Sure, he was a Superman Knock-off, but there were a couple of reasons that I always liked Hyperion. First, he was a riff on the Man of Steel when it was still a relatively unique idea - in the decades since his debut, I've lost count of all the Superman analogues out there. Then there was a more personal reason - I was glad that such a powerful character had red hair like me! Of course, if he ever makes it into the MCU, that's probably the first characteristic that will be jettisoned!
great cover....
ReplyDeleteanother of your seamless mashups....
as a fellow ginger, i propose a team of red-headed heroes....
i can't wait to see what you can come up with....
see you in the funny pages....
Check out Code: Red, they've made 2 appearances
ReplyDeleteYour comments made me laugh (in a good way). Being a blond, I favored Flash, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Hawkeye, and Captain America.
ReplyDeleteSince you lost count, here's a gallery to get you started. It's still partial, but…
ReplyDeletehttps://www.deviantart.com/eldacur/art/Of-Supermen-and-Mice-updated-Superman-analogues-749110104
If Hyperion gets to MCU Hyperion will be a redhead since redheads are sinister. But since MCU likes to change races, sexes, etc. Hyperion will be a transgender, female American Indian.
ReplyDeleteI don't care how good actors/actresses are I do not like it when they change sexes of characters. Create a new character if you cannot use one that came with source. The Sorcerer Supreme being a woman made no sense to me.
Actually it started to be popular in the 1940s to do riffs on Superman; they just led to lawsuits. The one against Wonder Man quickly killed the character; the one against Captain Marvel took longer.
ReplyDeleteAnd, a funny thing: when Hyperion was first introduced, wasn't he basically a villain? Or was that a later development with an alternate version?
@Glenn: I mainly have problems with changing the race, sex, etc. of major characters. My only problem with DC making Alan Scott into a gay man was that it wrote Jade and Obsidian out of continuity. The Ancient One being a Celtic woman only bothered me a little, and I was OK with it once I saw Tilda Swinton on the screen in the role (it was a tough job to balance stereotyping versus whitewashing). I am bothered a little with the gender change on Mar-Vell, despite Annette Bening's spot-on performance and the way that the change hid a couple of the movie's surprises.
Even so, it may be about time for DC to start exploring African-American versions of Kal-El and/or Bruce Wayne. (I think the former's been done loosely, but I'd like to see how a Black Clark Kent deals with going from a middle-American small town where he's largely accepted to a big city where subtle forms of racism are ingrained.)
Another great cover that's got me wishing I could read the story that went with it.
ReplyDeleteI really liked Hyperion, mainly because it gave us "Superman" in the Marvel universe. Then I really enjoyed Straczynski's Supreme Power series.
And talking of Superman knock-offs, didn't you do a team of them a while back?
@Bob, I too would like to see those African-American versions. I think Grant Morrison did one for Kal-el in his Multiversity, and Nighthawk, Hyperion's team-mate in the Squadron Supreme, (at least in the Straczynski version, is African-American.
Yes, Davejonz, STF #359
ReplyDeleteThanks Ross. Truly a fine looking bunch of knock-offs. Any chance we can see them again?
ReplyDeleteSquadron Supreme maxi series by Mark Gruenwald is still my favorite Justice League story.
ReplyDeleteWhere did that image of J'onn come from?
ReplyDeleteI think an interior from DCCP
ReplyDeleteMaybe, Davejonz, anything is possible.
ReplyDeleteNow if Hyperion vs Shazam you'd have one fun issue for the artist and colorist. No hype!
ReplyDeleteAnd if he ever made it to the DCTV Arrowverse, he'd become a bald African-American (like Jimmy Olsen).
ReplyDelete@Bob Greenwade: didn't Stan Lee already imagine Batman as African-American? And wasn't Superman already reimagined as Mexican-American?
ReplyDelete@Horsefeathers: see STF #1663.
ReplyDelete@Ross: this would truly be a nail-biter in a real-world crossover. I mean, could even Martian super-powers be a match for Hyper-ionic powers?
ReplyDelete@Anon@9:03: Yes, Stan did imagine Batman as African-American, though that wasn't Bruce Wayne (his name was Wayne Williams, and was never wealthy). I've tended to think of Bruce as coming from "Old Money," and we've just about gotten to a point in our society where an African-American family can have been rich long enough to hold that label. For my proposal, keep the rest of Bruce's story; he can be Black, having all the same elements but addressing race issues as well.
ReplyDeleteLive-action Wonder Woman, on the other hand, I think should go in the opposite direction: none of the actresses who have played her to date are of significant Greek heritage. (Her African counterpart, Nubia, should remain a separate individual.)
I remember ages ago Marvel and Image put out another Superman knockoff fight, Gladiator vs Supreme, and I thought Hyperion would have been a better opponent for Supreme
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I know Gladiator is a Superboy knockoff. That's not the point. :p
@Carycomic I was right & so were you.
ReplyDeleteCarycomic said...
As Billy "Fernando" Crystal might say. "This...looks...MARVEL-ous!"
Has Power Princess ever gone directly against Superwoman? That would be A Match Made in the Heavens.
ReplyDelete@Bob G: DC's already conducted such an exploration. According to Alan Moore's "Multiversity Guide," Calvin Ellis (nee Kalel of Krypton's Vathlo Island) is POTUS on Earth-23.
ReplyDeleteWhat is his unique power?
ReplyDeleteI don't know if he has unique powers. But, in addition to having abilities similar to Superman's, JJ is also telepathic...and capable of Durlanesque shapeshifting.
ReplyDeleteKill him Martian Manhunter!
ReplyDeleteActually Martian Manhunter beat him (Squadron Sinster version) in JLA/Avengers. In one panel shows MM carrying him off after defeating him.
ReplyDelete