'Kryptonitpicking,' and other rites of the Superman fan

In the first two parts of a five-part series at MTV.com, Superman fanatic Karl Heitmueller examines the appeal of the Man of Steel and addresses concerns about the approaching movie:

What matters is that the spirit of the comic is captured. That's why Bryan Singer's X-Men movies are great and Tim Burton's Batman movies are bad. Singer significantly altered the Marvel X-books, but got the essence of the story right; Burton, meanwhile, created a distinctive look for Batman but utterly failed to grasp the character's ethos (Batman does not kill, and especially not with guns). So, I'm relieved that it's Singer and not Burton (as was once planned) who's in charge of bringing the biggest superhero of all back to the big screen with this summer's Superman Returns.

When it comes to Superman, I'm pretty territorial. To me, Supes is more than just a comic book character, and far more than merely a favorite pop culture icon. Superman represents absolute power absolutely uncorrupted. He represents humility (despite his name and primary-colored costume), altruism and, yes, the hidden power of the underdog. Apply whatever Jesus or Freudian metaphor you like. The point, to me, is that the Man of Steel matters. So when he's portrayed in a manner I consider wrong, or wrong-headed, I get a bit testy.

He also looks at "kryptonitpicking," in which fans fuss over actor Brandon Routh's brown hair, how and where it's parted, the size of the "S" emblem, and the cut of his shorts.