My superman stories

DC has been trying to find Superman for a long time, because they obviously don't know what to do with him, I think like all Superman fans I have wondered what I would do if I was in DC.
would change the way of telling their stories, the superverse would be more realistic in terms of the consequences of fighting in the middle of a city, so Supermanía his intelligence and strength of solitude to face his enemies, his powers would serve as support, just He would fight for real (showing the true extent of his powers each time) off planet and against enemies of his level (zod, brainica, mongul).
If you were in DC, what would you do?

If you're asking for my long-form fanfic, one day when I finish it then perhaps I'll share it for everyone to eviscerate, but if you want a more broad summation of what I think would be a good direction for the main line of books?

I would scorch Earth and rebuild the line from the ground up. Start with three books: Superman, Action Comics, Supergirl. The intent would be to double the books in three years with more of the Super family, among them Steel series and a Lois Lane book (which would be more of a detective/crime book and focusing on building up Metropolis). The last one would be a wild card based on what we're seeing across media, sales information and so forth as the emergent darkhorse-- so Superboy, Krypto, whatever.

The primary focus would be a back-to-basics method of telling stories in DC with a renewed focus on Metropolis, the Superman-centric corners of DC and generally really showcasing the coolest parts of the IP. I'd push for each book to have some degree of civilian/ancillary characters that support our hero instead of just borrowing a lot from other IP (Batman, Flash, etc). There could still be crossovers, but we have a Batman/Superman book so is there something we can do with Jimmy? What about Steel? Mon-El?

Each book would be telling its own story but we'd get together after a year and do a Super crossover that doesn't spill into the mainline stuff and then break out from there and keep rolling.

With Superman specifically, I'd like if one book went full cosmic and one stayed Earthbound to provide both flavors the character's capable of and would seek talent interested in that.

Supergirl's mission would be "find a niche that isn't just Clark-lite." Lose the reporter aspect, she'll never truly shine if she can't be allowed to find her own way.

Lois, as stated, would get the Metropolis book and would focus on what's happening in that city as well as some crime stories.

Steel would be my socially conscious Superman. I fully believe Clark is left-leaning, but even in this hypothetical situation I don't think I'd ever let him do what I think he would because AT&T is probably too cautious with him. Steel? I think they'd let him knock some heads around. Closer to a Siegel/Shuster/New 52 Clark but with the perspective of someone older. Unlike GA Supes, he'd continue pressing his advantage after the usual strongman bit and try to instill more permanent change. I don't mean that in a lethal way so much as he'd use his intellect and resources to solve the problem at the source [I]after[/I] he did the superhero smash and save. :P

Last book, probably Superboy, Power Girl or Legion of Super-Heroes (possibly with Superboy). Depends what I'm allowed to get away with. Hell, if I had my druthers it'd be Power Girl or a Maxima pitch I've been cooking for a while.

Now scroll back up to "if you're asking" and that's when DC fired me so don't expect to see anything from me. :p

[QUOTE=Robanker;5502077]If you're asking for my long-form fanfic, one day when I finish it then perhaps I'll share it for everyone to eviscerate, but if you want a more broad summation of what I think would be a good direction for the main line of books?

I would scorch Earth and rebuild the line from the ground up. Start with three books: Superman, Action Comics, Supergirl. The intent would be to double the books in three years with more of the Super family, among them Steel series and a Lois Lane book (which would be more of a detective/crime book and focusing on building up Metropolis). The last one would be a wild card based on what we're seeing across media, sales information and so forth as the emergent darkhorse-- so Superboy, Krypto, whatever.

The primary focus would be a back-to-basics method of telling stories in DC with a renewed focus on Metropolis, the Superman-centric corners of DC and generally really showcasing the coolest parts of the IP. I'd push for each book to have some degree of civilian/ancillary characters that support our hero instead of just borrowing a lot from other IP (Batman, Flash, etc). There could still be crossovers, but we have a Batman/Superman book so is there something we can do with Jimmy? What about Steel? Mon-El?

Each book would be telling its own story but we'd get together after a year and do a Super crossover that doesn't spill into the mainline stuff and then break out from there and keep rolling.

With Superman specifically, I'd like if one book went full cosmic and one stayed Earthbound to provide both flavors the character's capable of and would seek talent interested in that.

Supergirl's mission would be "find a niche that isn't just Clark-lite." Lose the reporter aspect, she'll never truly shine if she can't be allowed to find her own way.

Lois, as stated, would get the Metropolis book and would focus on what's happening in that city as well as some crime stories.

