I wouldn't call myself a DC fanboy, but something that irritates me to no end is when Marvel fans hate on DC and cite how over powered Superman is, and how his weaknesses are terrible. I agree that most things about Superman are quite ridiculous and his powers and abilities are quite inconsistent, but that's what happens when there are a bunch of different writers of different abilities writing different books at different times with different artist. Things are not always going to line up perfectly. Superman has been around forever, and everyone has a different idea about his powers and abilities; just like every other comic book hero. Even Deadpool has varying degrees of violence, paranoia, regenerative powers, and he even looks less ugly from time to time.
Next is how impossible it is for an alien to live among us and do good. This is hard to believe, or just so impossible that it would never be one of us? I'm sorry to burst the bubble here and say that no one is ever going to clench their fist and have three blades pop out between their knuckles. A spider bite and a life time of guilt isn't going to make me a superhero. Ever. Doing good is in all of us. The choice to do what is right and taking the hard road. Being raised properly goes a long way in deciding what is right and making the decision to do so. Who is to say Clark didn't do what Peter did and try to use his powers selfishly? They both had strong father figures to help them sort out right and wrong, but Jonathan Kent lived longer than Uncle Ben, and would have helped Clark become a more responsible man than Peter.
Are stories are more compelling? I think not. There are compelling arcs, but none as successful as the death of Superman. That made it onto the news! One of the most recognizable characters on Earth died and everyone knew about it. I haven't heard of another arc that has been in the news. Has Jean Grey made the news ANY of the times she died? Professor X? Captain America? None of the heroes that have passed were more recognized than Superman.
A lot of the hate Superman gets are from people that know him from the movies. The movies blow. I get that. Superman Returns? Terrible. Man of Steel? Don't get me started. The villains he had to fight are also terrible. Everyone knows Lex Luthor, but he's a mastermind, not a movie villain. His plans happen over arcs and he plays the long game and that's something movie writers can't grasp. Why would the end game be an island created out of kryptonite? Why would Superman take it upon himself to lift that out of the ocean? My point is that movie Superman sucks.
I agree that Superman is not the best superhero, and his powers are inconsistent and over the top, but those things are also true of every other hero. Sometimes superheroes get powers that serve them for one arc and never use them again, or they use their powers like normal when they should be altered in some way. Cyclops can shoot beams from his eyes that can level mountains, but often times it's difficult for him to blast something like a wall or heavy door. Cyclops also doesn't have an unlimited source of those beams. His body converts solar energy into optic blasts, so he should at least be cautious of the amount of energy he uses at night and inside, but he isn't and he uses his blasts as well regardless of the amount of light he can use. This is but one character out of thousands in any universe. There are no perfect characters because there are no perfect writers. Let go of the faults you see in these creations and enjoy them for what they are. Except for the Superman movies. I won't let go of that...
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