The Official Writer & Storyline Thread

[Deaths Head II]

I still don't know why people like "The Death of Superman". It's a terrible, ill conceived story. Action Comics #775, "What ever happened to Truth, Justice and the American Way", is a beautiful story that deals with what Superman would do if he thought someone had killed Lois. "For the Man who has everything" is an awesome story that includes Mongul, and both are better written and have more mature themes than "The Death of Superman".

Why base a movie off a series of issues that were designed to sucker people into buying multiple copies for no apparent reason?

It'd be like making the next Batman film based off "Knightfall", you might as well have Joel Shumacher direct again.

Lots of superhero films are based off originally poorly written stories (which I don't believe the trilogy is, I read it without the hype and made my non-comic fan and usually critical friends read it and they all found it to be an enjoyable story with a lot of interesting elements), but people enjoy them for the concepts. I read Demon in a Bottle and while I would like the story to be the basis for Iron Man 2, I found the comic book version to pretty much be a typical 70s Iron Man story except for the ending where Tony realizes he has a drinking problem and that is way too small a chunk of that story. I like it for that, but if I'm going to be overly critical of it as most critics are of Death of Superman then poo on it. The Death of Superman was always entertained as a concept before for years, it just was never attempted in canon. People like the idea. Of course, I may be biased on this issue. Like I said, the story line got me into the comic. And it made a lot of Superman haters I know learn to appreciate what the character represents through that story.

I do agree it is spammed too often as a suggestion though. There are way better and more original stories for a Superman film.

 

[SuperDaniel]

Imo, Superman: Doomsday is much better than the story in the comics.

 

[BATZARRO WWD]

You can't do the Doomsday storyline in the movies. Especially not after Superman Returns, having Bryan tease us all with Superman's possible death after falling back to Earth. The Death of Superman storyline would just be too much of a similarity to certain elements in "Superman Returns."

Agreed.

 

[Superman2008]

I still don't know why people like "The Death of Superman". It's a terrible, ill conceived story. Action Comics #775, "What ever happened to Truth, Justice and the American Way", is a beautiful story that deals with what Superman would do if he thought someone had killed Lois. "For the Man who has everything" is an awesome story that includes Mongul, and both are better written and have more mature themes than "The Death of Superman".

Why base a movie off a series of issues that were designed to sucker people into buying multiple copies for no apparent reason?

It'd be like making the next Batman film based off "Knightfall", you might as well have Joel Shumacher direct again.

I agree with about 90% of everything you said. Especially about how Death of Superman is a terrible, ill conceived story. It was a major publicity stunt (which worked), but did not demonstrate heroism. If Superman really wanted to, he would have flown out of earth's atmosphere, build up some speed, then come at Doomsday at sub-light speed and carry him off to outerspace, and into a star or black hole, he would have then saved thousands of lives and damage to multiple cities.

I also like the idea of Action Comics #775 as the basis for the next Superman reboot. However, you were wrong. Issue #775 deals with Superman's ordeal with the ELITE and not what Superman would do if Lois was killed.

Action Comics #775 puts Superman to the ultimate test of his life. Because he represents the good in all of us and he has faith in doing what is fair and just. But the Elite throws that out the window and the world loves them for their ways. So, does Superman adopt the ways of which the Elite embrace, the ways of which the majority of the people of earth condone? No, even at the brink of death, Superman proves why he is Superman, he proves why he is the Greatest Superhero of all, he proves the way of justice and faith in humanity is the true path we should all adopt.

This is what makes Action Comics #775 the perfect story for a Superman reboot. It has a ton of action!! A TON! It has superhero battles unlike many Superman has gone through in the past! And it showcases, Superman's wit, ingenuity and indominable strength of character! Oh, did I mention it is action packed!?!

 

[Gamingboy]

The darkest is without a doubt Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow. Okay, if anyone other than Alan Moore were writing it, it would have been a horrible and exploitive story. I mean, we have (I'll put it in spoilers for anyone who hasn't read this excellent story):

Spoiler

Bizarro killing himself (his logic: Superman's alive, if Bizarro is the opposite, he should be dead)
Pete Ross is tortured into giving up Clark Kent and then killed
Luthor is taken over by Brainiac
The Legion of Superheroes, who of course know what will happen, show up to give him a farewell gift
The Fortress of Solitude comes under siege by every villain alive, basically.
Lex is killed by Lana Lang (as one of her hero identities) during the siege
Lana is killed by the Legion of Super-Villains
Jimmy is murdered by the Brainiac-controlled Luthor-Corpse
Krypto dies.
It's all revealed to be the work of Mxylzpltk
Superman kills Mxy.

