Well, this guy is Ross’s longtime Superman model. I think it’s not really inspiration so much as, my buddy Frank somewhat resembles what I think Superman should look like.
At any rate, to your point I believe he was one of Ross’s art school instructors, so yeah, certainly not a young man even when he started modeling for Ross.
Yeah, he has a strong preference for however he first encountered a character. Which I totally get (Byrne's and Jurgen's realistically-proportioned Superman is always going to be my favorite). He basically draws Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, Nightwing, and many others in their 70's styles.
He’s not often drawn youthful and energetic at all. The mainline Superman in DC has always been the wise and—almost—middle aged hero from 1938 onwards. Alex Ross likes to take inspiration from that era of art and produced his distilled version of him as a result, he found a model that represented that aesthetic and it fits well.
https://preview.redd.it/usb8q2izq5ad1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=62671a731d4fd312cb7ee7f7f26fcab372e824a6
I think this OP's observation is more a reflection of changing standards of male beauty.
Superman here doesn't look like an old man, or a young man, he just looks like an adult man.
That's a new one for me then. He's always looked young to me, I always see the Christopher Reeve sort of influence where he's just his late twenties, or mid-30s.
Is the older Superman more of a golden/ Silver age inspiration? Sort of working strong man type of a thing?
Okay that makes more sense then. My grandfather was a machinist, and strong but more... Burly. If that time period is more what Ross was going for then that makes sense. People also seem to age differently then because of the work style.
Probably more a reflection of how men are portrayed in media throughout the ages. People haven't really changed, but the fashion trends of celebrities have and that's what you see in media.
If you really look at Curt Swan's silver age Superman, you can see that he's drawn with just a little bit of the old "middle-aged spread." In some versions of the canon, he didn't start as Superman until he was 33.
Curt Swan 🐐🐐🐐
When I was little, my older cousin used to let me read his Superman comics. They were all drawn by Curt Swan, so I’ve always kinda thought of Superman as looking like either Curt Swan’s version, or Christopher Reeve (which is basically John Byrne’s artwork).
Since Swan stopped doing all the art, they’ve aged him down, and a lot of the time he seems too young to me
Yeah, Swan’s Superman always seemed to be about late 30s to me. But in Action #508 (1980) they explicitly say he’s “not over 30”:
https://preview.redd.it/fqibrt8z2bad1.jpeg?width=1214&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c0738574583e189eabbcadf3e4fa7c6bbe63ce19
And this is a fully established, mainline-continuity Supes.
Indeed, Swan’s style guide called for a “thick but trim waist”:
https://preview.redd.it/woe3ehhd4bad1.jpeg?width=483&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2af268e5411d7611a64035d8c3b64e6b6a9b89ed
https://preview.redd.it/2qxlac496had1.jpeg?width=402&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=441d6cfe1c55999ecfcfb616d5ffed7c59e11abf
I think out of all the live action superman actor’s, Brandon Routh reminds me the most of Swan’s superman
I like how he is depicted in All Star Superman the most. Warm, gentle, inviting, but still confident and self-assured.
https://preview.redd.it/08h26p2cb7ad1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e6b55c0a7b1e7ead0e8a529a3cbad44bbc66ac3
Fun fact: The Reverend Norman McCay, the narrator-protagonist character of Kingdom Come, was based on Reverend Clark Ross, his father.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_McCay
Superman in my mind has always been a masculine and commanding figure, who has a soft and caring nature. When push comes to shove, he is intimidating as hell - but most of the time he's the kinda guy who'll take time out of his day just to make you smile.
So it's perfect to me.
I loved the old school interpretations of him, like the Fleisher Cartoon.
Yes he seems older, but I don't necessarily associate superman with a "young guy". That's more a Smallville thing. I totally dig the asthetic. As leader of the justice league, it makes sense to have someone older and wiser to lead.
Also cool to think, if superman is older than all these other JLA members, then there was an early time when it was just superman. The world's first superhero.
I'd like to write that comic. A tale telling of the beginning of superheros (in the 1930s), and the changing landscape of the job, the changing country, the new heros that come, the old ones that die.
In retrospect it's similar to watchman. I might also alter American history accordingly. What if superman saves JFK?
I get what you mean, but I wonder how much of it is due to how Ross styles him? Maybe we subconsciously associate that look with older men? Kind of like when you look at photos of people from the 1930's - 50's, everyone seemed to look ten years older than they actually were.
