by Hank Brockett
We’ve reached T-minus eight days until Halloween, and if you haven’t picked out a costume yet ... don’t worry. For the third straight year, that linen will transform you into a lemon-fresh ghost.
With the remarkable turnover in pop culture, it’s amazing how little things change in the costume aisle. Young girls still love those princess threads, and what young ragamuffin isn’t at home as a hobo?
Sure, there are exceptions and a few trends just to add some spice into that October country cider. For about a decade, masks from the ironic horror spectacle Scream have been popular. And just last year, some camps debated the tact of dressing up as Osama bin Laden.
Q: Hey, Word of Mouth, what’s the best film scene involving a costume?
A: Good question. That would have to be from the understated slice-of-life depicted in Liberty Heights. In the midst of a confusing 1960s adolescence, the main character — who is Jewish — dresses up as Adolph Hitler. The familial squabble that follows is classic.
Anyway, back to the racks. Hidden among the piles of rubber masks and odorous vinyl, an “S” shines like a beacon in the fog. Someday, and in some way, that “S” will adorn the chest of a Superman (or Superwoman).
Around since 1938, Superman hasn’t aged a bit. Many have taken up the cause of Krypton’s last son — some see him as the ultimate immigrant, others as the personification of American ideals.
With a soft spot for truth, justice and heat vision, American audiences always have shown a willingness to experience Superman’s exploits. The projects and the mediums have changed, but the devotion seldom wavers.
The costume aisle offers all the proof you need.
Here’s a look at Supes in a Kryptonian nutshell:
Comic books (1937-present)
With pulp, ink and imagination, Superman has been flying for 64 years now. The business of comic books has changed significantly since Action Comics #1. During the comic boom of the early 1990s, rudimentary drawings and business suits gave way to glossy, metallic covers, buxom babes and more realistic fantasies.
In the midst of the boom, national attention focused on a storyline hinging on Superman’s death. Now don’t worry, he didn’t stay dead for long, but the brief firestorm solidified the big blue Boy Scout’s symbolic place in the national consciousness.
Film (1979 - present)
Most of the current Superman discussion concerns the idea of another movie. After the embarrassment of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and the vocal stylings of Nuclear Man, no one even thought of tugging on Superman’s cape.
Quite a depressing thought, too, considering how much spunk the first film had. The scene between a nervous Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) and an almost flirtatious Superman (Christopher Reeve) crackles with energy. If it were a comic book, the scene would be rife with verbal THWAPs and BOFFs..
To detail the latest efforts would be a movie in itself. Several Hollywood elite have tried to greenlight production, including director Tim Burton and writer Kevin Smith. And just in the last few years, everyone from Nic Cage to Josh Hartnett has inquired about the role. But tossed scripts and communication problems have beset each endeavor - including the fanboy’s dream of a Superman vs. Batman flick. Alas, only in dreams...
Television (1952-present)
Superman’s current livelihood depends on the small screen, specifically the fine folks at the WB network. Smallville looks at a Clark Kent in a Kansas high school, at the onset of puberty and the realization of his powers.
The show has proved successful as it plows through its second season. While bringing in a young, hip, advertiser-friendly audience, the show also appeals to long-time fans yearning for the creative stories of a boy trying to figure things out. It doesn’t hurt that the show features the firecracker Kristen Kreuk as Lana Lang, otherwise known as “the girl before Lois Lane.” Clark must be a sucker for the letter “L.”
Television success, of course, isn’t anything new for the Superman character. ABC’s Lois and Clark took a Moonlighting approach to the superhero, and proved both dramatic and enjoyable ... until the writers decided to marry Lois and Clark. By then, the show had turned into kryptonite for the timeslot and all the shows around it.
One would think the ’90s were a bad decade for Superman, with both a comic book death scare and a cancellation (the fate worse than death). But flippant mentions on Seinfeld kept the superhero in respected realms. And in the process, a whole new audience learned the meaning of Bizarro world.
Music
No pop culture icon is complete without songs sung in its key. Singer-songwriters long have culled the Superman story for lyrical inspiration. Look, up in the air, it’s a Top Five list!
• Sunshine Superman by Donovan
• Jimmy Olsen’s Blues by the Spin Doctors
• Superman’s Theme by John Williams
• Waitin’ On a Superman by the Flaming Lips
• Rapper’s Delight by the Sugar Hill Gang
This summary only scrapes the surface of an exhaustive resume. Superman has been the subject both of gems and klunkers, but the Rolling Stones rule applies: If you keep going, you must be doing something right.
As for why, we’ll let each viewer and listener decide. But to me, it’s simple. Chicks dig the mild-mannered reporter.
The Northern Star Home Page
The Internet Movie Database
What other critics think - The Rotten Tomatoes Site