Chris Wells’ Super-sized CCM List-o-rama
A compendium of arguably useless and “researched” musings

Six degrees of Superman
The secret connection between Christian media and the man of steel

When two Jewish high school kids growing up during the Depression first came up with “Superman,” they had no idea their character would be so enduring or, for that matter, invent an entire genre. Created in the 1930s by Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster, Superman was an equal mix of pulp hero, circus stongman and Moses.

But, in the more than 70 years since then, the character has been reshaped by hundreds of storytellers in thousands of stories from comics to cartoons, radio dramas to television shows, and stage to screen. (not to mention hundreds of songs, by everyone from the Monkees to Genesis to 50 Cent). And the campaign for the film Superman Returns has certainly played up the “messiah” angle, which makes us think of this super-sized list…

1. Pillar - The CCM cover band (July 2004) holds two Kryptonian-related distinctions: first, the song “Original Superman,” from 2001’s Above (Flicker), declares Jesus is more powerful than any more superhero; second, the bass player is named Kalel (Superman’s birth name on Krypton was “Kal-El”).

2. Randy Stonehill - This Christian rock pioneer wore an “S” shirt on the cover of his album Get Me Out Of Hollywood (recorded in 1973 but not officially released until Solid Rock put it out in 2003) and a superhero costume in the video for “The Gods Of Men” from his 1985 album Love Beyond Reason (Myrrh).

3. Sufjan Stevens - The acclaimed singer/songwriter put Superman on the cover of his 2005 album Illinoise (Asthmatic Kitty) until the label realized no one bothered to ask DC Comics for permission. (The current album art is sans superhero.) The track “The man of Metropolis steals our hearts” echoes Superman as a Christ figure.

4. The O.C. Supertones - The band’s 1996 debut, Adventures of the OC Supertones (Tooth & Nail), sported a nifty “Superman”-ish cartoon image on the cover.

5. Kingdom Bound - Marking its 20th anniversary this year, Kingdom Bound at Six Flags Darien Lake is one of the largest Christian music festivals in America and also boasts the Superman Ultimate Escape roller coaster. (Actually, it’s a Six Flags ride; but we thing the same ticket covers it all.)

6. Jars of Clay - On the band’s 2002 album, The Eleventh Hour (Essential), Jars of Clay uses Kryptonite, Superman’s Achilles’ Heel, as a metaphor for frailty in “Whatever She Wants.”

7. Sixpence None The Richer - While Sixpence None the Richer never actually recorded a “Superman” song, the band did appear on the Smallville: The Talon Mix soundtrack to the TV series, which details Clark Kent’s adolescent years. Sixpence contributed its cover of the Crowded House classic “Don’t Dream It’s Over.”

8. Daily Planet - This band takes its name from Superman’s day job, where Clark Kent works at a major metropolitan newspaper. The band’s 2002 debut, Hero (Reunion), also includes a Superman reference in the song “Five.”

9. The Violet Burning - Alt-rock worship band the violet burning has referenced the last man from Krypton twice: in “The Sun And The Sky,” from 1996’s the violet burning; and in “I’m No Superman,” from 1998’s Demonstrates Plastic and Elastic.

10. The Gospel According to the World’s Greatest Superhero - Steve Skelton has made a name creating Bible studies based on such cultural touchstones as “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Bonanza.” His new book, The Gospel According to the World’s Greatest Superhero (Harvest House), examines the parallels between the last son of Krypton and God’s only begotten son.

Bonus Points: According to supermanhomepage.com, a whopping 337 songs reference Superman. Included on that list are such CCM favorites as Blindside, Bob Carlisle, Buck Enterprises, DC Talk, Five Iron Frenzy, Luna Halo, Tonio K., Tree 63 and Zilch.

Signs You Need To Get A Life:
1) Always clipping faces out of CCM magazine to create dioramas.
2) Spend sleepless nights worrying some kid will beat your high score on Stargate Defender.
3) Won’t take your Johnny Cash action figure out of the package to make sure it stays “collectible.”
4) You scour Chris Well’s hit thrillers for cheat codes to “Left Behind: the video game.”
5) You’re reading this fine print instead of moving on to all the other great stuff in the magazine.

Chris Well’s suspense thriller Deliver Us From Evelyn (Harvest House) is also chock-full of comic book-related goodness. If Chris had been thinking “media tie-in,” it would have been less about Batman and more about Superman; but what are you gonna do?