Official : Bendis gets both books

[Kon93]

New variant for Naomi #1, looks like she may know Superman is Clark Kent?
Attachment 74867

Now that is a start in making me interested in her book.

[Miles To Go]

Of course she'd know. She's a Bendis sue.

[Sacred Knight]

If Strange Visitor wasn't back in canon I'd theorize that she was Kismet.

[Vordan]

New variant for Naomi #1, looks like she may know Superman is Clark Kent?
Attachment 74867

I appreciate Bendis tying all these new heroes to Supes. We hear a lot about how Supes is an inspiration but it’s nice to actually see that directly in different peoples lives.

[Dispenser Of Truth]

New interview/profile - mostly didn't do anything for me, but there's an interesting note at one point: "The plotlines toy with the idea of Superman’s importance to those around him, Bendis tells me. People pay Superman and his ideals little attention. They belittle him and his mission, go off in pursuit of their own path or seek to destroy him solely on the basis of his race. He is present, but not truly recognized. He must fight for relevance."

[HeroVladimir93]

Before I begin my post, I do want to warn you that there will be spoilers for Superman #6 here, so if you haven't read it yet, I suggest you do yourself a favor and leave now. This will be your one and only warning.

And with that out of the way, let me start by saying something that if you read any my previous comments here, you've likely read this before: back when Brian Michael Bendis started writing the Superman comics, I've kept a cautiously optimistic attitude and even now, that sentiment hasn't changed. Superman is my favorite literary characters and I always want his stories to be as enjoyable as possible and so far, Bendis hasn't done anything to truly disappoint me. Sure, his stories aren't perfect but for the most part, his stories have changed the Superman universe for the better.

Since we are not getting any more Superman comics till next year, maybe it's time for me to discuss the current status of the comics. Bendis' decompressed storytelling is a double-edged sword, with many supporters and opponents within the Superman fandom. While I do agree that this style of writing benefits Superman's character development and the world building aspect in Action Comics, Bendis has taken his sweet time developing the characters and concepts he has introduced in the comics, such as Rogol Zaar, the Invisible Mafia, Jor-El's travels with Jon, among others. While the mystery box approach used by Bendis is good for Action Comics, it's not nearly as good for Superman. That's okay, that book has made a pretty good balance between Superman's inner conflict and the external conflict with Rogol Zaar; but at some point, readers will demand answers about Rogol and his connection with Krypton.

Since the Man of Steel miniseries, Bends has created a mystery around Rogol, building up his reputation as a feared warrior and the possible destroyer of Krypton. To Bendis' credit, fans became invested in Rogol and they kept discussing his mystery. I've enjoyed Man of Steel and that miniseries generally made a good job at getting people excited for the Bendis era. Superman wasn't the only attraction in Man of Steel that fans were going to read about; Rogol's introduction was great and it got us, or at least me, interested in this spacefaring warrior that hates Kryptonians and has made it his mission life to destroy all Kryptonians hidden throughout the galaxy. But as the story went on, and Rogol became more involved in Superman's life, by destroying Kandor and the Fortress of Solitude, I became more interested in getting answers about the character than just about the character himself.

And that's the biggest problem with Rogol in the current Superman comics. The mystery around him was more intriguing than anything else. We didn't like the character, we instead became more interested in a mystery. I mean, I don't know that people cared so much about what the next part of Rogol's story would be as much as they care about where did he come from. Rogol as a character doesn't seem all that interesting; he combines traits from past villains with connections with Krypton, like General Zod, Brainiac and Doomsday. We only care about Rogol's connection with Krypton and, on his own, he doesn't have the same staying power, popularity or longevity as Superman's other enemies.

We are told that he is a fearsome warrior and a cunning strategist but we rarely, if ever, see those qualities at play. Yes, he defeats Superman in combat, but that's nothing new. Superman has confronted enemies more powerful than him and he has prevailed, not because he was more powerful, but because he was smarter and used his enemies' worst qualities against them. Over the course of Man of Steel, Rogol has plenty of opportunities to kill Superman but he doesn't do it because he lets his hatred of Kryptonians cloud his better judgment. Superman takes advantage of this and foils his plan and Supergirl throws Rogol into the Phantom Zone, where he stays at for the foreseeable future.

