Official : Bendis gets both books

[Ascended]

The problem isn't that Lois does not have to do with her working away. I do not even understand why you think this is a double moral problem.

It's a double standard because we know that whatever Lois is working on, it's got major ramifications. She's not just hanging out in a motel sipping drinks and relaxing while her family toils at home. This isn't just another book or article she's working on, it's big. Whatever she's learned, she's acting on it and doing her best to protect her family, and quite possibly the world. She's not punching bad people in the face but what she's doing is still a heroic act and a sacrifice. Clark leaves his family all the time for similar reasons, often doesn't tell Lois all the details (or outright lies to her, which he does a lot) and everyone is cool with it. But Lois doing the same thing is getting all kinds of hate, and we don't even know what her reasons are yet. Fans just see Lois doing her own thing, and immediately assume the worst.

She and Clark still love each other, they're still married, they're still happy. The only thing going on right now is that Lois' job is keeping her away from home for a little bit. And she knows that her husband and son can get by without her around for a time. It's not the big deal a lot of people are making it out to be.

[Yoda]

It's a double standard because we know that whatever Lois is working on, it's got major ramifications. She's not just hanging out in a motel sipping drinks and relaxing while her family toils at home. This isn't just another book or article she's working on, it's big. Whatever she's learned, she's acting on it and doing her best to protect her family, and quite possibly the world. She's not punching bad people in the face but what she's doing is still a heroic act and a sacrifice. Clark leaves his family all the time for similar reasons, often doesn't tell Lois all the details (or outright lies to her, which he does a lot) and everyone is cool with it. But Lois doing the same thing is getting all kinds of hate, and we don't even know what her reasons are yet. Fans just see Lois doing her own thing, and immediately assume the worst.

She and Clark still love each other, they're still married, they're still happy. The only thing going on right now is that Lois' job is keeping her away from home for a little bit. And she knows that her husband and son can get by without her around for a time. It's not the big deal a lot of people are making it out to be.

I was rereading the first issue of Superman post-For Tomorrow, and Lois has to track Superman down in the Amazon rainforest and she's like you've been gone for three weeks with no word and his response is "oh, I lost track of time." and they just move on. So yeah, there would be a lot less fuss if the roles were reversed. People would likely actually think Clark was being noble putting Superman stuff ahead of Lois. So, I agree with you there but that does lead to my big issue with it, we'd know what was motivating him.

Based on what we have seen in the actual books there is absolutely no indication that Lois is working on anything as important as Bendis has said she is in all the interviews. That has left her motivation completely up to interpretation and the negative reactions are not completely unwarranted based on what we have seen. She’s written books, important books, while living with her family. I agree that we probably are going to see what is motivating her soon, but as of right now there is nothing in the text that supports her change of attitude toward their living situation.

That was a major failure of Action 1004 in my opinion.

[manwhohaseverything]

It's a double standard because we know that whatever Lois is working on, it's got major ramifications. She's not just hanging out in a motel sipping drinks and relaxing while her family toils at home. This isn't just another book or article she's working on, it's big. Whatever she's learned, she's acting on it and doing her best to protect her family, and quite possibly the world. She's not punching bad people in the face but what she's doing is still a heroic act and a sacrifice. Clark leaves his family all the time for similar reasons, often doesn't tell Lois all the details (or outright lies to her, which he does a lot) and everyone is cool with it. But Lois doing the same thing is getting all kinds of hate, and we don't even know what her reasons are yet. Fans just see Lois doing her own thing, and immediately assume the worst.

She and Clark still love each other, they're still married, they're still happy. The only thing going on right now is that Lois' job is keeping her away from home for a little bit. And she knows that her husband and son can get by without her around for a time. It's not the big deal a lot of people are making it out to be.

