Superman vs. The Elite - Review

I find myself defending Superman as a character more and more these days. In a world where characters are flawed and grounded in realism, even in the comic book industry, a red and blue boy scout can seem fairly dated. Superman is one of my favorite comic book characters, right under Batman for the top spot, and while more than enough people offer well-deserved praise to the Caped Crusader, people tend to dismiss or berate Superman for what he is. What is the real problem when you get down to it? I usually hear the following:

• He’s too powerful.
• He’s too much of a boy scout.
• He wears red underwear on the outside.
• He’s not that interesting a character.
• He isn’t relatable.
• He wears red underwear on the outside!

DC Comics themselves have had trouble with the character in recent years, what with Superman Returns’ critical backlash and the constant change in writer and artist for his non-Action Comics New 52 run. Everyone from bloggers, classmates I’ve talked to, to fellow comic book fans argue that Superman is no longer relevant in today’s world. If we were to channel the debate into a single Superman story, we would have Superman vs. The Elite. Based on Action Comics #775, entitled “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?” The film depicts Superman’s interaction with a new group of anti-heroes called The Elite, led by Manchester Black. The Elite are modern, new school, and are willing to do what is necessary to enforce what they believe is peace, including stepping above the law and murdering criminals.

This of course doesn’t suit Superman, and causes him and the group to butt heads. Superman works inside the law, doesn’t take a life, and will often settle a dispute diplomatically before taking physical action or precedent. Superman is the ideal citizen, a symbol of old-fashioned peace and justice; The Elite represent an order of lethal force and action. The argument that Superman isn’t relatable baffles me considering his origins as an alien sent to Earth and had to struggle with fitting in with a society that could and would most likely shun him for being different, Superman was an allegory for prejudice and status quo decades before X-Men had ever touched the subject. Though to be fair, it isn’t as prevalent as X-Men mostly because it isn’t the central focus of Superman’s appeal. He’s not really meant to be relatable so much as he is supposed to be looked up to; he sets a better example for humans than humans do themselves.

That’s not to say Manchester Black is an entirely black and white individual, he just comes from a different world. He was brought up differently, were he not put through such hardships as a child; he might’ve become more like Superman, who he initially admires but later looks down upon. Black is the leader and most important aspect of the group, whereas the rest of the team is there to act as variance and have very little traits or personality quirks to remember, other than Menagerie constantly hitting on Supes and making plenty of entertaining innuendos whenever around him. The art style definitely put me off at first. I got used to it as I watched the film but I wouldn’t exactly call it good. There seems to be no rhyme or reason that the movie decided to adopt this very cartoony, very caricature style with Superman having a ridiculous chin. Action Comics #775 never had such a style, so it’s not like they were taking example from it in the character design department. Either way, the narrative would have benefitted with a greater art design, this just looks kind of silly.

The film was written by Joe Kelly, who had written the original issue, and the writing is good. Superman is written properly and voiced by George Newbern, who had previously voiced him in Justice League and Justice League: Unlimited. The story addresses serious issues but like a true comic book adaptation it knows when to take a step back for some fresh air with effective comic relief and levity. Bottom line, Superman vs. The Elite is an effective way to represent the argument I’ve had to defend more and more often. It, like the All-Star Superman adaptation before it, are both credible representations of the Man of Steel, and why he is the way he is. Looking forward to the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie, The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1. 8 out of 10.