Hurr Superman is boring and unrelatable durr

I didn't really get it until I heard superman described as "not a power fantasy, but a justice fantasy". It's a story about what you'd make right, if nothing could stop you. And the limits of what mere force can accomplish.

A lot of the movies fail to get this, but the best Superman stories are the one's about morals and the right choice. Superman has the power to make any choice, so he can choose to make the right choice regardless of cost. It's also why he works well with Batman, it's a contrast of what actually is right.
- The older I get, the more I admire superman and the less I admire batman
superman popularity goes up whenever times are rough, dc year by year kinda goes over it, good book
- The corollary to the goth index as a recession indicator perhaps
I've never heard it described as a 'justice fantasy' but it really is apt.
Superman was created by two Jews during the rise of Nazism in the 1930s. He's a retelling of Moses, but the modern day Pharos are Nazis and the 1%, and Superman is the dream that someone powerful might choose kindness and finally stand up for the powerless. All of the powerless, equally. Superman is absolutely a justice fantasy. This is why in prosperous times Superman is boring, but he has a resurgence of popularity during hard times, the people crave justice. Unfortunately too many of his writers have not understood that and subsequently have not known how to write for him.
- Let's not forget too that this just isn't background and author intent. Superman as a fighter of injustice is directly on the page of his early work. He stops capital punishment, fights greedy bosses, and beats up Nazis. Post WW2, they could have used Superman as an anticommunist propaganda piece. Instead, creators at the Superman radio show had him battle the KKK and this actually added to snowballing downfall of the organization. Superman is a symbol for a reason.

Honest question, how many comic arcs actually treat Clark/Supes as a "kid from bumfuck nowhere who happens to have a strong sense of justice but is afraid of overdoing it and unwittingly fucking shit up because of how powerful he is?"

He's come to terms with it over the years, or at least figured out how to get by.
unironically, all of the good ones. Unfortunately, you are correct that it is rare, but it seems to be the direction they're going for the new new DCU.
- Was just wondering if they ever gave the man of steel the King Midas treatment
not many compared to the others where hes just well adjusted and knows he wont overdo it lol
Not a comic, but the best recent depiction of this imo is "My Adventures with Superman" and anime inspired show which follows a young Clark becoming Superman
According to supes fans its the difference between the good and bad ones
- Very true, also DC has a tendency to make amazing graphic novels and lukewarm ongoing arcs. Stories like this shine in All Star Superman, Kingdom Come, and especially Superman for All Seasons.

Sometimes they show Superman as being all powerful from the time he was a baby. Sometimes they show him gaining his powers gradually as he ages.

I want a version where he's Clark Kent until he's around 30, and then gets powerful overnight.

I want a version where he's Clark Kent until he's around 30, and then gets powerful overnight.
You might enjoy the 1990s version of Superboy. He's more like 19, but it deals with suddenly having power before knowing who he is or what he believes in.
- I really enjoyed the way they had Lois Lane call him "Smallville." That way, even after he moved to Metropolis, the show's name was relevant.
Wait a second, puts on costume, gets beat up or close to death enough to activate powers? Maybe he stays out of the sun most of his life because it makes him feel funny and doctors think its bad for him
- I think it's from One Piece.
  The man jumps in front of his SO when the pirates start shooting. He's unharmed.
  "How did you know you were bulletproof?"
  "I didn't know I was bulletproof. I knew you weren't."
  Or maybe he does a Wiley Coyote move and runs out into open air, then realizes he's flying and falls.

Superman is incredibly boring. Hence why one punch man is so popular in comparison. Also Superman went from being a “normal superhero” to someone that doesn’t actually have to work his way through problems, but they still make it seem like he has to work his way through problems, which is ridiculous. Hence the parody OPM.

If you think Superman doesn't really need to worry about problems because he can punch real hard, you completely miss the point of Superman. The entire point is there are problems that can't, or shouldn't, be solved just by hitting things at Mach 2.
- Superman can also rewind time, hypnotize people, telepathically control them, etc etc etc. This has nothing to do with him being able to punch real hard. It has to do with the fact that the comic character situationally has powers that make the comics make sense, else it doesn't make sense at all. He could solve any problem with the powers that appear throughout his 90 year history. So from one comic to another he suddenly has fewer powers, then the next he has tons more powers, else they literally wouldn't have a story.
This is the problem with the internet.
You have a completely skewed vision of the world.
Go on Youtube and see how many times people have watched the Superman trailer vs. One Punch Man.
I don't know who you're talking to, but Superman is more popular by any measurement.
- you can't read. I said "so popular in comparison", e.g. something that has existed for 1/10th the time, and pretty much only exists in extremely niche groups, is as well known as it is. That word comparison means you need to compare the two. Here's a comparison: https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=superman%2C%2Fm%2F0ndskrg&hl=en
  and here's a fun comment from a Superman fan! Pinned comment on TMDB
  (ignore the fact that every superman movie has a lower rating than OPM)
I think you really misunderstood what Superman is about. It's not about the power or the fight. That's just visual candy. He's a character about making the right choice because he has the power to do so.
- And yet those choices make no sense. An all-powerful being doesn't have to make decisions. He literally has the power to rewind time in some comics, he can fly so fast as to make every decision completely meaningless.
  This is like saying you're going to make a comic about God and then say it's about the choices God has to make. No it's not, God doesn't have to make choices, God does what God wants. Saying Superman comics are about making the right choice is a cop out for a terrible superhero.
what superman comics do you find boring
What do you mean by so popular in comparison? Maybe it's a local cultural thing or an age thing, but I would hazard a guess that the vast majority of people in the U.S. could tell you who Superman is vs. who One Punch Man is. It could also be an age thing I guess: Superman has been around in the cultural consciousness in the U.S. since the 1940s, where One Punch Man looks like it came out in 2009.
- Superman's symbol is one of the most recognized symbols in the entire world. He was created before the vast majority of the living population was born and is still relevant enough to head up franchises and make successful movies. It's not uncommon to see his logo on cars, hats, and t shirts 20 times a day. The majority of people can tell you something about Superman, like some of his powers, his weakness too kryptonite, his secret identity, the daily planet, Lois lane... something. I like OPM. He's a fun satirical twist on the trope. But my god is there not even close to a comparison in notoriety and fandom. None of those things is true of OPM.
- I mean exactly what I said. In comparison, OPM is incredibly popular. It's not more popular, but you wouldn't expect a manga released in a single country to be nearly as popular as an entire comic franchise for the most famous superhero on the planet (movies, tv shows, comics, merchandise) that has existed for almost 90 years. And yet it is. Look at the Google Trends, Superman really only has outsized bumps when a new movie comes out. Other than that it's literally competing with a manga on how popular it is.

Superhero franchises. Right.
How very interesting.

Superman can occasionally be well-written, he is far more commonly poorly written. But a well-written Superman is just as good as any other character.