All of these ideas could be fascinating additions to the mix depending how much the series focuses on them. There's a sense in this issue that Yang is trying to explore China's rise as a global superpower and the Chinese public's bottomless thirst for American pop culture. Instead, this book seems more interested in exploring Superman as a symbol and the act of trying to recreate a powerful American icon in a Chinese setting. Yang isn't simply transplanting the story of Superman from the US to China and calling it a day. He doesn't have "salt of the earth" parents or a Rockwellian rural upbringing. Aside from the alliterative names and Kenan's Smallville-inspired fashion sense, there aren't many direct parallels between the stories of Clark Kent and Kong Kenan. The connection to the Superman franchise actually proves to be one of the more intriguing elements of this first issue. So while certain aspects of Kenan's rise may feel predictable, it's nice to see such a clear character arc taking shape already. Clearly, there's going to be a long journey ahead of Kenan before he actually becomes worthy of the Superman name. There's a sense that there's a decent human being beneath Kenan's gruff, self-absorbed exterior, though Yang hardly excuses his "hero" for his misdeeds. But while Kenan is a jerk, he's a sympathetic figure all the same, one with his fair share of father issues and a troubled, blue collar background. If this series were Spider-Man, it would be like Flash Thompson being bitten by the radioactive spider instead of Peter Parker. Lead protagonist Kong Kenan stands out mainly because he's not a heroic figure. However, gradually the depth of Yang's script makes itself apparent. That alone wouldn't really be enough to distinguish the series. It's easy enough to predict the general course of this origin story. You have the ordinary loser dreaming of fame and glory and being granted incredible powers. This series recycles many familiar beats when it comes to teen superhero stories. Granted, New Super-Man #1 doesn't necessarily stand out that much at first glance. New Super-Man is a standalone series that explores what happens when an ordinary Shanghai teenager gains the powers of the Man of Steel. The good news is that his new assignment allows Yang the freedom Superman didn't. That left far too little room for Yang to focus on what he does best, exploring and developing his very three-dimensional characters. How could he? His entire run was was part of the never-ending crossover cycle that plagued the Superman franchise. Retrieved July 25, 2021.Gene Luen Yang was perhaps the single most intriguing name added to DC's creative lineup last year, which is why it's so disappointing that Yang rarely lived up to his potential on Superman. "Superman nearly got a game alongside Batman: Arkham Asylum by Rogue Squadron devs".
CS1 maint: archived copy as title ( link) ^ "Superman: The Man of Steel", Zzap!64, Issue 47, March 1989.^ "Superman", The One, Issue 6, March 1989.(the game) is executed so poorly that it actually serves to butcher the reputation of the prominent action hero. "The Next Superman Video Game is Excellent". In each week, a different Leaguer is voted to take possession of its remote control, with only Batman, however, being denied a shift. After much discussion with his fellow Leaguers, just in case he would go rogue, Superman ingests a remote-release Kryptonite capsule, when triggered, the Kryptonite would permeate his body, killing him.
In his Classic Arcade Battle Ending, Superman, though pleased with the outcome, feels troubled with the battle with his counterpart, noticing that he would not be the only Superman to go so far astray. The alternate Superman became a dictator after the Joker tricked him into killing Lois and his unborn child and nuking Metropolis. DC Universe featuring Superman (voiced by George Newbern) as a playable character, with an alternative version of the character as the primary antagonist and the original one as a minor protagonist.