People have a problem with writing for Lois because she left her kid with a untrustworthy Jerk of a grandfather.Here,Jon was not even thinking right,when he decided to go to space.And with this puberty thing,Wouldn't a normal mother be terrified.I know Lois is great with weird and all.But this is her son,Mothers are notoriously selfish,when it comes to their kids.Lois has been shown to be a mama bear,when it came to Jon.She was fiercely protective.If it came down to protection of her Son nothing mattered her Job,her passion,even her husband,her own life..etc were secondary,but that did not mean she did not care for these things.Now,she just leaves him in space.Just like that without any explanation.And Clark just accepts that.Characterization felt off for both of them.That is also,why the Action Comics #1004 felt anticlimatic.Nothing happened in that issue. Along with the pacing of the story,it's frustrating to read.

Lois was writing before.She had "Cool" moments.But,now we don't even get that,atleast for now.

[Ascended]

I agree with this, but the biggest issue is that based on what we have seen in the actual books there is absolutely no indication that Lois is working on anything as important as Bendis has said she is in all the interviews. That has left her motivation completely up to interpretation and the negative reactions are not completely unwarranted based on what we have seen. She’s written books, important books, while living with her family. I agree that we probably are going to see what is motivating her soon, but as of right now there is nothing in the text that supports her change of attitude toward their living situation.

That was a major failure of Action 1004 in my opinion.

That's totally true, the text itself doesn't support such extreme measures. Yet. And if we didn't have all the interviews and solicits talking about things, I'd understand the concern a lot more. But most of us here know there's big stuff for Lois coming up, and the complaints just end up feeling really thin, like they're trying to justify an opinion they formed before the first issues even came out. It basically reads, to me, like people saying "Well, we know Lois will be a big deal in arc two, but she wasn't a big deal in arc one so clearly no one understands her!"

[Superlad93]

Jon's whole thing reminds me of a shonen battle manga time skip to denote growth in a character's personality and skill. I wouldn't at all be surprised if Bendis was going for that in part. Honestly, that's probably why I'm so chill about giving it a try. Like, I grew up reading Naruto, Dragon Ball, and One Piece. And I'm currently reading/watching My hero Academia where a time skip being on the way is confirmed by the creator. Funny enough it's in keeping with Jon's whole slightly manga reminiscent feel from over in Tomasi's run in a way.

It's kind of funny when you contextualize it like that. Like, a large part of Clark's life (his son) is working under shonen battle manga rules, but he doesn't know it and he doesn't know what to do lol But yeah, this is literally just Naruto going off with Jiraiya or Luffy going off with Rayleigh.

[Korath]

So, I have this theory about the upcoming Leviathan arc.

Ever since he started working on Superman's books, Bendis has put a very significant emphasis on Superman's hearing. It's how he first notices crimes, it's so fundamental that criminals had to develop a whole new culture to simply exist in Metropolis and resort to diversion tactics to commit their crimes in relative safety. Mere words are triggers for Superman and he is able to hear them from across the globe (as seen in MoS, where he stopped Firefly and Killer Moth while he was thousands of miles away).

And yet, in spite of all of that, Leviathan will be able to strike at the heart of Metropolis and kill several important peoples, under Superman's nose -and Jon's potentially. How will they do that ? Thanks to a four pronged attack resting on Magic, Cybernetics, Invisibility and Silence. If you wonder how Leviathan could have something useful against Superman in any of those fields, and what they can even mean, well, I'll spoil The Silencer for you more than a little, since it's the book dealing with Leviathan so far.

spoilers:

I suspect that the current arc of The Silencer will end with not only Honor in thrall to Talia once more, but also Quietus, one of the Underbosses of Leviathan, alongside her other two main servants. To make it simple, Leviathan is comprised of several divisions and I think that four big players will remain under Talia when the Leviathan arc will start in Talia : Quietus, an heavily modified Cyborg who has agents passing as humans until they cycle up their body modifications, which could allow them to go unnoticed by Superman long enough to strike. And they are fiercely loyal to Quietus, to the point that risking almost certain death means nothing to them Whisbone, a witch who, while she hasn't much power, has been able to switch personalities between various bodies; and she is insanely loyal to Talia, being the only Leviathan Underboss who remained loyal to her Raze, a mysterious servant of Talia, who may be playing a strange game, and seems to have either access to a technology which can turn him invisible, or phase him out of the normal world, I'm not quite sure yet Honor Guest, aka The Silencer, Talia's once and future personal assassin, who can create Zones of Silence, bubbles were no sound can be uttered or heard; a power which can become an incredible boon against Superman, while forcing Clark to actually uses his powers in new ways -by focusing on the silences instead of the sounds, for instance

end of spoilers

In any case, if Leviathan has become able to threaten Superman, thus moving outside of the Bat-level of threat, it is transitioning from a world-wide conspiracy to something a lot more brutal and dangerous - and it was already pretty ballsy in Morrison's Batman. And I think that Bendis is planning something massive to actually rock Superman's world.

