The Daily Planet - Superman News and Speculation Thread (🚨TAG SPOILERS🚨)

[Lily Adler]

Same. I've always felt in a weird spot as a Supes fan because I've never cared for a single Superman movie, which is what most casuals know of the character. This is the first movie that looks like it's gonna give me the character I've loved from TV and comics, and it seems like there's a good chance I'll be able to share that love with the casuals for the first time in my life. But in general, as you say, my fandom is just feeling SOOOO well-fed right now, in all mediums. Never had that before either.

It was always at least we have the TV shows and comics.

 

[Gothamsknight]

For me, the defnitive take on the character is Superman TAS. This honestly feels like that come to life in a way.

 

[Lily Adler]

For me, the defnitive take on the character is Superman TAS. This honestly feels like that come to life in a way.

Still can't believe Timm wouldn't let Lois figure out be was Superman.

 

[flickchick85]

STAS will never be tops for me because of how little it cares for Clark Kent as a character, but it definitely has some wonderful aspects, and I can see some of that influence here.

 

[Gothamsknight]

Still can't believe Timm wouldn't let Lois figure out be was Superman.

Yeah me too. But regardless, I adore that version.

 

[Tra-El]

Every time I see that first clip of Lois and Clark at the Planet, my mind goes to this.
The way David approached his body language with Clark, as well as Gunn's camera work, was All Star jumping from the pages.

 

[Still Wynning]

STAS will never be tops for me because of how little it cares for Clark Kent as a character, but it definitely has some wonderful aspects, and I can see some of that influence here.

While I would say that he doesn’t get as much as we all would like, I wouldn’t say he completely gets sidelined. I mean, one of the best parts of the show and what I most remember, at least for me, were all of the cute and funny interactions and jabs between him and Lois and the rest of the Daily Planet crew. Like this one, one of my favorites:



But, I see what you’re saying. You’re talking about how they neglect to explore Clark Kent as a character and his development as much as they do with Superman, and on that, I don’t disagree.

I mean, to give credence to your point, there is literally an episode called “The Late Mr. Kent” where he has to fake his death as Clark Kent from an attempt on his life with a car bomb for investigating a corrupt detective and is forced to just be Superman for a time, much to his frustration. They literally “kill off” one of the main characters to make room for and give more screen time to the title character.

Granted, it’s the main conceit of the episode, and it is executed wonderfully, but they don’t ever really have any episodes dedicated just to Clark Kent, save for when he’s a teenager in the second episode and that Legion of Superheroes later on. Lois gets some. Hell, Jimmy gets an episode.

 

[hopefuldreamer]

Superman has never lost that sense of wonder, no matter what. It never left and it will never go anywhere. Yesterday and tomorrow showed and will continue to show his importance on the superhero medium. After all, all those that have followed after 1938 owe the Grandaddy their respects. Oh, and get out of his chair.

Same. I've always felt in a weird spot as a Supes fan because I've never cared for a single Superman movie, which is what most casuals know of the character. This is the first movie that looks like it's gonna give me the character I've loved from TV and comics, and it seems like there's a good chance I'll be able to share that love with the casuals for the first time in my life. But in general, as you say, my fandom is just feeling SOOOO well-fed right now, in all mediums. Never had that before either.

It was always at least we have the TV shows and comics.

View attachment 115959

 

[flickchick85]

While I would say that he doesn’t get as much as we all would like, I wouldn’t say he completely gets sidelined. I mean, one of the best parts of the show and what I most remember, at least for me, were all of the cute and funny interactions and jabs between him and Lois and the rest of the Daily Planet crew. Like this one, one of my favorites:



But, I see what you’re saying. You’re talking about how they neglect to explore Clark Kent as a character and his development as much as they do with Superman, and on that, I don’t disagree.

I mean, to give credence to your point, there is literally an episode called “The Late Mr. Kent” where he has to fake his death as Clark Kent from an attempt on his life with a car bomb for investigating a corrupt detective and is forced to just be Superman for a time, much to his frustration. They literally “kill off” one of the main characters to make room for and give more screen time to the title character.

