read wonder woman (1987) #164, #165, #166, #167 for the tiniest yet all of the crumbs of archeryuri / helenartemis (helena bertinelli x artemis of bana-mighdall)
actually it is so important to me. that. in that one issue where kyle goes to the future and finds that he had no legacy only to meet his descendant. the only traces of him he left after his lifetime, in the future, are of kyle rayner and not green lantern. nobody remembers kyle, the last member of the corps, but there is a very valuable piece of art named "sorrow" (and it's a girl, and it reflects kyle's emotions, and it is so obviously alex) in a museum signed "k. rayner"
@spidey-webs excellent post on tower of Babel's necessary parallax context is making me think about Bruce Wayne and his horrible problems again. because like why does Bruce react so badly to Parallax? why does the idea of a man reacting to personal tragedy by going off the deep end and trying to fix everything by nuking reality scare him so bad? and I would argue it's because Parallax is his (substantiated!) fear for himself specifically.
Bruce is always talking about himself like a dog he keeps on a leash. how many times does he say "i can't cross that line?" after Jason's death he becomes more violent; after the destruction of his own city in no man's land he tries to make up for his failure to help as Bruce Wayne by controlling the situation alone as Batman. this fails spectacularly, leading to a lot of unnecessary deaths.
(legends of the dark knight #120)
I think Bruce fears that left to his own devices, and given even more power than he currently has, he would give into the temptation to fix everything via absolute control. he looks at Parallax going "I can fix it, just let me erase everything and build it right from the ground up" and he sees his own worst impulses.
which adds a really fun extra spice to this exchange with Kyle. right after Kyle gives up his Ion powers, which basically allowed him to control all of reality, Kyle's friend Terry is beaten into a coma by homophobes. Kyle's response is basically word for word what Hal's was to the destruction of Coast City - he goes to the most powerful person he can find (in this case Wally) and asks for the power to undo an injustice Just This Once. Bruce overhears the conversation, and we get this:
(green lantern 1990 #155)
delightful to imagine what days Bruce wishes he could take back!
Going through the Nightwing and Huntress miniseries and there’s actually this really interesting exchange between Dick and Barbara as they’re discussing a case.
Dick just had a fling with Helena, and there’s this implication — or maybe more of an acknowledgement — that Dick’s compulsion towards these sorts of short explosive romantic relationships is founded on a mixture of obligation and need for human interaction rather than any sort of sexual desire.
This, alongside context from the lead up to the fling, make it feel like Dick is simply desperate for any form of human comfort and believes the only way he can get it is through his attractiveness. He doesn’t even seem into the sex. He just can’t find another way to keep anyone from leaving him.
Combine that with the “every time someone’s even nice to you… this pathological need to-“ bit, which suggests Dick feels pressured to give sex as a form of paying people for emotional availability, and this makes me feel all sorts of uncomfortable.
I unironically think man just wants a hug, but at this point in his pre-crisis run, there isn’t a single person in his life who is willing to provide that emotional vulnerability on a consistent basis without a sexual trade-off.
theo van gogh was the one who suggested that his older brother vincent start seriously painting. as soon as theo was gainfully employed he gave vincent around 15% of his own yearly salary for art supplies, lodging, and food. about 2/3rds of vincent's surviving letters were to theo (including vincent's earliest and last letters), all of which were found stored in theo's desk. theo's child, vincent willem, was born on january 31st, 1890, and vincent was so delighted by his nephew that he painted almond blossoms for him. vincent shot himself half a year later on july 29th, 1890. theo's distress at his brother's death worsened his syphilis symptoms and he died half a year after his brother on january 25th, 1891 (four days before vincent willem's first birthday). theo was reburied next to vincent in auvers-sur-oise at the request of theo's wife johanna.
Interesting bit of little-remembered/mentioned Green Lantern lore: Kyle Rayner is mentally and emotionally over three thousand years old.
