Superman Has Comicdom's Top Pop
In honor of Father's Day, Newsarama posted their list of the 10 best comic book dads, with Jonathan 'Pa' Kent atop the shoulders of Spider-Man's Uncle Ben.
Newsarama published a Father's Day-themed Top 10 list of Best Comic Book Dads on Sunday the 15th. There were some surprising-but-appropriate choices (Buddy Baker aka Animal Man, Uncle Ben Parker) and a controversial finalist or three (Roy Harper aka Red Arrow/Speedy I, Commissioner Jim Gordon, Daredevil dad Jack Murdock). But the least surprising pick was Numero Uno: Jonathan Kent.
According to Newsarama's editors, Mister Kent's "gentle nature, constant optimism, and wisdom" remain "the Gold Standard for Comic Dads." He "represents the notion of nurture-over-nature, as his (and Ma's) warmth and strong values serve as the strongest influence on the worldview of Superman. It's accurate to say that Pa Kent is iconic in his own right; the character has been judged worthy to appear in nearly every iteration of Superman media." This includes the serials, the '50s TV series, Superman: The Movie, Superboy, Lois & Clark, Smallville and numerous cartoons.
In defense of the Kansas farmer's selection over city slicker Ben Parker, GREGORYD commented on Newsarama that Spider-Man's "great responsibility" extends only to those around him while "Superman's right choices affect an entire freakin multiverse."
"If Clark was poorly raised and ended up being a jerk," added MRORANGESODA, "he would have gone around heat visioning punks and looking through women's clothes until he seized control of the earth. Luckily, Pa Kent raised him as a boring, sweet, and honorable mid-western boy."
The rest of premier papas were Mister Fantastic Reed Richards, Bigby Wolf (Fables), Rick Grimes (The Walking Dead) and Wally West aka The Flash.
But, as MR BATMAN simply put it, "Pa Kent rules."
[Thanks to BARRY FREIMAN at Superman Homepage for the link.]