Steel would be my socially conscious Superman. I fully believe Clark is left-leaning, but even in this hypothetical situation I don't think I'd ever let him do what I think he would because AT&T is probably too cautious with him. Steel? I think they'd let him knock some heads around. Closer to a Siegel/Shuster/New 52 Clark but with the perspective of someone older. Unlike GA Supes, he'd continue pressing his advantage after the usual strongman bit and try to instill more permanent change. I don't mean that in a lethal way so much as he'd use his intellect and resources to solve the problem at the source [I]after[/I] he did the superhero smash and save. :P

Last book, probably Superboy, Power Girl or Legion of Super-Heroes (possibly with Superboy). Depends what I'm allowed to get away with. Hell, if I had my druthers it'd be Power Girl or a Maxima pitch I've been cooking for a while.

Now scroll back up to "if you're asking" and that's when DC fired me so don't expect to see anything from me. :p[/QUOTE]

Interesting.

[QUOTE=Robanker;5502077]...I would scorch Earth and rebuild the line from the ground up...[/QUOTE]

I think this is a prerequisite for any successful Superman reboot. The well has been irreversibly poisoned it needs to be drained.

Here’s my thoughts.

I would have four Super titles. Each would have a different feel and you would basically have a Superman-esque comics four times a month.

I would have Man of Steel come out the first week. This would start the “rebrand”. It would be your all around Superman-type story. I would have a “hot” creative team on it to get it going. I could see Taylor writing and Jimenez doing the art. This title would have an 8 page Steel back up for the first year or so.

The second book would be Superman. We would go back to legacy numbering (probably close to or a little past issue 900). This would be the Metropolis-centric book. Superman protecting the city. Etc. It would be the “lighter” book. Get a writer like Peter David on it (I would like to see his take) with art by someone like Howard Porter. The 8-page backup would be Jon (hopefully de-aged, but who knows).

The third book, DC Comics Presents. This would be a team up book. Featuring anyone in the Superman corner (Kon, Supergirl, Gangbuster, etc.). The first arc I would prefer the entire Super family including Supes. No backup on this book.

The fourth, Action Comics. This would be the balls to the wall, outer space, no holds barred action title (hence, Action Comics). Full bore fun. Give me a Busiek or Williamson as writer. Doug Manke or Ed Benes on art. Back up would be Supergirl.

After six months, we expand.

Supergirl gets her own title, freeing up the backup in Action. Same for Steel. A de-aged Jon and Damien get their Super Sons title back. This leaves the backups open for Kon-El (who will get a new moniker), The Guardian, heck, maybe even characters we haven’t seen in a while (Linda Danvers, anyone? Anyone remember the kid named Sinbad?)

By the end of the first year, we have a solid Super-corner that, even though it may still not have the amount of titles the Bat family does, it has a little something for everyone.

Just my thoughts.

Reboot Event Superverse -

The mysterious masked villain Xull'Reoth is destroying Supermen & Superwomen across the multiverse using his caustic purple-black energy powers. Xull'Reoth leads his cult of followers to target Prime Earth. It is eventually revealed that Xull'Reoth is none other than Lex Luthor from a possible future of the Prime Earth in which he killed Lois Lane and was banished by Superman in his grief to the Phantom Zone. Superman could not bring himself to break his "no killing in cold blood" rule so he imprisoned Lex instead, big mistake. Deep inside the Phantom Zone Lex discovered a prison planet made of Purple Kryptonite that contained the worst ancient criminals in the multiverse who were imprisoned within it. This Purple Kryptonite Planet was named after the word for "Hell" in ancient Kryptonian. The planet draws all the negative energy in the multiverse into inside feeding like a parasite. After countless years Lex discovered how to control that immense power becoming its master he then vowed to destroy Superman and those like him "fake gods" throughout all reality. To make a long story short, once Xull'Reoth aka Lex Luthor is defeated the Prime Earth reboots including the de-aging of Jon Kent

So, I'd then go with three maybe four titles -

Action Comics starring Superman

Supermen starring Steel, Superboy (Kon-El)

Supergirl starring Kara

and if there is enough market to support it

The Daily Planet featuring the adventures of our favorite supporting cast members and more broadly the people of Metropolis.

[QUOTE=Celgress;5503980]Reboot Event Superverse -

The mysterious masked villain Xull'Reoth is destroying Supermen & Superwomen across the multiverse using his caustic purple-black energy powers. Xull'Reoth leads his cult of followers to target Prime Earth. It is eventually revealed that Xull'Reoth is none other than Lex Luthor from a possible future of the Prime Earth in which he killed Lois Lane and was banished by Superman in his grief to the Phantom Zone. Superman could not bring himself to break his "no killing in cold blood" rule so he imprisoned Lex instead, big mistake. Deep inside the Phantom Zone Lex discovered a prison planet made of Purple Kryptonite that contained the worst ancient criminals in the multiverse who were imprisoned within it. This Purple Kryptonite Planet was named after the word for "Hell" in ancient Kryptonian. The planet draws all the negative energy in the multiverse into inside feeding like a parasite. After countless years Lex discovered how to control that immense power becoming its master he then vowed to destroy Superman and those like him "fake gods" throughout all reality. To make a long story short, once Xull'Reoth aka Lex Luthor is defeated the Prime Earth reboots including the de-aging of Jon Kent

So, I'd then go with three maybe four titles -

Action Comics starring Superman

Supermen starring Steel, Superboy (Kon-El)

Supergirl starring Kara

and if there is enough market to support it

The Daily Planet featuring the adventures of our favorite supporting cast members and more broadly the people of Metropolis.[/QUOTE]

Sounds cool. So, with the Prime Earth getting rebooted, I’m taking it as a soft reboot (since there is a de aged Jon, I take it Clark and Lois are married still). Instead of “reboot”, more like “streamlining”, maybe?

