Thoughts on Tom King's Superman/Batman dynamic?

[Krypto's Fleas]

I just finished Batman #36, the first issue of Tom King's Batman where Superman has a real role in it. I have to say, I was pretty skeptical of how Superman was going to get treated since nearly every Batman writer takes the opportunity to lower Superman to make Batman look better, but I really, really appreciated King's approach to the dynamic between Clark and Bruce. The dialogue between Clark and Lois about Bruce, and the dialogue between Bruce and Selina about Clark was tremendously on point in terms of mutual respect, admiration, a tinge of jealously but in the end, brotherhood.

Ready to crack open #37 with a smile...

[Sacred Knight]

Its been really good. It really drives home that any tension in their relationship is born from brotherhood rivalry at absolute best. They're both very stubborn individuals, but the bond is incredibly strong.

Hell, just stand alone his Superman and Lois in a two issue guest appearance blows away anything done with the two during Rebirth in Action and Superman so much so its kinda embarrassing. From a characterization point of view.

[Krypto's Fleas]

Its been really good. It really drives home that any tension in their relationship is born from brotherhood rivalry at absolute best. They're both very stubborn individuals, but the bond is incredibly strong.

Hell, just stand alone his Superman and Lois in a two issue guest appearance blows away anything done with the two during Rebirth in Action and Superman so much so its kinda embarrassing. From a characterization point of view.

Totally agree on the tension being more in the vein of brotherhood, stubbornness and two alpha-males figuring out how to be best friends.

On your second point, also agree. I wouldn't have thought King could be great for Superman, but I'd love to see him take the character is possible.

[DragonPiece]

I enjoyed it, I feel like I've read too many King comics this year though, his repetitive dialogue gets old after a while.

[marhawkman]

Any Superman/Batman story with no Bat-god is fine.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I loved these two issues. King nails all three of these characters so nicely it's a goddamned necessity now that he gets an opportunity to write a Superman book at some point. I would love to see an era of Superman comics headlined by Tom King & Brian Bendis, both of whom understand how to ground these larger-than-life characters in more relatable human idiosyncrasies and character-based humor.

I particularly loved that Lois secretly brought a flask of booze with her and that Clark insisted upon wearing his glasses outside Batman's cowl. Nice touch. The brotherly rivalry between Clark & Bruce over baseball was note perfect. What King gets here that too few do is that there should absolutely be tension between these icons that are so very different, but it is built upon fundamental respect and love for each other.

My only quibble was the slight disparity between how Lois was written and how she was drawn. I prefer Lois to be the coolest sexiest woman in the room not because of how glamorous and stylish she looks, but from her sheer force of personality and general awesomeness, something both Margot Kidder and Amy Adams absolutely nailed. The little touch about Lois griping about fitting into Selina's skintight catsuit was undercut by her having the exact same supermodel body as Selina. Why not give her a body slightly less idealized body more appropriate for a working mother of a ten year old boy who's likely pushing 40? I know, I know, this is heresy. I just think it would have helped that joke land better if Lois had looked ever so less shapely than she had been in her 20s.

[Green Goblin of Sector 2814]

Hell, just stand alone his Superman and Lois in a two issue guest appearance blows away anything done with the two during Rebirth in Action and Superman so much so its kinda embarrassing. From a characterization point of view.

Yeah, no. I wouldn't say that at all.

If anything, I'd say Tomasi and Gleason not only get Superman better than King, but Batman as well. Bruce in Superman #37 has probably had meatier dialogue in just one issue than in the entirety of King's run so far.

[Sacred Knight]

I can't speak on T&G's Batman. But their writing of the dynamic between Lois and Clark is downright hokey compared to this. And I was specific to just that in my comment, the characterization and dynamic between Lois and Clark. King's dynamic is not only fun but does not come across as contrived. Tomasi and Gleason's Lois and Clark is mostly comprised of sappy platitudes with little substance. Which can be fine in controlled doses, nothing wrong with a little sap sometimes, but not on the reg. But who knows, maybe its not even so much King, rather the fact Lois and Clark just get to be crafted as a couple here in their own right, not perfect props for the wunderkind, which is pretty much all they are in Superman now. The last and possibly only time I felt they wrote Lois and Clark really well as a couple was in Superman #7. That to me hit the right notes in the right doses. Of course, #7 was the height of the run altogether, imo, in all aspects. Been downhill pretty much ever since outside of Dinosaur Island and nice artwork.

[Green Goblin of Sector 2814]

I'd say there's a lot from Tomasi and Gleason's run, in terms of the Lois/Clark dynamic, that's just as good as if not better than King's. Issue 7, for example, is probably the best Lois/Clark interaction I've seen in a long time. And even #28, while pretty hokey and corny in its "history book" approach, had some good Lois/Clark moments. Then of course, there was the Deathstroke arc and Clark's insistence on protecting Lois. They're all there peppered throughout the run. I liked King's take, but I wouldn't say it was at all "better" than what Tomasi and Gleason have done.

Been downhill pretty much ever since outside of Dinosaur Island and nice artwork.

Not in my opinion. I actually liked Imperious Lex (which coincidentally gave us one of the best treatments of Lois in a while) and the current arc is pretty good too.

[Sacred Knight]

I'd say there's a lot from Tomasi and Gleason's run, in terms of the Lois/Clark dynamic, that's just as good as if not better than King's. Issue 7, for example, is probably the best Lois/Clark interaction I've seen in a long time. And even #28, while pretty hokey and corny in its "history book" approach, had some good Lois/Clark moments. Then of course, there was the Deathstroke arc and Clark's insistence on protecting Lois. They're all there peppered throughout the run. I liked King's take, but I wouldn't say it was at all "better" than what Tomasi and Gleason have done.



Not in my opinion. I actually liked Imperious Lex (which coincidentally gave us one of the best treatments of Lois in a while) and the current arc is pretty good too.

The Lois stuff was patently ridiculous to me. Having her do a bunch of OP stuff is not good writing. Lois Lane by and large is a good character because of her mind. Her smarts and her cunning in the capacity of a human being. Again this is taking something that in small doses was fun (HellBat/glove), and going way overboard with it. She shouldn't be beating up on the Furies. Using her wits to stay away from them, maybe. But joining and then beating them up was silly.

[Kuwagaton]

Its been really good. It really drives home that any tension in their relationship is born from brotherhood rivalry at absolute best. They're both very stubborn individuals, but the bond is incredibly strong.

Hell, just stand alone his Superman and Lois in a two issue guest appearance blows away anything done with the two during Rebirth in Action and Superman so much so its kinda embarrassing. From a characterization point of view.

Embarrassing for... the creators? I don't think someone should be embarrassed for pouring out a year of long hours to, going by that assertion, a possibly unforgiving sea of readers.

This sort of thing in turn makes me more critical of King. Not that I think any lesser of his work, but that I'm resentful to seeing it so set apart. The idea that one person can come along and do two issues and have it called better than a year of work sort of bums me out. Especially when it is this style, and unlike in the James Bonny story where Lois has to actually be in a story, the character literally sits there and explains what makes her tick on panel. It's like if you had some neighbor who lived there when your grandparents and parents were both kids, and they introduce themselves to you for the millionth Christmas.