Granted, it’s the main conceit of the episode, and it is executed wonderfully, but they don’t ever really have any episodes dedicated just to Clark Kent, save for when he’s a teenager in the second episode and that Legion of Superheroes later on. Lois gets some. Hell, Jimmy gets an episode.

"The Late Mr. Kent" is one of my favorite episodes because it's one of the only eps where Lois actually displays any emotion or attachment to Clark whatsoever. It was written by Stan Berkowitz, who was my favorite writer on that show. Probably because he had previously cut his teeth with the character on the Superboy series. Timm has admitted he and Dini didn't have a handle on Superman's appeal like they did with Batman, and it shows in the series as a whole, imo. But there were writers on the staff who did and so there were still plenty of bright spots.

 

[hopefuldreamer]

"The Late Mr. Kent" is one of my favorite episodes because it's one of the only eps where Lois actually displays any emotion or attachment to Clark whatsoever. It was written by Stan Berkowitz, who was my favorite writer on that show. Probably because he had previously cut his teeth with the character on the Superboy series. Timm has admitted he and Dini didn't have a handle on Superman's appeal like they did with Batman, and it shows in the series as a whole, imo. But there were writers on the staff who did and so there were still plenty of bright spots.

lol Same! I was literally just re watching this episode recently. STAS definitely has it's moments.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Is Hoult wearing lifts here? I thought he was 6'2.5" and Corenswet 6'4", but Hoult looks taller here?

I have been meaning to mention that I have a total man crush on Corenswet's personal style at the trailer premiere. The long sleeved polo, higher waisted pleated trousers, and the distressed leather bomber is such a classically timeless look. Rugged and athletic, but also elegant and cultured.

You should contact that Manly Things podcast that Corenswet started and see if they would have you on. The whole thing is about modern fashion; you probably know way more than they do!

 

[BatLobster]

I think the tone feels pretty spot-on for what you'd think/hope a James Gunn Superman movie would be. I'm not fully sold yet that it's gonna be my jam, but I'm glad people seem to be really digging it for the most part and it's doing its job with generating buzz. The whole "lived in superhero world" of it all just makes me feel a bit ambivalent. I get that it's a way to differentiate it from MOS and mark this as the starting point of a new DCU but...it's just not a thing that excites me in any way at this stage in the genre's life.

But I do think if the movie is able to nail the emotion, then it's gonna work. I wouldn't bet against James Gunn on that front, especially with the cast he's got here. I also really hope the story can comment on the state of our society in some sort of meaningful way that actually resonates and doesn't add to the cynicism out there. I just want these things to mean something again and tap into the mythical power that we know is possible with these stories, but has become rarer and rarer for the movies to actually hit.

Yeah sorry, but that Superman Returns teaser has always been dynamite.

Hot take, but Williams' Krypton theme > the main march. It's so epic. I hope the new score references that one too.

 

[Tra-El]

My favorite part to the start of a new reboot or superhero film is the start of brand new marketing with new look images and videos. With that, comes some fun edits! Whipped this up real quick to start the Superman journey.

 

[Arachnerd]

Wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the Manips thread, but someone finally made a Starman edit:

 

[ENCK]

It’s because a movie’s box office story is NOT about the final total, it’s about how it got there. MoS was poorly received which made it have terrible legs after a huge opening. An opening that should have led to it having a much higher final total if audiences weren’t rejecting it. Batman Begins, on the other hand, had a lower final total but a significantly better box office performance because it opened low and got to where it did from amazing word of mouth. The Batman was a 3-hour movie which means it had fewer showtimes available and was not kid-friendly, yet still managed to leg it out to that very impressive total, which is indicative of a well-received film. Those (+streaming) are the numbers that tell the execs what audiences want more of.

makes total sense.

 

[DCDAVE]

Obviously we won’t know how the general audience feels about Superman until we at least get closer to July 11 but for the most part on social media the reactions have been positive. Gunn’s YouTube enemies are at again though. These folks are absolutely comical. It’s ok, just admit you don’t like the man.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the Manips thread, but someone finally made a Starman edit:

I.....actually kind of prefer this one

 

[Alien Anal]

Wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the Manips thread, but someone finally made a Starman edit:

I personally wouldn't say finally but more predictably made a star man trailer.

