As the new Superman reboot, directed by Zack Snyder and produced by Christopher Nolan, opens in the theatres on Friday, diehard fans are hoping that the Man of Steel speeds up the earth’s rotation for them to grab their seats and watch the magic unfold.
Supergeeks with Superman tattoos, tee shirts, toys, and an enviable collection of comic books, collectibles and even paintings shared their excitement on the eve of the release.
Javeeth Ahmed, a sales and marketing executive, working for an MNC, says, “I think David Carradine as Bill in Kill Bill sums it up perfectly: Superman didn’t become Superman. Superman was born Superman.”
Alter ego
Or as Bill puts it, “His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red “S”, that's the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears — the glasses, the business suit — that's the costume. That's the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He's weak... he's unsure of himself... he's a coward. Clark Kent is Superman's critique on the whole human race.”
Javeeth is thrilled with the casting of Henry Cavill as the new Superman for the origin story and fresh reboot. “Superman clearly is an outsider. He doesn’t belong here. How weirdly co-incidental it would be if he looked American! So I’m glad they got a non-American for the part. Shows that they really want him to stand out from the crowd.”
S. Sashikanth, producer, Y Not Studios, clearly remembers getting his Superman tattoo in Bangkok in the middle of the night seven years ago.
As he displays his tattoo, we see that the S from the Superman symbol is followed by the words ID. “I wanted it to represent my son Siddhanth. Superman and my ID. SID. We grew up reading Superman. He was the original superhero. He was our introduction to the world of comics. How can you not be excited by a new Superman movie?”
Sameer Bharat Ram, Editor, Brew magazine, echoes his thoughts when he says, “To me, he was real and as a boy I always felt he existed around me. He was more than a comic character. He was a philosophy. Someone who could judge what’s right and what’s wrong and it influenced me. I remember how I used to beg people who were returning from the United States to bring me Superman comics. I didn’t eat for a few days mourning the death of Superman in 1992 when DC killed the character. He dies fighting Doomsday.”
Shared birthday
Sameer shares his birthday with Superman and is planning a special show for his friends when the film releases. “June 30 is his official birthday. I own a lot of comics, action figures, tee shirts and other Superman merchandise but the most special one is the painting that Thotta Tharani gifted me on my last birthday. A Superman painted by him. The one and only Superman he has done. Uncle also promised me that he wouldn’t paint a Superman for anyone else.”
Muralidaran K, Senior Brand Management Executive at Rubecon Communications, has a Superman tattoo on his chest! “I am excited about Man of Steel because I disliked all other Superman movies made by Hollywood so far. My hopes ride on Nolan and Snyder and I am expecting another cult film for Superman just like what Nolan did for Batman. There’s more to Superman than just a man from Krypton with superpowers.”
Manoj Sreekumar, guitarist of rock band Duality, agrees, “Ever since Richard Donner’s 1978 classic Superman which cemented Christopher Reeve as the quintessential Man of Steel, the world has not seen a decent flick on the character, despite five more movies. The reason? It’s in the guy’s name. He’s Super. You cannot show Superman doing ordinary things. He’s got to be extraordinary. Going by the trailers and teasers, I am so happy seeing the visuals and the attention to detail that’s been given finally to the Man of Steel.”
Novels and comics
Manoj has a huge collection of 3000 graphic novels and comics, including about 400 Superman comics.
“I have the original comics from the Seventies and Eighties even today. And several titles from the Nineties when he was portrayed with long hair. In the DC Collectibles, I recently produced the Superman versus Zod, which was released earlier this year. I also have the incredible Death of Superman, World without Superman and The Return of Superman complete. The series that shook the entire comics industry, when Doomsday killed Superman. I also have the Mark Waid written Superman: Birthright and if I’m guessing right, the new film seems to have several influences from it,” he brags.
Very few superheroes can make grown men feel like kids again. In a matter of hours, the world will believe again.
In the Man of Steel.
Born Kal-El. Lives on forever.
