Official : Bendis gets both books

[Sacred Knight]

Nothing at all jerky about his very lighthearted comments.

And yes, its too much to ask. You're not asking for civility, you're asking for him to drop to his knees in reverence to your favorite character to the point he can't even crack a smile when talking about her.

Not liking the work is one thing. If Lois fans don't like what he does with her, more than fair enough. This haughty and privileged attitude though that he can't even talk about her until he proves something to you guys though is ridiculous. And I would and will defend any writer in the same way. This isn't a Bendis problem, its a you problem and anyone else actually offended by him answering questions about her while daring to have some fun with it.

[JAK]

Nothing at all jerky about his very lighthearted comments.

And yes, its too much to ask. You're not asking for civility, you're asking for him to drop to his knees in reverence to your favorite character to the point he can't even crack a smile when talking about her.

Not liking the work is one thing. If Lois fans don't like what he does with her, more than fair enough. This haughty and privileged attitude though that he can't even talk about her until he proves something to you guys though is ridiculous. And I would and will defend any writer in the same way. This isn't a Bendis problem, its a you problem and anyone else actually offended by him answering questions about her while daring to have some fun with it.

To put a further note on it.. Nobody is a bigger "Clois" fan than I am. Equals, sure, but not greater. As I've said 1,000,000+ times, my wife and I share a wedding date with them for a reason. If Bendis screws with this beyond a certain level, I'll be pissed.

But I think he's joking in a way that suggests he intends to be very good (at the end of the day) to the characters - hence the "twitter apologies". It means he expects us who've been worried to not be, by the time he's done. Whether he screws that up royally or lives up to what he says remains to be seen, but that's the point of what he's saying. And he probably says it like this in an attempt to relax people with a seemingly good-natured joke. Hearing him say it might have been better than the written text, because everyone reads words with different inflections and intentions.

It's also important, I think, that he seems to get more serious when he says this:

So yeah, I'm excited to prove myself. But that is OK. That is what life is about. You must prove yourself over and over again. And I will do so again.

This, to me, shows he's serious about the intent at the end of the day, even if he's joking about it.

---

Now, having said all this, I still don't know if I trust Didio on the Supermarriage with a 10ft pole. But for right now, I don't think Bendis is looking to do permanent damage. Believe me, you'll see me raising holy hell if he does. lol

[Sacred Knight]

Oh yeah, I get all that. If the main thing is just "I'll believe it when I read it", I totally get that. Based on the history its a downright rational stance to take. It just amazes me though that someone can say they're enjoying writing her, that they love the character, and then crack an incredibly benign and obvious joke and its suddenly that the guy's an asshole. It blows my mind.

[adrikito]

BENDIS on MAN OF STEEL: SUPERMAN's Hope, Similarities to SPIDER-MAN and MOSES: https://www.newsarama.com/39992-bend...and-moses.html

One of the Green Lanterns Guardians is here?

[misslane]

Oh yeah, I get all that. If the main thing is just "I'll believe it when I read it", I totally get that. Based on the history its a downright rational stance to take. It just amazes me though that someone can say they're enjoying writing her, that they love the character, and then crack an incredibly benign and obvious joke and its suddenly that the guy's an asshole. It blows my mind.

Bendis made fun of fans' concerns, and his statements about loving Lois are not credible. If we can't "believe it until we read it," then his statements about loving Lois ring hollow. No one is denying that this was Bendis making a joke. You don't have to point out that it's an "obvious joke," because that part is not in dispute. What is in dispute is whether it was a tactless joke, and it was. It was not benign. It does not reassure.

[Slim Shady]

Oh yeah, I get all that. If the main thing is just "I'll believe it when I read it", I totally get that. Based on the history its a downright rational stance to take. It just amazes me though that someone can say they're enjoying writing her, that they love the character, and then crack an incredibly benign and obvious joke and its suddenly that the guy's an asshole. It blows my mind.

Especially after all the shade thrown his way since they announced he got the gig. People have been straight up bashing him on a personal level and judging storylines before a single comic is even read. After all the pretty degrading things said about him and all the pre-judging he got, I don't see how anyone can cry when he tries to throw a little shade back, and in an obviously joking way. I even feel a little bad for the guy and want his titles to be good after I started reading the amount of hate he's been getting. And I don't even know the guy or ever read a single thing he ever wrote.

[Trunks]

Reassure lol.you read comics,every issue could change the very fabric of the universe,so none of us are getting or should be getting reassured

[Sacred Knight]

Bendis made fun of fans' concerns, and his statements about loving Lois are not credible. If we can't "believe it until we read it," then his statements about loving Lois ring hollow. No one is denying that this was Bendis making a joke. You don't have to point out that it's an "obvious joke," because that part is not in dispute. What is in dispute is whether it was a tactless joke, and it was. It was not benign. It does not reassure.

He's not obligated to reassure you, me, or anyone else of anything. He agreed to an interview, answered some questions, cracked a few jokes. It wasn't a federal deposition. He said nothing that earned him being called a jerk. That's what's truly tactless about this whole nonsensical forced drama.

[Nelliebly]

The way he handled the concerns over Lois are, frankly, in very poor taste.

For starters, he created a strawman argument which is never a great way to show fans that you hear them and take them seriously. Who has ever accused Bendis of "killing off Lois so Superman can laugh?" The concerns about Lois's treatment and potential sidelining have been much more nuanced than this and if you aren't going to actually address the real concerns, then this is a wasted exercise.

Second....look...I'm sorry but he's being extremely cruel here.

