Nordling here.
The Superman comics have had many artists over the years, and each one has put their own stamp on the character and the world in which he lives. Many of those artists will likely influence Zack Snyder's take on the iconic superhero, and with the casting of Henry Cavill we have some idea on how Superman will appear physically. But what artists are most influential to Snyder while he's in pre-production?
The L.A. Times Hero Complex blog put the question to Snyder recently, and his answer was surprising - it seems he most admires the work of Jim Lee and Curt Swan. On Lee's work, Snyder said, "My taste level goes to the more, I guess, muscular Superman. The bigger, more muscular Superman, the way Jim draws him. Those tend to be the artists I like in comics. So Jim’s Superman, for sure. That’s not to say that’s how the movie will be, of course, but as far as the comics." And on Swan, "Its got a retro vibe to it, it’s cool... It’s Curt Swan and the way he draws that jawline, it is like Mt. Rushmore, totally, or like THE INCREDIBLES. Swan is really good."
Swan's Superman looks like the classic Superman we know and love, while Lee's Superman is iconic as well, almost chiseled from granite. The colors of the suit pop in their artwork, and I don't anticipate Snyder changing the suit very much, which is a good thing. I prefer the work of Swan, myself - to me Superman wasn't overly muscled and ripped. Why would the strongest man in the universe be ripped anyway? It's not like he would have to work out to stay in shape. Or maybe he does now - I haven't read the comic in a long time. Swan's work was good enough to be featured on a postage stamp, and if Snyder's using the work of these artists to base his Superman on, I think we'll have the more traditional Superman we know and love as opposed to something like Tim Burton's idea a few years back, which was too gaudy for words. I understand the need for Zack Snyder to break from the past films and make his own thing, but the imagery of Superman's held steady over these many years, and it doesn't seem like Snyder wants to mess with that too much.
Nordling, out.
