Official : Bendis gets both books

[The Dying Detective]

Essentially what unfolded with batman over the few years after crisis.

I'll always wonder what sort of neat new additions to the mythos and story arcs would have been made had they largely kept pre-crisis superman intact. So much creative storytelling energy has been spent over the past 30 years trying to 'fix' the character rather than adding to him.

The issues with Pre-Crisis Superman was his largely broken power levels.

[jimmy]

Essentially what unfolded with batman over the few years after crisis.

I'll always wonder what sort of neat new additions to the mythos and story arcs would have been made had they largely kept pre-crisis superman intact. So much creative storytelling energy has been spent over the past 30 years trying to 'fix' the character rather than adding to him.

More outer space adventures that called for inter-galactic and inter-dimensional travel I'd imagine, with Superman discovering more and more of how his powers worked, and how his abilities are evolving beyond his weakness and limitation (as by now, Superman can travel to solar system that have a native red star with no problems) since he now use the entire spectrum of wave length radiation. IMHO - you would have a much more rich and interesting character with tons of history intact.

The issues with Pre-Crisis Superman was his largely broken power levels.

The constant flux in power from book to book (writer to writer) was crazy at times, and the sad thing is - that something that could have been fix without destroying everything.

[The Dying Detective]

The constant flux in power from book to book (writer to writer) was crazy at times, and the sad thing is - that something that could have been fix without destroying everything.

Okay but how could it have been done and also Supergirl's presence contradicts the old story that Superman was the last and only survivor of Krypton. And not to mention a lot of character's backstories were inconsistent.

[jimmy]

Okay but how could it have been done and also Supergirl's presence contradicts the old story that Superman was the last and only survivor of Krypton. And not to mention a lot of character's backstories were inconsistent.

The "Readers Digest" version (A combination of Star Trek's: "Mirror, Mirror", "Alternative Factor" and "The Tholian Web") would be a fluctuating inter-dimensional rift in space is causing the fabric of universe(s) to over lap one another warping reality, which allows for similar, but not the same character bleeding in from different realities. This would help to explain the different / inconsistent backstories. Close off the rift, and stream line and lock down the character to whatever background you are stuck with and bound by!

Supergirl could be handled in a couple of different ways; the first would be from a different reality (universe) as per above or, have an expedition leave Krypton for another solar system, having been spared destruction of Krypton with Kara being part of it. However, she not completely safe as the expedition is lost, and Kara is sucked into worm hole that deposits her near earth many years later.

[The Dying Detective]

The "Readers Digest" version (A combination of Star Trek's: "Mirror, Mirror", "Alternative Factor" and "The Tholian Web") would be a fluctuating inter-dimensional rift in space is causing the fabric of universe(s) to over lap one another warping reality, which allows for similar, but not the same character bleeding in from different realities. This would help to explain the different / inconsistent backstories. Close off the rift, and stream line and lock down the character to whatever background you are stuck with and bound by!

Supergirl could be handled in a couple of different ways; the first would be from a different reality (universe) as per above or, have an expedition leave Krypton for another solar system, having been spared destruction of Krypton with Kara being part of it. However, she not completely safe as the expedition is lost, and Kara is sucked into worm hole that deposits her near earth many years later.

Okay I guess that works better than the Multiverse plan DC went with. Maybe how you suggested to intergrate Supergirl could work maybe unless someone can find a way to explain why she is a teenager.

[micahbevans88]

Okay but how could it have been done and also Supergirl's presence contradicts the old story that Superman was the last and only survivor of Krypton. And not to mention a lot of character's backstories were inconsistent.

If you really wanted to stick to that concept you'd also have to get rid of Zod and so many other great characters. It's not worth it to be honest.

[The Dying Detective]

If you really wanted to stick to that concept you'd also have to get rid of Zod and so many other great characters. It's not worth it to be honest.

But Zod is kind of easy to do since they are often imprisoned in the Phantom Zone. And sending him back in it's own unique way continues the notion that Superman is the last Kryptonian Supergirl back then posed a mild problem in the idea.

[Miles To Go]

[Atlas]

Yeah I wasn't a big fan of that re-boot and I miss that Superman, as that universe could have been fix easily...

That's because Dido likes projects, and Superman at that point is in "project building mode" but the thing is a part of Superman should always been growing and expanding; powers abilities, and especially mentally. The mental side in Superman has been lacking and I hate seeing him portrayed as some dummy when he really should be the smartest cat on the planet.

I know during the 1985 86 reboot he was depowered physically and mentally both were mistakes, unless DC was going to show progression having his abilities increase over time.

Agree completely on Superman's mental abilities. The only time in recent memory I recall his super-intelligence being addressed was All-Star Superman, Morrison's Action arc, and Busiek's run. Morrison had him read medical books at super-speed to operate on Lois and Busiek had Clark store entire books in "microdots" in periods throughout a book he was reading on a plane. He was able to read hundreds of books while only appearing to read one.

Sadly, Superman will never be able to be the smartest cat on the planet because Batman HAS to be that guy. I'm so sick of the oversaturation of Batman and the Batgod that I've stopped buying all Batman titles and won't pick one up again until the Dark Knight Detective portrayal returns.