[Konja7]

It's a double standard because we know that whatever Lois is working on, it's got major ramifications. She's not just hanging out in a motel sipping drinks and relaxing while her family toils at home. This isn't just another book or article she's working on, it's big. Whatever she's learned, she's acting on it and doing her best to protect her family, and quite possibly the world. She's not punching bad people in the face but what she's doing is still a heroic act and a sacrifice. Clark leaves his family all the time for similar reasons, often doesn't tell Lois all the details (or outright lies to her, which he does a lot) and everyone is cool with it. But Lois doing the same thing is getting all kinds of hate, and we don't even know what her reasons are yet. Fans just see Lois doing her own thing, and immediately assume the worst.

I don't know that. So far, the story hasn't mentioned she's working on somewhat big or important.

I don't read interviews of Bendis about this.

[Yoda]

That's totally true, the text itself doesn't support such extreme measures. Yet. And if we didn't have all the interviews and solicits talking about things, I'd understand the concern a lot more. But most of us here know there's big stuff for Lois coming up, and the complaints just end up feeling really thin, like they're trying to justify an opinion they formed before the first issues even came out. It basically reads, to me, like people saying "Well, we know Lois will be a big deal in arc two, but she wasn't a big deal in arc one so clearly no one understands her!"

I get that as well. But I can understand a certain level of trepidation given her treatment in the past, including promises for Lois doing big things that don't materialize or completely miss the mark. The way Bendis has structured these stories is based completely on characters keeping information from the reader that they know. The drama of Man of Steel was complete misdirection, Clark knew where Lois & Jon were the whole time, but it was strung out to create fear and drama with the reader. Why would he not tell Hal where they went? Same with Lois's return. She apparently has some very good reasons for why she's acting like she is. But they have not even been hinted at. The one or two page teases of her return could have easily hinted at them. Action 1004 certainly could have hinted at them as well.

Bendis obviously saved the story of Lois & Jon's travels for the second arc of Superman. And Lois's "big secrets" will probably be explored in the Levithan arc. The Jon side is understandable given the structure of the story. Lois's not so much since there are plenty of opportunities to build those connections.

[Miles To Go]

I don't know that. So far, the story hasn't mentioned she's working on somewhat big or important.

Yes, it has

[Yoda]

Yes, it has

She said she has a story to write in Action 1004. She's written stories for 80 years. Standing alone, that doesn't hint that what she's working on is anything important enough to justify the change in their relationship or leaving Jon with Jor El. Particularly when the first book is finished and the excerpts we've seen of the second essentially making it a think piece on Superman's role in the world. These aren't "secrets that are so dangerous she doesn't know if she should tell Clark, and that have altered her behavior."

[manwhohaseverything]

Jon's whole thing reminds me of a shonen battle manga time skip to denote growth in a character's personality and skill. I wouldn't at all be surprised if Bendis was going for that in part. Honestly, that's probably why I'm so chill about giving it a try. Like, I grew up reading Naruto, Dragon Ball, and One Piece. And I'm currently reading/watching My hero Academia where a time skip being on the way is confirmed by the creator. Funny enough it's in keeping with Jon's whole slightly manga reminiscent feel from over in Tomasi's run in a way.

It's kind of funny when you contextualize it like that. Like, a large part of Clark's life (his son) is working under shonen battle manga rules, but he doesn't know it and he doesn't know what to do lol But yeah, this is literally just Naruto going off with Jiraiya or Luffy going off with Rayleigh.