 

[The Batman]

I'm feeling pretty mushy this morning so I'm just gonna say it - this is genuinely the best time in my Superman life

I know there's often a bias in our brains of thinking the new thing is the best thing... but I really mean this.

It's not just this film... it's everything. It's Superman & Lois. It's My Adventures With Superman. It's amazing modern comics runs like Warworld. It's all the things that have built up over the years to this exact moment, where I feel like finally, maybe... people are starting to see the character the way I (and probably lots of you) have always seen him. As the absolutely loveable, compelling, unique and inspiring person he is

I don't think Superman would be as beloved if he wasn't seen as loveable, compelling, unique, or inspiring in the past. And those past versions have left a noticeable influence on the stuff we're getting now.

 

[flickchick85]

I literally cannot bring myself to watch any more Superman edits with "Starman." It's so beyond overdone at this point imo.

 

[Babillygunn]

S:TAS came out when I was not interested in watching “cartoons.” As a teenager in high school/college it just didn’t have any appeal to me. But I’d watch Lois &Clark religiously.

Still, I always felt like most every live action adaptation was an incomplete version of the character that I loved so much from the comics. Christopher Reeve was a great Superman, though I didn’t love his Clark. And Lois was insufferable in those films.

Ultimately, Superman & Lois gave me the most complete version of the characters that I’ve ever had. I would hold that up as maybe the most heartfelt and perfect adaptations of any comic book character I’ve ever seen. But despite the fact that it was dripping with earnestness, it would always be somewhat limited by its modest network and budget constraints. And despite its heart, S&L missed some of the spectacle associated with the character, again likely from the budget as well its Smallville setting, as opposed to Metropolis. It did more with less and gave us a home run.

But I still feel like someone could knock it out of the park.

Enter this film and this trailer. I have high hopes that Gunn is going to give us a complete picture of the character, complete with the heart and earnestness but also reveling in the spectacle of the world the character lives in.

 

[DKDetective]

You should contact that Manly Things podcast that Corenswet started and see if they would have you on. The whole thing is about modern fashion; you probably know way more than they do!

That's too kind. I should really listen to his episode. Corenswet, his wife, or his stylist (if he has one) clearly has a good eye.

Which reminds me, the choice of glasses and hair here for Clark is inspired in terms of making Clark look different from Superman. First, many consider the triangle between a person's eyes and nose to define their appearance. Clark's glasses here have a really thick bridge, which not only covers up a good chunk of that triangle but changes the perception of his nose shape, etc.

Similarly, different hairstyles can be used to change the perception of a person's face and head shape. For instance, a slicked back hairstyle with a lot of length on the top with very short sides, like the 20s undercut that has been popular lately, will elongate the face.

Superman and Clark's hair styles here do a really good job of changing his head and face shapes between the two. Clark's messy Zoomer fringe that covers up his forehead makes his face look shorter and rounds off the sides of his head whereas Superman's more classical slicked back side part style elongates his head and squares off his face.

The fact that Reeve's hairstyles as Superman and Clark were largely the same (just parted on different sides) and didn't change his head and face shapes meant that they contributed a lot less to the character's Clark disguise.

 

[Mr. Peanut]

I honestly think we might be about to enter DC's cinematic golden age, with The Batman and this. I'm dead serious

Feels weird to group the "just Batman" side of things with the "shared DC universe" side of things. The "Just Batman" side of things has been thriving almost my whole life, with the only tenuous period being when Batman & Robin came out. I expect the sequels to The Batman (as well as any spinoffs) to continue this trend and so I have no worries about the "Just Batman" side of things.

Meanwhile the "shared DC Universe" side of things has been a train wreck so far, and so I'm waiting with bated breath to see how things turn out in the long run with this new attempt.

 

[AverageMan]

James be cooking

 

[DCDAVE]

The best thing about the trailer was that it was not dependent on a money shot like other superhero trailers are. Hopefully the money shots will be saved for the movie. It sucke that movies ruin themselves to have a great trailer.