I didn’t expect to write another comic book post so soon, but I finished Superman Earth One, Vol. 2, authored by J. Michael Straczynski. In his story, he addressed my biggest complaint about the superman character: his lack of flaws, specifically his invulnerability.
The plot focuses on the U.S. government wanting to find a way to handle Supes if he becomes an enemy. They saw an alien being able to drain Supes of his powers, so they know it’s possible, and they want to be able to do so also.
From a story perspective, Supes is no longer impossible to kill/control, just hard to kill/control. That difference leaves room for exciting stories full of drama and tension.
As a side plot, when Supes was “normal,” he rushed to a very hot and shapely neighbor to experience physical love. In this state, he wouldn’t harm her at the moment of ultimate joy. Unfortunately, the effects of Supes’ power drain wears off before he gets with her.
In this storyline, Supes is an interesting, complex character, one I want to see more stories about.
It’s a shame that other authors using Supes in T.V., movies, and comic books insisted on going in the other direction, inventing more powers and more absurd situations.
I’m an author living in northern Virginia with a wife and a cat. In the late ’80s, I worked on the International Space Station project. I recently retired from managing a group of software engineers to focus on writing science fiction and speculative fiction. Learn more.