A Tribute To Superman

I was not old enough to remember watching Superman when it first came out in 1978, but I remember watching Superman II in the cinema. As a kid, I was thrilled. It did not bother me that there were some key points in the movie that did not make sense. What was important was that it made you believe that a man could fly. The rest of the world must have been equally thrilled, for both movies turned out to be box-office hits.

Superman's popularity as a comic character has declined over the years, and the most common grouse is that he's too super and as such unrealistic; at least, Batman is a normal human being with normal human abilities. (And if someone thinks that the concept of a person who dresses up as a Bat at night, takes on gangs of thugs (kicks their collective asses) and reverts to his role as billionaire playboy during the day is realistic, well then, who am I to say different?)

There have been other complaints that he's too perfect – he can fly, has super strength, vision and hearing, shoots lasers with his eyes and freezes oceans with his breath. He's the perfect goody two-shoes, the guy who would never cut corners, who always knows what's the right thing to do (and does it). He's just not that relevant anymore in this complicated age. Compare this with your other superheroes, who have limited powers, and are really much more angsty: Batman is driven by a desire to avenge his parents' death (when what he really needs is some therapy), Spider-Man's loved ones are always under threat (plus his on and off relationship with his super-model wife), the X-Men are supposedly feared and hated by the world (but they have cool powers and live in a mansion), etc. And Superman? Er, he's just motivated by the desire to do good. How exciting.

Which is why writers have pitted Superman against the most ridiculous foes, and the stories just get more outrageous and silly. Fighting against bland monsters like Doomsday, dying and coming back to life as two energy-beings (one red and one blue)... What were the writers thinking of? And more relevantly, what in the world were they smoking?

For me, the most interesting stories about the Man of Steel have been those where he uses his powers to try and help people, change the world, make it a better place for us to live in. He was sent to our world with all these powers, and he felt that he had a responsibility to use these powers for good. And while he may not be as angsty as your Batman or Wolverine, the obstacles he faces are even more overwhelming. He is not trying to defeat some super-villain; he is trying to liberate people, overcome oppression, change mindsets, and these are tasks so mammoth you know he’s doomed to fail. Yet he carries on alone, because he believes in what he’s doing, and because he genuinely cares.

We have become a very cynical generation. The actions of the government have caused us to distrust people in authority. We are wary of our neighbours and suspicious when people show kindness. The advancement of technology has also lessened our need and desire for human interaction, and we have become a bit more selfish, more cold and distant. The line between right and wrong (or less dramatically, what is acceptable and what is not) just gets more blurred everyday. Which is why I think Superman is even more relevant in today's context. He is this person whom you can trust, depend on, and whom you know will always do the right thing. He is the character we should be looking up to, whose example we should follow.

Despite the many flaws of Bryan Singer's Superman Returns – he has got one thing right, and that’s Superman himself. Consider the scene where Superman flies over the ocean to Lois’ rescue. Something happens which makes him realizes that Metropolis is in imminent danger. You see him in conflict. Should he go to Lois, or should he save the city (and risk losing the woman he loves)? The answer is a no-brainer, really - he heads towards Metropolis. Why? Simply because he is Superman, and the lives of other people will always come before his own interests.

Alex Ross's graphic novel on Superman, Peace on Earth, is perhaps the only comic which captures who Superman is. In this book, "Superman makes a holiday decision to feed the entire world for one day... Food riots, dictatorships and xenophobia hamper a mission that ends incomplete and in failure... He learns the enormity of the task of fixing the world, and remembers that the smallest gestures are important places to begin." And in Alex Ross' own words: "Superman can remind us of certain ethics and moral choices... We could only benefit from the example of his never-ending battle."(From Metroactive)

Superman was such an iconic character that the Superman radio series was even used to discredit the Ku Klax Klan in the 1940s. Wikipedia: "Concerned that the (Ku Klax Klan) had too strong connections to the government and police forces, (Stetson) Kennedy decided to strike at the Klan in a different way. He contacted the producers of the Superman series and proposed a story where the superhero battles the Klan. The producers... eagerly agreed to the idea. To that end, he provided information, including secret codewords and details of Klan rituals, to the writers. Kennedy intended to strip away the Klan's mystique, and the trivialization of the Klan's rituals and codewords likely had a negative impact on Klan recruiting and membership." (This was also extensively covered in Levitt and Dubner's Freakonomics.)

Superman was created more than 70 years ago, but he has not changed much. He is still wearing his underwear outside. He is still donning the bold, and iconic colours of blue, red and yellow. He is still fighting for truth and justice. He is still a symbol of peace and hope. No matter how our world changes, you know he will always remain the same. And this is why he is the greatest Superhero of all time.

Alex Ross' Superman

Pixar's Cars

Took another half day yesterday and went to watch Cars with Liyun and Jaslyn. Jaslyn became restless quickly – not because the movie is boring, but I guess asking a 3-year old girl to sit still for 2 hours is a bit too much.

Cars was fabulous! The story is slightly cliché – a self-absorbed hotshot racer named 'Lightning McQueen' takes an unexpected detour, ends up spending a week in a small town on Route 66 and learns that loyalty, community, and an appreciation of life's detours matter more than individual advancement. The fictional town, called Radiator Springs, used to be a bustling stopover whose status rapidly collapsed once the interstate insured that all cross-country traffic would be diverted away from the town.

This animation is essentially a loving tribute to the good old days when life was slower and people friendlier. In our bid for greater efficiency, we have built 'interstates' in our lives to get to places faster and in the process, complicating our own lives in some meaningless pursuit and losing focus on what's of importance.

Photo Session With A Purple Dinosaur

Took half day from work yesterday to accompany my wife to the gynecologist for a scan of the baby (who will be due in 2 months). After that, we went to Clementi Polyclinic to get some medicine for Jaslyn's eye infection. She had had the infection in her left eye for close to 5 weeks now (we asked the doctor for the cause of the infection, and was told that it's like a pimple – it just comes, and is not something we could have prevented). Anyway, Jaslyn used to cry and make a lot of noise whenever we told her that she has to see the doctor, but now, she's actually pretty cool about it. She even greeted and grinned at the doc yesterday.

After the polyclinic visit, we went to IMM to catch the Barney show. It was about 5pm when we arrived; the show was scheduled to start at 7pm. The exchange for a Barney pass (which entitles you to a photo opportunity with the purple dinosaur and his equally weirdly-coloured friends) starts at 6pm, but to get this pass, you have to produce a receipt by spending $30 at any shop. Since there was already a queue forming (!) and there were only a measly 20 passes available, Liyun asked the security guard if it would be possible for her to queue first while I go and spend the $30 to get a receipt.

The security guard was quite reluctant, so Liyun said that she did not want to have to spend $30 and come back to see all the passes given away. The security guard glanced at her big tummy and said, "Well, since you are pregnant..." So she got into the queue and we got our pass.

Not too proud of this actually... Was feeling gleeful at how we managed to get the photo pass (with Barney the Purple Dino, you know?) and at the same time thinking we have officially joined the ranks of your typical kiasu Singaporean parents. Anyway, Jaslyn enjoyed the show, which was the important thing, and well, we do have a photo with the purple dino.