I always hear the same complaints about The Man of Steel;” he is too powerful”, “out of date” or “too perfect”, I used to think that as well, but Superman is none of those things. Sure back in the golden era of comics Superman had some crazy powers, I mean in one book he blew out a star, but ever since his revamp in the 80s Superman is no more powerful than Hulk, Sentry (Marvel’s answer to Superman) or Thor. Superman got his butt kicked by Batman in the Dark Knight Returns so I don’t want to hear that crap.
Is Superman too perfect or too much of boy scout (as if being boy scout is bad)? I don’t think he is perfect but isn’t that what we should inspire to be like, Superman to me represents the best qualities in humanity. I guess today people want their heroes to be dark and kill and be gritty or weird, which makes for great reading but whats wrong with a hero who is always trying to be the the best and has a strong sense of morals? I guess that it’s just too boring for some.
Superman is idealistic and a light character but he has made mistakes. Superman has problems he has to work out, there times when he even doubts himself or wonders if he is doing enough with his power. For me the thing that makes Superman great is that he has faith in humanity and doesn’t use his powers to make everything perfect but to help and inspire humanity. Superman, for an alien being from Krypton, is more in touch with his humanity than his Krypton origin, which makes him unique than other superheroes like Thor, Captain Marvel, or Batman for that matter. For Superman/Clark Kent it’s his Smallville upbringing that makes him the person he is. Sure on occasion Superman has to remember that he is the Last Son Of Krypton and he has to be more than Clark Kent raised on a farm. It’s that duality is what makes him very interesting like Spider-Man, for example.
Superman is inspiring and to me that is what makes a hero great, not saying he is the only inspiring comic book hero but he is the most inspiring one. Hey I love how cool Batman is, how easy you can relate to Spider-Man, how bad ass Wolverine is, and how disturbing and gritty Preacher, Scalped, and most Vertigo stuff is, but Superman is the superhero I would try to be if I was a superhero, actually he is the kind human being we all should inspire to. For fictional character who wears red and blue tights that says a lot.
Some recommended Superman material..
Superman For Tomorrow
The Death of Superman
Whatever Happened to The Man of Tomorrow
Infinite Crisis
Last Son
Superman Braniac
Superman The Movie 1 and 2
Justice League animated series
Superman Red Son
All Star Superman
-Lucas
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One of my favorite bookstores in St. Louis. Star Clipper offers not only the best selection of comic books and graphic novels in the city, but also a cornucopia of art, design and pop-culture related books and magazines. 
For music fans the question is “are you an Elvis person, or do you like The Beatles?” For comicbook geeks, it’s “Superman or Batman?”
I’m a “Batman” person who is beginning to appreciate Supes. My wife is a Superman person and has made all the arguments that you’ve made. I agree that the argument that he’s “too powerful” is no longer valid, it’s the one I always fall back on when she starts to win our arguments.
That said, I think of all the major superheroes, Superman is the one the world needs the most right now. While Wolverine is badass, he doesn’t inspire people to do the right thing.
As a side note, the saddest thing I’ve ever heard was back in October of 2001. I was working at a drugstore in Kansas City and the terrible events of 9/11 had just occurred. I was working the check-out line when a woman and her young son approached my counter. While they were waiting, they were talking about some of magazines near the counter and the subject of the attacks came up and this little boy asked “why didn’t Superman stop them?” I’ve asked myself this question every September 11 since.
Yeah I feel the same way. Wolverine is awesome but he hasn’t been inspiring for a while. Yeah Batman is my favorite character but Superman has grown on me over the last 10 years. Man I wish Superman could of been there but the fireman and policeman and all the people who risked and lost their lives on Sept 11 are our real life heroes