DC Nation #0 (SPOILERS) - free release on Reading Apps

[Soubhagya]

There is still the Superman Special by Tomasi and Gleeson coming out either next week or the week after. The Action Comics special by Jurgens is also out today.

I have read the Action Comics Special. It was good. But it came out only today. I forgot about that Superman special. I don't keep a careful track on the solicitations. I saw the date of Man of Steel #1 release. And i was like "What! Today's only the second!" Because #1000 came out last month i was thinking that Man of Steel will start really soon. 30th is effectively next month. As i said, i had not kept track of the dates.

I am going to miss reading Superman every week. I was spoiled by Rebirth. Thankfully, there's Superman special. There's something. Hopefully, i enjoy Bendis' work. I was really enjoying Superman.

[Soubhagya]

Meek and unassuming Clark who is surprisingly competent as a reporter. That's all. Weak choice of words to be honest, but I was in a rush and on my phone.



Watching your boss having what amounts to a meltdown in the middle of the office because he's clearly sad over his favorite reporter and daughter figure leaving is pretty awkward in itself. Becomes more awkward when he acts like he doesn't care--giving away Lois' office and what not-- but in reality he's pretty hurt.

Yep! I got it.

[Kirby Krackle]

Not sure what to think. I have a really odd feeling in my stomach after reading that. I can't really place why.

[Truman Burbank]

Reading some of the advance reviews for the DC Nation story i was preparing myself for something terrible when it came to Lois. It feels like a lot of those reviewers are jumping to conclusions a bit. The whole implied mystery surrounding Lois' whereabouts is a little concerning, but honestly i dont mind them taking Lois and Jon off the canvas for a short time to resquare the focus back on Clark again for the duration of Man of Steel. Don't get me wrong, ive enjoyed the Superfamily immensely the last two years ( four years worth of material ) but it could be argued the SUPERMAN book has been a co-staring vehicle for Jon during its most recent run,so im ok with not seeing Jon and by extension Lois for awhile , just as long as Bendis doesn't milk the " where is the Superfamily?" angle as an ongoing mystery beyond MOS. Hopefully by the end of that we know where they are and that they are safe and sound and give us a satisfying reason for setting them aside for a little while. Bendis must tread carefully, but so far i see nothing to be that upset about.

I can agree with that. I personally am apprehensive toward whatever comes after Man of Steel because of the interview where Bendis talked about how much of a role DiDio played in bringing him in. Dan DiDio needs to be far, far away from Superman.

[manofsteel1979]

I can agree with that. I personally am apprehensive toward whatever comes after Man of Steel because of the interview where Bendis talked about how much of a role DiDio played in bringing him in. Dan DiDio needs to be far, far away from Superman.

I think the small part of me that is worried about Bendis' run is rooted in the fact DiDio was involved in hiring and has been implied to have been part of the creative process leading up to MOS. Nothing Bendis himself has said has made me worry all that much.

[RepHope]

I actually thought Bendis' story was the strongest of the three. I like his voice for Clark and Perry, I'm curious about Goode (is that scene of her in the bar meant to hint she's more villainous than she seems?), and I'm curious to know what's up with Lois and Jon. It was really refreshing to see the Daily Planet in all it's glory again. I was kind of hoping that they would redo the President Luthor storyline, but I am glad Lex was President at one point again.

[JasonTodd428]

Okay I read the Bendis Superman story through three times and then kept away from it for a bit so I could form my own opinion on it. I also didn't read any of the early reviews because I really wanted to just read this particular story without any preconceived ideas about it, beyond my own anyway, and without letting anyone else's impressions of it color my own. So here's what I got.

1. There were a lot of interesting things in this story and a few things that really intrigued me, probably enough to stick around to see where this all goes.

2. The the plot and pacing where nice and everyone seemed to be in character as far as I can tell. I loved Perry here in particular and it was nice to see the Planet staff again even if they were just there in the background.

3. My sole complaint thus far is that I really felt that the writing itself was very clunky and didn't flow very well to me. This might be something that gets better over time as Bendis gets more comfortable but of it continues it would start to get annoying to me pretty quickly. I'm also not a big fan of Bumbling Clark either so I hope that is dialed back a notch or three.

All in all it was decent enough to keep me interested in continuing with the Superman titles at least for now anyway.

Edit: Having said all that the nagging feeling I've been having in my gut is still there so this story didn't completely wipe that away.

[Sacred Knight]

I'm comfortable with the role Didio is in. I'm not so sure if he's so much had strong creative input here rather giving the green light to his guy (Bendis) to be creative and experiment a bit. Unless something comes out that suggests otherwise.

[Atlas]

It was great to see a focus on the DP again.

Always a treat to see the art of JLGL.