See, in the JLA story arc “The Obsidian Age,” back in 2002 or 2003, not long before the end of Kyle’s original solo GL series, the JLA lineup of Clark, Bruce, Diana, J’onn, Plastic Man, Kyle and Wally ended up three thousand years in the past in Atlantis, where they were killed by a JLA-style team of the time, thanks to the manipulations of an Atlantean sorceress named Ganymede.
At pretty much the last second, Bruce came up with a plan that would tie into failsafe protocols he had back in the present, and allow the new team he gathered then to resurrect the JLA….but to do so, he needed someone to inform the ‘rescue team’ of what to do….and there was only one person he could figure out a way to survive long enough to do that: Kyle.
So Kyle’s physical form was killed along with the rest of the JLA, but his mind and spirit survived by stowing his consciousness inside his own ring, which was then taken and hidden away by Manitou, one of the ‘ancient JLA’ who ended up siding with the JLA and joining them in the present later.
(Incidentally, this is part of what I love about Kyle so much. Bruce was just like “Okay, I need you to exist as a disembodied consciousness/ghost for 3,000 years just to pass on a message to the modern day heroes about how to save us all, can you do it?” And Kyle’s just like…”oh man, that’s gonna suck for me, but hey, if you say its what I gotta do, I’m your guy.” Like, much like Dick Grayson, Kyle Rayner was born to be a team player, which makes how often he spends isolated and alone super depressing).
But yeah, Kyle had to let the whole 3,000 years between then and the present day pass naturally, before the rescue JLA lineup, led by Nightwing, went searching for what happened to the JLA, found Kyle’s ring and him, and he could tell them the whole story and fill them in on Bruce’s plan to piggy-back off Ganymede’s own magic and get her to unintentionally resurrect them all herself.
So for 3,000 years, Kyle’s ghost essentially sat in a cave with no companion other than Manitou, who is similarly long-lived now thanks to the spell he cast to keep him alive long enough to help. Kyle’s joked about how many games of solitaire he played during the time, and how much time he spent contemplating the meaning of life and other deep philosophical questions, but like…the experience definitely left a deep and lasting effect on him.
In fact, not long after that story, it was one of the canon reasons Kyle left the JLA and Earth in general, to spend the next several years in space….as he told J’onn and Hal-as-the-Spectre….he was having a really hard time adjusting to life in the present day again, because he didn’t feel like he fit anymore. He didn’t know how to relate to people given the sheer scope of what he’d experienced and how long he’d spent existing mostly alone. He basically sent himself into self-imposed exile because he just didn’t get people anymore, and he genuinely felt more comfortable among alien species and out on his own in empty space.
Eventually, he adjusted more or less, with of course this also being due to a lot of later writers not knowing or being interested in factoring in this aspect of his stories and experience….but because of that period he spent in self-isolation away from Earth, even if the Obsidian Age isn’t often cited as a defining reason for that….ultimately, there’s a stark difference between the Kyle of before the Obsidian Age and the one after…because everyone who’s picked up with him after his space exile has tended to write him as a lot more quiet, introspective, contemplative than the more bravado-filled, joking, eternal frat boy kind of characterization he kept pretty consistently up until the Obsidian Age.
You could easily argue that his experiences and several millennia spent mostly alone with just his thoughts directly played into his later ability to be the one and only person to master all seven emotions of the emotional spectrum and become a White Lantern without help from any other entities, just purely by himself….as well as it playing into how and why he was able to host the entity Ion so much longer than anyone else.
Anyway, I’ve always just found it a really fascinating aspect of his character that’s rarely remembered or played around with, when it both explains so much about his later stories and just has so much potential in general. Batman’s like “Hey you gotta play dead and just bum around as a ghost for three thousand years just cuz I said so,” and Kyle’s just like “Aww man? Seriously? Ugh, well if you say so, fine I guess. Let’s do this thing.”
