Official : Bendis gets both books

[DragonPiece]

Another quote from Bendis: https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/03...-jim-lee-sxsw/

"(on upcoming issues): Action Comics #1000 will be starting the Superman run with a tease. Superman #400 is one of my favorite comics of all time, a celebration of comics in general. And so, to be part of the thousandth version of that is so exciting. We’re using it as the jumping off point for Man of Steel #1, a big event with each issue drawn by one of the biggest artits at DC. It will end with a new status quo, a new situation for Superman in the DC universe. And then it will be followed by Superman #1 and Action Comics #1001."

[Ascended]

It will end with a new status quo, a new situation for Superman in the DC universe.

.....this is the part that worries me the most.

[titansupes]

^ I have to agree. We've only been enjoying a stable, classic (more-or-less) for what, a year now? Less? We don't need more "THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING!!" shake-ups...

But, as always, I live in hope...

[Sacred Knight]

I'm slightly concerned, but I'm still doubting anything of a drastic nature outside of a new take on the fate of Krypton. Which will alter certain contexts of course and in of itself has to be navigated carefully, but probably not his present conditions in any jarring way, outside of dealing with these revelations of the past. I'm just not expecting anything like, Superman turns a corner and on the next panel he's all different, like WW Odyssey or something. But, I've been thrown off-guard before. So if Mr. Oz shows up again and sacrifices his life and the result is a changed timeline, I'll only be sorta shocked, lol.

[The Dying Detective]

Another quote from Bendis: https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/03...-jim-lee-sxsw/

"(on upcoming issues): Action Comics #1000 will be starting the Superman run with a tease. Superman #400 is one of my favorite comics of all time, a celebration of comics in general. And so, to be part of the thousandth version of that is so exciting. We’re using it as the jumping off point for Man of Steel #1, a big event with each issue drawn by one of the biggest artits at DC. It will end with a new status quo, a new situation for Superman in the DC universe. And then it will be followed by Superman #1 and Action Comics #1001."

You know in the face of all this I find myself feeling remarkably calm for some reason.

[micahbevans88]

A new status quo can be good or bad. I understand how people can have trepidation for the prospect of yet another new status quo for superman, but he claims to be building off what we have currently and there's no reason not to take him at face value for the time being. Superman's line, like it or not (I've been mildly content with rebirth and enjoy jon) could use a shot in the arm and an exciting new direction to reclaim his place as the greatest superhero (or at least one whose sales reflect greater interest.)

[jimmy]

A new status quo can be good or bad. I understand how people can have trepidation for the prospect of yet another new status quo for superman, but he claims to be building off what we have currently and there's no reason not to take him at face value for the time being. Superman's line, like it or not (I've been mildly content with rebirth and enjoy jon) could use a shot in the arm and an exciting new direction to reclaim his place as the greatest superhero (or at least one whose sales reflect greater interest.)

I'm looking very much forward to it, a NEW DIRECTION and the event(s) leading up to - and the aftermath that effects Superman and the status quo....

[Superlad93]

-Nice to hear about a Lois Lane book of some kind on the way.

-I like how Bendis describes every issue of Man of Steel as an "event." Sort of makes me feel like I have a general idea of the structure.

-As always, I'm super into what Bendis has to say about Clark. "The biggest decision Clark made for himself was to become a reporter" is a really evocative and loaded tagline, and I'm sure Bendis knows it.

-We finally got a bit of insight into Bendis' Superman (possibly). "Superman, he said, can be a powerful symbol for hope (and truth and justice) but only if we allow him to be." That last bit is ominous in a way. It's to say "well why wouldn't we let him be?" but then you spend more than a minute and remember us as a people, and you go "oh, well, yeah."

-Then we have the change to the "new status quo" coming up with whatever implications it has coming with it. If I were to hazard a guess based on what I have so far, I'd say the real change up to the status quo with be more so in Superman's mind set and approach to heroics and reporting. We've been so focused on the idea of this new status quo being something of a tangible nature or a form of reboot, but we've yet to even consider for a moment that it might be in regards to the man himself. Bendis has spent every interview in regards to his run talking about Superman/Clark as a person, yet we've assumed it'll be something external that changes. Suppose Superman's new mindset (possibly more proactive? A more actively proactive Superman would 100% ripple within the DCU as Bendis keeps hinting) is what brings about the new gossip, news, and ripple effect that warrants Action Comics becoming the book to explore all of that?

So to quickly lay it all out: We have a new villain who has links to Krypton, the Justice League as a entity is being acknowledged right at the start of MOS, the Clark's choice to become a reporter will be highlighted for the level of autonomy and impact it represents for him, Jon and Lois are confirmed, Lois seems to be possibly getting a book, Kara is confirmed and will be there to deal with the villain, one of the defining characteristics of Metropolis is its diversity, and Superman famous immigrant status is directly responsible for that, the after shocks from events from Superman adventures will be felt and explored in Action Comics from the ground level, these same events will apparently ripple out into the DCU.

I'm guessing his change in costume will be written as a symbolic representation of his change approach to heroics.

