For my money--which ain't much, but still--J. Michael Straczynski is an amazing writer. His writing on Amazing Spider-Man was inspiring; his brief run on Fantastic Four was innovative; and his done-in-ones on The Brave and the Bold were stunning. (And don't get me started on Thor...) I hope to write posts on much of his work in the future, but now the book of the moment in Superman (though he's not scripting anymore, of course, since the success of Superman: Earth One, which I have to admit I was less crazy about).
(Note: I fully realize that Chris Roberson is scripting the current issues of Superman to JMS' plots, and to whatever extent Mr. Roberson is responsible for the broader ideas within the book, I commend him too.)
UPDATED NOTE: After corresponding with Chris Roberson, I now know that he was actually responsible for most, if not all, of the ideas I discuss in this post. Apologies from Chris for overlooking his contributions before, and kudos to JMS and Chris as an incredible writing team!
The current "Grounded" arc, in which Superman takes a stroll across America (similar to Green Lantern and Green Arrow's road trip in Denny O'Neil's classic 1970s run), has been controversial, to say the least, especially since Superman was not seen--at least not as Superman, and not on Earth--for a year during the "New Krypton" storyline. And now that he's back, he's... walking. I can walk. I know a lot of people who can walk. Walking's easy. Flying, now that's tough. Now who can fly... hmm... let's see...
Nonetheless, I like it. "Grounded" is supposed to humanize Superman, bring him in touch with the common folk, and highlight the problems of present-day America (as O'Neil did in the 70s in Green Lantern/Green Arrow). But I like to think it brings him in touch with moral decisions that he normally doesn't have to make, dilemmas we all face everyday. (I discussed some of this previously here.)
(Spoilers for Superman #708 after the jump...)
In Superman #708, this theme continues, as Superman is faced with another tragic dilemma, a moral problem with no obvious "right" or "best" solution, a situation from which he cannot escape "with clean hands," as philosophers say. This time, a powerful storm is creating a flood in Lincoln, Nebraska, endangering the lives of pedestrians and drivers caught in it. At the same time, a tornado approaches the city, which Superman can only stop if he abandons the people in the flooded area. Even though he's Superman, he cannot save both; he must pick one crisis to stop, and there is no clearcut way to make the choice.
To make things worse, it seems a mysterious woman created this situation to force Superman into this tragic dilemma, apparently to test his faith in himself. (We'll see more of her in future issues.) But he should not blame himself for not being able to solve both problems: we cannot be held responsible for that which we could not possibly do, and Superman cannot save the flood victims and stop the tornado (at least not without the help of the All-New Wonder Woman).
Or could he? He is, after all, Superman--is there any limit to what he can do? Surely there is, but it is very difficult to know what it is, and every time we think he has a limit, he surpasses it. (He's super that way, you know.) So it may be reasonable for Superman to feel responsible for not doing the impossible; if anyone can do the impossible, Superman can. And that's exactly what we're used to seeing, superheroes doing the impossible, solving the tragic dilemma, making everything right. But a recurring point in "Grounded" seems to be that even Superman can't fix everything; in that way, he's just as human as the rest of us. And as we have doubts, so does he.
And these doubts are but one symptom of Superman's growing uncertainty of self, as explained to him by a member of the Superman Squad, a collection of future heroes from throughout the universe who were inspired by Superman's example. She explains to him that after losing both his homeworld of Krypton and its short-lived rebirth in the form of New Krypton, and then seeing his adopted people of Earth cheer the latter loss, he starts to lose faith in his values; as she tells him, "you are in danger of losing yourself." You can think of a person as defined, in part, by his judgment, the values and principles that he holds dear and that guide his decision-making. If Superman loses his values, he does in fact lose himself, and risks becoming someone else, someone we would not recognize as Superman.
(Interestingly, she describes this self-doubt as resulting from depression, but it's not clear if she's using the term in a clinical or casual sense. She does say that the depression is affecting his perceptions, which can certainly be one symptom of depression, but it's still a little vague. Nevertheless, it raises a question: can Superman become clinically depressed? Can he suffer from mental illness in general? Something for further reflection later, perhaps...)
Finally, on a different note, I found it interesting that the diversity represented by the Superman Squad was very reminscient of the Green Lantern Corps: Superstar, the sentient solar system, Supercilia, the single-celled organism, and Superego, a "good idea" who travels the collective unconscious. If you're wondering how such things or entities can be sentient, you should read Leonard Finkelman's chapter titled "All for One and One for All: Mogo, the Collective, and Biological Unity" in Green Lantern and Philosophy: No Evil Shall Escape this Book
In addition to Mogo [the planet] we find Hal Jordan, a human of space sector 2814; Leezle Pon, a smallpox virus in sector 119; the Collective, a species of living puffballs from sector 1287; and Dkrtzy RRR, a mathematical equation first derived in sector 188. (p. 202)
In conclusion, as they often do, JMS and Roberson build their stories on fascinating, deep philosophical ideas (although it's been hard to find them in JMS' Wonder Woman stories so far). But by bringing Superman down to a human level, and forcing him to face human ethical dilemmas, they show us that even a Superman has as much trouble dealing with issues of right and wrong as each of us does. If he truly wants to be human, as recent writers have emphasized, then he never comes closer than when he faces a tragic dilemma.
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