Pull List:
DC: Batman, Nightwing, Red Hood: Outlaw, Detective Comics, Superman, Action Comics, Young Justice, Legion of Superheroes, John Constantine: Hellblazer, Batman Beyond, Dark Nights: Death Metal
MARVEL: Fantastic Four, Daredevil, The Immortal Hulk, Venom, Web of Venom, Dawn of X
BOOM STUDIOS: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow, Angel and Spike
DARK HORSE: Bill and Ted are doomed.
IMAGE: The Walking Dead: Deluxe
I don't think the Superman books will be affected by the changes over at DC, especially because Bendis seems dedicated at keeping the stories self-contained. I sincerely hope that Bendis can give Superman his own little corner in the DC Universe. Not everything has to be connected. With the lack of Superman content in the mainstream media, fan attention will be especially focused on the comic books. Hopefully, Bendis will handle the pressure and the deliver the next great chapter in Superman's history.
I think the bigger problem will be if the main Batman writers like King, Tomasi, or Snyder don't want to use Nightwing, Didio won't save him. Even with the constriction, Bendis has the Superman books set to expand their footprint to four ongoings. If King or Snyder wanted Nightwing book to round out their corner, I don't think Didio would stand in the way. But yeah, he's not going to go out of his way to save it if they are indifferent. And Snyder does seem pretty indifferent to Nightwing. King may have some interest, but I'm starting to suspect that King will step back from big ongoings and events after HiC and Batman.
Nancy Spears appointed new sales VP
https://www.newsarama.com/44034-dc-n...-sales-vp.html
I don't think I can express how much I hope Sam Lane lives through the Leviathan event, and continues to progress his relationship with his daughter and family.
I see a pattern with what Lois did in issue 1007 and Bendis' other work: he doesn't like keeping family, close friends, or lovers in the dark on hero stuff, and when he does, there's a story behind it that ultimately leads to the cat coming out of the bag anyways. That's a superhero trope that Bendis seems to actively subvert every chance he gets.
Ultimate Spider-Man is maybe the biggest example of telling your loved ones. By the time Peter died his aunt, MJ, Gwen, and Kitty all knew he was Spider-Man. Jessica not telling Luke about her secret SHIELD operation is an example of that trope leading to a story in and of itself. He didn't even have Miles keep his family or best friend in the dark.
So, knowing that he really enjoys exploring that idea, I have high hopes for Sam Lane and Lois, Clark, and Jon's relationship with him going forward. It's like if J Jonah Jameson were MJ's dad, and her and Peter were married with a kid lol. Funny enough, in Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man run he had Jameson finally get why Spider-Man did what he did. Hope we get something similar with Sam and Clark.
"Mark my words! This drill will open a hole in the universe. And that hole will become a path for those that follow after us. The dreams of those who have fallen. The hopes of those who will follow. Those two sets of dreams weave together into a double helix, drilling a path towards tomorrow. THAT's Tengen Toppa! THAT'S Gurren Lagann! MY DRILL IS THE DRILL THAT CREATES THE HEAVENS!" - The Digger
We walk on the path to Secher Nbiw. Though hard fought, we walk the Golden Path.
The only thing I don't like is how in the AMA Bendis said the state of the relationship is Lois' fault for keeping it from him. I didn't like that take on it at all, and I don't think 1007 presented it that way. She tells him the way he acts makes it so people have to lie to him. So, it's kinda like a kid feeling they can't come out to a parent. It's the parent's fault for that lie, not the kid. I don't feel that Lois is "at fault" for the strain on the relationship. In almost every incarnation, Sam Lane has been anti-Superman from the very beginning. So her not telling him is his own fault, he created the environment where she feels like she had to lie. So it was weird that he characterized it that way in the AMA after the way it was presented in 1007.
Last edited by Yoda; 02-22-2019 at 12:06 PM.
Last edited by MeGrimlock420; 02-22-2019 at 12:15 PM.