Like, this was a guy who has on at least three different occasions been the most powerful person alive and at all other times exists as ‘just’ one of the biggest guns Earth has defending it, and has so little ego and so much implicit trust in his teammates and the talents and expertise of even someone with no superpowers whatsoever, that they say “here’s what we need from you” and he’s just like “if you say this is the only way, I trust you, so just tell me when and where.”
reblogging that thing about martyrs because of kyle's consistent thing about dying for others. in jla, he let his heart be ripped out of his chest so manitou could use it for the rituals that eventually brought everyone back. in green lantern corps (2005, i think??), he dies by blowing himself up to take out enough black lanterns for the others to survive their onslaught near the blackest night. in lights out, he willingly crosses the source wall to guarantee the source wouldn't run empty of the emotional spectrum energy. even his first transformation into ion could have ultimately led him into death, and he still walked into it willingly, because it was what he had to do. in omega men, he gives away his ring in hopes to bringing peace to an entire corrupt planetary system, fully aware he could die in the process.
every single time it's a conscious choice to die for the benefit of others. it doesn't matter if he won't live to see it as long as everyone else does.
i really want to talk about the way kyle’s mannerisms change in the power of ion arc because it’s yet another great way that both of the ion stories utilize storytelling through physicality.
his way of speaking is usually very dynamic and exclamatory, with him often rambling, stuttering over his own words, trailing off, and making jokes and pop culture references. then, as ion, he speaks in these slow, measured sentences that are very formal and authoritative—and also, completely unlike him.
this change extends to his body language as well. he's often casual and fidgety, constantly making constructs to entertain himself with. then you have ion, who is statuesque in the way that he sits with his fingers steepled and floats with his arms crossed like a sentinel.
it's like all the creativity and personality has been leeched from him. the price of godhood is his humanity—the very thing that makes him who he is, both as a hero and as a person.
Willis probably had INSANE dad lore. His mom runs a crime school. He worked for Two Face. He has a secret agent and LADY SHIVA in his phone book. He knew her first name. He was the subject of prison experimentation. I could literally make up anything at all about his life and there would be merit to it. Once you get past the classist writing and mischaracterization Willis is such a simultaneously funny and tragic character.
He's no one. He's got some of the most dangerous people in the world on speed dial. He probably tells dad jokes. He has very likely killed people. He has a bat tattoo to commemorate a fight with Batman. He loved his wife and kid so much he was willing to die for them. He had his death faked, escaped prison, and then took up an identity his son stole from someone else (HE WAS SMART ENOUGH TO FIGURE OUT JASON'S IDENTITY) and lured Jason back to Gotham. Jason still doesn't know Willis's identity. Willis is literally his bodyguard at the iceberg lounge.
SO – you want to read Superman comics, but you’re intimidated by the near-century of history this character has. Or, you’ve read a few comics with him, but you want to go back to the basics to understand his character and the mythology surrounding him. There are so many continuities, origin stories, and standalones – where do you start? Well…
[Image ID: a cropped edit of the Superman ‘78 #3 variant cover by Lee Weeks, showing Lois Lane sitting on the letters of the Daily Planet globe, and Clark flying above her in his Superman costume, reaching out to take her hand. Hand-written next to them is: "THE SUPERMAN STARTER READING LIST", and hand-written in the bottom right corner is: "by MYTHIC / superfam.tumblr.com". End ID.]
This list isn’t intended to be a full, comprehensive guide to Superman’s decades of history, but a curated taster of Clark Kent in the comics medium. It aims to show you a variety of interpretations from different authors of different contexts, but with the broad goal of helping newcomers understand the heart of the character. Not every comic is able to sum up all aspects of Superman, and some could be argued to miss certain points, but each one has been selected for this list for the goal of conveying the history and breadth of his interpretations.
It’s intended to be accessible to both long-dedicated comics fans and people who are new to the DC universe, or even the medium as a whole. As such, new fans are welcome to enjoy each story as a standalone interpretation.
Please understand that this list is built from my own experience with the character, and I don’t claim it to be better or worse than any other – it’s just one way to approach his history. Essentially, I’m attempting to create the sort of list I wish I had access to when first reading Superman comics. I highly encourage the reader to form their own interpretations of each work.
With all that out of the way, please enjoy!