[Stardust]

Morrison had him read medical books at super-speed to operate on Lois

Morrison had him read medical books in a library. Then he declared, that he read every medical book on the planet (obviously he was thinking that there were no more medical books in existance than those in that library).
And when he operated on Lois he thought his dull, dirty nail was better than a desinfected scalpel prooving, that he understood nothing he just read.

If that is supposed to be Superman when he is intelligent, I prefer him supposedly dumb.

[jimmy]

If you really wanted to stick to that concept you'd also have to get rid of Zod and so many other great characters. It's not worth it to be honest.

Why would you need to get rid of Zod or, any other character there's no need to do so?

[Ascended]

Morrison had him read medical books in a library. Then he declared, that he read every medical book on the planet (obviously he was thinking that there were no more medical books in existance than those in that library).
And when he operated on Lois he thought his dull, dirty nail was better than a desinfected scalpel prooving, that he understood nothing he just read.

If that is supposed to be Superman when he is intelligent, I prefer him supposedly dumb.

Those are fair points; I hadn't considered that.

As for "reading all the medical books in the world" well....I'd assume the library has a computer with Internet access, which would give Clark access to, if not literally every medical book, then more than enough for his purposes. And his nail.....a quick flash of heat vision or cold breath to kill off the bacteria and he's probably correct.

In any case, the surgery went just fine and Lois made a full recovery, so it seems Clark learned enough.

Why would you need to get rid of Zod or, any other character there's no need to do so?

I'd actually be fine with Supergirl being taken out. Zod and the other Zone criminals get a pass because they're stuck in the Zone 99.9% of the time. Kara.....I dunno, I've never cared for the concept of her. I've enjoyed her stories at times, and read her books, but the concept behind the character is one I've never grown to enjoy (unlike Krypto, who I have come to appreciate).

[Stardust]

As for "reading all the medical books in the world" well....I'd assume the library has a computer with Internet access, which would give Clark access to, if not literally every medical book, then more than enough for his purposes. And his nail.....a quick flash of heat vision or cold breath to kill off the bacteria and he's probably correct.

The library alone had probably enough books for his purpose, but even with computer access not "every medical book in the world". Morrison still chose to let him say this.

The comic didn't show him use heat vision on his fingers. Which means to me it didn't happen.

His finger nail still is duller than a scalpel. The main use of a scalpel is being really, really sharp. A finger would rip not cut.

Lois survived. Well you could pump her full of antibiotica afterwards, which is basically my interpretation of the scene.
The doctors were silent, because they already determined, that they would be too slow, so mister "I have no idea about medicin, and I'm talking out of my ass", couldn't really make it worse. And he at least demonstrated that he is fast (if dumb).
Getting her to survive the injury was the hard part, stabilizing her afterwards isn't.

[jimmy]

Those are fair points; I hadn't considered that.

As for "reading all the medical books in the world" well....I'd assume the library has a computer with Internet access, which would give Clark access to, if not literally every medical book, then more than enough for his purposes. And his nail.....a quick flash of heat vision or cold breath to kill off the bacteria and he's probably correct.

In any case, the surgery went just fine and Lois made a full recovery, so it seems Clark learned enough.



I'd actually be fine with Supergirl being taken out. Zod and the other Zone criminals get a pass because they're stuck in the Zone 99.9% of the time. Kara.....I dunno, I've never cared for the concept of her. I've enjoyed her stories at times, and read her books, but the concept behind the character is one I've never grown to enjoy (unlike Krypto, who I have come to appreciate).

Very interesting... I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that this is called:
"There is too many people with redundant abilities / There doesn't always have to be a gender opposite hero, with a redundant name and abilities - Syndrome.

For example: you already have a Superman, do you really need a Supergirl? Same notation with Batman and Batgirl etc...

There is something great about being unique!

[Ascended]

Very interesting... I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that this is called:
"There is too many people with redundant abilities / There doesn't always have to be a gender opposite hero, with a redundant name and abilities - Syndrome.

For example: you already have a Superman, do you really need a Supergirl? Same notation with Batman and Batgirl etc...

There is something great about being unique!

Damn dude, way to assume the worst! Actually I have no problem with redundant powers or gender-bent legacies/partners/replacements/sidekicks/whatever. Can you even like comics and dislike sidekicks and legacies? Is that even allowed?

My issue with Kara is her origin. It cracks my suspension of disbelief. I think its one of the concepts from the Silver Age that should've been left in the past. A lot of that stuff carries over really, really, really well. If you know my tastes in Superman, you know I have a lot of love for the crazy high concept Silver Age stuff. But I don't think "Clark's cousin from Krypton" works.

I've still read the book and enjoyed the character over the years. I just find her origin problematic. I'm fine with having a Supergirl running around the DCU and indeed, I think we're better off having one. I just prefer a Supergirl who isn't Clark's cousin from Krypton.

There is something great about being unique, but Clark is unique whether a Supergirl exists or not. There's no one else in comics quite like Superman, and it feels right for him to share his shield with others. I mean, that's the whole point right? "Do good to others and every man can be a Superman"?