Readers of Doomsday Clock all SPOILERS thread

[Flash Gordon]

Having Clark ask his parents for advice allows him to appear vulnerable in a way that makes him appear more human. They're his Aunt May.



I don't see Clark asking Batman for marriage or parenting advice.

An important part of becoming an adult is being able to find that stuff out for yourself. This is especially true for Superman, the man of action.

[Robotman]

It was an alright ending. It didn’t have nearly the gravitas it could have had. The delays absolutely killed the book overall. Can you imagine how epic that splash page with the return of the Legion and JSA would have been if they hadn't already come back months ago? The return here was just kind of meh. Plus the crappy new Legion designs didn’t help.

I’m happy the Kents are back and Superman has his connection to the LoS again (though that totally contradicts Bendis’ Superman). The Comedian was completely pointless in the story. New Rorschach was ok. Was his role just to deliver the diary to Batman? Was Veidt’s master plan just to get Manhattan to meet Superman? Kinda weak. I was worried the problems would be quickly summed up in a few panels. Sadly that kind of happened. Manhattan not being able to see past Superman’s punch doesn’t make much sense.

So Jon (Johns) created a SuperManhattan to bring hope the Watchmen universe. Alan Moore is gonna shit himself.

[Frontier]

When is Barry going to get his mom back?

If Superman can have the Kents back, why can't Barry Allen have his mom back?

[king81992]

When is Barry going to get his mom back?

If Superman can have the Kents back, why can't Barry Allen have his mom back?

Because writers think that angst makes Barry interesting.

[Frontier]

Because writers think that angst makes Barry interesting.

I could argue that is completely missing the point of The Flash as a character but...if that train of thought no longer applies to Superman, why should it apply to The Flash?

[Rakzo]

When is Barry going to get his mom back?

Because that change sadly stuck.

Because writers think that angst makes Barry interesting.

To be fair, Barry hasn't been angsty about the death of his mom for years now.

[Frontier]

To be fair, Barry hasn't been angsty about the death of his mom for years now.

True, because writers continue to contrive enough for him to be angsty about. But don't be surprised if he brings up his dead mom every five issues or so.

[BatmanJones]

I suppose I'd have liked to see more of the mechanics of things. Like, what the f**k with the JOR-EL and THOMAS WAYNE just utter nonsense storylines? Did Psycho Pirate have anything to do with any of this? Or Tim Drake?

This stuff was maddening to me. Happy to have Earth-1985. Otherwise I found the payoff uninspired to put it mildly. My faith that Geoff Johns could somehow rise to the occasion of a Watchmen sequel was wildly misplaced. I ought to have known. I love Johns but he's not exactly a sophisticated storyteller. I cheered this series on in spite of the delays based of the promise of answers to the questions you listed above. How very disappointing.

[Mr.B]

Because writers think that angst makes Barry interesting.

Well it works

[SecretWarrior]

An important part of becoming an adult is being able to find that stuff out for yourself. This is especially true for Superman, the man of action.

No one figures everything out on their own. Who in Clark's supporting cast can he ask about marriage and parenting? Perry White? Ron Troupe? Seems unprofessional. Batman bounces ideas off of Alfred. I don't see why Clark can't do the same with the Kents.

Also, if Jon struggles with the Superman legacy, his grandparents can tell him about Clark's struggle.

[SecretWarrior]

When is Barry going to get his mom back?

If Superman can have the Kents back, why can't Barry Allen have his mom back?

Everyone knows you can't be a good person without a tragedy.

[king81992]

Well it works

Not really,Barry's angst/ screw ups, too much Speed Force shenanigans and the other new forces are dragging down the book. Barry isn't very interesting either.

[Jody Garland]

I think Reggie's role is ultimately a microcosm of the moral. He thinks coming from tragedy breaks him, but by changing perspective (befitting the Rorschach theming beyond being a simple play on legacy heroes) he's able to break the cycle and redeem both himself and the legacy he wears. It's also metacommentary on continuity changes. Think about it: COIE, Flashpoint, etc., all muck things up but later writers come in and make the most out of what they've been given, doing stories that wouldn't have happened with previous settings. The amount of time he has in the story isn't as important as the arguable point behind that appearance in the first place. On the opposite side is the Comedian, literally and metaphorically stuck in the excesses and crimes of the past. It would defeat his purpose if he was used more.

I'm no Rikdad or K. Jones, so I'm not going to be the most eloquent, but I hope that makes sense.

[Mr.B]

Not really,Barry's angst/ screw ups, too much Speed Force shenanigans and the other new forces are dragging down the book. Barry isn't very interesting either.

That's your opinion. That's not what facts say. So you are wrong.

[Vordan]

Having Clark ask his parents for advice allows him to appear vulnerable in a way that makes him appear more human. They're his Aunt May.



I don't see Clark asking Batman for marriage or parenting advice.

No that’s Lois, his wife’s job. Also Aunt May sucks and they should’ve kept her dead, she’s been an anchor around Peter’s neck ever since they undid her first death. Her dying in the PS4 game was one of the best moments ever.

No one figures everything out on their own. Who in Clark's supporting cast can he ask about marriage and parenting? Perry White? Ron Troupe? Seems unprofessional. Batman bounces ideas off of Alfred. I don't see why Clark can't do the same with the Kents.

Also, if Jon struggles with the Superman legacy, his grandparents can tell him about Clark's struggle.

Except that’s not what they’re used for. Instead the Kents are used to give him incredibly lame and weak advice that 99% of the time boils down to “do the right thing Clark”, “trust your instincts”, “follow your heart”, etc. A 30 to 40 year old man should 1. Know this stuff already, and 2. not be running back to Ma and Pa all the time for help, he should be the one advising Jon. The Kents are boring because they’re just cringy good ol’ boy stereotypes most of the time who are just inherently morally better than them city folks. Clark not knowing what the right thing to do is and making mistakes is far more relatable than running back to his small town for pie and a pep talk from mommy and daddy about how he just has to do the right thing.

Part of the drama of Superman stories is completely erased when he can just fly over to his perfect parents and have them eliminate the moral dilemma for him. They’re not interesting characters and never have been. Their purpose is to provide Clark a foundation and that’s it. They’ve been dead longer than they’ve been alive.

Edit: Right now I’m just going to hope that they’ll be used better than they have in the past, and we’ll see what Bendis’ plans for them are. He wrote the best Aunt May so honestly I’m pretty interested in seeing him take on the Kents. But I’d prefer they remained dead.