OV
      GORA
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      py
      SEAN
      McQUAID
     
    

    
     
      “Superman
      never
      made
      any
      money
     
    

    
     
      savin’
      the
      world
      from
      Solomon
      Grundy,
     
    

    
     
      And
      sometimes
      I
      despair
      the
      world
      will
      never
      see
      another
      man
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Like
      him.’’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      excerpt
      from
      ‘‘The
      Superman
      Song’’,
      a
      surprise
      hit
      for
     
    

    
     
      Canada’s
      Crash
      Test
      Dummies
      a
      while
      back
      (Solomon
     
     
      Grundy,
      incidentally,
      is
      an
      obscure
      DC
      comics
      villain
      who
     
     
      dates
      back
      to
      the
      Forties
      and
      usually
      sparred
      with
      the
      original
     
     
      Green
      Lantern.
      Grundy
      only
      met
      Superman
      once
      or
      twice,
      but
     
     
      I
      guess
      his
      name
      fit
      the
      song
      neatly).
      It
      was
      a
      quirky
      little
      tune,
     
     
      rather
      sad
      in
      that
      the
      Dummies
      sang
      it
      like
      a
      requiem,
      a
      musical
     
     
      obituary
      for
      the
      Man
      of
      Steel.
      What’s
      even
      stranger
      is
      that
      it
     
     
      now
      seems
      that
      their
      tribute
      was
      eerily
      prophetic.
      This
      month,
     
     
      with
      no
      small
      amount
      of
      media
      hype,
      DC
      Comics
      killed
      off
      the
     
     
      character
      of
      Superman.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Me
      of
      you
      probably
      recognize
      the
      above
      quote
      as
      an
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It’s
      hard
      to
      picture
      comics
      --
      heck,
      North
      American
      pop
      culture
     
     
      in
      general
      --
      without
      the
      big
      guy.
      Superman
      defined
      super
      heroes
     
     
      as
      we
      know
      the
      concept.
      The
      world
      had
      never
      seen
      anything
      like
     
     
      him
      before
      when,
      in
      1938,
      acouple
      of
      starry-eyed
      kids
      names
     
     
      Jerry
      Siegel
      and
      Joe
      Shuster
      dreamed
      him
      up
      and
      managed
      to
      get
     
     
      his
      adventures
      printed
      in
      Action
      Comics
      #1.
      It
      was
      a
      big
      gamble
     
     
      fora
      financially
      shaky
      new
      publishing
      company
      that
      would
      later
     
     
      call
      itself
      DC
      Comics;
      comics
      were
      a
      new
      field,
      a
      spin-off
      of
     
     
      the
      popular
      newspaper
      strips
      of
      the
      day.
      The
      first
      comics
      were
     
     
      reprint
      anthologies
      of
      strips
      like
      ‘‘Mutt
      &
      Jeff’
      and
      ‘Bringing
     
     
      Up
      Father’’,
      and
      printing
      totally
      original
      material
      was
      a
      risky
     
     
      prospect
      that
      the
      fledgling
      DC
      group
      was
      pursuing
      in
      its
      handful
     
     
      of
      struggling
      comics
      like
      New
      Fun,
      New
      Comics,
      and
      Detective
     
     
      Comics
      (which
      would
      take
      a
      chance
      on
      featuring
      a
      fellow
      named
     
     
      ‘‘Bat-Man’’
      in
      the
      following
      year).
      Even
      the
      original
      material
     
     
      in
      these
      books
      followed
      tried-and-true
      formats:
      humour
      car-
     
     
      toons,
      western
      heroes.
      detective
      stories
      ...
      nothing
      as
      kinky
      as
     
     
      some
      alien
      strongman
      in
      tights
      who
      led
      a
      double
      life
      as
      mild-
     
     
      mannered
      reporter
      and
      costumed
      crime
      fighter.
      That
      sort
      of
     
     
      idea
      was
      just
      too
      bizarre
      to
      accept,
      too
      far-fetched;
      the
      readers
     
     
      would
      never
      swallow
      it.
      That’s
      the
      sort
      of
      thing
      that
      most
      of
      the
     
     
      publishers
      told
      Siegel
      and
      Shuster
      when
      they
      were
      trying
      to
      sell
     
