Welcome to Earth One!

[lixdexia]

i don't like the sound of this alien invasion destroying kyrpton...that sounds really lame to me

 

[antonydelfini]

I have a good feeling that I will like this. I guess you have to have an open mind in reading this, because this looks to have a very different interpretation of Kal-El. One rave review and one poor review for this book: this looks to be dividing.

 

[The Question]

Pretty much. I really don't understand why they see the need to keep revising. I guess some writers see it as the 'big mark' on comics, but eh.

I can see the appeal, but it's doing something that the Earth One comics don't seem to be gearing up to doing, which is essentially taking the Once and Future King approach to the DC mythos.

 

[taskmaster]

Eh, yeah, I guess on one hand, but you know, I would have just jumped into since it seems all the revisions they did for this Ultimate DC thing seem kind of crappy to me. I don't see why anyone would want Krypton to be destroyed by a villain so Superman's origin could have a vengeance undertone, but then again, Cry for Justice, so God knows what people will go for nowadays.

I agree that the whole alien invasion angle is pretty tired but it makes more sense than an advanced and intelligent alien race ignoring evidence that their planet is going to explode because of their arrogance.

I'd be more interested in Clark not being the last Kryptonian. I know they've done that before but they could put a different spin on it in Earth One. There's no way that the Kryptonians hadn't colonized other planets or at least had people off world at the time of the explosion. I think it would be different to have a group of survivors scouring the universe to find other Krpytonians.

 

[fifthfiend]

In this case, since it's a whole new continuity, I'm sure they just wanted to start at the beginning. It's a valid reason. It doesn't make me more interested in reading yet another Superman origin at all, but it is a valid reason.

TBH I don't even really think that makes it especially valid. Like I said about the movie, there's nothing about a new continuity that you can't set up by just getting into the story and going, even moreso in a comic book than a movie since you can always go in and backfill.

It doesn't even sound like it serves the premise because if he's trying to establish that this is an Ordinary World of Ordinary Things it's kind of undermining that to have a myopic focus on the specifically unordinary character from the get-go.

 

[Young Superman]

I agree that the whole alien invasion angle is pretty tired but it makes more sense than an advanced and intelligent alien race ignoring evidence that their planet is going to explode because of their arrogance.

Agreed

I'd be more interested in Clark not being the last Kryptonian. I know they've done that before but they could put a different spin on it in Earth One. There's no way that the Kryptonians hadn't colonized other planets or at least had people off world at the time of the explosion. I think it would be different to have a group of survivors scouring the universe to find other Krpytonians.

I like Kal-El being the last Kryptonian in this. In my opinion it just makes him a little more unique in the universe.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I agree that the whole alien invasion angle is pretty tired but it makes more sense than an advanced and intelligent alien race ignoring evidence that their planet is going to explode because of their arrogance.

I don't really see how. Just because someone is intelligent doesn't mean they're perfect or anything. I mean, hell, just look at climate change and us now. It's scientifically proven, and you can just look outside in the seasons to see something is going on without any real scientific knowledge, but it's became such a political issue at this point, people will just to fight and deny it's happening. Granted, that's not something quite on the level of an instant destruction, but fiction tends to be exaggerated anyway. Advancement and intelligent =/= perfect, in my opinion.

Just sounds like a way to add grittiness to Superman by making revenge an undertone to his motivations. I don't know who wants to read a Superman like that, but I'm sure someone does. Personally, I just hope the books don't succeed as well as DC hopes and they quietly retire it and go back to the All Star idea. Fair better and more viable long term than this. Probably just a dream, but I'll keep dreaming

 

[Nathan]

I think Superman TAS did the destruction of Krypton well. Yeah, you think a bunch of superbrains would realize that their planet is going to explode soon. But Brainiac pretty much disproved all of Jor-El's theories and told them all Krypton was going to be fine and that the tremors were just minor. The self-aware computer that wants to save his own hide, is more interesting than yet another alien invasion.

 

[Ultimate_Superman]

I don't really see how. Just because someone is intelligent doesn't mean they're perfect or anything. I mean, hell, just look at climate change and us now. It's scientifically proven, and you can just look outside in the seasons to see something is going on without any real scientific knowledge, but it's became such a political issue at this point, people will just to fight and deny it's happening. Granted, that's not something quite on the level of an instant destruction, but fiction tends to be exaggerated anyway. Advancement and intelligent =/= perfect, in my opinion.

