I thought it'd also be good to include a quote from Birthright writer, Mark Waid (and this is helpful to both Superman and Spiderman fans alike):
"We're hewing very closely to the basic character concepts as envisioned by Superman's creators - a champion of the weak and oppressed, a social crusader - and, without ever taking away from him that he's the best of the good guys.
"We tend to get ourselves into a trap with any long-running character that this or that is the 'right' version, accept no substitutes, but the wonder and magic of these guys is that they're stronger than that, more mythic.
"Who is the 'real' Batman? The current DC version? Sure, you can make a strong case for that. But what about the WB animated Batman? He's known worldwide by far more people than buy his comic every month. Or take Spider-Man? Was his first love Mary Jane Watson? About $400 million worth of ticket-buyers would say 'yes.'
"As long as the spirit of the character endures - as long as any story is told with love and respect for that character, as long as his basic concept hews true - how do details like that really matter? Did Superman land on Earth as an embryo or an infant or a toddler? What's Santa Claus's real name, Kris Kringle or Pere Noel?
"What 'becomes' the accepted Superman canon is beyond anyone's control. It's what the general public decides it is. Which is kind of my point - that, ultimately, it's more up to the readers than to the writers what to accept and what to reject. All we can do is interpret the legend in as exciting, modern and dynamic a way as we can envision - the rest is out of our control."
"We tend to get ourselves into a trap with any long-running character that this or that is the 'right' version, accept no substitutes, but the wonder and magic of these guys is that they're stronger than that, more mythic.
"Who is the 'real' Batman? The current DC version? Sure, you can make a strong case for that. But what about the WB animated Batman? He's known worldwide by far more people than buy his comic every month. Or take Spider-Man? Was his first love Mary Jane Watson? About $400 million worth of ticket-buyers would say 'yes.'
"As long as the spirit of the character endures - as long as any story is told with love and respect for that character, as long as his basic concept hews true - how do details like that really matter? Did Superman land on Earth as an embryo or an infant or a toddler? What's Santa Claus's real name, Kris Kringle or Pere Noel?
"What 'becomes' the accepted Superman canon is beyond anyone's control. It's what the general public decides it is. Which is kind of my point - that, ultimately, it's more up to the readers than to the writers what to accept and what to reject. All we can do is interpret the legend in as exciting, modern and dynamic a way as we can envision - the rest is out of our control."