Official : Bendis gets both books

[Superlad93]

If I had to guess, I'd say Bendis is gonna spread the love on the Legion stuff between the Superman book and likely Young Justice. I'm just about sure that the Legion will be coming to Wonder Comics. They've had a very shaky foothold when it comes any umbrella to be under (or creating there own), so Wonder Comics seems to be the remedy for that. It's also worth noting that it would continue Bendis trend of having Superman somehow linked to each comic in Wonder Comics even if it's in the smallest of ways. With that track record it's more than likely that we'll be seeing a Legion heavily inspired by Superman.

It also seems like he's 100% going for them as DC's X-Men in terms of fan base and absurdly large amount of characters. That, along with how very interested Bendis is in creating new characters along with brining back old ones in this line, and the fact that Bendis doesn't flat out say that the whole line is just about children or even teen, but rather young people, has me believing in some of my theories for the team and how they'll interact with the DCU.

Good stuff to hear all around.

[Dispenser Of Truth]

Like the preview, even if Jon's reaction seems subdued (though it breaks through when he asks about Lois, suggesting to me the bigger emotional outpour is coming), and glad to see that he feels very different but still very Jon.

I definitely know, based on the preview, where I hope this is going, which is they have their cake and eat it too. Superman somehow plucks kid Jon out of time (given time travel's in play, maybe he hasn't even gone in the black hole yet?), but older Jon doesn't go away and remains as Superman and Lois's son and a full member of the supporting cast with an identity all his own even though he and Superboy share experiences up to a point (somehow thematically spinning out of the "those other boys aren't you" discussion in MOS #6, and playing into the multiversal Superman stuff that seems to be upcoming). It lets the two simultaneously have the younger and older sibling dynamic AND be twins who are thought of as the same in many ways even though they've come to wildly diverge, AND it keeps the tragedy of Superman and Lois losing out on half their kids life' without actually ditching Superboy and letting them continue to raise him. Just end it with them as brothers and you get the best of both worlds. Plus, the future Jor-El could stick around while the present one perishes - likely saving Jon - letting them continue to use him as an 'uncle' figure while keeping an asterisk there so DC doesn't actually have to say now and forever that Jor-El is in fact alive due to Doctor Manhattan.

Have to imagine that either Lois is about to come home, at least in the pages of Superman proper even if it takes Action a bit to catch up since they're running on two different timeframes (with the events of the next arc of that resolving the situation that has her out on her own), OR that she's still not coming home even for this is going to be what tips Clark off that there's a lot more to her absence than she's saying and that kicks off whatever happens next with her side of things.

[Superlad93]

While I don't at all think Bendis isn't capable of doing that given the idea behind his recent X-Men run, I actually think any Superboy sibling dynamic is 100% coming from Jon and Conner rather than a Jon/Jon situation. Don't know if you've (or anyone besides those around the Kon-El thread) have seen these but check em out.







These images seem to take place before Conner heads off to Gemworld. He seems to be named Conner Kent, he's sporting the glasses, going to school, living in what seems to be a small town, and in full on Johns mode in terms of look. Since the Kents have been dead long before Conner was even a rough idea, this makes what was previously said pretty hard to pull off......unless Conner lived in Hamilton County alongside Clark, Lois, and Jon for a bit. Similar to how Superman Reborn recontextulized a lot of stuff to fit continuity, I think the same may be the case here. Worth also mentioning the parallels between them. The whole going off to a far off land and coming back deal. I think it's deliberate. He's inviting the comparison, I feel.

Bendis seems to be making a big deal out of Jon and Conner meeting in future (saying something to the effect of "people can't even imagine them in the same room right now.") And if I'm honest I'm more a fan of the "play the ball where it is" Invincible (Image comics) feel that Bendis has been conjuring in interviews.

[Sacred Knight]

Yeah, its certainly not out of the realm of imagination due to X-Men, but man I hope its not true. Its the one thing I was aware of Bendis doing at Marvel and the one practice I desperately hoped he wouldn't bring. Multiple versions of the same character running around a main continuity drives me mad. Especially when you have other means for a "have your cake and eat it too scenario". We have it right here with Jon, tangibly happening. I'm talking about the Zoom imprint Super Sons book. Right there that guarantees we're getting 17 yo Jon and 10 yo Jon. And it won't confuse anything because they're separate incarnations. That's the way to explore different types of the same character.

