brevoortformspring:

I’m not sure what aspects of his personality you’re referring to here, but I can say a few things here. First of all, I think the idea that Superman is a “boy scout” is a cliche of the highest order. I don’t think he’s any more that than Captain America or Spider-Man—having a strong moral center is a huge part of what makes that character work—and you can tell affecting stories just fine with any of them. But there is definitely something going on with the depiction of Superman these days that makes it ineffably more difficult for me to recognize the character as Superman—and I think it has everything to do with trying to make him less of a boy scout, in a way. It’s not that he’s being portrayed younger, that’s a perfectly acceptable choice, especially after years of Smallville. But it has something to do with the fact that he’s not really regarded as the best -of-the-best anymore, either by the public in general or among the super hero community. It no longer feels like he stands for something greater—in trying to make him more human and relevant, it feels to me like a good part of the character’s iconicness has been lost (and without truly accomplishing the first part.) I find that when I read Superman stories these days, I’m not really rooting for Superman—he’s just a guy flying around and punching things, without any particular agency behind what he’s doing. Also, I think the costume redesign is a bit unfortunate. It’s not about losing the trunks so much as the whole thing just looks unwieldy to me—and they’re drawing his face differently, which more than anything in the suit makes it tough for me as a reader to connect that character with the guy I’ve been reading about for so long. But, you know, things change, stuff gets tried out or attempted, and some of it works, and some of it doesn’t.