Comic Characters Revised : At 48, Superman Slows a Bit, Kent De-Wimpified

Clark Kent is being de-wimpified and Superman is being de-superized--and fans of both seem to be delighted.

That’s the word from specialized Southland comic book dealers after the latest incarnation of Kent-Superman went on sale last weekend.

“We are completely sold out of our first shipment,” said David Smith, owner of Fantasy Illustrated in Garden Grove. “We sold 400 copies over the weekend, and I have 250 more on order.”

Rick Werft, owner of Comic Castle in Fullerton, Victorville and a soon-to-open third store in Tustin, agreed.

“We sold about 500 in two days so that’s pretty dramatic, Werft said. “I think (creator) John Byrne is obviously one of the finest writers and artists around and he brings a certain literacy and insight which makes Superman very human for a lot of people now.”

The revised characters appear in the first of a six-part mini-series, entitled “The Man of Steel,” distributed first to direct-sales shops that cater to collectors. The same comic book, with a different cover, will hit the convenience stores and candy shops where youngsters do their buying later this week.

And although all of the characters are somewhat different, they aren’t all that different. Superman is still a refugee from the planet Krypton, still can fly with no visible means of support, bullets bouncing visibly off his bulging chest. And Clark Kent (who, as everyone should know by now, is really Superman in civvies) is still a newspaperman with eyeglasses, but now he’s a columnist instead of a mere reporter. Moreover, he’s no longer the mild-mannered Clark Kent of yesteryear but a pretty savvy, aggressive newshawk.

Lois Lane also has been promoted to columnist. What’s more, she no longer swoons at the mere sight of Superman but is an independent-minded journalist who may even develop a yen for the former wimp Kent, the jerk who had a quirk about phone booths.

The reason for all this, as one might guess, is that the old Superman just wasn’t selling very well. “The bottom line is money,” Smith said Tuesday. “The old Superman was faltering in sales. We would be lucky to sell 50 a month.”

Asked what he thought of the new super-seller, Smith, noting that his customers ranged from 8-year-olds to people in their 40s, added, “This is a story that more people can relate to.”

“Superman had become a stale character,” echoed Bob Hennessey of Santa Monica’s Hi De Ho Comics and Fantasy. “Really boring,” added Tom Pederzani of the American Comic Book Co. in Studio City. “Too godlike,” concluded Marian Costa, co-proprietor of Another World Comics & Books in Eagle Rock.

In their collective view, Superman had evolved over 48 years of existence into a creature who was, well, just too super .

For instance, the 1938 Superman looked as if he was straining a bit when he lifted an old sedan over his head. He couldn’t fly but was able to leap a piddling 100 yards.

But in his later, more fantastic years, he became extravagantly extra-human, easily flinging whole galaxies across the universe and effortlessly zipping around at well beyond the speed of light.

Nothing--not even Lois Lane’s melting gaze--could touch him physically or emotionally.

“He had accumulated too many powers,” said Hennessey thoughtfully. “I personally think that the change was long overdue, and that it’s important to make Superman more vulnerable. Otherwise there can be no tension in the stories.”

The new version is being written and drawn by John Byrne, who jumped over from the rival Marvel Comics to DC Comics.

So far, the new Superman has succeeded largely with collectors, many gambling on the long shot that the latest model Superman may eventually become as valuable as “Action Comics No. 1,” which now fetches something like $18,500 for a mint copy.

Pederzani doubts that because he has heard that at least 700,000 copies are already in print.

Costa is undecided. “You never know what is going to catch the public’s imagination,” she mused. “Sometimes there is a magic that takes over. It’ll take three to six months before we know.”

Times staff writer Heidi Evans contributed to this story.