I was not expecting much after reading Bendis and Lee's "story" in the back of AC1K, and I got a little less than not much. A Clark set back to pre-COIE characterization and a Perry White who felt more like Bendis' JJJ from Ultimate Spider-Man. This "story" was also just more set-up, and while I understand that's what this issue is and don't mind it as much as I did in AC1K, it's still irksome.

I'd love someone to explain to me why Jurgens and Tomasi couldn't have been told to focus on the DP again and build up Superman's supporting characters again. Jurgens did this for years when during his original run and I think we've all been cheated out of seeing what Tomasi and Gleason would have done with the DP staff and Metropolis as a character.

I'm dreading Man of Steel even more than I was prior to AC1K. There's also this bit of info that doesn't sit well with me at all. In light of his interview with John Siuntres, it would seem Bendis is speaking out both sides of his mouth.

[Sacred Knight]

Jurgens could do it. But since he's already done it is exactly the reason why I've no desire to see him do it again. Let someone else have their turn. Could Tomasi do it? Honestly, I wouldn't have been optimistic. He's already blown it with a similar situation. He and Gleason had a whole new sandbox to play with in Hamilton and it didn't get built up one iota during the course of his run outside of the girl. And even she wasn't built up that great. Hamilton turned out to be visually a beautiful place, but a very one-dimensional place. Even the reveal in Black Dawn of the their origins, while it could have been epic, fell largely flat because of a lack of build up and zero insight into who these characters were.

Can Bendis do it? I don't know for sure he can, but I do know he's new blood, and that alone makes it worth trying. The fact he's big name new blood is just a bonus.

[Nelliebly]

Reading some of the advance reviews for the DC Nation story i was preparing myself for something terrible when it came to Lois. It feels like a lot of those reviewers are jumping to conclusions a bit. The whole implied mystery surrounding Lois' whereabouts is a little concerning, but honestly i dont mind them taking Lois and Jon off the canvas for a short time to resquare the focus back on Clark again for the duration of Man of Steel. Don't get me wrong, ive enjoyed the Superfamily immensely the last two years ( four years worth of material ) but it could be argued the SUPERMAN book has been a co-staring vehicle for Jon during its most recent run,so im ok with not seeing Jon and by extension Lois for awhile , just as long as Bendis doesn't milk the " where is the Superfamily?" angle as an ongoing mystery beyond MOS. Hopefully by the end of that we know where they are and that they are safe and sound and give us a satisfying reason for setting them aside for a little while. Bendis must tread carefully, but so far i see nothing to be that upset about.

Well, I see plenty to be upset about and I am not the only one as I've seen a lot of angry people (mostly women) outside of this forum.

My problem with this idea is that you (and Bendis) are lumping Lois and Jon together as if they are equivalent characters and that is ridiculous because they are not by any measure.

I like Jon a lot but even I can agree that it might be nice to have some stories where he is not the focus for some time. But the fact that not focusing on Jon means that, by proxy, Lois also has to be shelved is insulting. Lois Lane is not Jon. Jon is a new character. He is a wonderful character and I like him a lot. He's beloved and obviously popular but in terms of overall legacy with Superman...he's new. Lois Lane is the oldest and only other character to appear for 80 years, has anchored her own books and tv shows. She is the cornerstone of the myth. Treating them as if shelving Jon means Lois also has to go to "focus on Superman" is idiocy. Yes, narratively speaking, someone has to "be" with Jon. But simply assuming that that person had to be Lois is both sexist and lazy. Even if the plot is construed with the idea that they have to go away for Jon's "protection" it doesn't change that treating them like one entity where Lois doesn't get her own consideration is both sexist and unfair. You do not "shelve" Lois Lane to "focus on Superman" for awhile and the idea that her BEING there at the Daily Planet is somehow not allowing Bendis to focus on Superman is dumb. He could have found a way to focus less on Jon and not strip Lois of her role at the Daily Planet. He could have found a way to let her actually participate and be part of this story as opposed to shipping her off page as if that didn't already happen enough during the new 52.

It's equally as insulting and upsetting that Bendis is pushing new original female character essentially taking Lois's place (as in Bendis's most recent interview as his "friend" and "rival" at the Planet) because it assumes that women cannot co-exist. This was an opportunity to FINALLY have more than one woman actually interact in this book. Lois has virtually no female friends. In 80 years, she's barely even had the chance to work with or mentor another woman. Writers pit her against Cat Grant which was always terrible. This was an opportunity to show that women can co-exist in the same place and work together. The fact that Bendis had to get rid of Lois to push this new character is not a good thing and it makes me feel TERRIBLE as a female reader. The same thing happened when Greg Pak created Lee (who was great) during his ACtion Comics Run but because DC banned Lois was from being in the book (and so Lois and Lee never interacted and Lois was marginalized) a good portion of the reading audience that was female didn't respond to her, didn't read it and didn't care about her. This is not a good thing for female readers long term when they do this to us. It puts women in a bad spot.