[rpmaluki]

Bendis and his plan for Clark centred stories along with Metropolis and the DP piqued my interest but Lois getting her own book will be a cherry on top. Lois possibly getting her own book has me truly excited.

[Myskin]

I 'll stick to my position - so far, there isn't a single thing said by Bendis which doesn't point in the right direction.
To be fair, there isn't a single Superman-related project announced by DC in the latest months which doesn't point in the right direction. I am not saying that everything will be good, or even that I will read it. I just think that there is a real, renewed interest towards the character on DC's part and this is the first real attempt at a relaunch in, well, decades (I don't consider the Rebirth series a relaunch, or even a good comic book, and the New52 turned out to be a chaotic mess). I don't want to jinx the whole thing but that's the way I see it.

Even if you don't like Bendis or Miller, they are very clever, talented writers (Miller hasn't produced particularly good books in the latest years, but it's the creator of DKR and I think that this is more than enough to give him a limited Superman series, at least from a business standpoint) who are used to thinking outside of the box. And this is a very good approach to a character who has been burdened by years of rhetoric, paternalism, stereotyped dialogues and plotlines (yes, I am looking at you, Jurgens).

But I'd say that even the Krypton TV series and the Metropolis TV series are interesting. This doesn't mean that they will be good - I have a feeling that they will be mostly garbage in the same way Gotham is garbage, or even Supergirl the TV series is garbage, at least to me - but it is interesting that there is a real interest in building something serious about the cast and the city - two of the major underdeveloped elements of the Superman books in comparison to Batman. In a way, it's more interesting that Superman ISN'T in it because this will allow the series to develop some secondary elements without being in the shadow of Superman. I've been waiting for a unique redesign of Metropolis for years and this is the very first real attempt at doing it since Y2K.

So... I'll wait and see; this is not the first time they attempted something which didn't prove to be particularly good. But if they do it right, I think that we are facing a very important moment in the character's history.

[Miles To Go]

You know in the face of all this I find myself feeling remarkably calm for some reason.

Well we know Lois and Clark are still together in Doomsday Clock, so even if they go through something major here, it'll only be temporary

I don't consider the Rebirth series a relaunch, or even a good comic book_

Except it was.

And this is a very good approach to a character who has been burdened by years of rhetoric, paternalism, stereotyped dialogues and plotlines (yes, I am looking at you, Jurgens).

I think Jurgen's work was amongst the most refreshing takes in years, and it proved popular whether you care to admit it or not.

[Dolores - The Worst Poster Ever]

Even if you don't like Bendis or Miller, they are very clever, talented writers (Miller hasn't produced particularly good books in the latest years, but it's the creator of DKR and I think that this is more than enough to give him a limited Superman series, at least from a business standpoint) who are used to thinking outside of the box. And this is a very good approach to a character who has been burdened by years of rhetoric, paternalism, stereotyped dialogues and plotlines (yes, I am looking at you, Jurgens).

The great thing about Bendis taking over is that because of his reputation, even if his Superman work turns out to be among the worst Superman runs ever, the character and the line can recover quickly after he departs. Any damage Bendis does is unlikely to stick to the character once he's done.

If he does a good job, great. If he does a bad job and trashes the line, DC has the opportunity to hand it over to others to rebuild it.

I look at it like Superman's some great materials but the instructions provided to build something with them is, not great to say the least. The current teams built what they were supposed to with the given instructions, but they could only limit the awfulness so much. Bendis is given the opportunity to deviate from the instructions, which can lead to not just the books becoming less awful but maybe actually good. If he does such a bad job that by the end of his run what was created with the instructions has been completely broken down, then whoever comes next will, provided DC doesn't make the same mistake they did with Rebirth, have the opportunity to build something new with the same great materials and not be limited by the instructions followed by the Rebirth team.

Better to attempt creating something good, than settle for mediocrity.

---

To make sure there's no confusion, I will say here that I'm aware the Rebirth books have lots of fans and have been well received. When I say the books have been bad, I am speaking for myself not the fandom, or even a portion of the fandom. I am aware the Rebirth direction has been popular and sales have been good. What I say about the books and their quality are not meant to be objective statements about the quality of the book.

When it comes to what I think of the current direction and the current teams, I am in the minority. By all accounts, Rebirth has pleased most longtime fans and brought in some new ones.

[manofsteel1979]

Well, we have the artist order for the book now

That Man of Steel logo is identical to the one on Byrne's MOS in 1986. DC is really sending a message of this being a similar turning point.

[Kuwagaton]

Yeah which makes me wonder. I mean from what Bendis has said about the MoS format, it's fair to just call that an aspect of marketing. If people are expecting a difference in writing, that's a reasonable expectation set by the simple fact that Bendis is someone completely different from other writers we've had. But expecting Bendis to deviate is clearly not in line with the expectations set by the interviews.

[manofsteel1979]

What also strikes me looking at those covers is that if this is indeed an origin retelling in practice, this will be the first one to include his death and his marriage to Lois as parts of his origin. Of course there have been recaps and flashbacks before, but this is the first time those events are established within the body of an origin story.