....Yeah this isn't going to work. Didn't with Truth. And it hasn't for other characters entirely, like Spider-Man. Its a guaranteed short-term deal because a central part of the mythos is the secret identity and maintaining it. It can't be long-term, tries as you might, because it will eventually collapse on itself. Furthermore fans know that it can't be long-term and will not only immediately reject the assumption, but tend to feel like their intelligence is being insulted when its attempted to be painted as long-term I'm just not seeing the gain here. It resolves the family issue, but again at great personal cost to Superman's total character. The only thing on fans' mind from today forward will be how can the world's minds be wholesale wiped of this knowledge, and when will that occur.
I still maintain there's far more long-term working potential with saying that Lois is married to Superman, not Clark, and pulling that switcheroo as opposed to getting rid of the secret identity wholesale, if the main aim was a major status quo alteration in the first place.
Last edited by Sacred Knight; 09-13-2019 at 02:26 PM.
"They can be a great people Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you. My only son." - Jor-El
If this was another unmasking I wouldn't care, but as is I'm definitely interested in the context of him willingly revealing it to the world while becoming President of Earth. Is he deciding that with this new degree of power he needs to be held more accountable than ever?
Also hilarious that this was definitely revealed by miscommunication, because if this was deliberately coordinated no way in hell would it have been revealed in the Lois solicit rather than for the issue of Superman where it actually happens.
Buh-bye
BC has another take on the solicits: https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/09...ity-cuck-kent/
Well, there goes my step dad Clark theory lol But that does answer the big "what are they gonna tell people about Jon question."
On its own, as THE one and only development? Doesn't work. However, coupled with the concept of President Superman? You've got something Truth or frankly all the other times heroes have done this didn't have: you give Clark that secondary responsibility--that "second job."
But, boy-o-boy is Bendis out in some serious uncharted waters in terms of sustainability. He's gonna have to build a sustainable status quo like NOW. He needs to show proof of concept.
Man, I should've seen this coming after issue 1 of Millennium! It was right in front of me. Kara's name was public too, but I shrugged it off because I figured we were brushing that off in-universe. Damn. Ya got me lol
But, yeah, it looks like we're going full on First Family here. And I'd imagine this is also not like Truth because, well, everyone seems to love Superman pretty universally. We may still get the Perry blow up moment, and Clark's numbers may take a hit (just.....just sit here and bask in that sentence with me for a bit, okay), and it'll be something that will take Superman down a bit from being capital-P perfect to the world, but he's not gonna be on the run or in hiding like New 52 Clark.
So, then does Action Comics become the book where Clark deals with ground level super celebrity and the Earth based President stuff while also being a book about the Daily Planet?
"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.
Don't want to give the impression that I'm not personally at all interested. I brought up Truth as an example of it not working and while it didn't, I was interested in it on a short-term level there. Same here. I'm just thinking about the reaction all-around and the future.
Another thing that will a concern to people...when a big-time thing like this goes down, what's the easiest way to reverse it? The dreaded R word. Reboot. People will get scared of that as time goes on.
Last edited by Sacred Knight; 09-13-2019 at 02:43 PM.
"They can be a great people Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you. My only son." - Jor-El
Man, does Bendis just dislike secret identities or what ?
I have to wonder if the actual reveal is more figurative then him outing himself as Clark. Although, if it's accurate, irregardless of the President Superman thing as a new status quo, there is no way this isn't walked back from. Which makes me wonder if Bendis has a back-door handy or plans to do some kind of cosmic reboot at some point.
I also wonder if this might also negatively impact the President Superman status quo by advocating an even starker departure for the character. Kind of reminds me of how they got away with the unmasking for Spider-Man because they knew they'd be rebooting with OMD. Doesn't Snyder have a new Crisis coming out?
Exactly. That's the real defining idea here. The unmasking seems more like prep work for what the real new idea/shift is.
Also, I feel kind of dumb because by the time of the Legion, Clark Kent's whole life in full is taught in grade school and displayed in museums. I just assumed, like all of us, someone just learned it way after the fact, but it seems like the idea is that once the 31st century started to get a little clearer in the DCU present (Earth's first president, the UP, and so on) that moment happened.
Also, Bendis has been pretty deliberately setting Clark up as functionally perfect in the eyes of, well, everyone. It's to the point where he's let totally off the hook when he kisses another person's wife, he can call meetings on a galactic scale, and apparently people think its a ridiculous idea to arrest him simply because he's him. So, at least as far as Earth goes, this allows for the same people that stopped looting just because he told them to "cut it out" to also now believably....*holds back giant grin*......affect his approval rating (you don't know how good that feels to type. You just don't).
Last edited by Superlad93; 09-13-2019 at 02:49 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 there’s no way this sticks. Wouldn’t surprise me if Bendis himself ends up undoing the reveal when his time on the books comes to an end. But for all of you Bendis haters there’s a positive lining to all this: The more extreme changes that are made, the easier it is for DC to just undo it all lol.
Yep Snyder has a Crisis coming, Metal 2, that will mark the end of his JL run. Wouldn’t surprise me if that ends up doing some status quo resets and continuity clean up.
It could never happen and I don't even think it would necessarily be a good idea if it were possible, but I kinda want a bit where Superman is facing titanic blowback for something he did in office that was pretty definitely the right thing and grumbles to himself "man, everything just slides right off the OTHER guy no matter what he does" (whether leading to a punchline about Superman being held to a higher standard, or a rougher digression on what human nature chooses to embrace).
Between this, the Presidency in general, and everything happening with Jon, at least for the time being Bendis is really delivering on the "Imaginary Story" flavor he discussed in an interview early on.
Buh-bye
I think there's a pretty solid chance that the "identity" that he's revealing isn't Clark Kent, but that he's Lois' husband. The way the Lois Lane #7 solicit is worded is cute because you can read it to be Superman's revealing his "identity" as her husband to the world, not necessarily that he's Clark Kent. The absence of "secret" as well leads me down that path too. I think this is a bit of a tease. Though I'd be curious if DC marketing would go that route considering all the backlash they got for the Bat-wedding.
All that said, the Yasmin Putri variant is gorgeous.
I don't really see why you'd need a crisis to walk things back.
Stay in story. Let Clark serve out his however many years as president (for however many writers), and then contrive a way to make it so him regaining the secret identity is acts as retirement from office. Divorce the memory of Clark and Superman as being one and the same as a retirement gift to him.
That's obviously at the end of however long DC'd want him as president of Earth. But really this is unlike something like Civil War, Truth, or Born Again because there's still the dual responsibility. There's still likely the paper work and so on. His desk just got bigger. So, there's less of an "always action" feel here because once he's done punching Lobo in the face he's got a 4:30 meeting to run to.
"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.
Hmm...guess we'll have to wait and see. I suppose it could be a tease and he's actually going in the direction I mentioned above after all. But I dunno, I'm probably 80-20 on just taking this at face value as of right now. Looking for the swerve could still be a reach at this point.
"They can be a great people Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you. My only son." - Jor-El