[QUOTE=Superfly Frankenstein;5503992]Sounds cool. So, with the Prime Earth getting rebooted, I’m taking it as a soft reboot (since there is a de aged Jon, I take it Clark and Lois are married still). Instead of “reboot”, more like “streamlining”, maybe?[/QUOTE]

Streamlined is indeed a better way of putting it.

I'd want this story to be the antithesis of "Injustice". Superman doesn't kill in cold blood no matter what he just wouldn't, IMO. In this story, Superman would have to justify this policy and his wider beliefs when some other "Supers" challenge him for not killing Lex in the possible future even though Lex surely "deserved to die" thus starting the cycle. The Pre-Reboot would offer a deep look into Superman's philosophy of life and justice.

[QUOTE=Celgress;5503945]I think this is a prerequisite for any successful Superman reboot. The well has been irreversibly poisoned it needs to be drained.[/QUOTE]

I meant more in line of only having the three books. I wouldn't throw out any histories.

I'm new so I haven't seen much wrong with it... pretty much the only wrong I know right now is ageing up Jon for an event and using Jor in a way that doesn't match what came before

I have thoughts, but I'm mainly keeping them for the fan fiction I'll someday write. What I would have written if I ever went into comic books, ideally, would have been a version of the original Superman. Earth-Two Superman isn't faithful to the comics and I've worked out my own ideas for his life in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and maybe beyond. I also have thoughts on the classic Superman and how I would have liked his series to go in the 1980s--and how they could have introduced the changes in 1986 without rebooting and retconning.

I think if they know they are going to end things and reboot or retcon, then they should make that decision well in advance and work toward it. If Superman was going to expire in the 1980s and come back as a different character, it would have been nice if they started working toward that in 1981, so the writers could use that opportunity to make significant changes--marriages, births, deaths.

Likewise, if they knew in the early 2000s that the characters were going to be rebooted by Flashpoint, they could have done a lot in the comics to tell amazing stories about all the cast they had introduced and what happens to them leading up to the reboot.

I feel the same about all this mess with Superman's son and his marriage to Lois. Instead of turning the characters inside out and fast-tracking stories, they could have spent the last ten or twenty years with Lois and Clark as new parents, changes in their lives--big events that impacted their world--until finally their son grows old enough to become the new Superman.

I prefer two different kinds of comics--one kind has a permanent status quo where a beloved idea just keeps going indefinitely (a la Peanuts)--the other is where the characters change and grow at a regular pace, close to real time (a la Gasoline Alley). What I abhor are comics that can't manage to do either and fumble from one concept to the next.

If I really had control? Well, I do have my own ideas, if I ever get the chance to write professionally and miraculously end up with a Superman comic assignment. With any authority over the line though, I'd try to honor what DC has in place. Moreso I'd be extremely selfish, but I would say the best chance of entertaining someone is entertaining yourself. There are a few fronts I'd hit if I had power right now:

1. Creators. I always enjoyed reading the responses from the letter hack types. I would want a run by those people for those people. I'd want people who want to write a big world for one character, who prefer long serials over making big waves quickly. My best hope would be for the likes of Evanier or McCloud as far as the professionals I like go.

2. Reprints. I also firmly believe that has already been established as the best long running character. There are so many stories where you'll end up paying $15 to a private seller, and the paper turns to ash after like three reads. Why? Marvel has been killing the backlog game for years. I know at least I'd want Bronze Age Superboy, Bronze Age Supergirl, and a series of Bronze Age Superman. Also, new collections of the Superman Adventures series. I imagine it's very hard to promote those things for maximum sales, but I seriously think that's all timeless stuff.

3. The Line. I would do Action Comics as a Superman related anthology in the vein of Busiek's Marvel. Superman, Man of Steel featuring Clark Kent. The world knows he's Superman and he hosts a sociopolitical segment on GBS. Perry is the Larry King to his Charlie Rose while Jimmy, Keith, Ron, Josh, and Cat are all supporting characters. He's got the powerset of the mid 40s Superman, the first and best hero with a wealth of experience and a tesseract fortress. Superman, Man of Tomorrow featuring Jon Kent. His tactile telekinesis was trained in the 30th century and makes him arguably the world's most powerful being. With Lois in tow, between STAR, Cadmus, and SCU, this Superman handles more traditional superhero fare.