American Icons: Superman

Studio 360 | May 29, 2013

We go up, up and away with Superman and find out why "The Man of Steel" remains as popular and elusive as ever.

Superman Feature Card_Big

 Disguised as a mild-mannered reporter, Kurt Andersen explores the history of Superman with cartoonists Jules Feiffer and Art Spiegelman, director Bryan Singer, novelists Michael Chabon and Howard Jacobson, and the 1978 Lois Lane: Margot Kidder. Is this strange visitor from the planet Krypton derivative of Jewish mythology? Can one superhero wield ultimate power for a moral good? And what’s up with the blue tights?

Originally aired: July 6, 2006

WNYC is funded by sponsors and member donations

Top Stories From Gothamist

How to Avoid Sneaky Phishing Scams

WNYC has been targeted by scammers who posed as hosts and offered authors interviews -- for a fee (which WNYC would never do). Here's how to spot the scams and deal if you fall for it.
The Brian Lehrer Show |

Justice for Epstein Victims Through NYS

State Senator Zellnor Myrie about his bill that would allow survivors of sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein to seek damages from the Epstein estate.
The Brian Lehrer Show |

New Doc Celebrates NYC's Weird and Wild Public Access TV Experiment

In the 1970s and '80s, NYC's gave independent creators a platform on broadcast television, in the form of Manhattan Cable TV, a network that aired un-censored programs without editori...
All Of It with Alison Stewart |
YOU ARE ONLINE