As far as who Kon-El stayed with in a refurbished version of the pre-FP continuity, could Lana be a candidate? I know that last we saw, she very confusingly seemed to be based of her New 52 self. But at this point in time I don't think it would be hard to say she was living regularly in Smallville at least during this period. Maybe she served as his guardian. DC's had her do the same with Kara before after all. It would be confusing making it all fit but lets not fool ourselves, nothing about the past makes sense. It makes less sense now than before Flashpoint, when it was already a huge problem. So, yeah.

Another option though? They just gloss over his living arrangements as they're bringing back the Kents anyway after Doomsday Clock. I still consider that on the table.

[Superlad93]

Also Bendis seems to have retweeted someone taking a guess at the seven crises

https://twitter.com/Reading_Hix/stat...81798176583680

1. Crisis on Infinite Earths
2. Zero Hour
3. Infinite Crisis
4. Final Crisis
5. Flashpoint
6. Convergence
7. Rebirth (still to be revealed in full)

Superman Reborn (as part of Rebirth and in direct acknowledgement of Convergence) may be getting a fairly direct shout out in the pages of Young Justice.

And in the recent interview Bendis talked about these forgotten young characters getting to react to major changes and events in the DCU. I think he's hinting at slotting in a Superboy (Conner) Reborn if I had to guess.

[DragonPiece]

While I don't at all think Bendis isn't capable of doing that given the idea behind his recent X-Men run, I actually think any Superboy sibling dynamic is 100% coming from Jon and Conner rather than a Jon/Jon situation. Don't know if you've (or anyone besides those around the Kon-El thread) have seen these but check em out.







These images seem to take place before Conner heads off to Gemworld. He seems to be named Conner Kent, he's sporting the glasses, going to school, living in what seems to be a small town, and in full on Johns mode in terms of look. Since the Kents have been dead long before Conner was even a rough idea, this makes what was previously said pretty hard to pull off......unless Conner lived in Hamilton County alongside Clark, Lois, and Jon for a bit. Similar to how Superman Reborn recontextulized a lot of stuff to fit continuity, I think the same may be the case here. Worth also mentioning the parallels between them. The whole going off to a far off land and coming back deal. I think it's deliberate. He's inviting the comparison, I feel.

Bendis seems to be making a big deal out of Jon and Conner meeting in future (saying something to the effect of "people can't even imagine them in the same room right now.") And if I'm honest I'm more a fan of the "play the ball where it is" Invincible (Image comics) feel that Bendis has been conjuring in interviews.

Hmm, I'm really confused about Conor's situation then, who raised him since the Kent's are dead? The theory that Bendis books takes place after doomsday clock, where clark's parents likely come back to life must play into this?

[Yoda]

If he lived in Hamilton with the Kents that could be how Bendis meant he's putting Connor and Jon in the same room. The problem is if Connor was still created as part of Reign of Supermen it would have happened at least 11 or 12 years ago, making him part of Dicks generation, not Tim's. Maybe they are retconing his origin later a la Young Justice cartoo.

[Truman Burbank]

I think I'm done with Bendis now. I've given it a fair shake, and all these books are doing is making me dread going to my comic shop and paying for them.

Rebirth brought me back to Superman comics as an extension of the books I loved growing up, and now that's all for sure being torn down. The age-up of Jon Kent is trashing the most natural and forward-moving development the books had seen in a long time, and it's now putting Jon in direct conflict with the role Conner should have in the DCU. Two 17ish-year-old Superboys is a problem, and it's going to result in one of them being removed from the main universe. Either Conner or Jon is going to get shipped off to the future to join the Legion, and that didn't have to happen.

I'd also now put it at a near-certainty that there will be a story where 17-year-old Jon has to be explained publicly. "Cuck Kent" is coming (just hopefully not with that exact phrase coming from the mouth of Steve Lombard); the question is whether it's written to portray Clark Kent as a complete loser (by marrying an already-pregnant Lois Lane as a favor to her and Superman), or written to continue the "Slutty Lois" characterization that's been seeping into everything (Lois cheats on Clark with Superman). It will also mean that "Jon Kent," for all intents and purposes, is dead as a character. Superboy can never be turned off, which is why I suspect Jon will be the one shipped off to the future. Just like Cable and Cyclops!