[Image ID: An edit of Gary Frank's artwork from Superman: Secret Origin. A slightly battered Clark in his Superman outfit embraces Jimmy with his right arm and Lois with his left. All three are smiling. The background, which depicts a disaster scene and a defeated Lex Luthor chained to a building, is covered in a translucent blue overlay. Hand-written next to Clark is: "ORIGINS". End ID.]
SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN #1-6 (2009-2010)
Geoff Johns & Gary Frank
Just a couple years before the 2011 reboot of the DC Universe, a new definitive origin story was created for a Superman post-Infinite Crisis (a major event which had changed the status quo of the multiverse).
Secret Origin is only six issues long, and a great, efficient introduction to Clark Kent and Superman. It focuses on telling Clark’s origins from his own perspective, as a hero but also simply as a person. It also does a good job of setting up important supporting characters including Lois, Jimmy, Perry, and Lex.
SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT #1-12 (2003-2004)
Mark Waid, Leinil Francis Yu & Gerry Alanguilan
Though replaced by Secret Origin only a few years later, Birthright was written as the definitive origin story to overwrite Byrne’s 1986 reboot of the character. It was intended to bring Superman into the new century, and be more consistent with his modern interpretations. It is also influenced by the popularity of the TV series Smallville.
Birthright is longer and covers aspects of the Superman mythos in further depth, including dynamics between Clark, Lex, and the city of Metropolis, kryptonite, and Krypton in general. Due to its extended length, it also covers more on Clark’s relationship with his powers and heritage.
I highly recommend reading both modern preboot origins to experience different interpretations with different influences and intentions, even only a few years apart.
[Image ID: An edit of Tim Sale's artwork from Superman: For All Seasons. On the right, Clark lies on his bed, looking to the left with a wistful expression and with a hand on his dog curled up next to him. The background, which is his cluttered bedroom in Smallville, is overlaid with translucent grey. Hand-written to the left of Clark is: "INTROSPECTION". End ID.]
SUPERMAN SMASHES THE KLAN #1-3 (2019)
Gene Luen Yang & Gurihiru
This standalone story is set in 1946, and primarily draws upon the Golden and Silver Ages as inspiration. It’s an adaptation of an episode of The Adventures of Superman radio series, “The Clan of the Fiery Cross”, which famously dealt a major hit to the KKK’s operations in America by influencing public perceptions.
The story follows Clark as well as siblings Roberta and Tommy, two Chinese-American kids who have recently moved to the Metropolis suburbs, as they uncover and fight a local chapter of the KKK. The story explores themes of immigrant identity and self-acceptance in Clark and the kids’ narratives – it presents important concepts from Superman’s history, straight from the heart of his character, in a really effective way.
SUPERMAN: FOR ALL SEASONS #1-4 (1998)
Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale
This miniseries has four issues, each corresponding to a season and narrated by an important person in Clark’s life (in order: Jonathan ‘Pa’ Kent, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Lana Lang). Tim Sale’s beautifully detailed and expressive art captures the complex emotions drawn out by having your life touched by Clark Kent, which works really well with the personal, confessional style of the narration. It’s a very intimate work.
It’s a great insight into both the triumphs and very personal struggles of Clark through the inner voices of some of the most important people in his life, and captures what makes his character work really well.
FOR THE MAN WHO HAS EVERYTHING (SUPERMAN (1939) ANNUAL #11) (1985)
Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
This is a single-issue annual from right before the DC universe was rebooted, and (unsurprisingly for Moore) explores some philosophical and ideological questions regarding the Man of Steel. On his ‘birthday’, Superman falls prey to an alien organism called The Black Mercy, which feeds on its victims while keeping them complacent with vivid hallucinations of their greatest desires. Clark hallucinates a still-living Krypton, which he is a part of – but perhaps not everything is perfect.
SUPERMAN: BRAINIAC (ACTION COMICS #866-870) (2008)
Geoff Johns & Gary Frank
Before retelling Superman’s beginnings in Secret Origin, Johns and Frank collaborated on this story arc which massively changes the status quo, partially by reintroducing a variety of pre-Crisis concepts including the original Brainiac and the bottled city Kandor. If you liked Secret Origin, you’ll probably like this one.