I feel it's due to this part of the story being written in Lois' POV, it's misapplying the weight of blame on her as the more reasonable of the two. I love that Lois is taking the initiative but it shouldn't be framed in her being wrong for keeping the secret. I think Bendis is trying to move them in a positive direction through this reveal, at least I hope. I also hope he won't kill Sam off just as things get interesting. It's possible for Lois to feel wrong about keeping the secret for too long and not actually be wrong that she had to do it for her husband's sake. Bendis just needs to justify it by showing some growth in Sam's character beyond a bona fide Superman hater. Whatever he said in the AMA, i hope it's just an oversimplification of what he's actually trying to do in the book, and not his actual stance on the Sam/Superman/Lois dynamic.
To be fair, he's saying that from her perspective, and her taking responsibility for whatever actions she's taken to not repair their relationship. Honesty and a relationship (romantic or family) are two way streets, ya know, and sometime you gotta put yourself out there even when the other person doesn't want to give the first inch. Her hearing Sam talk more mess about her boyfriend/husband and the race her kid belongs to couldn't have possibly made it easier to say anything. That's her disagreeing with Sam on ideological differences, yeah, but there's also an extra layer of hard resentment because that's her kid and husband he's unknowing bad mouthing and tearing down, and Sam can't possibly know that.
That being said, it doesn't excuse his words or actions, or make him being a generally difficult human being any less on him. But, and I imagine this is where Lois might be coming from, she didn't even try because, as she explained, she's just like him in a lot of ways. Her feelings of responsibility come from perspective that she could have shared with a person so similar to herself, and said perspective could've changed him for the better or mended relationships.
That's how I read it and the issue. She wants to break the cycle.
Last edited by Superlad93; 02-22-2019 at 12:42 PM.
"Mark my words! This drill will open a hole in the universe. And that hole will become a path for those that follow after us. The dreams of those who have fallen. The hopes of those who will follow. Those two sets of dreams weave together into a double helix, drilling a path towards tomorrow. THAT's Tengen Toppa! THAT'S Gurren Lagann! MY DRILL IS THE DRILL THAT CREATES THE HEAVENS!" - The Digger
We walk on the path to Secher Nbiw. Though hard fought, we walk the Golden Path.
Yeah, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he just poorly characterized it in the AMA. Lois can certainly feel like it's her fault, that is a common reaction in that type of situation, but to actually present it as her fault that Sam Lane is a xenophobe would be pretty wrongheaded. I think Bendis is actually sensitive to that type of stuff, more so than a lot of other writers, so I just found it a little odd that he'd characterize that way in the AMA. And the way it's presented in Action 1007 doesn't really show it that way either as she basically tells Sam that its because of his attitudes and actions that people have to lie to him about a lot of things and its specifically why she had to lie to him about this.
Yeah. The fact that Lois did bring up people lying to the General points a finger directly at Sam but Lois is trying to mend fences. She can only be successful if she acknowledges her own mistakes/weaknesses that cemented the cold and distant relationship between father and daughter. She's like Sam in personality but has to rise above that and be better and that takes humility. I don't see Bendis actually blaming Lois for the terrible relationship they have because everyone knows it's Sam's hatred for Superman that ruined whatever relationship they had.
I also think it kind of relates to what Clark must feel a lot of the time with being Superman. He has this ability to do things and be there for people in a way special and specific to him, and when he's not, no matter the situation, he feels like it's on him.
In this instance Lois at least had the chance to anthropomorphize the object of Sam's hate in a way that could've maybe changed him, but she didn't. Her reasons were sound, and Sam is a difficult as hell person, as she's well aware, but there was still that chance of it working and fixing a family and a relationship, and she didn't take it. Again, similar to Clark, there are always the chance of danger associated with putting yourself out there that could be detrimental to you or people you care for, but if you don't you may take away some form of help from another. It's always a choice.
Like every time Clark goes out to fight a monster, get between an energy beam and a person, or believe in someone's ability to do better (Bendis has highlighted this specifically since MOS 2). It can always backfire, and people can always be awful, but you still have the ability to extend that hand on some level.
"Mark my words! This drill will open a hole in the universe. And that hole will become a path for those that follow after us. The dreams of those who have fallen. The hopes of those who will follow. Those two sets of dreams weave together into a double helix, drilling a path towards tomorrow. THAT's Tengen Toppa! THAT'S Gurren Lagann! MY DRILL IS THE DRILL THAT CREATES THE HEAVENS!" - The Digger
We walk on the path to Secher Nbiw. Though hard fought, we walk the Golden Path.