Superman

Director Zack Snyder layers subplot on top of subplot in his film of battling superheroes. Critic David Edelstein says Batman v. Superman is full of fragments and teases, and overall, "just awful."

For the past 80 years, the Man of Steel has endured in books, movies, radio serials, comic books and cartoons. "Americans embrace Superman partly because he captured so many things that are part of our psyche and part of our sense of ourselves," says biographer Larry Tye.

In his new book, Secret Identity: The Fetish Art Of Superman's Co-creator Joe Shuster, Craig Yoe explores the risque art of the man behind Superman.

Our film critic reviews Superman Returns. The new feature is directed by Bryan Singer, who made The Usual Suspects and X-Men. Newcomer Brandon Routh plays the man of steel, and Kevin Spacey is archenemy Lex Luthor.

Seagle has written for Superman and Uncanny X-Men as well as House of Secrets: Foundation, a supernatural court drama comic. He's teamed up with artist Teddy Kristiansen for the new graphic novel, It's a Bird... In this semi-autographical book Seagle deconstructs the classic Superman myth and reflects on power and powerlessness.

On the occasion of end of the Superman comic, language commentator Geoffrey Nunberg considers the origin of the word "Superman," and how "super" began to be used in other ways.

Ken Tucker reviews "TV's Best Adventures of Superman," the home video cassette of the popular "Adventures of Superman" series that starred George Reeves. The release coincides with the 50th anniversary of Superman's creation as a comic-strip character by two Ohio teenagers.