The difference is when a shonen does time skip.It is not just the main character that gets aged up. All the others get aged up.The kid hero,Most oftenly does not lose what makes them endearing to his fan.Sure he becomes stronger, sometimes more mature.He reaches a level in that is similar to the mentor figure(kakashi,rayleigh..etc).Some dynamics, change but his goal will be the same.

Naruto was still a knuckle head after the timeskip.So,is Luffy happy-go-lucky,instinct driven,freedom loving Captain.Luffy still runs into trouble without caring of any kind of plans.Luffy started not running away from higher tier opponents like ace,after timeskip,but that is it .Naruto's main change occured during the pain arc,not during time skip.When he started seeing empathy as tool to understand and change people.But naruto has always been able to empathise with antagonists like gaara . Luffy,Naruto did not become radicaly altered.Some people hate that.But that is shonen formula.
Shonen timeskip,is largely done to make the characters and antogonist (naruto's case) reach higher tier and to give freshness to not only the lead,but also the world in which it is set in.Side characters as well as villains undergo changes as well.But,Tone of the series does not change.Here(atleast from the cover),it feels like the tone has changed(atleast for main character).We will have to wait until the books come out, if this is true or not.
I am using Jon as main character,because you were using him as comparison.

[Superlad93]

Why would he not tell Hal where they went?

In terms of his internal motivation, I think it was simply because talking about it sucked for him, and he'd rather recoil back into old defensive tactics like lying or avoiding the topic all together. That's why we get the scene where he rams himself into the moon out of frustration right afterwords. But, you're totally right in that the functionality of that moment is to misdirect and hide a truth from the reader to build up thoughts in their mind. I just think Bendis also used the opportunity to comment on Clark's character. The scenes with Kara and the strike on Kandor do the same. One of the moments that really stuck out to me was Clark weeping on the ground with Kara saying "my--my job was too--to protect" while Jon's voice calling out to him rings in his head. It's all intertwined in Clark's head in some way, and I found that fascinating to read about.

And to be clear, I'm not saying you're criticizing it or not into it, I'm just talking about the idea you brought up in general.

[Ascended]

Why would he not tell Hal where they went? .

Why *would* he? It's very clear that Hal is a co-worker, not a friend.

Now, I totally understand your point about the characters not revealing their motivations to the reader. That can be annoying as hell and I'm annoyed along with a lot of us here. I want to know what's going on! But this is just a little mystery meant to keep us guessing. Its not the huge deal people are making it out to be, and so far nothing Bendis has done is actually out of character. There's actually nothing new happening here at all; Bendis is just spinning the concepts a little differently and mixing them together in a slightly different shape. But every idea in play has already been done in the Superverse before.

I just want to be clear; I got no problem with any fan who isn't enjoying the books on their own merits, or who has concerns about what the new status quo going forward might be. I'm not sure if I'm going to like where things end up yet. But there's a difference between that and claiming that this run is doing things it isn't (or hasn't yet at least) just because someone has an ax to grind with the author, or out of general suspicion.

[Konja7]

She said she has a story to write in Action 1004. She's written stories for 80 years. Standing alone, that doesn't hint that what she's working on is anything important enough to justify the change in their relationship or leaving Jon with Jor El. Particularly when the first book is finished and the excerpts we've seen of the second essentially making it a think piece on Superman's role in the world. These aren't "secrets that are so dangerous she doesn't know if she should tell Clark, and that have altered her behavior."

Exactly

In my opinion, the problem is not that there is much mystery about Lois, but it is not clear that there is a mystery about Lois.

I mean if you had Lois hiding from Clark without giving explanations (or more hints that something strange is happening), then people would assume that Lois is working on something extremely important.

However, in Action Comics #1004, Lois happily explains that she just need time alone to write. That gives the impression that Bendis wants to distance the characters.

Honestly, if a story had Clark saying the same thing (and without many implications of something else happening), I guess it also got a negative response from many fans.

[Miles To Go]

However, in Action Comics #1004, Lois happily explains that she just need time alone to write. That gives the impression that Bendis wants to distance the characters.

And then Bendis made it clear at the end of the issue that there is no distance.