He's acting as if he's above making an error with women. He's not. No male writer has the privilege to act as if we are just supposed to trust him with the fate of already often maligned female character. That trust has to be earned. He's also coming into an office which notoriously employs no female creators and, up until recently, employed a legit serial sexual harasser. He's also talking about a female character who not only is regularly marginalized and mistreated but also has a notorious history of being killed off in elseworlds.

The concern over Lois isn't funny and is completely justified. All he had to do from day one was just say that he heard people, he understood the fear but he really hoped they would give his story a chance and to please trust him. Had he done that? This wouldn't be a thing, I don't think. But, instead, he's been acting indignant from the start, provoked fear among women and now he's actively saying they have to apologize to him? He's the one who owes the apology here. He's a person of a lot if privilege and he's done nothing to earn the blind trust that he thinks he deserves.

This interview made me dislike him even more than I already did and has completely soured me on this run.

[Nelliebly]

He's not obligated to reassure you, me, or anyone else of anything. He agreed to an interview, answered some questions, cracked a few jokes. It wasn't a federal deposition. He said nothing that earned him being called a jerk. That's what's truly tactless about this whole nonsensical forced drama.

Nope, you don't get to dictate how other people get to feel.

You're right---he's not "obligated" to do anything. Just like fans are not "obligated" to give him the benefit of the doubt. Trust goes both ways and it is EARNED and he has not earned it.

The purpose of these interviews is supposed to be to promote his book and get people interested. You aren't bothered by what he did---not a problem. But you do not speak for me or others. I am bothered. I feel disrespected as a female fan with hard earned money to spend. He is not "obligated" to reassure women like me but, guess what? In 2018? It's the decent thing to do. It's what a REAL ally does to prove we can trust him. And anyone who doesn't realize that? Is not an ally.

[Trunks]

The way he handled the concerns over Lois are, frankly, in very poor taste.

For starters, he created a strawman argument which is never a great way to show fans that you hear them and take them seriously. Who has ever accused Bendis of "killing off Lois so Superman can laugh?" The concerns about Lois's treatment and potential sidelining have been much more nuanced than this and if you aren't going to actually address the real concerns, then this is a wasted exercise.

Second....look...I'm sorry but he's being extremely cruel here.

He's acting as if he's above making an error with women. He's not. No male writer has the privilege to act as if we are just supposed to trust him with the fate of already often maligned female character. That trust has to be earned. He's also coming into an office which notoriously employs no female creators and, up until recently, employed a legit serial sexual harasser. He's also talking about a female character who not only is regularly marginalized and mistreated but also has a notorious history of being killed off in elseworlds.

The concern over Lois isn't funny and is completely justified. All he had to do from day one was just say that he heard people, he understood the fear but he really hoped they would give his story a chance and to please trust him. Had he done that? This wouldn't be a thing, I don't think. But, instead, he's been acting indignant from the start, provoked fear among women and now he's actively saying they have to apologize to him? He's the one who owes the apology here. He's a person of a lot if privilege and he's done nothing to earn the blind trust that he thinks he deserves.

This interview made me dislike him even more than I already did and has completely soured me on this run.

Wow,it must be 2018

[Sacred Knight]

Nope, you don't get to dictate how other people get to fear.

And you don't get to dictate how writers answer questions about one single character. There is no separate, special rulebook for Lois Lane And Her Fans.

[Nelliebly]

No one said anything about freedom. Anyone is free to be jerk, but that doesn't make them less of a jerk. I also didn't say he didn't care about his work. I said his jokes showed he didn't care about the feelings of those who were concerned about his work. I don't think it's too much to ask for a little more civility from Bendis given he's the one trying to get people to buy his product.

No, but it's so funny! Because if you follow my work, of course I love Lois Lane! I love Lois Lane!

What the hell does he mean by this, by the way? As far as I'm aware, his work has yet to feature Lois Lane. Unless he means his work in the future. It's just silly that he thinks saying he loves Lois over and over is reassuring.

A male friend of mine said this to me recently and I think it's true...

I think Bendis believes that his previous work on things like Jessica Jones gives him some kind of free pass with Lois and so it should be beyond questioning if he can write her well. Except, as my friend accurately stated, this just isn't true because that's not how this works.

Male writers don't just get to assume they are above anything because of past work and, frankly, his previous work is not beyond criticism. He's been criticized rightly in the past for the way he treats women so he's not some kind of untouchable feminist god and it's weird that he would think that he is.

He needs to prove himself just like anyone else would. He doesn't get a free pass.

[Nelliebly]

Wow,it must be 2018

I'm not sure what that is supposed to mean but, yes, in 2018 I expect that a male writer who is well aware that the Superman office has notoriously had real problems with the treatment of women, lack of female creators and an actual sexual harasser editing the books could take the concerns of fans about the lead female character somewhat seriously.

I would expect in 2018 that we could all acknowledge, nicely, that comics have had a problem with the way they treat women and so it can help to reassure women that you HEAR them and are doing your best as opposed to mocking them.

[Nelliebly]

And you don't get to dictate how writers answer questions about one single character. There is no separate, special rulebook for Lois Lane And Her Fans.

Unreal. I am not dictating a thing. I am reacting to his words and how they make me feel (and I am not alone given the response I've seen on twitter) and I am ALLOWED to do that.

No one is asking for special treatment here. All anyone is asking for is for a male creator to acknowledge that he understands why people ::might:: be concerned about a female character who, historically speaking, has been nearly constantly mistreated and maligned and is going to do his best. Is that really such a problem to you?