If it takes something in the sky to give them hope, so be it.

[momebie]

Quick! When you think of characters that fly--I'm thinking superheroes here, obviously, but really anyone you can think of who doesn't have wings and doesn't use magic, who just seems to have an innate ability to defy gravity--do you assume that they are manipulating the gravitational field outside of them, or that they are flexing something extra from the inside?

[Poll #1906785]


I was doing my reading for this week's Gender Through Comic Books module, Superman: Birthright, and I noted that Lex's assumption about how Superman moves through the air is that he's controlling his own gravitational field. I find this curious and telling, given that he's praised as a great inventor, but doesn't seem to have the air of fantasy that actually WOULD make him a great inventor. Lex Knows Things that the other characters don't, and because of this the rest of the world assumes he's making it up, when really he's just stealing and cobbling things together to fit his whims. I don't mean that in a derogatory way. He's obviously insanely brilliant either way. I just think it's an important distinction in the character.

Anyway, I noted this on twitter and metonymy asked me if there was a difference in controlling a gravitational field and flying. Another SuperMOOC person responded to say she hadn't thought of it that way, so now I'm curious. I mean, obviously, the stuff I know about science could fit in the ear of a dust mite. But given that these characters are usually presented within a context of fantasy, I tend to assume that their ability to fly is another muscle that they're exercising, rather than something cast iron scientific like disruption of the gravitational field, unless we're specifically told so. Tony Stark? Definitely disrupting gravity and engaging thrusters. Carol Danvers? Ummmm...just plain flying*.

All that said, I did enjoy Birthright, in spite of my hitherto complete non-interest in all things Superman. (Except for Dick Grayson's obvious doe eyed adoration of him. That I will always find amusing.) Mark Waid did more in 50 pages to make me care about Supes than pop culture had done in 30 years. A lot of it boils down to this quote:

We’ve talked about this before. Living things have a kind of glow around them. They’re surrounded in a halo of colors I’d invent names for if I weren’t the only one who could make them out. I’m not sure if that halo is a soul or an aura or what. I do know that at the end of the life cycle, it fades pretty quickly, and what’s left behind is…hard to look at. Empty in a way that leaves me empty, too. But when it’s there…my God, how it shines.

So, thoughts? Superman comic recs? Superman fic recs**? I'm not a proud person. I'll take whatever you can throw at me.


(*Disclaimer that I don't read many comics with characters who actually fly, except for how I've just started reading Captain Marvel, so if it's been addressed then OBVIOUSLY I missed it and would like to know the canon explanations if you know them.)
(**Except for you, Rachael! I still have that epic Supes/Bats fic set aside for when I have time to give it the attention it deserves.)

Comments

[seratonation.livejournal.com]

in Captain Marvel they say that her ability to fly is inside her.

as for superman... i never really thought about it that way but i always assumed it was the same? that he could fly because he was an alien and it was part of his alien physiology, but i guess that could also explain the gravity theory too...

I'm trying to think of other superheroes who could fly, but Thor uses his hammer, just as Tony is in the suit, and Magneto and Storm both use their mutations.

I cant think of anyone else who can just fly, without any explanation :(

[yachiru]

I've always assumed Superman had some super powerful gas. Of course that might be the pain meds talking.

I stand by it either way.

[legoline.livejournal.com]

I have Birthright somewhere but haven't read it yet--I really really should. I had no idea Mark Waid was involved. He curerently writes the insanely brilliant Daredevil vol. 3 comics, that I just adore, so him writing Supe? I need to get on that.

As for comics...I really liked "Secret Origin" but I'm not sure how much someone who usually isn't that much into Supe would like it...if that makes sense? I really love the Batman/Superman series because you usually get Bat's voice describing Supe and vice versa, which is alternatively angsty and fanboyish :D Oh, and Nightwing Year One has an issue that has Supe and is really cool.

Other than that I haven't read that many Superman series (except the random Action Comic) because I think that a lot of writers get him wrong. It's very easy to take a character like that and NOT make the reader care so I'm glad Mark Waid did and I'll go and read that comic later.

/random

[saphire-dance.livejournal.com]

The most modern explination for Superman's powers is something they call Tactile Telekinesis. He manipulates a feild of energy around him. Superboy has this power, but he's aware of and had to be trained in it, where as Superman has a less aware controll over the power.

[alephz.livejournal.com]

Always figured that everyone flies differently even if the result is the same. Superman's got some weird solar-powered alien organ that, under the yellow sun, converts energy and gravity into flight, Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) was infused with alien energies (Kree and cosmic and probably more to boot) through an accident involving Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) that she can now project to move herself through space, Captain Marvel (Billy Batson/Shazam) is straight-up magic, Captain Marvel/Photon (Monica Rambeau) is constantly shifting/transmuting molecules around her. And those are just the Captains Marvel I know.

As for Superman fic, you could go a lot worse than the silver age "Miracle Monday" story by Elliot S! Maggin (available here) though it's hard to say whether or not it's quite as good if you don't already love the guy.

[smithereen.livejournal.com]

I don't know anything about science, so I probably wasn't even being accurate, but I was writing a character once who could manipulate her own gravitational field and the way I had imagined that was the power let her float, but she had thrusters to actually give herself direction and allow her to control her flight. (She could also do really long jumps and stuff sort of like you can do on the moon but more controlled, etc.) I can see how a more sophisticated control would allow you to push and pull yourself toward things without thrusters, but then wouldn't there be a lot of incidents of objects getting accidentally sucked into your gravitational pull? Unless I guess there's an innate control of it that allows it to be very precise from the beginning?

Again, I don't actually understand physics so probably I'm wrong but that's why I never really pictured the standard Superman flyer as manipulating a gravitational field. Cause his flying doesn't seem to have an impact on the rest of the world around him in terms of the force it produces?

[seratonation.livejournal.com]

oh man for someone who doesnt understand physics, you certainly raise an interesting point re: gravitational fields and things getting pulled in, or even orbiting!

Its like the point someone raised about magneto, and how, if he loses control does he just start attracting metal things?

[bessiemaemucho.livejournal.com]

Yeah, unless otherwise specified I assume it's more like the first option.

I'm not a huge Superman fan but a few recs:
Superman for All Seasons, which was required reading in one of my youth library classes. It's kind of like an intro/reboot one off? But it's just like... sweet??

Red Son. What if Superman crashed into the USSR instead of Kansas? WHAT IF

Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?? WHAT??