The Official Superman Thread - Part 6

[X Knight]

Don't know. I don't think they're making him into Conner and other Superboy incarnations. I think he'll be like his dad, though I'm not sure what a straight up Human/Kryptonian hybrid brings to the table. If I'm not mistaken he's the first H/K that wasn't created in a lab.

that's true.

I've always liked Conner's TK powers, so I'm hoping they manifest with Jon.

 

[BlueLanternKal]

So who read Action #959? When Supes turns the heat vision up to 11... Awesome.

Funny that Jon might end up a SuperLex fanboy. That might throw a spanner into the otherwise idyllic family dynamic of the Kents.

Spoiler

So powerless Clark Kent was put into hiding by New 52 Superman? What's going on here?

That Lois flashbacks in particular were beautifully drawn.

 

[BlueLanternKal]

SDCC 2016: Rebirth - Superman Panel

Pat Gleason, Dan Jurgens, Peter Tomasi, Tyler Kirkham and more from the various Superman titles talk about the Man of Steel.

16:48
DC is gearing up for their DC Rebirth: Superman panel at Comic-Con International on Friday, featuring Superman storytellers Peter Tomasi and Pat Gleason, Action Comics artist Tyler Kirkham, Action Comics writer Dan Jurgens and New Super-Man writer Gene Yang.

16:54
Yang started off by talking about New Super-Man. "It's about a Chinese kid named Kenan Kong in Shanghai, who inherits some of Clark Kent's powers," Yang said. New Super-Man wasn't his idea — it was Jim Lee and Geoff Johns' idea, to come up with a Chinese superman — but "the character started talking to me," and he decided to tackle the project, despite knowing there were a number of political landmines involved.

16:56
Yang praised his artist Viktor Bogdanovic. "Of all the things he's done for DC, this is his happiest, and I think is shows," Yang said, saying that in particular, Bogdanovic was great at drawing Kong as a bully. "He's able to fuse humor and action together."

16:57
"One of the reasons I didn't want to do this book is because Superman is about truth, justice and the American way — what does that mean in the Chinese cultural landscape?" Yang asked. He said that while Superman is quintessentially American, he ultimately represents something universal, and that's what he wanted to unearth in New Super-Man.

17:00
The second issue of New Super-Man will include a Justice League of China, which Yang said he drew upon his Chinese Catholic upbringing to flesh out. Yang said that China originally was cool to the idea of religion, but eventually introduced state-approved versions of mainstream religious branches, and he said that China in the DC Universe has felt the same way about superheroes, with a Chinese Batman and Wonder Woman.

17:00
They'll be battling a Chinese version of the Freedom Fighters, Yang said, "a pro-democracy group of supervillains."

17:03
A fan asked Yang about whether we might see the Great Ten in New Super-Man. "August General shows up in Issue #3," he responded.

17:06
Next up is Action Comics. "Right now we're still in the midst of a fight with Doomsday, and it's all complicated by the fact that the Superman that was representing the universe died, a new Superman has come back — the Superman we come to think of as the pre-Flashpoint Superman — and Lex Luthor has declared himself the Superman of Metropolis." While Superman is weary of Lex, knowing he's a villain through and through, the story is complicated even further by the emergency of a new, non-powered Clark Kent.

17:07
"The process basically has been really fun to look at Dan's old stuff, the Death of Superman is sitting there in my office, and being able to look at that, and do my own version of Doomsday, using Dan's material for reference," Kirkham added. "The storyline, the mystery, there's a lot of cool stuff coming up."

17:09
Jurgens likened doing multi-part comics like filming a movie — that's typically done out of sequence, with different artists tackling different chapters out of order — which means that occasionally there needs to be adjustments made to maintain the continuity of outfits and designs.

17:11
Jurgens said that Superman's fight against Doomsday gets even further complicated when the monster senses another Kryptonian — namely, Clark's son Jon — leading the two into battle at the farm with Lois and Jon.

17:13
Tomasi and Gleason then went on to discuss Superman. An online fan asked about the challenges of bringing a fresh perspective on a character with that kind of longevity. "You have to think about what you loved about the character when you first encountered it," Tomasi said. "All his values and morals and ethics, as silly as it sounds today, it stays with you, and that's the kind of character we wanted to bring to the table."

17:13
"It's about putting that familiar aspect of Superman back out ot people," Gleason added, saying that the inclusion of Jon Kent, "gives us a new way to explore something that's familiar but also surprising."

