Superman has undergone many incarnations/interpretations over the years, which version(s) is/are your favorite(s)? Here are the choices:
1) Siegel and Shuster Era - 1938-about 1941 The original crusader Superman who, more often than not, took the law into his own hands to fight injustices that the law couldn't/wouldn't.
2) Middle Golden Age - About 1942-1948 This is the era that saw Superman become more a friend of the police than an adversary. Meanwhile, the stories gradually turned more towards the fantastic, and the art gradually simplified. The rough edges became more polished for parental approval.
3) Pre-Silver Age - 1948-1958 It looked like the Silver Age Superman, at times it read like the Silver Age Superman, but it lacked the innovations of the Silver Age Superman. Nonetheless, it saw the introduction of Kryptonite, the beginning of team-ups with Batman, and an increased role for Jimmy Olsen. It's also called Superman's "lost decade" by some because of the sparce reprinting from this era compared to periods before and after.
4) Silver Age - 1958-1970 The Weisinger years. Well, technically the decade prior also saw Weisinger at the helm, but this was his decade + of innovations. We got Kandor, Braniac, Bizarro, a rainbow of Kryptonite, Supergirl, and a legion of other super-characters, both human and animal.
5) The Schwartz Era - 1971-1986 A period that broke Superman's status quo, and depowered him, then turned around and embraced it, powering him back up, and then turned around again and gradually matured the stories and characters.
6) The Byrne/Jurgens/etc. Era - 1986-1999 Superman was brought back to basics, removing some of the more fantastic elements, giving new twists to others, and returning him to his roots, while updating him for the 80s/90s. A tight continuity was formed, becoming a weekly story, Lois and Clark got engaged, Superman died and returned, and Lois and Clark eventually married.
7) The Loeb/Kelly/Casey/etc. Era - 2000-2004 After the previous era lost steam, a new team was brought in. The weekly continuity was dropped, there was a drastic change in art and story style, and much of the large supporting cast was forgotten and trimmed down to the classics; Lois, Jimmy, Perry, Ma and Pa Kent, Lana, etc.
8) The In-Between Era - 2004-2006 A transitional period for Superman A more traditional art style returned, but the stories were not quite those of either of the two previous periods, and lacked the big changes of the following. Kind of like a condinced version of the pre-Silver Age. Perhaps the most notable run from this era was that of Gail Simone and John Byrne on Action Comics.
9) The Johns/Busiek/Robinson Era - 2006-Present Following Infinite Crisis, Superman took a new direction, keeping with some of the elements, cast members, and story/art styles that made the Byrne/Jurgens era a success, but gradually folding in more elements and continuity from the Silver Age and Schwartz era.
Then I guess there's the various TV/movie interpretations, but we'll stick primarily with the monthly books that were "in-continuity" unless you really want to comment on these other versions.
-Eric
1) Siegel and Shuster Era - 1938-about 1941 The original crusader Superman who, more often than not, took the law into his own hands to fight injustices that the law couldn't/wouldn't.
2) Middle Golden Age - About 1942-1948 This is the era that saw Superman become more a friend of the police than an adversary. Meanwhile, the stories gradually turned more towards the fantastic, and the art gradually simplified. The rough edges became more polished for parental approval.
3) Pre-Silver Age - 1948-1958 It looked like the Silver Age Superman, at times it read like the Silver Age Superman, but it lacked the innovations of the Silver Age Superman. Nonetheless, it saw the introduction of Kryptonite, the beginning of team-ups with Batman, and an increased role for Jimmy Olsen. It's also called Superman's "lost decade" by some because of the sparce reprinting from this era compared to periods before and after.
4) Silver Age - 1958-1970 The Weisinger years. Well, technically the decade prior also saw Weisinger at the helm, but this was his decade + of innovations. We got Kandor, Braniac, Bizarro, a rainbow of Kryptonite, Supergirl, and a legion of other super-characters, both human and animal.
5) The Schwartz Era - 1971-1986 A period that broke Superman's status quo, and depowered him, then turned around and embraced it, powering him back up, and then turned around again and gradually matured the stories and characters.
6) The Byrne/Jurgens/etc. Era - 1986-1999 Superman was brought back to basics, removing some of the more fantastic elements, giving new twists to others, and returning him to his roots, while updating him for the 80s/90s. A tight continuity was formed, becoming a weekly story, Lois and Clark got engaged, Superman died and returned, and Lois and Clark eventually married.
7) The Loeb/Kelly/Casey/etc. Era - 2000-2004 After the previous era lost steam, a new team was brought in. The weekly continuity was dropped, there was a drastic change in art and story style, and much of the large supporting cast was forgotten and trimmed down to the classics; Lois, Jimmy, Perry, Ma and Pa Kent, Lana, etc.
8) The In-Between Era - 2004-2006 A transitional period for Superman A more traditional art style returned, but the stories were not quite those of either of the two previous periods, and lacked the big changes of the following. Kind of like a condinced version of the pre-Silver Age. Perhaps the most notable run from this era was that of Gail Simone and John Byrne on Action Comics.
9) The Johns/Busiek/Robinson Era - 2006-Present Following Infinite Crisis, Superman took a new direction, keeping with some of the elements, cast members, and story/art styles that made the Byrne/Jurgens era a success, but gradually folding in more elements and continuity from the Silver Age and Schwartz era.
Then I guess there's the various TV/movie interpretations, but we'll stick primarily with the monthly books that were "in-continuity" unless you really want to comment on these other versions.
-Eric