Then you have the solicits revealing that the Leviathan story in Action Comics could (or will) see Clark reveal his secret identity to Amanda Waller, a villain. Because yeah, Superman has always trusted villains, especially with something like that.

The decompression is maddening, I don't care about Rogol Zaar, Trish Q, Melody Moore, or Robinson Goode at all, and I really don't care about Superman's "voice" in the books because there's a lot of bad deus ex machina happening and characters being written contrary to themselves so that they make decisions that allow for these stories. As I've said before, these are not Superman stories told by Bendis; these are Bendis stories using Superman characters.

These are not good stories; they are status quo shifts just for the sake of status quo shifts, and I don't care to find out where they lead. I mean, Conner has finally come back, and I find that I don't care because I don't trust what's going to be done with him either. That makes me sad.

[Yoda]

I think I'm done with Bendis now. I've given it a fair shake, and all these books are doing is making me dread going to my comic shop and paying for them.

Rebirth brought me back to Superman comics as an extension of the books I loved growing up, and now that's all for sure being torn down. The age-up of Jon Kent is trashing the most natural and forward-moving development the books had seen in a long time, and it's now putting Jon in direct conflict with the role Conner should have in the DCU. Two 17ish-year-old Superboys is a problem, and it's going to result in one of them being removed from the main universe. Either Conner or Jon is going to get shipped off to the future to join the Legion, and that didn't have to happen.

I'd also now put it at a near-certainty that there will be a story where 17-year-old Jon has to be explained publicly. "Cuck Kent" is coming (just hopefully not with that exact phrase coming from the mouth of Steve Lombard); the question is whether it's written to portray Clark Kent as a complete loser (by marrying an already-pregnant Lois Lane as a favor to her and Superman), or written to continue the "Slutty Lois" characterization that's been seeping into everything (Lois cheats on Clark with Superman). It will also mean that "Jon Kent," for all intents and purposes, is dead as a character. Superboy can never be turned off, which is why I suspect Jon will be the one shipped off to the future. Just like Cable and Cyclops!

Then you have the solicits revealing that the Leviathan story in Action Comics could (or will) see Clark reveal his secret identity to Amanda Waller, a villain. Because yeah, Superman has always trusted villains, especially with something like that.

The decompression is maddening, I don't care about Rogol Zaar, Trish Q, Melody Moore, or Robinson Goode at all, and I really don't care about Superman's "voice" in the books because there's a lot of bad deus ex machina happening and characters being written contrary to themselves so that they make decisions that allow for these stories. As I've said before, these are not Superman stories told by Bendis; these are Bendis stories using Superman characters.

These are not good stories; they are status quo shifts just for the sake of status quo shifts, and I don't care to find out where they lead. I mean, Conner has finally come back, and I find that I don't care because I don't trust what's going to be done with him either. That makes me sad.

There are ways that the Lois/Clark/Superman/Jon thing could be resolved that aren't gross. There's a break in their relationship you could put a Lois and Superman relationship in that could have resulted in Jon. They reconcile and get married quickly afterwards, then Lois realizes she's pregnant. It doesn't make Clark a loser at all to raise Jon in that circumstances. He could be Jon's stepfather and it allows for a role for Superman in his life growing up. It's a modern blended family. They all look good in that circumstance. Unfortunately, I don't think that Bendis is going to go in that direction.

Also, if you want someone to clean up a mess of secret identity nonsense, Amanda Waller would be one person to do that. If anyone can squash this whole thing for Clark and Lois it's her. Trish could have a pretty uncomfortable conversation coming up on that. Trish could also come to her senses on this and not publish the story of Superboy when she gets it. Bendis seems to be setting up a story on this type of journalism, and it doesn't really serve his ends if what Trish reports is actually accurate or Lois confirms it essentially. That doesn't really speak to this is a bad type of journalism if essentially, it's portraying the truth. If anything it's the opposite.

