Why is it some people don't like Superman?

[Super Monkey]

One of the things that interested me about Superman was that not only were there women prominently featured in the cast, but the main character had a relationship with one of them - and a rather complicated one, at that.

http://www.hembeck.com/Images/FredSez/SupermanXrayLoisTop460.jpg

Yes, it was weird.

[Uncle Mxy]

Basically pessimistic people do not like Superman and optimistic do like Superman.

Super Monkey are you saying that Byrne is a pessimist guy?

Sword of Superman are you saying that Byrne likes Superman?

[jamespup]

Does he like him or does he, like,  LIKE him?

[Uncle Mxy]

Does he like him or does he, like,  LIKE him?

Like, I dunno!

[MatterEaterLad]

I liked Tom Corbett, Chip Hilton, Tom Swift, and the Hardy Boys as well, and all those "heroes" practically ran away from women.

That's quite interesting, because before I encountered American comics, and Superman in particular, my heroes were all from European comics, especially the entirely sexless Tintin. One of the things that interested me about Superman was that not only were there women prominently featured in the cast, but the main character had a relationship with one of them - and a rather complicated one, at that.

Well, using "Chip Hilton" as an example (he was a star quarterback, basketball forward and baseball pitcher in a 23 book series published by the same people as "The Hardy Boys") - the books were specifically for kids (boys mostly) aged 9 to 13.  Chip had friends who were girl crazy, and the girls were crazy about Chip but he always treated them as a nuisance and a distraction from studying, working, and sports.  Except, his mother of course.

But then again, the books sold really well and then dived and went out of print in the early 70s.

[Criadoman]

Basically pessimistic people do not like Superman and optimistic do like Superman.

Super Monkey are you saying that Byrne is a pessimist guy?

Sword of Superman are you saying that Byrne likes Superman?

I think the operating question is "Does Byrne like himself?" - or my own favorite "Does Superman like Byrne?"

I think that would be a resounding "no".  And here I am, the idiot putting this on a public board.

But, onto more interesting items...

I personally agree on the pessimistic/optimistic angle.  You've got to consider the viewpoint of the guy expressing the dislike.  My brother, for one, used to hate Superman, favoring the X-men over him.  But, then he went into Image, and all the BS dark and gritty stuff.  Well, you have to ask yourself, why?  Well, apparently it answers back to one's preferred state of mind.  This is actually why I'm not all that interested in Marvel characters as a whole. 

I like the idea of a perfect hero, I like maintaining positive but realistic ideas.  So when Supes does have a flaw, a good writer involves you in it and you want him to come back out perfect again.  My favorite Superman stories do that  - one that comes to mind is "For the Man Who has Everything".  What an appropo title to my point.  Even the last days of Superman before being revised is simply perfect in that manner.  Yes, I know they're both Moore, but he knows what he's doing with the character - particularly if his run on Supreme is any indication.  But many Maggin stories do the same thing.

So, I consider the guy making the comments "preferred state of mind" - and that answers the question.

[Permanus]

Well, using "Chip Hilton" as an example (he was a star quarterback, basketball forward and baseball pitcher in a 23 book series published by the same people as "The Hardy Boys") - the books were specifically for kids (boys mostly) aged 9 to 13.  Chip had friends who were girl crazy, and the girls were crazy about Chip but he always treated them as a nuisance and a distraction from studying, working, and sports.  Except, his mother of course.

But then again, the books sold really well and then dived and went out of print in the early 70s.

Yeah, same idea as with European comics, or, for that matter, the Enid Blyton books one was spoonfed in the sixties and seventies, like The Famous Five or The Secret Seven: "I say! Let's go on a picnic and solve a crime while we're at it!" It's interesting to note that it was American comics that added a dimension of adult relationships, however crude, to children's literature. I'd wager that their regular and frequent publishing schedules almost inevitably led to a sort of soap-opera approach, resulting in an exploration of the main characters' interpersonal relationships.

By the way, I'm pleased to see you read Tom Swift in your youth; I'd never heard of him until recently, when I became aware of the craze for Tom Swiftisms, a form of pun to which I have become sadly partial.

[Genis Vell]

In Italy Superman is often seen as a boring, perfect, unaccessible guy. Plus, add the fact that he is an American symbol and this makes him, for a part of the readers, the evil himself (like Captain America). Those who mix politics and comics are sad guys.