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So, what do you do when your character is 50 years old, you want to attract new readers who think your character is reeeeeeeal corny? Well, you MESS WITH IT... and pray to every deity that will listen you guessed right when you changed things. If not... well, you get to sit in the unemployment line next to the people who came up with new Coke. DOH. Sometimes, though, the stars are in the right place, the correct Muse is talking to the right writer at the right time... and you get magic.
1.'Clark is NOT a dork. 'Superman the Movie' is probably one of the best adaptations of a comic ever done on the big screen. Unfortunately, they got Clark waaaaaay too well. I know Clark is mild-mannered, but jeez. Flash forward to Post-Crisis DC, and things change. First, John Byrne lets Clark be an athlete in high school. Ok, it's a start. And he's a LITTLE better dresser. Ok... better. Enter Dean Cain and 'Lois and Clark; The New Adventures of Superman'' from ABC. FINALLY. No, Clark isn't some dashing playboy. However, he's not some klutz who keeps making a fool of himself. Clark is a PERSON; funny, charming, and I want to know where they got the clothes. Also, this is when the entire idea of Superman changed. Let's be honest, in the case of the Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne is the disguise. However, as of Dean Cain's turn as Supes, suddenly it's CLARK who's real, and Supes is just something he does.
2. Wally IS The Flash. Unfortunately, I never had a chance to really read the early runs of Wally coming to terms with being THE Flash with the passing of Barry Allen. However, from what I could see in bits and pieces... he was kind of a dork; brash, annoying... basically early 20s. Hey, we were ALL that way. Then, over time... he basically grew up. Suddenly, being The Flash wasn't just the suit... it became a badge of honor. 'The Return of Barry Allen' storyline is an awesome story-arc. Too much to get into here, but you see a character grow up, transform, and the passing of the torch that starts a NEW legend, where an old one left off.
3. Batman, Year One. Ah, the more things change, the more things stay the same. The generalities are the same; parents dead, Gordon is the commissioner, you get the idea. However, all the details are very, very, very different. Gordon is a disgraced cop from Chicago trying to get his life back together. Wayne has been away for years and has no clue what the heck he's doing. Alfred... well, Alfred is Alfred, trying to keep things together. And Gotham City? Welcome to the east corner of Hell.
4. Wonder Woman by George Perez. Oh, this ROCKED. Before, the entire Greek mythological background for Diana was just glossed over. Yeah, she's an Amazon, blah, blah, blah, bracelets, blah, blah blah. No more. George Perez's take on Princess Diana emphasized the mythological aspects of her and brought a ton o' neat characters and stunning villains to the story. Suddenly, Ares God of War is a major adversary, Cheetah is no longer just some woman in Spandex, and Diana's mission as an Ambassador to Man's World suddenly doesn't sound so silly.