     
      Superman,
      but
      gifted
      cartoonist
      Sheldon
      Mayer
      saw
      their
      stuff
     
     
      and
      immediately
      recognized
      its
      originality
      and
      appeal.
      Mayer
     
     
      convinced
      his
      bosses
      at
      DC
      to
      buy
      the
      character,
      and
      so
      it
      was
     
     
      that
      Superman
      debuted
      in
      Action
      Comics
      #1,
      1938.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      rest
      is
      history.
      Superman
      was
      an
      overnight
      sensation,
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      DC
      branched
      him
      out
      into
      his
      own
      book
      and
      various
      spinoff
     
     
      titles.
      He
      was
      selling
      millions
      of
      comics,
      and
      faster
      than
      you
     
     
      can
      say
      ‘‘reasonable
      facsimile’’
      there
      were
      dozens
      of
      other
     
     
      costumed
      crusaders
      littering
      the
      comic
      racks.
      Some
      characters
     
     
      were
      original
      concepts
      in
      their
      own
      right.
      Others
      were
      shame-
     
     
      less
      imitations
      of
      Superman,
      and
      a
      few
      of
      Supey’s
      early
      rivals
     
     
      were
      exterminated
      by
      lawsuits,
      including
      the
      original
     
     
      WonderMan
      and
      the
      original
      Captain
      Marvel
      (a.k.a.
      Shazam),
     
     
      who
      was
      actually
      a
      pretty
      original
      character
      but
      particularly
     
     
      offensive
      to
      DC
      in
      that
      he
      was
      actually
      outselling
      Superman
      for
     
     
      quite
      some
      time.
      There
      was
      no
      way
      to
      stifle
      imitation
      entirely,
     
    

    
     
      though,
      and
      Superman
      found
      himself
      the
      frontrunner
      ina
      huge
     
    

    
     
      field
      of
      superheroes
      from
      DC
      and
      other
      companies.
      There
      was
     
    

    
     
      a
      huge,
      previously
      untapped
      appeal
      in
      Supes
      and
      his
      contempo-
     
    

    
     
      raries.
      We’ve
      always
      been
      drawn
      to
      heroes
      in
      our
      popular
     
     
      stories,
      people
      we
      could
      aspire
      to
      be
      and
      marvel
      at
      and
      live
     
    

    
     
      vicariously
      through,
      but
      super
      heroes
      moved
      that
      onto
      a
      whole
     
    

    
     
      new
      level.
      We
      were
      dealing
      with
      good
      guys
      who
      could
      fly
      and
     
    

    
     
      burst
      into
      flames
      and
      such.
      There
      was
      a
      whole
      new
      potential
      for
     
    

    
     
      fantasy
      ona
      large
      scale,
      a
      means
      of
      escape
      and
      diversion
      for
      an
     
    

    
     
      eager
      reading
      public.
      ;
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Comics
      and
      Superman
      have
      been
      through
      various
      ups
      and
      downs
     
     
      since
      then,
      but
      they’re
      permanently
      imprinted
      on
      our
      cultural
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "It's
      like
      seeing
      Walt
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Disney
      knock
      off
      Mickey
     
     
      Mouse.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      memory.
      Superheroes
      are
      currently
      hugely
      successful
      in
      com-
     
     
      ics
      (despite
      becoming
      nearly
      extinct
      in
      the
      Fifties)
      and
      through
     
     
      all
      the
      decades
      Superman
      has
      been
      there.
      With
      his
      colleagues
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      Batman
      and
      WonderWoman
      he’s
      one
      of
      only
      three
      characters
     
    
   
   
    
     
      who
      has
      been
      in
      continuous
      publication
      since
      the
      nineteen-
     
     
      forties,
      and
      just
      about
      every
      supertype
      in
      the
      business
      is
      based
     
     
      in
      some
      way
      on
      these
      three;
      yet,
      DC
      has
      apparently
      killed
     
     
      Superman
      off.
      Its
      like
      seeing
      Walt
      Disney
      knock
      off
      Mickey
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Mouse.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      That
      last
      comparison
      may
      not
      be
      as
      far
      out
      as
      it
      sounds.
     
     
      Mickey’s
      from
      the
      same
      era
      as
      Superman,
      and
      became
      the
     
     
      definitive
      star
      of
      animated
      cartoons
      as
      Superman
      was
      of
      com-
     
     
      ics;
      but
      fame
      is
      fickle.
      When
      was
      the
      last
      time
      you
      actually