But regardless, I think what is going to happen is that it will come to a point where Clark feels that he has to give up being Clark Kent to take Jon on as Superman and to stop Lois from being dragged through the mud. Lois will stop him and basically regurgitate Bendis' interview talking points that Clark Kent - Reporter is the only thing he's had to chose for himself. His life as Superman was chosen for him essentially, and she'll take the heat so he can keep that part of himself. They'll publically separate once Lois outs that Jon is Superman's son and not Clark's. That will recreate an inverted triangle for two with Lois and Clark having to pretend to no longer be in love or married but still work together. While secretly they'll still be husband and wife. Probably even get a second wedding after the "divorce" of Lois and Clark.

Give DC it's cake and lets them eat it too. Bendis gets back what he considers the most romantic couple in pop culture, Superman and Lois Lane, and lets them have their "modern" secret superhero marriage with all the romantic rendezvous etc.

I would actually think that's a great status quo if it didn't hinge on making Lois Lane's public persona a cheating spouse. Had that been the way the New 52 reset the relationship eventually I would have been ecstatic. But I really do not like that Bendis thinks it's ok to have all the "bad" characters constantly imply she's a slut, because you know, they are bad. It's the same mindset he had in regard to Action 1002. It was a bad guy who said it, so it's ok. He was rightly called out on than and quickly retreated. I mean even Tom King commented on it. No one will call him out on this though I don't think.

I still have my doubts that DC will go that route. But all of Bendis' statements on this stuff work in that context.

[Superlad93]

If he lived in Hamilton with the Kents that could be how Bendis meant he's putting Connor and Jon in the same room. The problem is if Connor was still created as part of Reign of Supermen it would have happened at least 11 or 12 years ago, making him part of Dicks generation, not Tim's. Maybe they are retconing his origin later a la Young Justice cartoo.

I honestly don't know how it'd work. The only option seems to be adhering to the fact that he currently wasn't in Reign of the Supermen. Young Justice seems to flat out say that there was a Young Justice team, Tim totally knows who Conner is, but Cassie is still Lennox's daughter and Zeus' granddaughter, so the New 52 origins might totally be in play, but recontextulized.

So, that kind of leaves things open for Conner to have been made basically at basically anytime because the New 52 origin isn't dependent on any specific time in Superman's life. Like, say they started Young Justice when they were anywhere between 13 to 15. Tim and Jinny are old enough to drive alone, so, depending on the state, they're anywhere between 16 and 18. That'd make Jon something like 5 or 7 around the time Conner lived with them--if he lived with them.

Outside of the actual Reign Of The Supermen movie, the other two media incarnations of Conner Kent don't seem to pressed about making sure he's in Reign. Bendis did say that he'd share some similarities with the Young Justice show, so you could have guessed right, and Conner's less era dependent origin could be one of them?

[Journey]

See shit like this is why I don't like Bendis writing he does shit just for the sake of doin shit! Jon and Damien had a great fucking dynamic and there was years of potential with that shit and he just threw it away for what? Why did he age up the character? He's not gonna have a good reason. Odds are he'll just do his little story arc and then pass the mess on to some other writer to clean it up. Ugh!

Also it's been 3 weeks that's not no damn seperatation that's a vacation.

[JasonTodd428]

But regardless, I think what is going to happen is that it will come to a point where Clark feels that he has to give up being Clark Kent to take Jon on as Superman and to stop Lois from being dragged through the mud. Lois will stop him and basically regurgitate Bendis' interview talking points that Clark Kent - Reporter is the only thing he's had to chose for himself. His life as Superman was chosen for him essentially, and she'll take the heat so he can keep that part of himself. They'll publically separate once Lois outs that Jon is Superman's son and not Clark's. That will recreate an inverted triangle for two with Lois and Clark having to pretend to no longer be in love or married but still work together. While secretly they'll still be husband and wife. Probably even get a second wedding after the "divorce" of Lois and Clark.

I would really be extremely disappointed if that is how this all goes down because in the end it doesn't make anyone look particularly good whichever way you slice it and its also basically throwing Lois under the bus on top that. That's just my personal opinion on that particular scenario though. It is still a way to "shake up" their relationship, which is something that fans seem to want. That being said I just think there are other, better ways for achieving that shakeup without making the characters involved look bad.

