Official : Bendis gets both books

[Yoda]

Lol wow! You'll run out of comics before too long. Have you introduced him to All Star Superman yet?

Yeah, he started out with the first arc of the Tomasi/Gleason Rebirth Superman as it was coming out. Then we read All Star and New Frontier together (most of NF went way over his head, but he wanted to know how the Losers in the early Rebirth run ended up there). From there I just let him start to go through my trades as he wanted, so he was all over the place. He's really liked Time and Time Again trade, Birthright, Brainiac, and the whole New Krypton arc.

Ah, yeah, I see. You're right. It's very key moments where misinformation is being perpetuated. I imagine once the "evil Jon" and "the end of the Super Family" headlines start making the rounds even after the issue in question comes out we'll see him address it directly. For now, I'm sure he feels it's fair that some people are making wild assumptions when they just have that striking imagine and on solicit on context to go with it.

Yeah, particularly where it seems to have been leaked intentionally right before the FOC for issue 7! They want the controversy to get the orders up for that second arc.

[manwhohaseverything]

By this point I doubt it given what Lois said in issue 1004 and the solicit for issue 7 of Superman, but nothing is for sure yet, so there's still a chance that it is a future version of Jon. I just personally doubt it right now.

Sure some growth may have happened,he is growing boy afterall. But, Maybe Lois was talking about how Jon as person has bloomed in face of adversity without Clark. Till now Clark was Jon's moral compass, even during the whole Manchester Black fiasco Jon decisions were depended on Clarks.

[Superlad93]

Yeah, he started out with the first arc of the Tomasi/Gleason Rebirth Superman as it was coming out. Then we read All Star and New Frontier together (most of NF went way over his head, but he wanted to know how the Losers in the early Rebirth run ended up there). From there I just let him start to go through my trades as he wanted, so he was all over the place. He's really liked Time and Time Again trade, Birthright, Brainiac, and the whole New Krypton arc.

Wow the kid is no joke lol

I find it fascinating that your kid has two Johns stories as favorites. There's something primal and easy to latch onto about the way Johns goes after Superman story (or any story), and that seems to resonate well with a lot of people younger and older. Some of us aren't interested or impressed by it, but it's hard to overlook it. So, rather smart of Bendis to take inspiration from Johns and Jurgens in some aspects when doing his run.

Oh, Johns' Superman and the Legion of Superheroes is a very good read imo if you don't already have it in trade and he hasn't already read it. Plus, it seems to be directly influencing the current run of Superman to some extent.

Yeah, particularly where it seems to have been leaked intentionally right before the FOC for issue 7! They want the controversy to get the orders up for that second arc.

Yup! The comics business 101 right there. Lets hope the story is quality enough to go along with the buzz.

[Superlad93]

Sure some growth may have happened,he is growing boy afterall. But, Maybe Lois was talking about how Jon as person has bloomed in face of adversity without Clark. Till now Clark was Jon's moral compass, even during the whole Manchester Black fiasco Jon decisions were depended on Clarks.

Well, it wasn't really unclear what she was talking about in 1004. She said the words "it was like he hit puberty the second we left orbit." That's pretty unambiguous, I think. Puberty is largely a physical change in the body. Plus, Jon had already begun to grow out of his old clothes in Man of Steel 1, so it has to be a growth spurt that's greater than that, and very noticeable to the normal human eye in short amount of time.

Again, this is just what it looks like now to me with the info we have. It could totally just be future Jon in the end. We don't know for sure right now.

[Miles To Go]

Cover to AC#1005 but this one teases Leviathan and instructs readers to look out for AC#1007

[Yoda]

Cover to AC#1005 but this one teases Leviathan and instructs readers to look out for AC#1007

Wasn't that solicited as the cover to 1006 last month? The 1005 cover was solicited as Superman surrounded Red Cloud. I assumed Talia was on the cover of 1007 which is why they haven't posted it yet.

[Miles To Go]

Wasn't that solicited as the cover to 1006 last month? The 1005 cover was solicited as Superman surrounded Red Cloud.

You're right, my mistake

[Yoda]

You're right, my mistake

Bleeding Cool's mistake really, they posted it as an exclusive first look at the cover to 1007 when I'm pretty sure it was a house ad in DC Nation this month.

Edited to add yup:

092DD36A-FF04-4B11-84A2-E6F4653551CA.jpg

I guess the exclusive was the call out to Levithan?

[Superlad93]

So, for some reason I totally forgot that we already know what a half czarnian character looks like, and her name is Crush, she's with Damian's Teen Titans, and she looks nothing even close to Zaar.

I'm so genuinely hype and intrigued for Jon's return because I really think it's the key to a lot of story going forward in the Superman book. I think it'll shine a new light on Zaar (if my theory holds). I think it'll bring a whole new galactic component with it given all the travel he's been doing. It'll bring back old grumpy and slightly crazy grandpa Jor-El, and that'll bring with it the nice bit of friction and tension between him and Clark. And it hangs the door wide open for a a very, very likely (given how liberal Bendis is with guests in both Action and Superman) Super Sons reunion for the ages. Plus, hopefully some stuff with Hamilton County and/or Kathy.

[Vordan]

So, for some reason I totally for got that we already know what a half czarnian character looks like, and her name is Crush, she's with Damian's Teen Titans, and she looks nothing even close to Zaar.