As this is our first story arc rather than self-contained story, it has more references to the ongoing continuity but is still easy enough to understand without that context. This story also prominently features Kara Zor-El as Supergirl and expands on some cosmic lore and Krypton in general.
SUPERMAN: UP IN THE SKY #1-6 (2019-2020)
Tom King & Andy Kubert
This is an accessible, self-contained exploration of the extent of Superman’s moral fibre, following Clark as he attempts to save a single girl who was abducted from Earth and taken into space. It’s quite abstract at points with the questions it asks about themes of compassion and commitment, which I think is conveyed particularly well in the panelling and artwork.
[Image ID: An edit of Frank Quitely's artwork from All Star Superman. Clark in his Superman outfit is flying with his arms outstretched. The top half of his face is cut off. The background is an abstract depiction of the heart of the sun, and has been overlaid with a translucent orange. Handwritten beneath Clark is: "INTERPRETING AND RE-INTERPRETING". End ID.]
THE K-METAL FROM KRYPTON (drafted 1940, restored 2004-2011)
Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster Studio
The K-Metal from Krypton is an unpublished and unfinished comic from 1940, written by Superman creator Jerry Siegel, and drafted by the studio of the other Superman creator, Joe Shuster. After being lost for decades, the story has slowly been recovered and restored by Superman fans.
Though this one is much more unconventional than the other items on the list, I think it’s extremely important to Superman’s history and generally understanding him as a character. It comes from a time when creative control of their character was being taken from Siegel and Shuster, and though it is unknown why this story was unpublished, that’s a major point of context to keep in mind.
This draft sets up the predecessor to kryptonite in the Superman comics – “K-Metal” – and also contains a scene where Clark reveals his identity to Lois, and they agree to be partners in helping others. This is a major departure from the status quo of Clark keeping his secret from Lois as she tries to uncover it, which would continue for the rest of the Golden and Silver Ages.
The restoration effort can be read online: http://theages.superman.nu/k-metal/splash.php
THE MAN OF STEEL #1-6 (1986)
John Byrne & Dick Giordano
This limited series is the immediate post-Crisis origin story and reinvention of Superman. It wasn’t put in the Origins section because I think from a modern perspective it shouldn’t be an introduction to Clark, but rather something you read to understand the history of his character.
It originated major changes in the Superman mythology, some of which have become instilled in it (such as Lex Luthor and Lois Lane’s modern characterisations), and others which have been forgotten or discarded.
One major thing is the great effort this origin made to make Clark American over being Kryptonian… Byrne has expressed great distaste of portrayals of Superman which emphasise his immigrant identity, and that should be kept in mind while critically reading this work.
ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #1-12 (2005-2008)
Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely
Arguably the most critically acclaimed Superman comic, this has been saved for late in the list as I believe it’s enhanced with more context of and experience with Clark. This is a series which explores the nature of storytelling and legacy, which was created with the aim of creating a timeless Superman story.
When Superman learns he will soon die, what does he reflect on? What does he change? This is heavily inspired by, and is a love letter to, Silver Age Superman.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW? (SUPERMAN #423 & ACTION COMICS #583) (1986)
Alan Moore, Curt Swan & George Pérez
Written in the wake of Crisis on Infinite Earths, this is another story about Superman ‘dying’, and is essentially a great mediation on and send-off to the Silver Age incarnation of the character. It refers to itself as an “imaginary” story, and can be seen as one concrete ending for this version of Clark Kent and the rest of the Superman characters, in a medium with few.
It can be found in a collection with For the Man Who Has Everything.
SUPERMAN: RED AND BLUE #1-6 (2021)
Various
To finish off our starter reading list, let’s move from Superman’s end to his future. This is an anthology of short stories from various authors and artists, exploring a spread of visions of the Man of Tomorrow.
I think it’s an appropriate end for this starter exploration of Clark Kent’s many interpretations! As with all anthologies, it has its ups and downs in quality, but as a whole I truly believe it captures the heart of this character.