Very disturbing story. Even with the brilliant epilogue, it's a real downer. Don't get me wrong, it's a great story, but you almost expect the ending to be Superman waking up in the middle of the night sweating in terror.

 

[SatEL]

So, what with WB wanting to cash in on The Dark Knight's tone and expand it out to other franchises, the real question I've got right now is: what is Superman's darkest story?

To me, I would think it to be Superman Doomsday. I mean, you can't get much more dark than Superman being killed, can you?

What other 'dark' stories are out there?

Ideally, I'd say WB should just adapt Doomsday in some fashion. Perhaps with a re-title for the film, so it doesn't conflict with the recent animated film - call the new film "The Death of Superman" or something. Something that gets the point across. Use the bloody S logo. Would also be a bit symbolic, if you think about it. WB are, in effect, killing their most recent incarnation of Superman in order to re-introduce him.

Without a doubt the darkest Superman story ever is For Tomorrow, it was just gawdd dammmmmm awful but was certainly dark.

 

[SatEL]

I agree with about 90% of everything you said. Especially about how Death of Superman is a terrible, ill conceived story. It was a major publicity stunt (which worked), but did not demonstrate heroism. If Superman really wanted to, he would have flown out of earth's atmosphere, build up some speed, then come at Doomsday at sub-light speed and carry him off to outerspace, and into a star or black hole, he would have then saved thousands of lives and damage to multiple cities.

Superman was severely weak during that period you have to remember a few moments before his fight with Doomsday he got knocked out by a gas station explosion.

 

[Lightning54SC]

Superman was severely weak during that period you have to remember a few moments before his fight with Doomsday he got knocked out by a gas station explosion.

if memory serves he was on a tv show and heard of the justice league getting their butts handed too!

 

[Deaths Head II]

The darkest is without a doubt Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow. Okay, if anyone other than Alan Moore were writing it, it would have been a horrible and exploitive story. I mean, we have (I'll put it in spoilers for anyone who hasn't read this excellent story):

Spoiler

Bizarro killing himself (his logic: Superman's alive, if Bizarro is the opposite, he should be dead)
Pete Ross is tortured into giving up Clark Kent and then killed
Luthor is taken over by Brainiac
The Legion of Superheroes, who of course know what will happen, show up to give him a farewell gift
The Fortress of Solitude comes under siege by every villain alive, basically.
Lex is killed by Lana Lang (as one of her hero identities) during the siege
Lana is killed by the Legion of Super-Villains
Jimmy is murdered by the Brainiac-controlled Luthor-Corpse
Krypto dies.
It's all revealed to be the work of Mxylzpltk
Superman kills Mxy.

Very disturbing story. Even with the brilliant epilogue, it's a real downer. Don't get me wrong, it's a great story, but you almost expect the ending to be Superman waking up in the middle of the night sweating in terror.

Didn't it also turn out that:

Spoiler

Bizzaro kills a bunch of people before killing himself because Superman doesn't kill and he's Superman's opposite.
Bizzaro also destroyed Bizarro world and came to Earth as an adult like Superman did as a child when Krypton blew up.
Pete Ross was tortured and killed by the Toy Man and the Prankster of all people.
Lex begged Lois to killed him because he didn't want to be possessed by Braniac.
Mxylzpltk turned out to be a dark and evil being in disguise and not a goofy little cartoon guy in a little hat.

Yeah, that is definitely a candidate for darkest story.

 

[The Guard]

Darkest? Not most emotional?

Off the top of my head, I'd have to say when he executed the Phantom Zone villains in the 80's.

Definitely this one.

 

[gimmen64]

if memory serves he was on a tv show and heard of the justice league getting their butts handed too!

Everyone got theirs handed to them. I was totally hooked on the story and was amazing. It was this story that made me read more comics and want to know more about Superman.

