My Adventures With Supermanonly made its debut last week and has already attracted a ravenous fandom with a love for all things tomboy and himbo. That’s me, I’m the ravenous fandom. Every character in this damn thing is adorable and I can’t get enough of them, especially as the show leans into that cutesy appeal.
HBO has created a romantic comedy with superhero stylings and sprinkling of shonen anime goodness that walks a delicate tightrope of romantic excellence. There are some truncated pacing issues and animation quirks, but these flaws are easy to overlook when the central trio of Clark, Lois, and Jimmy Olsen are so endearing.
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I’ll be on all fours barking at tomboy Lois Lane for the rest of my existence, but today I need to draw attention to the rendition of Clark Kent that leans into the character’s masculine charm and boundless insecurity about actually having to fulfil the role of Superman. He’s just a guy from another planet who also happens to have powers that could destroy the world if he wanted to, but beneath it all he wants to be a good journalist and an even better boyfriend.
My Adventures With Superman wastes no time making it clear it is a Clark Kent story first and foremost, and from the early episodes is more interested in exploring his relationships with other characters - Lois especially - as he obtains his magical girl outfit and struggles to keep his secret identity hidden. With an excess of muscles, a good heart, and surprisingly few brain cells for an intern at The Daily Planet. He tries though, and that’s why I love him.
One of the first things he does is save a cat from a tree and destroy a door while trying to hide his powers, and there’s a comedic obliviousness to how Lois doesn’t recognise him in his Superman outfit despite the fact he sounds and looks the same except for a plain pair of glasses. Of course, only a himbo would be able to pull this off effortlessly. Speaking of pulling off, I should check on Archive Of Our Own to see if the fanfiction mines have been excavated. Clark Kent is a mess of anime blushes whenever he finds himself in the same room as Lois, or she’s mentioned teasingly by a friend, trying to deny his feelings despite them being written all over his face. It’s sweet, and fits the tone perfectly while never taking away from surrounding stakes.
If anything, it only makes us care more about everyone involved. When a confession finally bubbles up, it feels natural and earned in spite of its spontaneity, and with any luck we’ll only see their romance grow with coming twists and turns that test their bond and document where exactly their young lives might go.
I was kicking my feet like a schoolgirl when Clark suddenly caught Lois in mid-air shortly after she joked he was twice her size. They knew what they were doing… I’ve talked in the past about how Superman as a character has never interested me, largely thanks to mainstream interpretations by Zack Snyder managing to be painfully boring and lacking in nuance.
My Adventures With Superman has the exuberance of Teen Titans and the visual attitude of She-Ra or Voltron that isn’t afraid to treat iconic characters like ditzy adults struggling to find their way in the world. Clark Kent is a himbo who is permitted to make mistakes and fumble his way through life in search of purpose, and it’s this daring freedom that makes this show so worth watching. Seriously, he’s so cute that it hurts me.
