At 80, Superman still going strong

American cultural icon

WASHINGTON, June 2, (Agencies): In an era when superheroes seem to be everywhere — there were literally dozens in the most recent “Avengers” film — the Man of Steel stands apart.

Eighty years after his debut in Action Comics #1, dated June 1938, Superman is still an American cultural icon, the hero of reference and the undisputed star of DC Comics.

And today, the comic book publisher — also known for Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash and Green Lantern, among others — is counting on Superman more than ever.

“He is the mold people worked with, the template for the idea of a superhero,” explains Jared Smith, who works in a comic book store in Washington.

“Superman is a very idealized character. They call him the Boy Scout of America. He always does the right thing and tries do to the good thing.”

In Action Comics #1, 13 pages were dedicated to the story of Kal-El, an alien from the planet Krypton with supernatural strength, sent to Earth by his father before his home planet was destroyed.

Superman’s debut was a smash success. A year later, DC Comics gave the Man of Steel his own book, and introduced another formidable hero: Batman. Eighty years on, the formula has not changed: Superman has more or less always appeared in his red, blue and yellow suit with the “S” symbol on the chest.

In his appearances on the silver and small screen, in comic strips and videogames, he has fought for truth, justice and the “American Way.”

In Illinois, the town of Metropolis — which shares a name with Superman’s fictional home — organizes an annual festival celebrating the hero.

Siegel

This summer, on the heels of a “Man of Steel” mini-series, DC Comics will reboot the standalone “Superman” series. For the challenge, they tapped Brian Michael Bendis, a legend in the genre who worked for two decades at rival publisher Marvel.

“You always feel the legacy of the character when you hop on, and I’ve had that joy a couple of times, but there’s something different about Superman,” Bendis said in an interview with pop culture website Nerdist.

“I think there’s something fascinating about the fact that not only did this character invent the genre but it stayed true and became the core, soul, and center of the genre for the entirety of its existence.”

Superman is an immigrant on Earth, raised by a farmer and his wife from infancy in fictional Smallvillle.

Eventually, he takes the name Clark Kent, moves to Metropolis and becomes a journalist.

His two creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, were Jewish high school students when they first came up with the idea for Superman.

Their parents were immigrants, and their character personified the American dream — a metaphor for immigrants who fled Europe in the 1930s for the peace and prosperity of America. It’s a theme that Bendis plans to pick up. “People would come from all over the world just to live in Metropolis, to be watched over by the most famous immigrant,” Bendis told The Washington Post.

“It’s not going to be this huge message, it’s just going to be there — just flavor, the way we see the world.”

From time to time in the past, Superman’s popularity waned — his chiseled perfection was sometimes too much for an imperfect audience, who turned to Spider-Man and the X-Men, whose flaws they could identify with more readily.

LOS ANGELES:

Challenge

Also:

Universal’s “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” should bring in a healthy $140 million to $150 million in its opening weekend in North America, early tracking showed Thursday.

Unaided awareness for “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” is at 27% with total awareness at 94% and definite interest at 61%. The follow-up to the 2015 smash hit “Jurassic World” is set at the abandoned park at Isla Nublar, where the massive creatures still roam. It opens June 22.

“Jurassic World” stunned the industry with a record-setting $208.8 million domestic launch — still the fourth-largest of all time after “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” “Jurassic World” took in $1.67 billion worldwide.

The story in “Fallen Kingdom” sees Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard’s characters trying to salvage the dinosaurs at the park, including Pratt’s friend Blue.

The new installment also stars Justice Smith, James Cromwell, Toby Jones. Jeff Goldblum will also return as quick-witted mathematician Ian Malcolm, who co-starred in 1993’s “Jurassic Park” and in 1997’s “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” but was absent from “Jurassic World.”

LOS ANGELES:

Nordisk Film, one of the oldest movie studios in the world, purchased Avalanche Studios (“Just Cause,” “Mad Max,” “theHunter”) in the single largest acquisition in the company’s 111-year history, the companies announced this week.

The deal, which has Nordisk purchasing the remaining shares of Avalanche for 89 million Euro, is part of Nordisk’s strategy of investing in successful Nordic game studios, according to a statement.

“We have been minority owners of Avalanche Studios for a year, and are already impressed by their results,” Mikkel Weider, managing director at Nordisk Film Games, said in a statement. “During its 15 years in business, Avalanche Studios has built a world-class team and created a unique company culture that perfectly matches our own values. It also has a unique foundational technology, exciting new titles in development and a strong IP in the ‘theHunter’ franchise.”

The deal will not impact how Avalanche Studios operates, who manages it or any of its ongoing development deals, which includes the company’s current work on Bethesda Softworks’ upcoming shooter “Rage 2.”