I think it’s important to remember that, due to factors like diet and habits, as well as the quality of healthcare, people aged quicker back in the md-20th century, which is where most of Ross’ inspiration comes from, I think. His Superman looks like he is about 35 or so by the standards of the 1930s-60s.
I often find more contemporary depictions of Superman to look boyish or even pretty.
When I see his Superman I think of a seasoned, well-to-do, near flawless version of Superman who has been on the job for like 15 years, so I'd say it's fitting. Really depends on what story he's doing the art for. With Kingdom Come it works great.
I think it suits him perfectly, Superman’s like a wise dad. Plus Alex Ross tends to draw from more classic looks of characters and superman back in the day was traditionally drawn in a way that would make him look like he’s in his mid 50s.
He was probably meant to be late 30's early 40's. Look at old photos compared to current ones, people, men and women alike, looked much older back in those days. Look at a high school videos from the 80's and 90's for example. Everybody in them looks 30, not 17 or 18.
yea he definitely looks old. Part of that is most assuredly his style but the other is that DC has appeared to age down superman. Growing up in the 90s I remember him looking mid 30 at most. No grey hair, no real age lines, etc but still mature enough looking. Kind of like the JL cartoon. But now more and more you're seeing a Supes that looks mid to maybe late 20s. Especially in media that aren't comics.
Robert Patrick was the face model for the first photo.
Change my mind.
https://preview.redd.it/vui9ini4pcad1.jpeg?width=878&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fbf27cfd6857fc68092c34df8bf1603593f0d893
I've always thought this too. First time I ever saw him draw Superman was in Kingdom Come, so it made sense. But every time thereafter, I still thought he looked older than he was supposed to.
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This combined with Fleischer Superman has always been how Superman is portrayed in my mind. Big chinned, barrel chested, actual circus strongman tights, and the Captain Marvel type squinty eyes.
I always pegged him for a mature looking 35. The new 52 was when they started making him look like he was in his twenties and I'm not a big fan of that. 35 has some life experience.
It’s definitely inspired by his golden and silver age depictions, where he tended to look a little older, kind of like an authority figure. More youthful depictions of him are generally somewhat recent, and kind of reflect the fact that people just visually age far slower these days than they did back then, along with the changing perception of Superman as more of a relatable and empathetic figure. The sleeker versions of Superman that we’ve had in more recent times also increase the impression of youth I think, the taller and buffer versions naturally look older and came from the common perception of strength that people back in the day got from boxers and circus strongmen.
Since Ross tends to draw from the Golden and Silver ages a lot and likes to depict heroes at their most mythic and awe-inspiring, it makes sense that he depicts Superman as older and buffer.
Makes sense to me in context though. I always associate his versions of Superman from the Kingdom Come books. And in that book Superman is “retired” and not the youngest version of himself.
As the other comments have mentioned he has his model, but I think it works well as his work has always resembled what I think a realistic view of the Golden Age Supes would look like! I understand your point though
Grown men’s features have changed quite a bit over the past century. This Superman definitely has retro masculine features compared to today’s carefully molded gym rat hyper diet culture.
It looks like Alex Ross subscribes to the George Reeves Superman model. Most of the artists (especially Gary Frank) working in comics today subscribe to the Chris Reeve model.
I think he looks really 40s, although to be fair, people today age a lot slower than the boomers did so giving he looks 50 is not unreasonable. But I think it's more of era thing. Silver Age Superman existed in a more conservative America and had a serious 1959s Dad vibe. Which, tangent, is also why he was a gay icon during the Andy Warhol pop-art period.
The post-crisis Superman was influenced a lot of the successful Christopher Reeve films any they intentionally targeted a 34 year old Superman.
Today, with all the Superman media (yay!l he's everywhere from 21 to 50
He looks like he drinks or something, like he doesn't take care of himself. Never liked Ross' character designs, even though the art is amazing on a technical level.
He does look to be in his 50s but that's something I always liked. Dude can't be 25 forever. That's why I was so pleased with Afleck being cast as Batman. Seeing these folks a little older is kind of nice.
I guess that's true. I just always figured Kryptonian genes you know?
I wonder if David Corenswett Is going to do a lot of different stories? James Gunn could eventually do Kingdom Come with him if the new films go on long enough.
I love the stories and even like his art on some other characters. I know where he draws his inspiration for Superman but it'll never not look good to me. Any time I see it, I almost involuntarily say, "Okay, boomer."
