Web Journalism Project

Superman

In our search for hope, the human race has come up with many characters to fill the void. The Greeks, Romans and Norse turned to mythology, and the Americans are no better. The answer of course has been and always will be Jesus Christ, of course, but there is no harm in dreaming (as long as it remains no more than human stories). In fact, when looked at through the right lens, the Bible, there could be some good that comes from the mythology of man.

American mythology began in 1932 with the creation of Superman by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. They created not only the first American superhero, but also the greatest and most powerful of all time. Superman’s real name is Kal-El, but he goes by his alias of Clark Kent—a mild-mannered, near-sighted reporter. Clark works at the Daily Planet (the world’s most prestigious newspaper) with his human wife Lois Lane so he can stay close to all of the action, while Superman saves those in need.

Kal-El is the last surviving son of the planet Krypton. His father, Jor-El and his mother Lara sent him to earth as their planet was being destroyed by a planet-wide civil war. His ship crash-landed in a cornfield in Smallville, Kansas, where he was found by Jonathan and Martha Kent. They adopted him and taught him morals, most notably to fight for “Truth, Justice, and the American Way!” On earth, Kal-El possessed abilities (afforded by our yellow sun) which he would not have possessed on his home planet of Krypton. These abilities include:

• ·         Superhuman strength
• ·         Superhuman speed
• ·         Superhuman Stamina
• ·         Invulnerability
• ·         Freeze breath
• ·         Super hearing
• ·         X-Ray vision
• ·         Microvision
• ·         Heat vision
• ·         Longevity
• ·         Flight
• ·         Superhuman intelligence
• ·         Regeneration

Simply put, as stated earlier: He is the world’s most powerful superhero. And thankfully, the unwavering morals he developed while at the Kent farm in Smallville are his most valuable asset. As he grows as a hero, he also begins to make contact with other heroes with abilities of their own. They form many formidable alliances, the most prominent of which is the Justice League of America.

Although he does form many alliances, his greatest enemy is childhood friend and genius business tycoon Lex Luthor. Together, they form the balance between good and evil in the mythological comic book world.

(Word Count: 385)