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Superman: Man of Tomorrow! (and his dog)

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Posts

  • LuxLux Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    HadjiQuest wrote: »
    Joker was upsetting, everything I hear about For Tomorrow is bad news, and Bermejo had the poor luck to draw the single worst strip, Superman, in Wednesday Comics. So I've been pretty hesitant about Luthor, but maybe I should check it out.

    What didn't you like about Joker?

    Lux on
  • Robos A Go GoRobos A Go Go Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Joker was disturbing and nihilistic, so I can see why some people didn't like it.

    Robos A Go Go on
  • HadjiQuestHadjiQuest Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Joker wasn't Joker, primarily for the reasons Robos listed.

    I always see Joker as chaos/anarchy and order, as two sides of one coin. He's crazy and out of control, but in a completely in-control way. Look at Morrison's Joker (hyper-sane, adapting through randomization) or Dark Knight Joker for this (wants to create anarchy through order).

    In Joker, he's a literal psychopath, addicted to pain meds, and he's brutally sadistic but with almost none of the charm and humor of the traditional character. He is fighting himself for control, but in an overly "human" way that still isn't terribly realistic, as he uses pills and alcohol to try and keep himself together to rule his empire. He essentially just becomes a really fucked up gang lord.

    I know it was going for ultra realism, but that sort of undermined the character in the end by turning him into a caricature of a psychopathic gang boss.

    HadjiQuest on
  • Robos A Go GoRobos A Go Go Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    What's with the villain in Earth-One? He looks like Silver Banshee meets a JRPG character.

    Robos A Go Go on
  • MastaPMastaP Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Earth One was far better than I was told. It's succinct, doesn't get to cutesy with references, and unlike most JMS stories is told very straightforward at a brisk pace. The OGN format suits him. B+

    MastaP on
  • MastaPMastaP Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    What's with the villain in Earth-One? He looks like Silver Banshee meets a JRPG character.

    He's pretty much Nero from Star Trek.

    MastaP on
  • LuxLux Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    HadjiQuest wrote: »
    Joker wasn't Joker, primarily for the reasons Robos listed.

    I always see Joker as chaos/anarchy and order, as two sides of one coin. He's crazy and out of control, but in a completely in-control way. Look at Morrison's Joker (hyper-sane, adapting through randomization) or Dark Knight Joker for this (wants to create anarchy through order).

    In Joker, he's a literal psychopath, addicted to pain meds, and he's brutally sadistic but with almost none of the charm and humor of the traditional character. He is fighting himself for control, but in an overly "human" way that still isn't terribly realistic, as he uses pills and alcohol to try and keep himself together to rule his empire. He essentially just becomes a really fucked up gang lord.

    I know it was going for ultra realism, but that sort of undermined the character in the end by turning him into a caricature of a psychopathic gang boss.

    I see. Well, you don't have to worry about that in Lex Luthor: Man of Steel, it is firmly within the established character. In fact, it might even be canon. I believe it has the origins of the Science Spire, a metropolis landmark that has appeared in other books since then.

    Lux on
  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Steve Lyons talks about the Steel one-shot

    Lyons is friends with Cornell, and maybe he has the same storytelling skills. I'm actually looking forward to this issue, and Lyons at least admits he's only read the original Steel appearances/his JLA days/52. Would have liked to see some Man of Steel things, but it's ok. He doesn't say anything about deconstructing the character or making him lose a limb to give John Henry depth.

    TexiKen on
  • WildcatWildcat Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    You would think that DC would give him a copy of anything he hadn't already read so as to get him up to speed, no?

    Wildcat on
  • HadjiQuestHadjiQuest Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    TexiKen wrote: »
    Steve Lyons talks about the Steel one-shot

    Lyons is friends with Cornell, and maybe he has the same storytelling skills. I'm actually looking forward to this issue, and Lyons at least admits he's only read the original Steel appearances/his JLA days/52. Would have liked to see some Man of Steel things, but it's ok. He doesn't say anything about deconstructing the character or making him lose a limb to give John Henry depth.

