DBZ Syndrome. With each threat the hero overcomes there is a corresponding increase in power. This is common in anime, manga, and role-playing games. Over time mundane threats become trivial so to create conflict bigger baddies have to be invented. Eventually it arrives at god-like beings who should be able to snuff out the hero with a wave of their hand. Of course, just like Vegeta, that wouldn't be very sporting or particularly exciting to watch. So what do you do once the hero can take on the greatest powers in the universe?
You trot out the RESET BUTTON.
The hero looses a big chunk of their power or they die or the plot simply drops them entirely by moving to another setting. When done well the reset button can feel natural, even unavoidable considering the universe around the characters. Now killing off heroes is not something that's very permanent in comic books. Any character might get a new surge of popularity and thus make money for the publishers so there is a natural reluctance to perma-kill anyone. It's smart and shrewd even if it incites murderous groans.
Now I must admit I don't read alot of comic books. Guys running around in spandex are rather bleh to me. Yet even I rolled my eyes when I heard that Captain America had been killed. As of this writing his resurrection hasn't happened but I'm sure when it does it will be milked for every last ounce of dramatic potential. Superman himself went through this process with questions about which of the four super imposters were the real one before the full rebirth.
So where does this leave my thoughts. Why back on Superman of course.
I must admit that his normal alter-ego has always been the main draw for me. Clark Kent's bumbling, smiling integrity is always a welcome sight. He's not the spandex cliche. For all the changes that the super form has been put through Clark Kent has changed very little in the last 30 years. He drops things. He trips because he's not paying attention to where he's going.
In Smallville Clark Kent got a major dose of teen angst. Considering the show's premise includes a steadfast No Tights policy I suppose it can't be helped. The tights look silly anyway. I just don't care for the angst when mish-mashed with a Monster of the Week format. It was alright for awhile but I eventually grew tired of Lana Lang being kidnapped every 10 minutes or otherwise getting into some trouble that only Clark could drag her out of. Come on Clark just let Lex have Lana then her mutant ability to attract danger will knock him off for you.
I haven't watched the show in a long time. Reading it's imdb entry I'm rather glad. However I'm getting sidetracked here.
The quintessential Clark Kent in my mind is Dean Kain from Lois and Clark. Cristopher Reeve pulled off a marvelous bumbling Clark but Dean brought familial charm to the role. A memorable scene from early in the series has Clark, having newly arrived in Metropolis and still trying to get settled, on the phone with Martha and Jonathan. As they discuss what he should do about concealing his powers Clark leisurely strolls about the room, nonchalantly walks up a wall and ends up standing upside down from the ceiling. That set the show's tone right there. Clark isn't perfect but he's comfortable with his powers and willing to show the audience just how lightheartedly he can use them.
Well that's where the show Amazing Story of Superman ended - with a discussion of Smallville and Superman Returns. So that's where this entry will also conclude. I might do a write-up of Superman Returns but I've only seen the movie once.
Now dogman supes I have only one thing to say: WEIRD! It's no wonder that premise didn't last long. It reminds me of Krypto the super pooch and I cringe at the thought. That's like merchandising gone horribly wrong. No, it is not alright to slap the S on something and try to sell it as related to Superman. There's a line of comic books and even an animated show for Krypto and I have to wonder who watches that stuff. I tried to sit through an episode but almost gagged when the bat dog came into frame. If Batman ever came face to face with his canine rip off he'd fall over dead of disbelief.
Don't even get me started on all the forms of Kryptonite that popped up in the comics. For a planet that went ka-boom millions of light years away from Earth not only did fragments cross the distance in mind-boggleing record time but an amazing amount made the trip representing a vast spectrum of Krypton's mineral deposits. How did the Kyrptonians survive living on a planet that was riddled with poisonous radioactive rocks? Maybe that's the real reason the planet exploded. All the inhabitants were stark raving mad.
