Freeze breathe and x-ray. Maybe super hearings to!
They never get used even when he really should use them. Writers ignore that he has these powers all the time.
He's been using all three recently.
And even expanding them!
Recently we got the sonar hearing and the X-rays vision to be only a part of the electromangetic vision of Supes, since in AC 2 he used microwaves and said he can emit every electromagnetic ray he wants and in Unchained 1 it was again shown with his Gamma vision.
Perhaps freeze breath not used regularly, but Superman utilizes other two abilities very often.
Plus they’re perfectly suited for the Kryptonian powerset so I prefer that they stay.
And seriously? X-rays and super-hearing aren't used frequently? What Superman comics are you reading?
Just Geoff John's new Superman atm.
And seriously? X-rays and super-hearing aren't used frequently? What Superman comics are you reading?
Just Geoff John's new Superman atm.
Didn't he used his super-hearing at the beginning of that issue?
And seriously? X-rays and super-hearing aren't used frequently? What Superman comics are you reading?
Just Geoff John's new Superman atm.
Didn't he used his super-hearing at the beginning of that issue?
It was Heat vision I think.
And seriously? X-rays and super-hearing aren't used frequently? What Superman comics are you reading?
Just Geoff John's new Superman atm.
Didn't he used his super-hearing at the beginning of that issue?
It was Heat vision I think.
He used super-hearing when he was listening to someone calling for help.
From the preview:
And he can freeze intangible particles like he recently did in Action Comics. He's expanding these abilities like never before IMO.
@blackhawk000111: Then he won't be able to save as many people... plus, speed has been with Superman since issue 1. Strength of a locomotive, defying gravity by leaping tall buildings, speed of a speeding bullet.
And he can freeze intangible particles like he recently did in Action Comics. He's expanding these abilities like never before IMO.
Nice to see that creators became more imaginative with them.
@squalleon: Pak-man is a genius.
@squalleon: Pak-man is a genius.
Yeah, I wouldn't go that far but he is a good fit for Superman. He has a good handle on powerhouses and light-hearted stories (without making them simplistic of childish).
I wouldn't care that much but he does use them often. If they were removed I would be fine with it, and it would make him have to use his other powers more creatively, but he does actually use those a lot.
I wouldn't care that much but he does use them often. If they were removed I would be fine with it, and it would make him have to use his other powers more creatively, but he does actually use those a lot.
How exatly using super-strength creatively helps you compensate for the lack of super-hearing :-P
And even expanding them!
Recently we got the sonar hearing and the X-rays vision to be only a part of the electromangetic vision of Supes, since in AC 2 he used microwaves and said he can emit every electromagnetic ray he wants and in Unchained 1 it was again shown with his Gamma vision.
Forgive my ignorance but what is sonar hearing?
And even expanding them!
Recently we got the sonar hearing and the X-rays vision to be only a part of the electromangetic vision of Supes, since in AC 2 he used microwaves and said he can emit every electromagnetic ray he wants and in Unchained 1 it was again shown with his Gamma vision.
Forgive my ignorance but what is sonar hearing?
The good thing about not knowing this, is that you didn't read Lobdell's run :D
Anyway it was an extension of super-hearing, Superman's hearing worked as a sonar mapping a threat based on the sound his ears picked up.
@squalleon: You and Lvenger...=D
@squalleon: You and Lvenger...=D
Dude it isn't like I don't like his writing or I hate him but you are over-praising him. I never said anything bad, even my comment wasn't a negative one. I love the guy, he and Kuder made AC readable again.
But well... he isn't a genius, and he isn't the greatest Superman writer you make him out to be, now I don't say that with disrespect or hostility in mind but it just that I have read my fair share and a little more of Superman stories and I know there are better writers than him. Maybe in the future he will convince me that he is the best but I highly doubt it. Let's see how he will manage AC after doomed and with all those titles he writes (add one more with STORM) and then lets praise him ok ;-)
I can agree with those and a few others. Yes, all of these powers have been a part of the character for years (decades even) but I've never believed that anything in comics needs to remain the same and for the most part they haven't, each writer brings a new angle to the character and all of these characters personalities and abilities have changed through the years.