    Steel was one of the better parts of Last Year's WoNK stuff for awhile as well, until he straight up disapeared halfway through and got zero story closure (although he did come back for War, but that book had no time to focus on anyone).

    HadjiQuest on
  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Yeah, he shows up during the war to do nothing but hit Atlas in the head with his sledgehammer in the back of a panel.

    TexiKen on
  • MunchMunch Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    TexiKen wrote: »
    Steve Lyons talks about the Steel one-shot

    Lyons is friends with Cornell, and maybe he has the same storytelling skills. I'm actually looking forward to this issue, and Lyons at least admits he's only read the original Steel appearances/his JLA days/52. Would have liked to see some Man of Steel things, but it's ok. He doesn't say anything about deconstructing the character or making him lose a limb to give John Henry depth.
    Well, John's already shy a hand. Chopping off anything else would just be gratuitous.

    By the way, I really want to see that conversation between Arsenal and Steel, where Steel's showing off his badass hand that looks completely natural, and can totally shoot off his wrist like a rocket, and Roy's just got his oozing, golden Cable-arm.

    Munch on
  • WildcatWildcat Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    And then US Agent comes and beats them both senseless with his claw.

    Wildcat on
  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    It's been so long since I bought a Super book, Superboy #1 was a good read.

    I'll be honest I don't care for Conner's friend Simon, but he's not really annoying, I just don't care for that type of character.

    Nice clean art, good handling of the character, all the brooding and angst isn't here, and there was even a point where it could have gone a JT Krul route with
    Parasite killing a kid

    but didn't. And one of Krypto's chores around the house is to apparently water the flowers that are higher up off the ground, it's a fun start to the series.

    TexiKen on
  • wirehead26wirehead26 Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Ugh, I really need to pick up Absolute All-Star Superman. Kinda wish it wasn't 100 retail though, 75 retail would have been more appropriate for the page count.

    wirehead26 on
    I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU!!!
  • Witch_Hunter_84Witch_Hunter_84 Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    I just read Earth One and I have to say that it was a lot better than I originally thought it was going to be from what I've heard here. I literally had the book off to the side of my computer as I read Tex's review (minus the spoilered bits) and looked at the hardcover graphic novel and though, did I just waste ten dollars?

    But I thoroughly enjoyed it and would definately follow it should it become a monthly series.

    Edit: in other news, I picked up Superboy #1 today. It was okay, but I didn't really like the way the artist drew Connor's head. It just seems too out of proportion with the rest of his body and kind of has "special person" features. Don't know how to describe it really. Story was pretty good though.

    Witch_Hunter_84 on
    If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten in your presence.
  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Conner's got the worst outfit for keeping a secret identity.

    Really, he doesn't even take off his wrist band when he changes, it's not going to be long before he becomes like Ultimate Peter Parker.

    TexiKen on
  • Witch_Hunter_84Witch_Hunter_84 Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    They've already started that process. Already someone knows who he is and it's the first issue.

    Witch_Hunter_84 on
    If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten in your presence.
  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Right, that's what I meant.
    You don't have to mind control frogs to be smart enough to put it together. ANd it's like, in Downtown Smallville, Parasite smashes Conner into a tool store, and then Superboy flies out of it wearing the exact same wrist band, jeans, boots and hair as Conner. Come on Smallville!

    Conner doesn't even have big enough glasses to draw attention away from the eyes, Ma Kent needs to fix this costume pronto. Hopefully Krypto is smart enough to hide his cape when the mailman comes to deliver mail.

    TexiKen on
  • Robos A Go GoRobos A Go Go Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Does Krypto have a secret identity too, like a false name?

    Also, they could just say that everyone in Smallville knows, but keep it to themselves because they like the Kent and are too proud of their positive relationship with Superman to jeopardize it.