Give DC it's cake and lets them eat it too. Bendis gets back what he considers the most romantic couple in pop culture, Superman and Lois Lane, and lets them have their "modern" secret superhero marriage with all the romantic rendezvous etc.

Unfortunately this also sets up a situation wherein Lois and Clark could get caught cheating because that's where stories like this always lead. Sorry but in my opinion Lois is ALREADY married to Superman, its just that no one else knows that and in all honesty the public doesn't really need to know that anyway for it to still be true. All this stinks of drama for drama's sake not good, nuanced writing and I can actually see Bendis going there without much interference from DC. They did hand him the keys to the castle here after all so I doubt they are going to do anything so long as sales remain decent.

I would actually think that's a great status quo if it didn't hinge on making Lois Lane's public persona a cheating spouse. Had that been the way the New 52 reset the relationship eventually I would have been ecstatic. But I really do not like that Bendis thinks it's ok to have all the "bad" characters constantly imply she's a slut, because you know, they are bad. It's the same mindset he had in regard to Action 1002. It was a bad guy who said it, so it's ok. He was rightly called out on than and quickly retreated. I mean even Tom King commented on it. No one will call him out on this though I don't think.

Fans might call him out on this though, particularly fans of Lois who are already not all that happy with him.

[Yoda]

I would really be extremely disappointed if that is how this all goes down because in the end it doesn't make anyone look particularly good whichever way you slice it and its also basically throwing Lois under the bus on top that. That's just my personal opinion on that particular scenario though. It is still a way to "shake up" their relationship, which is something that fans seem to want. That being said I just think there are other, better ways for achieving that shakeup without making the characters involved look bad.



Unfortunately this also sets up a situation wherein Lois and Clark could get caught cheating because that's where stories like this always lead. Sorry but in my opinion Lois is ALREADY married to Superman, its just that no one else knows that and in all honesty the public doesn't really need to know that anyway for it to still be true. All this stinks of drama for drama's sake not good, nuanced writing and I can actually see Bendis going there without much interference from DC. They did hand him the keys to the castle here after all so I doubt they are going to do anything so long as sales remain decent.



Fans might call him out on this though, particularly fans of Lois who are already not all that happy with him.

I don't disagree with any of your points at all. I'm dreading this myself. But the writing is increasingly on the wall I think. He would deserve to be called out on it, but he'll get 15 fawning interviews about how great it is he shook up the boring marriage and how he's showing how much they love each other and are committed to each other and how romantic it is when they interact because they are not a normal.couple or family so why should they care if Lois is thought of as a slut by the general public? They'll know it's not true.

I don't agree with any of that but that's how he'll sell it I can guarantee.

I still.have my doubts he'll go that far. It's a pretty big status quo change and one that makes the basic backstory of Superman comics a lot less wholesome. I mean you build infidelity and slut shaming into the DNA of the characters. That's a far cry from Clark Kent is a wimp so no one knows he's Superman.

[Truman Burbank]

It is still a way to "shake up" their relationship, which is something that fans seem to want.

I think there are some fans that do, but I think it's being pushed (as with most of the status quo shakeups of the past 20 years) because it's something certain people at DC want.

[Superlad93]

Ya know something? I really wonder what Lois' book is about now that it doesn't seem to be about setting up a story for her son. In the preview she's just as surprised as Clark is about the age up. So it seems she was being figurative about hitting puberty when they left orbit. It seems to have been more so a comment on how well he took to space or how self sufficient he was becoming in such a short time. So, now the book is up in air as far as its subject.

It obviously seems to involve Superman, but Bendis did say she was holding onto something that may even be too dangerous for Clark to know right now (I'm guessing because he'd immediately try to go face it). I'm thinking someone out in space recognized the S on her, her father-in-law, or her son's chest and had something to say about it.

Or ya know what? Maybe it was on her return trip home? Maybe Jon is in on it to an extent? Maybe it's multiverse related? How does The Question fit into it (if at all) given he's suppose to have parallels to Lois under Bendis?