Some disturbing bits from the article:
"In 'Superman Earth One,' I'm writing a young Clark Kent before he gets involved with Lois, so he can have other relationships."
"[The marriage] made for a very nice story, but it eliminated an important part of the Superman mythos: the struggle between the two halves of Superman — his publicly known face, admired by millions, and his human side, meek and emotionally vulnerable,"
Uh, wait? Isn't Lois the one who balances the two sides of Superman? And the struggle isn't resolved with them married necessarily... it's part of what makes the relationship interesting!
And what's worse:
"There's some value to be had in exploring their married life, but I'm not sure that's something that couldn't be gotten from exploring some other hero's married life, and I don't think it outweighs the value of that great dichotomy that was always at the heart of Superman, the idea of Superman as the symbol of adulthood and power, and Clark as the inner, less-respected adolescent self-image.
I hate this idea... of Clark as the weaker, less-respected character. The Superman mythos IMO is much stronger (as L&C proved!) when Superman is the disguise and Clark is the man behind the suit--it's
his values and humanity that makes Superman work!
"Writing them as a married couple is fun, because I like that romantic, supportive banter," Busiek added, "but it does soften the concept."
Um, isn't there more to a marriage than 'romantic, supportive banter'? Please!
Almost a positive note:
"I think the main benefit of having Clark and Lois married is that it grounds Superman in a very human and adult experience," he said. "We've seen the Man of Steel struggle to balance the life of Clark Kent. ... with the role of superhero. And the romantic triangle has been played out for nearly three-quarters of a century."
And apparently, that's bad... cause relationships that last can't be exciting or interesting...?
Sounds to me like fan-boys who are tired of writing about a committed relationship. :rolleyes:
I just had new thought. <<shudder>> I hope this doesn't have anything to do with the new Superman movie coming out next year. If it does... <<pulling hair and screaming>>>
Unfortunately, Virgina, it does:
Starring Henry Cavill as Superman and Amy Adams as Lois Lane, the movie will tell the origin story of Clark Kent, leading up to the early days of his life as Superman.
In other words, his unmarried life.
The article also mentions how L&C influenced the comics in the 90's as well... because they coincided L&C's marriage with the marriage in the comic books... so maybe it's just the sign of the times?