    Robos A Go Go on
  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    It seems here, Krypto had an identity called Skippy, where he had brown spots on his back.

    That was silver age fun though. Since Return to Krypton when Krypto came back into the comics, he's always been in the Kent's apartment, the fortress of solitude or now at the Kent's home protecting Ma.

    TexiKen on
  • WildcatWildcat Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    He also took on the secret identity of 'Pal' during Countdown, didn't he?

    Wildcat on
  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    I remember Jimmy took care of him for what seemed like 10 minutes during that time.

    It was basically Superman letting him babysit Krypto in a fill-in of Action Comics, and then during the Third Kryptonian he gets "zapped" while out for a walk and I guess never goes back to that secret identity. It was too.....kryptic.

    TexiKen on
  • MaratastikMaratastik Just call me Mara, please! Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    So I was going through some of my superman trades and I realized, I haven't read a single Superman story featuring Zod. Can anyone point me in the direction of some good issues/trades?

    Maratastik on
  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Superman #22 by Byrne is a classic.

    Action Comics #801-805 is a great story with "Russian" Zod.

    Zod was actually pretty good in World of New Krypton, but the overall story is forgettable.

    TexiKen on
  • HadjiQuestHadjiQuest Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Zod was pretty good in that whole Johns run, and then through Rucka/Robinson/Gates's New Krypton stuff all up until War of the Supermen, which sucked.

    The annual from last year (Action Comics, I think?) that was about Ursa, Non, and Zod was pretty great.

    HadjiQuest on
  • wirehead26wirehead26 Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    HadjiQuest wrote: »
    Zod was pretty good in that whole Johns run, and then through Rucka/Robinson/Gates's New Krypton stuff all up until War of the Supermen, which sucked.

    The annual from last year (Action Comics, I think?) that was about Ursa, Non, and Zod was pretty great.

    Bolded for truth. I got suckered into getting the whole thing after reading the FCBD issue.

    wirehead26 on
    I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU!!!
  • MaratastikMaratastik Just call me Mara, please! Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    What about some of the older zod stuff? I remember in our worlds at war, Superman mentioned killing zod. Does anyone know where that was covered?

    Maratastik on
  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Some other Zod stuff was in the Return to Krypton story/trade. Although that was technically a fake Zod at the time.

    The Russian Zod stuff was mostly covered in Action Comics around that time since it was Joe Kelly's baby, let's see...

    Action Comics 777, 779 (Russian Zod's first appearance), then you have Our Worlds at War 780-782, then 785, 789 & 790, 797, 801-805.

    TexiKen on
  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    So the Doomsday Reigns promo is some monthly thing where it hops from issue to issue leading to question marks:

    A few of you drew this conclusion from last week’s tease, and we’ll confirm here that the Kryptonian killing machine will return to Earth early next year - and you don’t need me to tell you that’s never a good sign for the heroes of the DCU.

    Doomsday will first make his presence known this January in STEEL #1 - but I can promise you, he won’t be the only hero facing Doomsday’s wrath for long. The story will continue with:

    Part 2: OUTSIDERS #37
    Part 3: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #55
    Part 4: SUPERBOY #6
    Part 5: … ????

    “Doomsday is one of the most popular villains in Superman’s canon of foes,” says Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras, “He injects a feeling of dread and chaos into the DC Universe that few other characters can.”

    What are the odds of Doomsday trashing the JLA is along the same lines as JLA #69? I bet Jesse Quick will get car door'd.

    TexiKen on
  • MunchMunch Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    I actually kind of like Doomsday. But honestly, he gets trotted out every few years to be a big mindless threat, and then is promptly defeated and forgotten until the next time he's brought out. Someone really needs to find a new angle for him.

    Maybe this story will do that, but between newcomers Steve Lyons and Jeff Lemire, the notably terrible Dan Didio, and James Robinson, hot off Cry for Justice, I'm not holding out hope. The whole thing has the feeling of an editorially controlled fifth week event.