Just sounds like a way to add grittiness to Superman by making revenge an undertone to his motivations. I don't know who wants to read a Superman like that, but I'm sure someone does. Personally, I just hope the books don't succeed as well as DC hopes and they quietly retire it and go back to the All Star idea. Fair better and more viable long term than this. Probably just a dream, but I'll keep dreaming

Try people who read Superman before the war. I mean before the government imposed themselves on comics Superman use to be almost as dark as what Batman is today he was not always the boy scout. Not until after the war did he become that.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

TBH I don't even really think that makes it especially valid. Like I said about the movie, there's nothing about a new continuity that you can't set up by just getting into the story and going, even moreso in a comic book than a movie since you can always go in and backfill.

It doesn't even sound like it serves the premise because if he's trying to establish that this is an Ordinary World of Ordinary Things it's kind of undermining that to have a myopic focus on the specifically unordinary character from the get-go.

I tend to prefer the in medias res approach too, but I can still understand the compunction to start any new story at the beginning. Even if it is, for all intents and purposes, a new wrapper on a very old story. Clearly, Earth One just isn't really for us. I'm curious to see what those who do read it think, though, since we have two diametrically opposed reviews of it so far.

 

[The Question]

I tend to prefer the in medias res approach too, but I can still understand the compunction to start any new story at the beginning. Even if it is, for all intents and purposes, a new wrapper on a very old story. Clearly, Earth One just isn't really for us. I'm curious to see what those who do read it think, though, since we have two diametrically opposed reviews of it so far.

I kind of think the story does need a new raper, to an extent. There really isn't a single, cohesive Superman or DCU narrative out there that has a solid beginning, middle, and end, and strong continuity coming from only one or a handful of writers working on it, but still feels as epic and has as rich a mythology as the mainline DCU. Like I said, I would like the Ultimate/Earth One "starting from scratch" approach if they took the "Once and Future King" rout, taking the various and often tonally/logistically incongruous legends that these characters inhabit and combine them into a single, epic story. That, I think, is actually something worthwhile that these reboot continuities could do, as opposed to simply changing things for the sake of it and making everything all hip and extreme, but I don't think I've ever seen it.

Well, except for the DCAU.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I don't. Everyone knows who Superman is and everyone knows Superman's story is never going to end. At this point, all I really need is middle. Just give me some great stories with Superman being Superman and I'm good.

 

[kguillou]

Damn, so is it safe to say that so far JMS' tenure at DC is incredibly underwhelming? I always felt like Superman would be the perfect character for someone like JMS to write but man he seems to be batting zero with him so far. His wonder woman stuff aint all that great either.

 

[The Question]

I don't. Everyone knows who Superman is and everyone knows Superman's story is never going to end. At this point, all I really need is middle. Just give me some great stories with Superman being Superman and I'm good.

So what would be the problem with making another universe where it does? That way everybody's happy.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

There is no problem. I'm just not interested in it.

Damn, so is it safe to say that so far JMS' tenure at DC is incredibly underwhelming? I always felt like Superman would be the perfect character for someone like JMS to write but man he seems to be batting zero with him so far. His wonder woman stuff aint all that great either.

I haven't been interested enough to read most of it, so I can't really speak to the quality of the actual stories. But, by that same token, I haven't even been interested enough to read most of it...

 

[The Sage]

Damn, so is it safe to say that so far JMS' tenure at DC is incredibly underwhelming? I always felt like Superman would be the perfect character for someone like JMS to write but man he seems to be batting zero with him so far. His wonder woman stuff aint all that great either.

Yeah it's weird. For some reason I thought he'd do well on Superman. Still loved his Thor run though.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Try people who read Superman before the war. I mean before the government imposed themselves on comics Superman use to be almost as dark as what Batman is today he was not always the boy scout. Not until after the war did he become that.

I have read some of those stories, but I don't remember him being what I would call a 'dark' character. I know he had run-ins with the law and killed people more liberally, but I wouldn't call him dark in the same sense I would the old school, gun totting 'creature of the night' Batman. I don't recall any of the older Golden Age stories of Superman being about him stalking in the shadows, but I haven't read that much to be fair. I don't remember him being motivated by revenge, either.

And I didn't say 'boy scout'. There is a middle ground between grim and gritty and boy scout.

So what would be the problem with making another universe where it does? That way everybody's happy.