Thank you for reading all this way. I really hope this reading list helps you delve into the character of Superman and inspires you to read further beyond what I’ve suggested here.
Most of all, I hope it helps at least some people grow to love Clark Kent as much as I have.
A PDF version of this reading list is available here.
10 Non-Lethal Injuries to Add Pain to Your Writing
While lethal injuries often take center stage, non-lethal injuries can create lasting effects on characters, shaping their journeys in unique ways. If you need a simple way to make your characters feel pain during a scene, here are some ideas:
Sprained Ankle
A common injury that can severely limit mobility, forcing characters to adapt their plans and experience frustration as they navigate their environment.
Rib Contusion
A painful bruise on the ribs can make breathing difficult and create tension, especially during action scenes, where every breath becomes a reminder of vulnerability.
Concussion
This brain injury can lead to confusion, dizziness, and mood swings, affecting a character’s judgment and creating a sense of unpredictability in their actions.
Fractured Finger
A broken finger can complicate tasks that require fine motor skills, causing frustration and emphasizing a character’s dependence on their hands.
Road Rash
The raw, painful skin resulting from a fall can symbolize struggle and endurance, highlighting a character's resilience in the face of physical hardship.
Shoulder Dislocation
This injury can be excruciating and often leads to an inability to use one arm, forcing characters to confront their limitations while adding urgency to their situation.
Deep Laceration
A cut that requires stitches can evoke visceral imagery and tension, especially if the character has to navigate their surroundings while in pain.
Burns
Whether from fire, chemicals, or hot surfaces, burns can cause intense suffering and lingering trauma, serving as a physical reminder of a character’s past mistakes or battles.
Pulled Muscle
This can create ongoing pain and restrict movement, providing an opportunity for characters to experience frustration or the need to lean on others for support.
Tendonitis
Inflammation of a tendon can cause chronic pain and limit a character's ability to perform tasks they usually take for granted, highlighting their struggle to adapt and overcome.
Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks?
Check out the rest of Quillology with Haya; a blog dedicated to writing and publishing tips for authors!
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Alexandra Gittsigrat, 2021 // Malcolm T. Liepke, Nude Embrace, 2022 // Egon Schiele, The Embrace (Lovers II), 1917 // Malcolm T. Liepke, Embrace, 2019 // Alexandra Gittsigrat, 2021
So. We all know (I hope) that Jews invented the superhero comic book medium. One of the most famous sidekick-hero duo, Batman and Robin, was created by Jews (Bill Finger and Bob Kane), as was Captain America and Bucky (Jack Kirby and Joe Simon). Sidekicks have become a staple of the superhero genre (although unfortunately in modern comics they've been in decline).
In Jewish storytelling and theology, the idea of the lone hero is a foreign one. All of the most notable Jewish heroes in Tanakh did not act alone- Avraham had Eliezer. Moshe had his brother Aharon to act as his interpretor, Yehoshua to act as his right-hand man and apprentice, Aharon and Chur to hold his hands up in the battle with Amalek, and when leading the Jewish people alone became too taxing for Moshe, he set up a system of delegates to ease his load on his father-in-law Yitro's advice. Eliyahu had Elisha. Devorah had Barak. While the relationship types between these people varied from siblings to master-and-apprentice to a married couple, the running theme is that all these great leaders had assistance.
In fact, for Noach, while he was considered a righteous man in his time, one of his main criticisms is that he acted alone, that he didn't make enough of an effort to reach out to others. In the very beginning of the Torah, G-d says "It is not good for Man (humans) to be alone, I will make him a counterpart" (Bereishit 2:18).
The idea of a lone hero getting all the credit and responsibility is present in various European mythologies, and subsequently Christian theology with Jesus as the singular Messiah and saviour. In contrast, while the idea of Mashiach is bit more fluid in Jewish theology, even Mashiach is thought to not act alone, with two counterparts to Mashiach, a Mashiach ben David and a Mashiach ben Yosef being recognized, as well as Eliyahu HaNavi to usher in Mashiach. This also intersects with Jewish ideals of masculinity contrasting with Western ideals. The ideal Jewish man is not characterized by brute strength and the lone wolf persona, but rather by a gentle, intellectual man with close bonds and loyalty to his family and community. (I highly recommend reading the essay by Jonathan Sexton in Chapter 5 of 'Jews in Popular Science Fiction' for more about superheroes and Jewish masculinity, especially with regards to Batman).