    Munch on
  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Doomsday worked in Our Worlds at War, where Steel died trying to rig him to be used by the good guys to kill Imperiex's forces. Everything since, not so much (maybe that John Byrne written issue of Chuck Austen's Action Comics run where Doomsday in the future became a Superman disciple to fight Gog)

    It does read like a 5th week event, although this seems to be spread out over months so it can't even be over as quick as War of the Supermen was (oh, if Doomsday kills Krypto I'ma be piiisssed.....)

    TexiKen on
  • MunchMunch Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    I'd actually be more worried about Steel. His plotline in the Superman books fizzled out, Infinity Inc. bombed, and now he's getting a one-shot to launch a story about the return of the guy that killed Superman. They're not going to kill Superboy, Cyborg Superman's already dead, and Eradicator's actively being used in Outsiders, so I could see Steel being the replacement-Superman/sacrificial lamb for the story.

    Munch on
  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Looking at it, he's going up against three of the four replacement Supermen from the 90's (I honestly had no idea Eradicator was still around post War of the Supermen). So this hidden issue will either be something like Cyborg Superman's brain with Doomsday's body (doesn't that sound good), etc. Maybe Mongul II shows up and blows up Smallville or Metropolis to boot.

    If Steel dies though, man, it is the saddest time to be a Superman fan.

    TexiKen on
  • MunchMunch Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    If anyone wants to read a well-reasoned critical destruction of Superman: Earth One, and how it contrasts with All-Star Superman, look no further.

    Munch on
  • Witch_Hunter_84Witch_Hunter_84 Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    I don't think Colin Smith hates Superman: Earth One per se. I mean his reiew is very deep and critical of Earth One when compared to All-Star Superman, but in comparison any retelling of the Man of Steel is going to fall short of those lofty expectations. Plus, it seems that he does hold some praise for Straczynski, stating in a response to a comment by an angry poster:
    actually I'd really recommend that you get hold of a copy of Superman: Earth One, and especially if you've been a big fan of the work of JMS. Because his work in Thor, Superman, Earth One and Wonder Woman is very much of a kind and distinct in some ways from work he's done before even in the superhero genre, and SEO is the most distinct book of this period. It all forms a fascinating stage in his career and it really is worth experiencing. I mean that without any sarcasm. Earth One is a book so very odd that it's an education. It reminds me in some ways of Heinlein's later work, or indeed Claremonts, where there was no sense at all of editorial restraint or internal restraint either. I'd love to know how many re-drafts the script went through. JMS seems to be delivering a product that's unmediated even with reference with himself! I really would recommend it.

    Witch_Hunter_84 on
    If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten in your presence.
  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    That is a very good review (the guy has written 3 out of 4 parts on it). The parts about the supporting casts of the respective series is spot on.

    Comparing it to All-Star Superman is kind of a losing battle though. You can't compare Dr. Pepper to RC Cola, one is vastly superior than the other.

    TexiKen on
  • Futt BuckerFutt Bucker CTRegistered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Futt Bucker on
    My color is black to the blind
  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    edited November 2010


    Couldn't they give Roberson the issue to play with, to see what he could do with a more free issue compared to what he will be saddled with? Are they still scared of publishing that Busiek Krypto story?

    TexiKen on
  • LuxLux Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    TexiKen wrote: »


    Couldn't they give Roberson the issue to play with, to see what he could do with a more free issue compared to what he will be saddled with? Are they still scared of publishing that Busiek Krypto story?

    JMS' run on Superman is officially a catastrophe. The fill-ins are the worst, not because the writers are terrible (maybe they are) but they're doomed from the start because they are saddled with terrible fucking limitations. G. Willow Wilson can't write about Superman, so it has to be about periphery characters that don't have adventures and can't progress the plot in any way.

    Lux on
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