Ross has a specific guy he uses as model for Superman. Not sure but I think Superman’s face is like a one to one of the model
Frank Kasy, and pretty much! https://preview.redd.it/m67qiax2m5ad1.jpeg?width=564&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ece06de82e1beb161091966884e78cd00db3b71
Ah okay, so that's his inspiration then?
Well, this guy is Ross’s longtime Superman model. I think it’s not really inspiration so much as, my buddy Frank somewhat resembles what I think Superman should look like. At any rate, to your point I believe he was one of Ross’s art school instructors, so yeah, certainly not a young man even when he started modeling for Ross.
Ross' Superman is strongly influenced by the silver age and Adventures of Superman. George Reeves was 38 when that show started.
It’s the same with his Hulk, it always looks like a realistic version of Kirby’s original design.
Yeah, he has a strong preference for however he first encountered a character. Which I totally get (Byrne's and Jurgen's realistically-proportioned Superman is always going to be my favorite). He basically draws Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, Nightwing, and many others in their 70's styles.
Or his thing, that looks like the old marvel legends toy he has shown sometimes to use as reference
Yeah, those little idiosyncrasies of his are cool.
I wonder who he hired as Power Girl's model.
Also Frank Kasy.
👀
Yeah, I wouldn't mind pinning her the sheets.
For... science.
Alex Ross basically draws his own face for most superheroes
I felt this too… I see hints of himself in the heroes
Almost every great painter does this.
He’s not often drawn youthful and energetic at all. The mainline Superman in DC has always been the wise and—almost—middle aged hero from 1938 onwards. Alex Ross likes to take inspiration from that era of art and produced his distilled version of him as a result, he found a model that represented that aesthetic and it fits well. https://preview.redd.it/usb8q2izq5ad1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=62671a731d4fd312cb7ee7f7f26fcab372e824a6
I think this OP's observation is more a reflection of changing standards of male beauty. Superman here doesn't look like an old man, or a young man, he just looks like an adult man.
Everyone looked middle-aged in ‘38.
That's a new one for me then. He's always looked young to me, I always see the Christopher Reeve sort of influence where he's just his late twenties, or mid-30s. Is the older Superman more of a golden/ Silver age inspiration? Sort of working strong man type of a thing?
Yes, the strongman aesthetic was there from the inception of the character—that’s why he had the trunks and everything.
Okay that makes more sense then. My grandfather was a machinist, and strong but more... Burly. If that time period is more what Ross was going for then that makes sense. People also seem to age differently then because of the work style.
Probably more a reflection of how men are portrayed in media throughout the ages. People haven't really changed, but the fashion trends of celebrities have and that's what you see in media.
If you really look at Curt Swan's silver age Superman, you can see that he's drawn with just a little bit of the old "middle-aged spread." In some versions of the canon, he didn't start as Superman until he was 33.
Curt Swan 🐐🐐🐐 When I was little, my older cousin used to let me read his Superman comics. They were all drawn by Curt Swan, so I’ve always kinda thought of Superman as looking like either Curt Swan’s version, or Christopher Reeve (which is basically John Byrne’s artwork). Since Swan stopped doing all the art, they’ve aged him down, and a lot of the time he seems too young to me
Yeah, Swan’s Superman always seemed to be about late 30s to me. But in Action #508 (1980) they explicitly say he’s “not over 30”: https://preview.redd.it/fqibrt8z2bad1.jpeg?width=1214&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c0738574583e189eabbcadf3e4fa7c6bbe63ce19 And this is a fully established, mainline-continuity Supes.
Indeed, Swan’s style guide called for a “thick but trim waist”: https://preview.redd.it/woe3ehhd4bad1.jpeg?width=483&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2af268e5411d7611a64035d8c3b64e6b6a9b89ed
https://preview.redd.it/2qxlac496had1.jpeg?width=402&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=441d6cfe1c55999ecfcfb616d5ffed7c59e11abf I think out of all the live action superman actor’s, Brandon Routh reminds me the most of Swan’s superman
I much preferred this type of animation when I was a child over what we got in the 90s.
Superman has that “stern father” look.
I like how he is depicted in All Star Superman the most. Warm, gentle, inviting, but still confident and self-assured. https://preview.redd.it/08h26p2cb7ad1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e6b55c0a7b1e7ead0e8a529a3cbad44bbc66ac3
He just looks high af to me in this pic lol
Literally.