17:15
"Pat and I, being dads, to be able to do that story in Batman and Robin with their distinct characteristics, and to be able to do that with Superman and Jon, it's a very special thing," Tomasi said, calling Superman a "family affair." "To be able to do Superman and Son in their unique situation is a privilege."

17:15
Discussing the twice-monthly schedule, "the pacing is a lot quicker — there's not a lot of second-guessing time," Gleason said. "We go in there, and it's like jazz... We follow where the emotional beats and the character beats take us."

17:16
"You can explore corners of a story you might not be able to explore in just a monthly book," Jurgens said of the twice-monthly schedule. "The audience is going to be back in two weeks, so you can detour to places you ordinarily wouldn't be able to."

17:19
An online fan asked if we'd ever see Superman's red shorts again. Jurgens: "I'd like to." He added that the red shorts were not a separate item of clothing, but sewn together with the rest of Superman's costume.

17:20
Opening up the floor to questions, another fan asked Gleason about why Superman has blue boots versus red boots. "The boots were their idea — I think it works, I like how it works," Gleason said. "Having his outfit be instantly recognizable and immediately trustworthy" was important, but just as important was the character wearing it and bringing meaning to that outfit.

17:26
A fan asked about going back to '90s stories, such as Action Comics and the Death of Superman. "Part of what Rebirth's mission was to find the core characteristics of what makes Superman a success — what do we recognize most, what do we like most about him," Jurgens said. "By changing the circumstances around that fight and changing the characteristics around that fight — Luthor is there, Jon is there — you can say something different."

17:27
Another fan asked about Lois Lane, and what role she'll play in the Superman comic in the future. "In Superman, Lois is a main character who is a strong woman, and aside from being a mother and a wife, is a partner," Tomasi said, saying that Issue #5 will have some developments. "We're not relinquishing her or pushing her into the shadows."

17:28
"Action Comics is really the cornerstone not just of DC, but the industry in a lot of ways — without Action Comics #1, you wouldn't have a lot of the comics we love today," Jurgens said, before adding that Superman wasn't the only character to debut then — Lois Lane debuted there, as well. "She can't be Mrs. Superman — it has to be more than that."

17:31
A young fan asked if Jon would be joining the Teen Titans. Tomasi said there were no plans for that yet, but it was "a good idea." "The answer is no — at the moment."

17:32
Are there any plans for a Superman '55 to go along with Batman '66 and Wonder Woman '77? Not yet, but there is more news coming for those latter two titles.

17:33
A young fan asked what will happen with Lana Lang, who was struck by the same energy that Lois was. Jurgens said the fan was very perceptive, and that those plot points would bear fruit soon.

17:35
A fan asked about Lex Luthor, saying he hopes they don't turn Lex back to a nonpowered character. Jurgens said that it's difficult to atone for Lex's crimes when he can't even admit that he's murdered people in the past. "Can Lex be a hero? That's what we want to explore."

17:39
Another fan asked about continuity and its role in the panels' storytelling. "You have to let go of what's happened before, and just trust the writer to take you on a journey," Tomasi said. "You can't let it feed your reading all the time — just let yourself go and let yourself be immersed in the present." He added that while continuity can inform storytelling, it shouldn't be the end-all, be-all.

17:41
Discussing Lois and Clark's relationship, "we have always understood that historically in Superman comics, there's always a connection between Lois and Superman — and when the New 52 launched, it wasn't that they weren't married, but that there was no connection," Jurgens said. "Without that connection, the context of who these characters are were lost."

17:42
Final question — will we be seeing the Legion of Superheroes making a return, either interacting with Clark or Jon? Jurgens and Tomasi said they couldn't discuss details..

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Man, I'm kind of starting to wish Clay Mann were doing interiors for Action Comics instead of just the covers. He'd complement Patrick Zircher a lot better than Tyler Kirkham, whose style is so different it's jarring.

 

[JimThompson]

The Superman Rebirth books have been killing it. So happy to have the Man of Steel back!

 

[_Superman_]

Yes they have Superman hit Doomsday with a 4,035 hit combo today. That was nice.

 

[Batmannerism]

The Superman Rebirth books have been killing it. So happy to have the Man of Steel back!

Yup Superman, World's greatest Dad, has been great so far. Glad that Supes is getting good service in the comics at least !

 

[vantheman77]

Rebirth wouldn't happen without pre-Flashpoint Superman and Wally West. So far I'm liking what I'm seeing in the Superman books for Rebirth. Looking forward to Supergirl and Superwoman as well and I'm liking New Super-Man.

