WILL THE REAL CLARK KENT PLEASE STAND UP

Good Afternoon Class:
Our Aim today is to look at Superman's dual identity

I was watching Smallville's latest episode, "Masquerade" and there was something that bothered me. At the end of the episode, Clark tells Lois that "The Blur" (he's not yet become Superman in this series) is his true self while Clark Kent is just a name and that his mask will be Clark Kent. This is a concept that has been in use since Superman's debut in 1938. And most recently, the comics have enforced as of late and I think it is a bad idea and makes fans lose out on the reason why Superman is so beloved and that's his alter ego, Clark Kent. Superman's alterego has evolved through the years but DC Comics won't acknowledge that.

I'm a diehard Superman fan as anyone that reads this blog or knows me will tell you. I was first introduced to Superman through the Chris Reeve/Dick Donner Superman movies. In those movies Clark Kent was the mask and Superman was the primary focus of the films. So I understand where Smallville and the comics are coming from but I still think they're missing out on a key element to the Superman mythos. Clark Kent as a valid character is just as important as Superman. No where was that more evident than in "The Adventures of Superman" series of the 1950's.

When I first saw The Adventures of Superman series, I was 8 or 9 years old. I didn't truly know what character development was but I did notice some differences between the George Reeves portrayal of Clark Kent and Chris Reeves portrayal. In the George Reeves series, Clark was more confident and self-assured. He was the logical counterpoint to Lois Lane's feisty, adventurous reporter. The reason she didn't see through his disguise was because the George Reeves Clark was pragmatic and focused which drove Lois crazy. His Superman was charming and mighty. In essence George Reeves validated both identities without making either one seem foolish or out of place. This concept would be repeated in the John Byrne series of the 1980's. Clark Kent was good and a nice guy but he also got the scoops and was a firmly established person alongside the Superman persona.

Now comics seem as if they don't want to use that concept anymore. Back to the old Clark falling down routine and no real life for this character. I wonder if the new 2012 movie will follow suit. I hope not.

In other Superman news, A Disney animator named Rob Pratt did his own one-minute Superman animated film entitled, "Superman Classic." It's a great short with all of the classic Superman elements of the 1938 Fleischer cartoons. You can find it in this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2WVlmNqMMs. It's characterization of Clark Kent is the "Clark' that runs away at dangerous moments and totally contradicts this article but it's done in a really nice way. Enjoy.

Class Dismissed!!
The Professor