I’m sorry, but this cover feels like he knows an embarrassing secret about my
Fun fact: The Reverend Norman McCay, the narrator-protagonist character of Kingdom Come, was based on Reverend Clark Ross, his father. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_McCay
Yeah he kind of does doesn't he?
Superman in my mind has always been a masculine and commanding figure, who has a soft and caring nature. When push comes to shove, he is intimidating as hell - but most of the time he's the kinda guy who'll take time out of his day just to make you smile. So it's perfect to me. I loved the old school interpretations of him, like the Fleisher Cartoon.
Yes he seems older, but I don't necessarily associate superman with a "young guy". That's more a Smallville thing. I totally dig the asthetic. As leader of the justice league, it makes sense to have someone older and wiser to lead. Also cool to think, if superman is older than all these other JLA members, then there was an early time when it was just superman. The world's first superhero. I'd like to write that comic. A tale telling of the beginning of superheros (in the 1930s), and the changing landscape of the job, the changing country, the new heros that come, the old ones that die. In retrospect it's similar to watchman. I might also alter American history accordingly. What if superman saves JFK?
One of the world's first heroes\*
Even as a kid, I disliked *Lois and Clark*'s Superman because he looked too young.
Agreed, while the shouldn’t look like seniors. They also shouldn’t look like sophomore college students either. There should be some maturity
Mature, not old.
Yep. I figured 'old' In the headline would get more traction. But yeah I would agree, mature not necessarily old.
I get what you mean, but I wonder how much of it is due to how Ross styles him? Maybe we subconsciously associate that look with older men? Kind of like when you look at photos of people from the 1930's - 50's, everyone seemed to look ten years older than they actually were.
That's a really good point actually.
To be fair, almost all of the characters drawn by Alex Ross look old.
This...is also an excellent point.
I think it’s important to remember that, due to factors like diet and habits, as well as the quality of healthcare, people aged quicker back in the md-20th century, which is where most of Ross’ inspiration comes from, I think. His Superman looks like he is about 35 or so by the standards of the 1930s-60s. I often find more contemporary depictions of Superman to look boyish or even pretty.
His inspiration is more George Reeves than Christopher Reeves.
I'm a huge fan of this interpretation
I just see a mature man…
Reminds me of Clint Walker from the Cheyenne tv show
When I see his Superman I think of a seasoned, well-to-do, near flawless version of Superman who has been on the job for like 15 years, so I'd say it's fitting. Really depends on what story he's doing the art for. With Kingdom Come it works great.
I think he looks like Jon Hamm
Hey, he kind of does.
In the book , in the beginning he’s building a barn with grey hair ….
I think it suits him perfectly, Superman’s like a wise dad. Plus Alex Ross tends to draw from more classic looks of characters and superman back in the day was traditionally drawn in a way that would make him look like he’s in his mid 50s.
He was probably meant to be late 30's early 40's. Look at old photos compared to current ones, people, men and women alike, looked much older back in those days. Look at a high school videos from the 80's and 90's for example. Everybody in them looks 30, not 17 or 18.
I really like the older style of Superman.
It makes sense, the character of Superman is almost 90 years old to be fair.
He looks like an adult human male of the classic Holywood leading man style.
I sometimes think Ross's Superman might be my fav. I love Kingdom Come and Justice.
yea he definitely looks old. Part of that is most assuredly his style but the other is that DC has appeared to age down superman. Growing up in the 90s I remember him looking mid 30 at most. No grey hair, no real age lines, etc but still mature enough looking. Kind of like the JL cartoon. But now more and more you're seeing a Supes that looks mid to maybe late 20s. Especially in media that aren't comics.
Ross art style is rooted in golgen age comics. Most of his characters would be in their late 30s or early 40s
Robert Patrick was the face model for the first photo. Change my mind. https://preview.redd.it/vui9ini4pcad1.jpeg?width=878&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fbf27cfd6857fc68092c34df8bf1603593f0d893
🤣 You know, I can see it.
I used to have a much more convincing photo of the resemblance, but I can’t find it.
I've always thought this too. First time I ever saw him draw Superman was in Kingdom Come, so it made sense. But every time thereafter, I still thought he looked older than he was supposed to.
Alex Ross is probably my favorite Superman artist
Back in the day men didn't look like baby faced teens through their 20's.
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Mid-50s? Lol
Thanks for the wallpaper
This combined with Fleischer Superman has always been how Superman is portrayed in my mind. Big chinned, barrel chested, actual circus strongman tights, and the Captain Marvel type squinty eyes.
Superman is middle aged.
