Influences
The biggest influence on the Samaritan character is Superman, which shows in several ways. First, the "traveler from beyond" theme echoes Superman's origin, as does the saving a spacecraft from disaster that kicks off both their careers (this was shown for Superman in The Man of Steel limited series, which rebooted his origin). The majority of Samaritan's powers mimic those of Superman as well.
Kurt Busiek, however, provides the definitive version of Samaritan's derivation: "Samaritan's early influences are my childhood flying dreams, a book called Catapult: Harry and I Build a Siege Weapon by Jim Paul, a 'generic' superhero call (I think) Captain Cash from a Neal Adams-drawn magazine ad in comics form, Robert Mayer's Superfolks, Moses and Bright Lights Big City – and maybe a little from a pin-up Leonard Starr did in Superman #400. With all that roiling around underneath, it's probably more understandable why I flinch when people assume he's just Superman again. (His cape, by the way, which was credited to Captain Marvel, comes simply from looking for imagery associated with his name, and an attempt to make him look different from the other "flying strongmen" of comics history.)"
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Famous quotes containing the word influences:
“Do not seek anxiously to be developed, to subject yourself to many influences to be played on; it is all dissipation.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Nothing changes more constantly than the past; for the past that influences our lives does not consist of what actually happened, but of what men believe happened.”
—Gerald W. Johnson (1890–1980)
“The tourist who moves about to see and hear and open himself to all the influences of the places which condense centuries of human greatness is only a man in search of excellence.”
—Max Lerner (b. 1902)