Why is Superman so highly regarded as a character? By which I mean, why do people like him or find him interesting? I get his "importance," but he's always come across as totally antiquated to me in every way.
>>81598949
When he's written by someone who knows what they're doing, and from my obviously subjective perspective, he's at his absolute best when you realize he's just another immigrant trying to live up to the American Dream. He can't go back to the old country to the point that parts of his birthplace can literally kill him. He tries to save everyone he can, and has faith that we can accomplish so much beyond even his own stupifying abilities. Superheroes are there, in his words, "to catch us if we fall." He's an inspirational force of good, striving to uphold an entirely positive ideal even though he knows that even with his awesome powers he can't save everyone, but he still tries. The fact that he tries, despite knowing that what he intends to do can sometimes seem impossible, is what makes him a fantastic character.
I'm obviously infected by Morrison and Ennis's take on Supes here, but the older I get the more those great Superman stories resonate with me. The thing is that the really universally well-regarded stories that feature Superman are mostly elseworlds where he uses his powers to enact his own will over civilization through one philosophy or another. Superman as a jackboot, while compelling, is played out. Going from these stories to something like All Star Superman can seem jarring to a point where I can understand why you might see him as antiquated. I'd recommend Ennis's Hitman issues featuring Superman for a better understanding of why folks dig on the character so much.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-guTKtvycs&feature=youtu.be
>>81598949
https://youtu.be/dDMQ3tXNKgM
This'll explain a bit to you OP.
>>81600080
>autist talking while playing injustice in the background
>>81599858
>>81600080
>>81600124
It's not 1938 anymore, apples don't cost a nickel
>>81598949
Here's a suggestion; next time when you ask a question, think about how you made up your mind about the answer you wanted to hear BEFORE you asked it and how your question was really just wanting people to confirm what you had already decided.
And then shut the fuck up instead of asking because the world isn't your echo chamber where everyone in it exists to agree with you.
>>81598949
Sorry to break it to you son, but old fashioned ideals aren't wrong just because they're old. "But he has no place in the modern world!" Yeah, and a lot of things in the modern world are fucked up, being different from that is a strength, not a liability.
>>81600914
>immigrants coming to the US to make a better living isn't a modern day topic
>>81598949
He's extremely likable and his world is fun and whimsical.
Having been dc's flagship character for years, he has been incredibly fleshed out as a character and put in most imaginable situations. If there's a version you don't like there will probably be another one that you will. And the amount of stories (and the quality of some of them) probably make him one of the most interesting, likable and inspiring fictional characters there is.