I'm so genuinely hype and intrigued for Jon's return because I really think it's the key to a lot of story going forward in the Superman book. I think it'll shine a new light on Zaar (if my theory holds). I think it'll bring a whole new galactic component with it given all the travel he's been doing. It'll bring back old grumpy and slightly crazy grandpa Jor-El, and that'll bring with it the nice bit of friction and tension between him and Clark. And it hangs the door wide open for a a very, very likely (given how liberal Bendis is with guests in both Action and Superman) Super Sons reunion for the ages. Plus, hopefully some stuff with Hamilton County and/or Kathy.

Ah yes I forgot about Crush.

[DragonPiece]

I suspect the actual ac 1008 cover has Jimmy on it..maybe other DC super spies.. just a guess though.

[daBronzeBomma]

I'm caught up from THE MAN OF STEEL #1 through ACTION COMICS #1004.

My verdict so far: mixed bag.

Bendis definitely shows signs he "gets" Clark, but he also shows signs he doesn't get him and his world nearly well enough.

I think he has a good handle on Superman's personality and powers, as well as his city and workplace.

So far, he does not have a good handle on Lois. And it's not clear that he even wants to write Jon at all. Those are two huge areas to fall short.

AC1K4 didn't alleviate much of my concerns regarding his handling of Lois. If anything, he managed to make Lois look shady and untrustworthy.

Clark always got (rightfully) roasted when he kept secrets from his wife, and the same needs to apply here. My disappointment here is more with Bendis, not Lois, as it's clear the Super Fam is something he is forced to deal with, and not something he embraces.

Overall, I'd give his current run a C- so far.

[Sacred Knight]

The question with Jon at this point would be how embraced he is at DC. Jurgens pitched him and created him, and Tomasi embraced him fully to the point I considered him the characters primary caretaker. So we know where they stand but they're not working on the books anymore. Bendis is working with the concepts in different ways that undeniably veer in the direction of "use it to some degree, but not much". How does editorial feel? How do Didio/Lee feel? I dunno, I still feel that there's a strong chance they utilize the multiverse to delve into a young, single Superman again with far less familial ties. Which by virtue would leave Earth-0 Superman's family safe. But if that doesn't occur, I might actually start to wonder about the familial status in the main verse as time goes on.

IOW, I'm 100% sure everything stays for the reasonable haul if they have plans to do something with Sideways Superman. In fact if they have plans for a whole other Earth based around that, I become certain of other things such as Bruce and Selina actually getting married finally, and more progress for other mythoi from a family standpoint. If they don't....recent events would have me dropping to about 60% sure the family status quo is safe. Still leaning toward it staying, but no longer nearly as confident.

[OpaqueGiraffe17]

The question with Jon at this point would be how embraced he is at DC. Jurgens pitched him and created him, and Tomasi embraced him fully to the point I considered him the characters primary caretaker. So we know where they stand but they're not working on the books anymore. Bendis is working with the concepts in different ways that undeniably veer in the direction of "use it to some degree, but not much". How does editorial feel? How do Didio/Lee feel? I dunno, I still feel that there's a strong chance they utilize the multiverse to delve into a young, single Superman again with far less familial ties. Which by virtue would leave Earth-0 Superman's family safe. But if that doesn't occur, I might actually start to wonder about the familial status in the main verse as time goes on.

IOW, I'm 100% sure everything stays for the reasonable haul if they have plans to do something with Sideways Superman. In fact if they have plans for a whole other Earth based around that, I become certain of other things such as Bruce and Selina actually getting married finally, and more progress for other mythoi from a family standpoint. If they don't....recent events would have me dropping to about 60% sure the family status quo is safe. Still leaning toward it staying, but no longer nearly as confident.

Well the marriage is clearly safe, it’ll be a long time before they try to swing an axe on that again. I doubt these new changes to Jon’s character will be doing his shelf life any favors though.

[Superlad93]

Bendis is working with the concepts in different ways that undeniably veer in the direction of "use it to some degree, but not much".

I wouldn't even call it "use it to some degree, but not much" I'd just say he's attacking it from a different perspective. I think it's similar to how people have tackled Superman himself over the decades. He can be the Kryptonian refugee who remembers the old country, and thinks of Clark a beloved art form that he couldn't live without. Or another writer can say that he's basically a super cop. Another writer can say he's a tortured and lonely soul in need of an anchor. Or maybe he's an upwardly mobile yuppie. Maybe you downplay the alien stuff and think of him as just a man with power? Maybe he's uncomfortable with his alien side.

And on the physical side, maybe his powers come when he's a baby? Maybe when he's a teen? Maybe it's all solar? Maybe it's a mix of that and gravity? Maybe he has organs that we don't? Maybe he's basically the same as us inside? Maybe he can't have kids with humans because he's an alien? Maybe he can? Maybe it's just really hard?

The very same would apply to the Superman family as a concept. Maybe they're a great depiction of the nuclear family surviving as is in the 21st century? Maybe the writer decides to play up the inherent strangeness of their situation in a way that wasn't as much a priority to the previous writer? Thus we get the idea of Lois and Clark going at their relationship from a new angle, and Jon being a hybrid meaning something more than just not being able to control a power or two or being really powerful.

In that sense, I think he's using them quite a bit, but, no, not in the same way they used to be used.

How do Didio/Lee feel?

It's at least confirmed that Didio really dug the idea of Jon because during Rebirth he was always talking about how Super-Sons and Superman were his favorite books to come out of Rebirth because of Jon Kent. I even expect that he's the one that said to shelf Conner in favor of building up Jon. Didio also seems to be backing Bendis up with his radical direction because he wanted him to come in and come at stuff from a new angle that others wouldn't consider.