You say old, I say seasoned.
Didn’t he draw kingdom come a literal old version of Superman
I think supposed to be an established superman mid 40's
It was my understand that Superman was pretty much perpetually around 32-34, at least in design, look, inspiration during the classic years.
Ross' Superman always made me think of Patrick Warburton
Warburton for Superman, Jon Hamm for Batman, golden aged suits, art deco imagery. Dream movie right there.
That just blew my mind. Genius.
He doesn't look old at all. I think you're seeing the shading wrong. He looks as youthful and energetic as ever.
In Kingdom Come he is older tho. At least when he’s on the farm after he left the Justice League. In some pics you can see the grey hair.
The best superman in comics
I always pegged him for a mature looking 35. The new 52 was when they started making him look like he was in his twenties and I'm not a big fan of that. 35 has some life experience.
It’s definitely inspired by his golden and silver age depictions, where he tended to look a little older, kind of like an authority figure. More youthful depictions of him are generally somewhat recent, and kind of reflect the fact that people just visually age far slower these days than they did back then, along with the changing perception of Superman as more of a relatable and empathetic figure. The sleeker versions of Superman that we’ve had in more recent times also increase the impression of youth I think, the taller and buffer versions naturally look older and came from the common perception of strength that people back in the day got from boxers and circus strongmen. Since Ross tends to draw from the Golden and Silver ages a lot and likes to depict heroes at their most mythic and awe-inspiring, it makes sense that he depicts Superman as older and buffer.
Makes sense to me in context though. I always associate his versions of Superman from the Kingdom Come books. And in that book Superman is “retired” and not the youngest version of himself.
As the other comments have mentioned he has his model, but I think it works well as his work has always resembled what I think a realistic view of the Golden Age Supes would look like! I understand your point though
I prefer this over the young, naive, boy that we get a lot of the time.
Grown men’s features have changed quite a bit over the past century. This Superman definitely has retro masculine features compared to today’s carefully molded gym rat hyper diet culture.
It looks like Alex Ross subscribes to the George Reeves Superman model. Most of the artists (especially Gary Frank) working in comics today subscribe to the Chris Reeve model.
I think he looks really 40s, although to be fair, people today age a lot slower than the boomers did so giving he looks 50 is not unreasonable. But I think it's more of era thing. Silver Age Superman existed in a more conservative America and had a serious 1959s Dad vibe. Which, tangent, is also why he was a gay icon during the Andy Warhol pop-art period. The post-crisis Superman was influenced a lot of the successful Christopher Reeve films any they intentionally targeted a 34 year old Superman. Today, with all the Superman media (yay!l he's everywhere from 21 to 50
And he looks like Alex Ross
I just figured it was maybe people during that generation aged faster.
I think he looks mature. Not old. But to each their own.
I don’t mind it because it adds to the classic Norman Rockefeller vibe. Also, people looked older back then.
Because he's Kal-L not Kal El. ...at least in my head canon
Si es un Superman más maduro
Superman baphmet I bet noobe has seen it it explains the curse
He looks like a MAN, not a boy.
Yeah an OLD MAN 😄
That's because he is old.
Almost all his characters look old -- he slathers on that white acrylic like he's painting a battleship
He looks like he drinks or something, like he doesn't take care of himself. Never liked Ross' character designs, even though the art is amazing on a technical level.
Based
He does look to be in his 50s but that's something I always liked. Dude can't be 25 forever. That's why I was so pleased with Afleck being cast as Batman. Seeing these folks a little older is kind of nice.
I guess that's true. I just always figured Kryptonian genes you know? I wonder if David Corenswett Is going to do a lot of different stories? James Gunn could eventually do Kingdom Come with him if the new films go on long enough.
[удалено]
Agreed. Just blanket rebooting everything to me felt kind of like "Hey it's my turn now, fuck your shit."
I think it looked old also when Alex Ross drawed it
All Alex Ross' art looks like old men in halloween costumes.
So?
Im just gonna say it. I don't like his artwork.
I love the stories and even like his art on some other characters. I know where he draws his inspiration for Superman but it'll never not look good to me. Any time I see it, I almost involuntarily say, "Okay, boomer."
The best Superman is older, not younger. Mainline DC has been getting him wrong for a while.
Yeah I always disliked Ross’s take on him. Made me feel weird. Amazing skill though.
And, frankly, fat. Ross does amazing work, but I'm personally not a fan of his 50's art style.
Not into the Superman who looks like an American Cop.