I'm sure theres a comic book explanation but I haven't read enough of them to know what it is. Frankly I don't want to know. Since then Kryptonite has come to stand as the catch-all Achilles Heel for any powerful being. When I say something is someone's Kryptonite the implication is generally understood. Because of this fall-back mechanism Superman could grow to ridiculous power levels. Need something to throw at him? No problem just sprinkle in a little bit of green space rocks and you're all set.
If you're familiar with Dragonball Z then this gradual transformation and the inherent problems should be all too familiar. Yes, I watched quite a bit of that show when it was in syndication. Then one day sometime after the Freeza arc I realized I already knew what was going to happen for the rest of the series: the exact same things that had happened for the prior episodes! I've never seen another show that stretched out a fight scene quite like it with all the gasping in horror and pointless exposition while the current villain powered up, changed forms, or just gloated.
Early on Vegeta blows up a planet. Yes, an entire freaking planet. But not long thereafter he gets thrashed by Goku. This is after going through a multiple episode battle and even transforming into his giant ape form. No, no, no, he can't get in his pod, fly up into space, and vaporize the entire planet and everything on it. He has to give the hero a chance to defeat him in close combat.
Pride cometh before stupidity?
That's how I first formulated my idea of DBZ Syndrome. With each threat the hero overcomes there is a corresponding increase in power. This is common in anime, manga, and role-playing games. Over time mundane threats become trivial so to create conflict bigger baddies have to be invented. Eventually it arrives at god-like beings who should be able to snuff out the hero with a wave of their hand. Of course, just like Vegeta, that wouldn't be very sporting or particularly exciting to watch. So what do you do once the hero can take on the greatest powers in the universe?
You trot out the RESET BUTTON.
The hero looses a big chunk of their power or they die or the plot simply drops them entirely by moving to another setting. When done well the reset button can feel natural, even unavoidable considering the universe around the characters. Now killing off heroes is not something that's very permanent in comic books. Any character might get a new surge of popularity and thus make money for the publishers so there is a natural reluctance to perma-kill anyone. It's smart and shrewd even if it incites murderous groans.
Now I must admit I don't read alot of comic books. Guys running around in spandex are rather bleh to me. Yet even I rolled my eyes when I heard that Captain America had been killed. As of this writing his resurrection hasn't happened but I'm sure when it does it will be milked for every last ounce of dramatic potential. Superman himself went through this process with questions about which of the four super imposters were the real one before the full rebirth.
So where does this leave my thoughts. Why back on Superman of course.
I must admit that his normal alter-ego has always been the main draw for me. Clark Kent's bumbling, smiling integrity is always a welcome sight. He's not the spandex cliche. For all the changes that the super form has been put through Clark Kent has changed very little in the last 30 years. He drops things. He trips because he's not paying attention to where he's going.
In Smallville Clark Kent got a major dose of teen angst. Considering the show's premise includes a steadfast No Tights policy I suppose it can't be helped. The tights look silly anyway. I just don't care for the angst when mish-mashed with a Monster of the Week format. It was alright for awhile but I eventually grew tired of Lana Lang being kidnapped every 10 minutes or otherwise getting into some trouble that only Clark could drag her out of. Come on Clark just let Lex have Lana then her mutant ability to attract danger will knock him off for you.
I haven't watched the show in a long time. Reading it's imdb entry I'm rather glad. However I'm getting sidetracked here.
The quintessential Clark Kent in my mind is Dean Kain from Lois and Clark. Cristopher Reeve pulled off a marvelous bumbling Clark but Dean brought familial charm to the role. A memorable scene from early in the series has Clark, having newly arrived in Metropolis and still trying to get settled, on the phone with Martha and Jonathan. As they discuss what he should do about concealing his powers Clark leisurely strolls about the room, nonchalantly walks up a wall and ends up standing upside down from the ceiling. That set the show's tone right there. Clark isn't perfect but he's comfortable with his powers and willing to show the audience just how lightheartedly he can use them.
Well that's where the show Amazing Story of Superman ended - with a discussion of Smallville and Superman Returns. So that's where this entry will also conclude. I might do a write-up of Superman Returns but I've only seen the movie once.
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