The other crappy thing is that Bendis has set this new female character up from the outset as an obstacle that people are going to reject because of what he's done to Lois. And that is not a good thing. Because we WANT more women in these books and more female characters. But when you treat women like they can't interact and can't co-exist and are replaceable it makes your female readers really, really angry. And it makes the fandom really resistant to embrace the new character because of that hurt and anger. In the long run, it hurts the franchise and it hurts your fanbase. I would welcome a new female reporter at the Planet because I would love for Lois to actually get to work with a woman. And I welcome a new Black woman reporter too because God knows these books need some diversity (though I'm super wary about Bendis being the one to try and voice a black woman again. Super wary.)

Look, I'm not trying to be difficult here but you need to understand that Bendis has put a lot of the fanbase in a terrible position here. He's asking women to embrace this new female character when, at the same time, he's essentially telling us that he can't write two women at the same time and that he wants to redefine Superman and the Daily Planet but without Lois in it. That's insulting at best and really problematic at worst which is why the larger fandom outside of the small group here are rightfully pissed off. It puts the female fans (who are paying customers just like you guys) in a terrible spot and it puts all the WOC who comprise Lois's fandom in an even worse spot.

I'm extremely uneasy about this and I would hope that you could try and understand why this is all pretty upsetting to people. Ok?

[Nelliebly]

It was great to see a focus on the DP again.

Always a treat to see the art of JLGL.

I was not expecting much after reading Bendis and Lee's "story" in the back of AC1K, and I got a little less than not much. A Clark set back to pre-COIE characterization and a Perry White who felt more like Bendis' JJJ from Ultimate Spider-Man. This "story" was also just more set-up, and while I understand that's what this issue is and don't mind it as much as I did in AC1K, it's still irksome.

I'd love someone to explain to me why Jurgens and Tomasi couldn't have been told to focus on the DP again and build up Superman's supporting characters again. Jurgens did this for years when during his original run and I think we've all been cheated out of seeing what Tomasi and Gleason would have done with the DP staff and Metropolis as a character.

I'm dreading Man of Steel even more than I was prior to AC1K. There's also this bit of info that doesn't sit well with me at all. In light of his interview with John Siuntres, it would seem Bendis is speaking out both sides of his mouth.

Agreed. The art is second to none. He is truly a legend and I wish he had more opportunities are more books. And it is ALWAYS so great to see the Daily Planet get focus.

I said a lot of what I felt in another reply above but all I can say is I feel uneasy and sad about this whole thing and I'm dreading this book.

[Robanker]

I think the small part of me that is worried about Bendis' run is rooted in the fact DiDio was involved in hiring and has been implied to have been part of the creative process leading up to MOS. Nothing Bendis himself has said has made me worry all that much.

My primary trepidation as well. I want Lois and Jon back, I like some heroes having families and it works for Superman... But I'm willing to see where this goes.

That said, Mr. Kill Grayson and New 52 does always make me a touch worried.

[The Dying Detective]

My primary trepidation as well. I want Lois and Jon back, I like some heroes having families and it works for Superman... But I'm willing to see where this goes.

That said, Mr. Kill Grayson and New 52 does always make me a touch worried.

For some reason he also gave in to pressure brought them back and did not kill Dick. Also in an interview on YouTube he did mention that Lois will get a chance to interact with his new characters as well.

[Nelliebly]

My primary trepidation as well. I want Lois and Jon back, I like some heroes having families and it works for Superman... But I'm willing to see where this goes.

That said, Mr. Kill Grayson and New 52 does always make me a touch worried.

I mean...I have to ask again though. Why are Lois and Jon now one entity?

I love Jon and I get that from a narrative POV she's his mother and that's the excuse for why she had to go with him wherever he went. But...it's insulting. Lois Lane has been around 80 years. She is much more influential to the Superman myth than Jon is. He will have to prove his popularity for another few decades to even hit that mark. I love the kid and I think he was a great update to the myth but he's not a core part of the myth. She is. I don't like this idea that now it's "well sideline Lois and Jon" as one entity. There is no reason why she also had to be sidelined from this story and it's unfair. Especially given that this is a Daily Planet focused story. That's her bread and butter. How can you redefine the Daily Planet and really tackle what journalism means in 2018 and what it means to Superman without her there?

Lois is not just a wife and mother. She is both of those things and I will fight for her right to get to be both of those things. But she's also an iconic journalist. It seems to me, once again, she was treated solely like a wife and mother and so pushed out of this story rather than her being allowed to have her professional identity at the Daily Planet to serve the larger story and I'm not here for that. It's not fair.