Knight Terrors reveals why journalism is Superman’s perfect job

Superman was introduced as a reporter for the Daily Planet and has been one for most of his comics career but Knight Terrors explained why the Man of Steel is so fond of journalism.

There’s perhaps no superhero more associated with their profession than Clark Kent, a mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet. Superman’s dual identity as a reporter uniquely positions him to combat injustice both in and out of his costume. 

It made a lot of sense for Superman to be a reporter when he was created. In the ’40s, newspaper reporters were highly respected and revered in the public eye. Over the years, the changing perception of journalism has affected Clark’s role, too. 

Many modern Superman stories deal with the perils of running a newspaper today, with the Daily Planet teetering on the brink of relevancy. It’s nothing new, though, as the ’80s actually moved Clark Kent to a broadcast reporter career. Knight Terrors has taken the opportunity to glance at this and come up with a perfect in-universe explanation for why he remains a journalist. 

Superman is a reporter because he’s naturally curious

Knight Terrors: Superman #2 sees Supergirl break out of her nightmares to help Superman in his. While in the nightmare, the duo finds themselves in a western ghost town, which confuses Supergirl at first. 

When Superman mentions it’s because of a vision he was recently shown of Metropolis’ past, Supergirl asks if the ghost town it’s because he’s afraid he doesn’t know everything about Metropolis. Superman explains that he’s not afraid of not knowing everything and, in fact, became a reporter because of his curiosity. 

It’s a fun, reasonable twist on old mythos. Traditionally, Clark became a journalist so he would be the first to learn about crimes and catastrophes or investigate in places where Superman could not.

However, as time went on and Superman’s array of powers expanded to where he could hear a crisis on the other side of the world, his role as a journalist became less and less important. 

This explanation aligns with modern interpretations of Superman, which have embraced his naturally wholesome, boy scout nature more in recent years.

It’s also another example of Knight Terrors doing some really incredible character work; this issue comes after previous stories had Batman forgive himself for trauma and Deadman embrace the reality of his death.