Friday, September 24, 2010

Not to be "That Guy" but...



Alright, so some people are complaining that in "Superman: The Last Family of Krypton" just about everything in Kal-El's life remains the same (i.e. is still raised by the Kents, wears the costume, works at the Daily Planet, Lois Lane, fights crime, etc.) despite the major difference of his parents being alive and having younger siblings. Not that they are wrong, but they're missing the point.

The story isn't about Kal-El. It's about Jor-El.

When you strip down Jor-El to his basics, what do you have? He's a renegade scientist who defied his world's norms and performed whatever experiments he saw fit.

You know who else that describes?

Lex Luthor.

From what I've seen in the previews and in online discussions, the entire narrative arc isn't really "OK, so this is what would happen if advanced Aliens landed on Earth" as much as "What is the difference between Lex Luthor and Jor-El?" Is the only reason Lex evil because he didn't have something other than "destroying Superman" to guide him? Is the only reason Jor-El is even viewed as a heroic, if not saintly, figure because he was right about Krypton's destruction? And what happens to this brilliant scientist when his vanity gets the better of him? Will Jor-El, not Lex, ultimately become Superman's greatest threat in this world?

At least, that's how it seems to me.




5 comments:

Father Maurer said...

Any chance you can shrink your sidebar? I love your blog, but end up always having the main content section pushed partway off the screen.

In any case, thanks for a fun diversion each day!

- Fr. Maurer

MrCynical said...

I hope this is a bit better. Let me know

Anonymous said...

I like the new look of the page. Allows for wider images

Anonymous said...

Yes, much much better. I finally get to see the entire picture.

Father Maurer said...

Holy fast-response time Batman! Thanks for the re-format. Looks great.

- Fr. Maurer