Warning! Spoilers to Superman: Red and Blue #5 below!
The newest Superman ally Jimmy Olsen is getting interviewed, he re the many memorable moments he’s witnessed over the years. While other events like Superman’s climactic battle with Doomsday are seen, a fan-favorite moment from All-Star Superman included among the mix is featured, proving DC knows what the readers like and from Superman’s legendary career.
In All-Star Superman #10 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, Superman is slowly dying and is trying to make the most of what time remains. Whether fighting supervillains or spending time with friends and loved ones, Superman remains busy with only a few people knowing the truth. After stopping a runaway train, Superman waves to the relieved engers, although one appears to be having an intense conversation over their delay. That conversation was between a doctor and a patient, Regan, who decides that she cannot wait any longer and prepares to commit suicide by leaping to her death. As she prepares to jump, Superman appears, having overheard the conversation with his super hearing, and confirms that her doctor did indeed get caught up instead of abandoning her. He convinces Regan not to jump and holds her while on top of the towering skyscraper.
In Superman: Red and Blue #5, the story by Joshua Williamson and Chris Sprouse has Jimmy Olsen getting interviewed about his favorite Superman moment. While Jimmy thinks about the many great moments he’s witnessed behind the camera, one of those memories is Superman holding Regan after convincing her not to jump, proudly alongside his famous race against the Flash, the first time he'd save his future wife Lois Lane or even his death and memorable return to life.
This scene in particular struck a chord with both critics and fans, readers commenting on how simple and yet powerfully inspiring the moment is and how different it is from other Superman moments. Superman isn’t trading punches with a monstrous monolith or outsmarting creative death traps, he is seen being a symbol of hope reaching out to someone who has decided they’re beyond help. This lost soul is being convinced that things aren’t as bad as they seem and that they are much stronger than they realize by someone who’s considered a god on Earth who is secretly dying. His ability to push past his predicament and still help others helped make the moment a fan favorite, something DC and the story’s creators recognize by including it in this montage alongside other famous memories.
Although Jimmy Olsen’s favorite was an honest faux pas after another memorable battle that never made the front page, it’s nice to see DC recognize that Superman is more than just trading punches with nigh-omnipotent villains and fighting for truth, justice, and the American way. Long criticized for sometimes being too powerful to the point of being boring, some of Superman’s best moments were when he reminds us that although he is from another planet, he is still human and thus capable of inspiring us as much as we inspire him.