 

[DChero]

I'm sorry if this is a dumb question. I'm trying to skim the thread for the answer since I'm only as far as Rebirth (event book).

With the Post-Crisis Superman now taking over, does that bring John's "Secret Origins" back as Superman's canon origin?

 

[Gee]

Lois and Jon will be in Manapul's Trinity: https://www.instagram.com/p/BIkzIdrAuk6/

Unfortunately with so many Rebirth titles being shipped twice a month, I had to cut Superman and Action from my pull list. Though I will continue to read New Super-Man (at least first arc) and cannot wait for Superwoman and Supergirl.

 

[Gee]

Not comics related, but there'll be a new Lois Lane YA novel (third one):
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/lois-lane-becomes-a-triple-916673

 

[BlueLanternKal]

We got ourselves a regular Reign of the Supermen.

Pre-52 Superman that rocked the black and silver suit with a beard
Jonathan Kent Superboy
Eradicator
Superwomen Blue & Red
SuperLex in his powered armor
Supergirl
Kenan Kong the New Super-Man of China (a title as big as his ego LOL)
Cyborg Superman
Steel in the Superwoman title

Pretty epic time to be a Superman fan.

 

[Gee]

Superwoman was awesome! That ending, though!

And New Super-Man is pure fun. Can't wait for the Rebirth one-shot of Supergirl next week.

 

[BlueLanternKal]

Superwoman was awesome! That ending, though!

And New Super-Man is pure fun. Can't wait for the Rebirth one-shot of Supergirl next week.

Blue & Red tho LOL. I thought I was a kid again for a second there. Really dope book.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Well, Superwoman was a SURPRISE to say the least. A very welcomed surprise.

 

[Broseph44]

Been debating on grabbing Superwoman. Think I'm gonna though, I think I'll be checking out Supergirl as well.

 

[Broseph44]

New-Superman is about the Asian one yes?

 

[Gee]

New-Superman is about the Asian one yes?

Yup, Chinese. Also, Chinese [BLACKOUT]chubby Batman[/BLACKOUT] and [BLACKOUT]Wonder Woman[/BLACKOUT]. t:

 

[BlueLanternKal]

New-Superman is probably one of my favorite books. Kenan Kong is hilarious.

Throwing an empty can of pop at a supervillain and fearing for dear life somehow translates to giving him a "massive beatdown" in Kenan's head. And the ending of #2, priceless. It's like he got the "How to Be a Superhero" manual and is doing the exact opposite. Never change Kenan. This book is not afraid of being self-aware.

 

[Motown Marvel]

If you like Gene Yeung writing New Super-Man, check out his graphic novel memoir Anerican Born Chinese. Really good, really entertaining and clever.

 

[Gee]

If you like Gene Yeung writing New Super-Man, check out his graphic novel memoir Anerican Born Chinese. Really good, really entertaining and clever.

I also enjoyed The Shadow Hero.

 

[Gee]

Wow, there's some HydraCap level of hate over the twist of Superwoman #1. I read that some angry fan on Twitter had her dog piss on her copy and she then burned it.

My goodness.

 

[BlueLanternKal]

Wow, there's some HydraCap level of hate over the twist of Superwoman #1. I read that some angry fan on Twitter had her dog piss on her copy and she then burned it.

My goodness.

I like Lana better as Red Superwoman tbh.

And yeah two Loises and Clarks is one too many.

I'm glad Pre-52 Lois is going back to the Daily Planet. Maybe the whole family moves to Metropolis.

Now it's all about figuring out who this powerless Clark Kent impostor is and his connection to New-52 Supes and possibly Oz.

 

[Motown Marvel]

While I wonder if Lois Superwoman is actually dead, the bummer about her being dead is her costume was fantastic. I'd hate to see it go to waste.

 

[superman-mos]

So I know this question has came up a million times before when talking about Superman, I'm gonna ask it again though. Is Superman to powerful? Some of my favorite interpretations of Supes is the classic Superman in the vein of Darwyn Cookes inspiration for Supes . Also growing up with Superman the Animated Series , I've always enjoyed the Superman that wasn't able to move the moon . The Superman that did perform great feats of strength but it showed him struggling to do so . When he was trying to keep a plane from crashing there was that fear that it might not end well , it made him sweat . He would still be Superman because he is doing things no normal mortal could do but he wasn't so powerful that he could pick up a skyscraper and use it like a ball bat . I've always been fond of that Superman. Am I the only one in that crowd ?