Comic Genius

I was messing around again on the Newsarama forums today, and there was a post where they were basically contemplating the level of Superman’s intellect. The original poster contended that Jor-El was basically a rocket scientist, so his son should have at least gotten some of his smarts.

Now obviously, different writers are going to have different takes on just how smart Superman is, and how much it affects his ability to decipher and solve problems in the superhero business. Recently, the trend seems to be to bring him back down to Earth in terms of his intellect in order to make him be more relatable. But in comics like All-Star Superman, which are out of current continuity, Superman is shown performing feats like curing cancer and mapping out his own genetic code.

So which one do we want, a Superman who can solve all the world’s problems, or one who has to constantly ask for Batman’s help? Personally, I like him somewhere in between.

I’ve actually enjoyed reading Grant Morrison’s Superman in All-Star immensely. One of the things I love about him is that while he’s out saving the world, he’s also not above acting selfishly every once in a while, especially when he replicates his abilities and puts them into a serum so that Lois can share his powers for a 24 hour period. While it was something that Lois obviously wanted to experience, I have to believe that he also wanted to be able to share that with her, so that she could better understand the world that he lives in on a daily basis.

The less intelligent Superman appears as more of a team player. He can’t always solve the problems on his own, and sometimes needs to defer to other members of the Justice League for help. I’m not against this Superman, but I don’t like him completely either. Superman doesn’t need to sound and do unintelligent things in order for him to be a team player. He can see and hear things that other people can’t, and that alone should help him solve problems and cure situations. He should also have an excellent understanding of how his abilities work, and how they relate to each of those situations. If a villain is using some kind of machine that hinders a person’s ability to hear or see correctly, Superman should have a better understanding of how that substance is being used and should be able to counteract that substance. To me, it’s nothing more than knowing your strengths and weaknesses and being able to use them when the time comes.

Please, no general science comments from Superman. And if they have to be there, at least make them sound smart. He should at least have the intelligence to make himself sound smart.

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