His attempt at escape his blatantly straightforward and generic. He just gathers a bunch of hardened criminals and throws them at Earth to finally kill Superman, who once again foils Rogol's plan thanks to some quick-thinking and steady assistance from his friends. Superman did not need to be more powerful than his enemy to win, he just needed to be smarter. For a capable warrior, Rogol has no strategy beyond hitting his enemies hard and fast and vastly underestimates of much of a threat Superman can be. Bendis tries to tell us that Rogol will be the next great villain in the Superman saga, but Rogol hardly lives up to that promise. We are supposed to believe that this incompetent brute can be as dangerous as Brainiac, Darkseid and Mongul, when he actually has nothing but a generic appearance and an overhyped reputation. Superman makes Rogol, a veteran of many space wars, look like a fool in several occasions and many of the things Rogol does in this story could have been done by pre-established villains.

Despite this complaint, I still have hope that Bendis will make great Superman stories in the upcoming year. Rogol's presentation hasn't ruined the Superman stories for me. If there is something Bendis has done right in this era is Superman's characterization. Superman is much more relatable in the Bendis era than he was back in the Jurgens/Tomasi era. When I read a Superman comic book, I want to read about Superman, not about a supporting character's thoughts on Superman. Bendis makes Superman the protagonist of his own series and that's something to be appreciated.

My hope for Bendis is that he reunites the Superman fanbase to some degree, but apparently, hating on Superman has become more popular than loving him. Many fans are still unwilling to find a way to enjoy the Bendis era and fit those stories into their personal Superman canon. I think Bendis should embrace the fans of the Rebirth era and set up the series in a way that allows it to grow alongside a new generation of fans. Bendis needs to do these things in order to bring fans together:
* The new comics must respect what has come before. It doesn't have to dwell on the past or even build upon it, but it must respect the past in a way that leaves what has come before intact and relevant.
* The new comics must get fans to care about the new characters without damaging the pre-existing characters. Many fans still complain about the way Bendis and team portray Lois, Jon, Jor-El, Batman, the Flash, among others. Including characters in the new stories must be done in a way that honors those characters and their iconic roles. They shouldn't be brought down a few pegs just to prop up or propel the new characters forward.
* The fans needs to start looking for bridges between what has come before and what is unfolding now. No matter how well the new comics respect and honor the past, if the angry fans aren't willing to come in with a positive attitude, willing to suspend disbelief, and earnestly enjoy the characters and their stories, then no amount of good storytelling will bring them along.

Bendis should extend an olive branch towards the disenfranchised fans and assure fans that Superman and his community will be respected and honored for the foreseeable future. This won't be an easy task, but if done well, it could do a lot to help open minds so that the Bendis era has a chance of being received more positively by those who are most vocally criticizing it today.

Lastly, I want to repeat that I'm personally very excited for the Bendis era and I'm extremely happy with almost every Superman comics released from Rebirth to this day. Even when Superman is not getting any movies and TV shows for the foreseeable future, I still have the comics to look forward to. For me, it is a good time to be a Superman fan.

[Miles To Go]

Superman#7 cover by David Finch

[adkal]

Apologies if this has been raised already, I haven't had a chance to go back through this thread yet and I haven't read any interviews or anything like that, but I just wanted to check:

didn't Naomi show up in a panel over in Action earlier this month?

[Sacred Knight]

Really wish when artists did the raised S, they'd leave out the beveled edge effect. I'd prefer the part that's raised being flat in its own right.

That's my in the scheme of things rather un-important observation of the day

[HeroVladimir93]

Superman#7 cover by David Finch

Is it wrong for me to want Finch to handle the art in a Superman comic?

[Korath]

Superman#7 cover by David Finch

Okay, am I the only one who, before he noticed the S, thought it was Ultraman ?

I mean, look at that face. That's one mightily pissed off Superman here.

[JAK]

Okay, am I the only one who, before he noticed the S, thought it was Ultraman ?

I mean, look at that face. That's one mightily pissed off Superman here.

Now that you mention it, that *is* putting off a strong Ultraman vibe.

[Yoda]

Does Finch ever draw anyone not looking like they are pissed at the world?

[LordUltimus]

Does Finch ever draw anyone not looking like they are pissed at the world?

When they're women in uncomfortable positions.

[Ascended]

Okay, am I the only one who, before he noticed the S, thought it was Ultraman ?

I mean, look at that face. That's one mightily pissed off Superman here.

Well it does look like someone dropped a building on him. Even if it doesnt hurt, it's still rather insulting.

I like Finch for certain books but I have yet to see him nail the facial expressions and body language that any good Super artist has to be capable of. Put him on something like Justice League and I'd be cool with it. Action or Superman? I'd be more hesitant. The guy is good, but Clark needs an artist who can really pull the emotion out of the script and Finch comes from the Image/Lee/Top Cow model that's more suited for pinups and action sequences.