Sadly, there has been a noted decline in the popularity of and depiction of sidekicks in superhero media, which coincides with the increasing erasure of Judaism and Jewish influence in the field. Sidekicks are integral to the superhero medium, and it's a shame more people don't recognize their significance.
Gonna go even further on this one because I've been Thinking.....
One of the famous proverbs from Pirkei Avot is "עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב, וּקְנֵה לְךָ חָבֵר, וֶהֱוֵי דָן אֶת כָּל הָאָדָם לְכַף זְכוּת:" "Make for yourself a Rav (Rabbi), acquire for yourself a companion, and judge every person for the sake of merit" [Pirkei Avot 1:6]
When studying Torah, there is a long tradition of not doing it alone. It's considered crucial to study with a Chavrutah- a partner and companion. In Bereishit Rabba, Rabbi Chama bar Chanina says, "ין סַכִּין מִתְחַדֶּדֶת אֶלָּא בְּיָרֵךְ שֶׁל חֲבֶרְתָּהּ, כָּךְ אֵין תַּלְמִיד חָכָם מִתְחַדֵּד אֶלָּא בַּחֲבֵרוֹ, בַּרְזֶל בְּבַרְזֶל יָחַד וְאִישׁ יַחַד פְּנֵי רֵעֵהוּ" "A knife is not sharpened unless on the side of its companion, such a wise student isn't sharpened unless by his companion; iron on iron alone (is sharpened) and a man alone on the face of his fellow (is sharpened)." [Bereishit Rabba 69:2]
חַבְרוּתָא (Chavruta), you'll notice, comes from the same root as חבר (Companion/friend), which in turn comes from the same root as לחבר (to bind/connect).
Kohelet remarks, "טוֹבִ֥ים הַשְּׁנַ֖יִם מִן־הָאֶחָ֑ד אֲשֶׁ֧ר יֵשׁ־לָהֶ֛ם שָׂכָ֥ר ט֖וֹב בַּעֲמָלָֽם׃" "Two are better than one, they have a good reward in their toiling", and in the next verse continues, "כִּ֣י אִם־יִפֹּ֔לוּ הָאֶחָ֖ד יָקִ֣ים אֶת־חֲבֵר֑וֹ וְאִ֣יל֗וֹ הָֽאֶחָד֙ שֶׁיִּפּ֔וֹל וְאֵ֥ין שֵׁנִ֖י לַהֲקִימֽוֹ׃", "For if one is felled, his companion will hold him up, but woe is for one who falls and doesn't have a second to hold him up." and continues even further, "גַּ֛ם אִם־יִשְׁכְּב֥וּ שְׁנַ֖יִם וְחַ֣ם לָהֶ֑ם וּלְאֶחָ֖ד אֵ֥יךְ יֵחָֽם׃" "Furthermore, if two lie together it'll be warm for them, but how can one (alone) get warm?" [Kohelet 4:9-11].
In Berakhot, one is instructed to recite, among other prayers and requests, "וְרַחֲקֵנִי מֵאָדָם רָע, וּמֵחָבֵר רָע. וְדַבְּקֵנִי בְּיֵצֶר טוֹב וּבְחָבֵר טוֹב בְּעוֹלָמֶךָ" "And distance me from an evil person and from an evil companion, and bring me close to a good inclination and a good companion in Your world" when they are wrapping themself in their tallit in the morning. [Berakhot 60b: 6]
Modern comics often struggle to quantify the relationship between a hero and their sidekick, trying to neatly fit it into 'parent-child' or 'siblings' or 'lovers' or 'master-apprentice', and that's because the hero-sidekick relationship will never fully fit neatly into those boxes because at its core, it's much more in line with a Chavruta.
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