What universe are you referring to? Earth One? Unless something has changed this is meant as ongoing project with connected continuity like Marvel's Ultimate line.

 

[The Question]

What universe are you referring to? Earth One? Unless something has changed this is meant as ongoing project with connected continuity like Marvel's Ultimate line.

I'm speaking hypothetically. Hypothetically, if a separate line of comics were made that started from scratch with the big DC characters, not to update or modernize or do different spins on, but for the sole purpose of doing to the DCU what T.H. White did to Aurthurian lore, with a planned beginning middle and end and arc for all of the characters involved, and still had the mainline books following the established, more fast and loose continuity we're used to, then I think that would make everybody happy in terms of getting the full story potential out of these characters.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I'm speaking hypothetically. Hypothetically, if a separate line of comics were made that started from scratch with the big DC characters, not to update or modernize or do different spins on, but for the sole purpose of doing to the DCU what T.H. White did to Aurthurian lore, with a planned beginning middle and end and arc for all of the characters involved, and still had the mainline books following the established, more fast and loose continuity we're used to, then I think that would make everybody happy in terms of getting the full story potential out of these characters.

Oh, well, you're pretty much talking about the All Star line aren't you? At least in theory, since someone could easily take that approach with that line. I don't think they're really taking that philosophy with Earth One, so the ending would be forced due to sales. Though, I guess they could collectively spin that failure into an end somehow

 

[fifthfiend]

Just because someone is intelligent doesn't mean they're perfect or anything. I mean, hell, just look at climate change and us now.

One of the better minor revelations I've had in my life is that Al Gore is basically our Jor-El.

 

[fifthfiend]

Yeah it's weird. For some reason I thought he'd do well on Superman. Still loved his Thor run though.

JMS has really good ideas and really bad ideas and a total inability to tell the difference between the two and a continuing disregard for whether those ideas actually fit any character he decides to hammer into them.

In fact his Thor arc worked for the same reason his Superman arc flubs, because in both cases he's telling the essentially same story of God(s) Come Down To Earth which works in Thor's case because (Donald Blake-ings aside) Thor is fundamentally A God whereas Superman doesn't need to be brought down to Earth because down to Earth is who he is, it is where he ****ing lives.

 

[kguillou]

You know im re-reading ign's review of the book again and the reviewer emphasizes on the fact that the story is riddled with "vengeance" and "revenge". I have a strong feeling that we're going to see this version of superman kill in this book. I think whoever the main villain is in this story will die by Supes' hand and i can definitely see that causing alot of controversy. I mean i keep racking my brain trying to figure out what would be so bad about this book that ign would rate it so low and i think Supes crossing that line would do the trick. Putting together the hints from the review, i think thats prolly whats gonna happen.

 

[Tron Bonne]

You know im re-reading ign's review of the book again and the reviewer emphasizes on the fact that the story is riddled with "vengeance" and "revenge". I have a strong feeling that we're going to see this version of superman kill in this book. I think whoever the main villain is in this story will die by Supes' hand and i can definitely see that causing alot of controversy. I mean i keep racking my brain trying to figure out what would be so bad about this book that ign would rate it so low and i think Supes crossing that line would do the trick. Putting together the hints from the review, i think thats prolly whats gonna happen.

Well, even if he doesn't outright kill, it sounds like the reviewer just wasn't fond of the idea of a 'realistic' or 'gritty' re-imagining of the character. Killing is definitely a possibility if that's what the story is going for. And if this is meant as some kind of pseudo-nod to the Golden Age Superman, he killed fairly liberally at times.

I mean, personally, I think that kind of stuff sucks for most comic book superheroes, and it baffles me that people would actively want that stuff for every hero (especially heroes like Superman who work fair better as idealized), but obviously they do with the rise of Bendvengers and the such. The Watchmen days are still marching, it seems to me anyway.

 

[kguillou]

Well i dont think its so much that people want the heroes to be killing every thing they see, its just that there are certain evil bastards like the Joker and Darkseid to which people are baffled as to why Batman and Superman let them live when its clear that the world would be better off without them. Dont get me wrong, i love how these guys have a moral code that they will never break, but every now and then whenever the joker starts murdering babies just for fun i cant help but feel like "Dude, just KILL him already!!".

 

[hippie_hunter]

Superman killed Darkseid in Final Crisis and killed Mandrak as well.