So the powers to drop:
Super Breath - doesn't really make a lot of sense as the amount of air he expels is far in excess of the air his lungs could ever take in and his lungs would need to near collapse in on themselves to generate the amount of force needed to generate such speeds
Freeze Breath - same reason really as Super Breath and add to that the fact the pressure would need to be constant so its not as simple as "think cold and blow"
** I will add one addendum to the two above....if his overall power set were changed to be closer to the pre-52 Superboy notion of tactile telekinesis (i.e. his body generates a telekinetic field which is the explanation for his array of superhuman feats) than I would say add both would be acceptable to keep as it wouldn't be his lungs doing all the work but his telekinetic field amplifying or freezing the air he expels to generate the effect. **
Super Hearing - the degree I put in there is because his hearing should be better than a normal humans, maybe even as good as a canines or other such animals, but the overuse of this power just irritates the heck out of me. Its just bad writing to make a plot device where he hears a scream from halfway across a busy city let alone on the other side of the world. If he's in the same room or a frequency is being broadcast over long distances than I'm all for it....no problem with Supes picking up the slight tick of a bomb hidden in a warehouse. But there needs to be an end to him picking up a refinery fire in Belgium when he's sitting in Metropolis. Sound just doesn't work like that.
** So instead I'd have no problem giving Supes a very passive form of telepathy/empathy. Something along the same lines as a Z Fighter sensing an enemy or the new movie Spider-Man feeling a serious problem occurring in the city. It goes along with the notion of Kryptonians having psychokinetic abilities (the offhand explanation for a number of their powers outside a red sun) but wouldn't go so far as to let him know what the danger or threat is, he just feels the fear/anger/hate/desperation/etc from the people experiencing the problem and can follow it to the source and once he gets there he'll need to figure out what the problem is....thus also giving the stories a bit more tension given the fact Supes won't know what he's actually getting into until he's there and thus need to figure out a solution on the spot vice planning ahead **
Telescopic/Microscopic Vision - the last point kind of leads into this one but like Super Breath and Freeze Breath these just doesn't make a lot of sense and I think limits a lot of tension Superman stories could have if they weren't around. But first and foremost they just don't make a lot of sense from a practical standpoint. His eyes don't have additional lenses with which to adjust so he can see long distances or extreme tiny objects nor would a psychokinetic explanation make much sense either. This is different from X-ray Vision (which I think he could keep) because that relies on a release of energy and the feedback his eyes receive and mind interprets. Telescopic and Microscopic Vision don't work along those same lines because they require no energy output nor feedback. Somehow his eyes are just able to do both and that's about as far an explanation as we get. They also undermine a lot of potential tension by letting him know a threat well before he gets there or could have figured a solution out by other means, cheapening the opportunity to show just how intelligent he is and what he can accomplish at a moments notice.
Super Speed - he can already out fly what he can do on the ground so its not of much use to say he can also run at Mach 2 or whatever his max running speed is. There also isn't much explanation for it other than his physicality. Just because he's amazingly strong doesn't automatically mean he's amazingly fast too....else Flash would be the strongest hero in the DC Universe as well. A "dense molecular structure" doesn't mean a fast one.
So now that I've put down a few powers here are my thoughts on what abilities Superman should have....all of which need to be more directly tied to the idea of using solar radiation to produce superhuman feats of psychokinesis. I've never been a fan of the idea that his "body becomes supercharged" under a yellow sun. That doesn't make a lot of sense because his body doesn't actually change in any way. But the idea that he can utilize the stronger energy to project it in a number of ways does and thus my thoughts on a Superman powerset would be:
Natural abilities (i.e. Kryptonian physiology....complete independent of solar energy absorption)
Strength - 1.5 tons, Speed - 200 (sustained) to 250 (sprint) mph, Durability - survive a car crash/slight bruising from non-armor piercing bullets, Reflexes - see/dodge/catch automatic gun fire and near point blank range, Perfect Memory, Stamina - peak performance for several hours, Senses - around 5 to 10 times better than a normal human
Superhuman abilities based on Solar Energy Absorption and Energy Projection
Telekinetic Field resulting in Tactile Telekinesis (anything he touches with bare skin...thus why he doesn't wear gloves...will become wrapped in his field and allow him to lift with ease, more energy he puts into the field the heavier the object he can lift), Concussive Strikes (concentrate his field to increase physical attacks by 10 times....so like he's punching someone with 15 tons), Flight, Force Field (increase the density of the field to crank up his durability....not knowing exactly how much power he needs to use for the field would be the reason why a first attack may knock him into a building but the second doesn't even phase him), Heat Vision, Force Vision (I mean, if he can strike with telekinetic force why not expel it from his eyes as well), Electro-Magnetic Spectrum Vision (can shift through infrared, x-ray and ultraviolet by concentrating energy his in eyes but can't see radio or microwave frequencies), Night Vision (same concept of energy accumulation as EMS Vision), Super Breath (by using the telekinetic field to increase the force of the air he expels) and Body Temperature Manipulation (which provides the necessary environment for his Freeze Breath but also the reason why his body can survive in space....and I thought how he overcame that gas attack from Jason Todd was a pretty interesting application as well as Kara's skin glowing as a result when she went down to the ocean depths).
