Before I start this article I would like to say that these views are me Alex ‘Muldwych’ Giles and not those of the Sidekick Website.

I am not a religious person anymore but growing up I did go to church and was a member of the Boys Brigade as well as attending Sunday School more times than I care to remember, even winning a leather clad bible with my initials engraved on it for ‘biblical knowledge’ and I have no problem telling you all as an adult I did some soul searching into why we are here and the bigger questions in life before after my 2 year voyage of discovery realising that it was a load of nonsense and becoming a ‘Humanist Atheist’.

So when it comes to believing and worshiping a higher power I think I know a little bit about it, so when I read an article on the blog The Kobayashi Maru(e) about how Superman is easily the most misunderstood fictional figure in modern popular culture and how he would like to be more like Superman as he grows up, it struck a nerve with me.

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Superman is the greatest and most powerful superhero in the DC Universe. You all know the drill, faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. And yet, his greatest enemy, the one man he can never truly defeat, is a megalomaniacal bald bloke with a penchant for nice suits.

Lex Luthor is the archetypal supervillain, the polar opposite of his nemesis. Where Superman is physically powerful, Luthor’s greatest asset is his mind. Superman is decent, upstanding and completely selfless, Luthor is shallow, nasty and thinks of nobody but himself. But what sets Luthor apart from other supervillains are his goals. While he’s never going to stop seeking more money and power, his ultimate goal is simple. He wants to kill Superman. Luthor can’t stand that there’s someone in Metropolis who is more powerful, and more loved, than he is. That’s it. Pure, simple, jealousy. Everything Luthor does is ultimately about destroying the Man of Steel, and he takes everything Superman does personally. There’s a short speech from Luthor in JLA #11, written by Grant Morrison, which sums up his relationship with Superman perfectly:-

“There have been ‘Justice Leagues’ before, of course. I’ve indulged their existence. Let them conduct their colourful public brawls, like drunken sailors with a Hollywood budget. Let them play their games. I could have destroyed any of those organizations at any time. I chose not to. Until now. Until Superman. I would have overlooked this latest media-friendly pantomime by creatures whose very existence makes a mockery of human achievement. I would even have been prepared to indulge the astonishing arrogance of their lunar clubhouse. But for Superman. I take his leadership of this preposterous team of alpha males as a direct challenge, a throwing down of the gauntlet, a clear escalation of hostilities between us. I intend to utterly destroy Superman’s private army, and to do so I have assembled the perfect weapons…”

Superman takes up leadership of the League, never even giving Luthor a second thought, and Luthor genuinely believes that it’s all about him. This is why he’s such a good adversary for the Last Son of Krypton. He doesn’t know how to be anything else.

Luthor on screen has been tackled by a lot of different actors, many of whom have gotten it shockingly wrong. There seems to be a propensity to portray Luthor as a cackling, pantomime villain, ignoring any of the quieter moments which make the character so menacing and launching into full on over the top histrionics *cough* Kevin Spacey *cough*. But, there have also been a few actors who just get Luthor.

I was quite surprised at the results of your votes for the best Luthor of all time, which was won by Smallville’s Michael Rosenbaum. I was genuinely expecting Gene Hackman to clinch the top spot. But who features on my list of great Luthors? Let’s find out...

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What?! I couldn’t find another one with speaking in it. So, the reviews are shifting back to the DC universe and it’s all about the cape and the cowl. This week’s Hot Picks will focus entirely on one series, I’ll review two of the books and make recommendations for other books that are available from (Cardiff) Library.

Superman/Batman started back in 2003 (can’t believe its been going that long) and was given to Jeph Loeb (Hulk, Ulitmatum, Ultimate Avengers). At the time he was working with industry favourite Ed McGuinness, although later stories have featured art by a whole range of other artists, and similarly writing duties have also frequently changed.

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Link: http://geeksyndicate.wordpress.com/2011/01/10/smallville-gets-an-awesome-fan-made-trailer-superman-rebirth/

I stopped watching Smallville a hell of a long time ago, I have no idea what is going on, I do know that the current season is set to be the last. If it's going to be anything like this fan trailer (well done Alex, whoever you are) then I may just have to tune back in. Thanks to my good buddy The Nuge for pointing me in the right direction.