 

[I Am The Knight]

I hate Doomsday, honestly. Never understood the appeal for that character.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

^I think he's a great character, I loved the explanation of his origins, and think a lot more could be done with him than has been done.

 

[Astrodust]

The time he creeped on Lois in Superman Returns.

 

[I Am The Knight]

^I think he's a great character, I loved the explanation of his origins, and think a lot more could be done with him than has been done.

I think, for me, it's an aesthetic thing. I understand they changed the character quite radically a few years ago, didn't they?

 

[TimDrake64x]

I so don't want to see The Death of Superman trillogy. Haven't read all of it but it sounds like a mess.

it is. but really there are 2 reasons to not do the death now. one is that its too early if its going to be a reboot to start killing superman. and two is didnt he kind of die at the end of the last one?

 

[Sam]

I know exactly which dark Superman story can be told on the big screen. But, of course, i wont say it, since it is part of a movie script i am writing.

I have everything layout. Villians, backstories, motivations, etc. It is emotional, inspiring, full of action and 100% faithfull to the source material (comics).

Who knows? Maybe one day i will be able to show this to Warner or some producer

 

[DavidTyler]

Off the top of my head, I'd have to say when he executed the Phantom Zone villains in the 80's.

ABSOLUTELY...!

Actually, that would have been a better film all around.

Singer, if he had any notion at all to do research, would have found this story and realized he could have done the exile story and it would have accomplished what he wanted.

In short (for those of you who haven't read it) Superman is fighting the Phantom Zone criminals who, in this story, are from a different reality which they've completely destroyed. Supes is in for the fight of his life as he's trying to keep them from destroying ours. He feels that he has no other recourse but to kill them. Having done that, he exiles himself into space. While in space, he goes from battle to battle and makes many discoveries ...many about himself.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, life is going on.

Singer could have used this scenario to have Supes away for so long that the world actually does move on.

 

[thorstone]

You can't do the Doomsday storyline in the movies. Especially not after Superman Returns, having Bryan tease us all with Superman's possible death after falling back to Earth. The Death of Superman storyline would just be too much of a similarity to certain elements in "Superman Returns."

I feel the same about Superman Returns' ending.

They can have a character such as Darkseid weild Doomsday as a weapon against Superman but it would make better cinema for him to overcome Doomsday with the expectation that Superman is going to die-- if Superman is going to die, it should happen in the way Beowulf dies in his fight with the dragon (nature).

Otherwise, the darkest story would be Kingdom Come, the death of Lane, but that is difficult without the Joker to kill her.

 

[DIRECTOR]

I could imagine old idiots around a table discussing what to do with the all the WB franchises and thinking, "hey, TDK did well because it was dark, let have all of our characters darker, more big bucks"

STUPID IDIOTS

TDK did well because of Great Cast, Excellent Story, There were not single boring shot, the whole movie was intense. NOT BECAUSE IT WAS DARK.

SR was not epic enough, the cast was not right, the story was dull (seriously........ LAND????????????).

The only thing good about SR was Brandon Routh and the music. Lex was okay, but I can't blame him because the story was just bad and unrealistic

 

[batlovescatDC]

I love the character of Doomsday but I don't want them to try and do him in a film. I just don't think (no matter who is making it) it can be done right in film.

 

[Commodore Schmidlapp]

I always thought it would be cool if they did a new Superman trilogy, and with the third film did the death of Superman storyline with Superman dying.

 

[That-Guy]

"For Tomorrow" was a pretty dark Superman story. I wouldn't want to see it used as the basis for a film, but elements of it could easily be incorporated into a movie: Superman getting involved in a war overseas, for example. After all, he is Earth's greatest hero, not just America's (or Metropolis' for that matter). And that story had the most badass version of Zod I've ever seen (even though it supposedly wasn't the "real" Zod... goddamn DC).

 

[Nirvana]

Death of Superman mix with Darkseid?

 

[THE MR. TERRIFIC]

If they want a dark Superman movie I suggest they go with Darkseid. Darkseid is a dark character. That would make the dark Superman movie the execs want and please fans because even though Supes is not a dark character, his villians can be and that could be the recipe for a good Superman film.