Like I said could add in a passive form of telepathy/empathy as it fits along a psychokinetic line of abilities but its not necessary for the Man of Steel as his abilities should be more physical and direct/conscious use. Also it would be nice to see him utilize a bit more technology given his suit is more technological now. Maybe not something as drastic as a DC rip-off of the Mass Effect omni-tool or something but maybe his phone being upgraded so it constantly searches the internet and radio frequencies for disasters or a similar concept that can alert him when things are happening outside of Metropolis.
@squalleon: We have 3 more issues before Pak is event free, let's see what he does.
Off the top of my head, all of Superman's powers I can remember:
Super-Senses
Super-Strength
Super-Speed
Super-Endurance
Super-Agility
Super-Dexterity
Invulnerability
X-Ray Vision
Infrared Vision
Night Vision (I know it's not his standard power, but I could've sworn I once read a Superman story where he had this)
Heat Vision
Freeze Breath
Telescopic Vision
Microscopic Vision
Super-Shout (you know, like Black Canary. I figure if Superman has super-lung capacity, super-breathing and super-vocal chords, he can probably shout loudly and powerfully enough to shatter windows and shit)
Flight
Super-Intelligence
(not including utterly ridiculous ones like shooting rainbow super-midgets out of his hands)
That's a lot of powers. And I'm cool with them. As long as each power is not amplified to ridiculous levels, it provides some great variety for Superman to show off. If someone like Thor can have an assload of powers, then Superman should too.
I really hate how his super hearing works. You can't just turn sound off and on. It's ridiculous.
He doesn't turn it off...
He is constantly hearing everything. But with all the mess of those combined sounds, he learns to focus on key words or sounds like "Help" so he can be where he is needed.
@ltbrd: you just described Superboys powerset,and it's awesome(mostly the way I explain it),but for the comics I don't see any reason that supermans powers can't be explained just as amped to god level by absorbing solar energy,and expelling it through his eyes with heat vision.flight has always been harder for me to explain,but not impossible.
Leave Superman as is, please. He's Superman. All these powers (and more) are part of the mythos. I like him "super" everything.
Leave Superman as is, please. He's Superman. All these powers (and more) are part of the mythos. I like him "super" everything.
Howabout they and we just put all this energy into giving Superboy a cool unique powerset with a flaw and a mutation because of his hybrid state instead of trying to change the ultimate hero.
@stephens2177: I haven't picked up an issue of Superboy since Forever Evil started so maybe I'm out of the loop.
But didn't they do that when they gave him a suit that contained his Tactile Telekenisis so now it only works on things he can touch, whereas before he was basically a nerfed Superman?
@scouterv: in the new 52 he is all superman level TK,but TK that "feels" and can "perceive" the world around him by all the five senses using that TK.
When he was in supermans suit he couldn't just throw around his TK like a normal TK user,he compressed it into more of what the Kesel SB had,which made him feel more like a brick with TK abilities by touch.
I would love for DC to keep his powers like kesels SB,BUT swap flight for all the new 52's TTK senses,that he feels like a TTK empowered YJ superboy.give him the weakness Geoff gave kon pre 52 and Lobdell gave Jon in the new 52,which is a slower solar energy absorption ability.
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