Thoughts on Bendis' (possible) new direction

[Ra-El]

For an arc or two, sure why not. But why would this be the new status quo? Whatever danger they face on MoS will be deal it sooner than late, so what reason would Lois and Jon have to stay on Bliss?

[Sacred Knight]

It won't last forever, but I could see them find ways to extend it and keep playing with the separation angle and how they all deal with it. For instance, Earth is going to be put into the Phantom Zone at some point. If Lois and Jon aren't back by then, there's a good chance that even if the immediate threat is quelled, they still can't return because the Earth basically isn't there. Add to that one has to believe that Rogal Zaar isn't going to be permanently defeated right away. So even if he's temporarily beaten, its not going to be a long-term defeat for quite some time, as I have a hard time seeing Bendis eliminating him as a persistent threat pretty much immediately. So if the shadow of him still looms, maybe that could go into why its not a short trip for mother and son.

[Soubhagya]

If this is what is happening it would be the worst thing ever. Just kidding. It has the 'potential' to be awesome.

The prospect of getting a Lois book out of it is mouth watering. Maxi, mini, back up, straight up book. Any thing is good for me. Of course, some are better then others. But beggars can't be choosers.

There's a lot of promise for Jon too. He used to hide. Now he does not have to. How does he deal with it? How is this new world? Can he make friends? Does he end up making enemies? What does he feel about the absence of his father? Till now Superman was always around. But now he's not. And now there's the weird grandparent who has come back from the dead. Does he worry for her mother? How this affect his dealings with others? He must have thought himself as special back on Earth. Now if everyone is special then no one is special. Or he thought he could not fit in as he wanted on Earth. Now he can. To cement Jon in Superman mythos you have to develop Jon. Not by going extreme or edgy. But step by step according to circumstances. If Bendis does something good with Jon, i would be really happy. Whatever he does, hopefully he does not forget Jon.

I would love it if somehow Jon takes a trip to the future. Meet the Legion of Superheroes. And have some adventures there too. Make it like a parallel earth so that this Doomsday Clock stuff does not affect the story. If anyone is making some long term plans, one can do like this. Make a few characters like the members of the Legion. Similar powers and look. And make Jon friends of such characters. By the time that foolishness ends at Doomsday Clock and Legion are back into play, you can easily say they were there in disguise or lost their memory or something. They can be new characters too. No big deal that they have to be Lightning Lad or Saturn Girl.

If the planet is going to be a permanent fixture one can shed some light on that. You have got Lois. Its easy to do that. And Superman's story goes on in his books. I will be the first to complain if i find something wrong. But I am speaking in terms of possibilities.

One thing here is too good to be true. Will Bendis do something like that? What is love? It is but a series of meetings and separations. When you meet, you are in love. Your togetherness increases your love like the waxing of the moon. You do not wish to be separated. You dread such a day, if only in secret. And when you do separate, that separation only increases your fondness for your love. You wait for the time when you would meet again. Within your heart the distance actually manages to strengthen the love for your lover. When you are separated by distance, the distance has actually made you come closer. Of course, you won't say that. You only want to meet again. If Lois and Clark manage a long distance marriage its actually quite relatable. Any couple must have experienced this distance if only for a short period. Remember the time when you were newly in love and the distance was actually painful.

Or maybe people don't know this very much. Not unusual when gadgets has made us come close. But actually made us far. How can one experience such kind of love when people could not talk to each other by using a mobile? When the only way you could get news of the other by means of the ol' trusty messenger or worse by letters. Internet or mobile is used by lovers in this way. They can't go a minute without wanting to know about the other. Those couples who have forgotten their love may have the phones with them. But they wouldn't be talking.

Couples trying to manage a long distance relationship. I loved what you said. Lois and Clark meeting on the moon. Meeting each other once in a while. Some kind of 'Two Way Mirror' from Harry Potter would be nice too.

http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Two-way_mirror

Or maybe Clark can't risk trying to communicate. He talks with his father about them. The trusty ol' messenger. Jor-El arrives and Clark bombards him with questions. And while leaving he takes messages meant for Kal's wife and son. If that happens it would be temporary.

If they commmunicate by such means, let it be short and sweet. Maybe its just a one-way communication. You send a message. And the other side can see and/or hear that. And the other can send their own.

Perhaps Superman can use telescopic/distant vision to take a look. He can't talk or communicate. But keeps tabs once in a while. Give a similar device to Lois and she can check out Superman once in a while.

So, many possibilities. Its better then them going to that 'prison dimension' where Jor-El was captured. Which i think is actually happening.

[JasonTodd428]

That's a very interesting bit of speculation there and I'd be all for it as a quiet and peaceful counterpoint to all the fighting that is likely to be a part of the A story in MoS but I have a huge caveat and that is Jor-El himself and his as yet undisclosed connection to Zarr. That right there makes me question the motivation behind Jor-El being willing to protect Jon. He could genuinely be concerned for his welfare but he could also, whether knowingly or unknowingly, be leading them into some sort of trap set by Zarr. At this point it could go either way but I really don't see this as turning out to be some sort of idyllic vacation type scenario.

In any case I'd welcome it for a time of only to flesh out the relationship between mother and son and possibly between Jor-El and his daughter-in-law and grandson and as a more peaceful counterpoint to the A plot of the mini or the main title. I don't really want it to overstay its welcome though. Maybe just have it last for the mini and an arc of two of the main run but nothing beyond that. At that point it would be nice to move on to something else.

[Lee Stone]

Kinda reminds me of Superman's first encounter with the Forever People, where he discovers they come from a place called 'Supertown' where everyone has powers (actually part of New Genesis) and although he strongly wants to go there and be among the people there, he denies himself that future because he feels dutybound to protect the people of Earth.

[RepHope]

Echoing what others have said, if it's an opportunity for Lois and Jon's relationship to develop, I'm all for it. Some aspects that I've always been curious to know is how does Lois feel about the "no-kill" rule with regards to her son? How does she feel about her husband and son being part of this Kryptonian culture? I'd like to see Lois' feelings explored in that regard. I'd rather this than yet another story where she needs to be saved before she dies and Clark goes nuts. I'm sick of those stories.

[Superlad93]

He could genuinely be concerned for his welfare but he could also, whether knowingly or unknowingly, be leading them into some sort of trap set by Zarr. At this point it could go either way but I really don't see this as turning out to be some sort of idyllic vacation type scenario.

No such thing as a perfect planet (even New Genesis, a planet filled with superhero New Gods, is often at war, or has a very uneasy peace with Apokolips).

Wouldn't you two say this only adds to the story potential of this planet and Lois (her in particular) and Jon's stay there? Almost a Truman Show or Pleasantville sort of deal where paradise isn't all it seems. Sounds like something Lois would be up for uncovering with Superboy as her assistant (kind of a perfect mix of the Jimmy Olsen and Superman role).

over seeking aid from the rest of the League, Green Lanterns, or any number of other allies?
Checking out Bliss, independently, wouldn't be bad. But this?

Well we know that GL will be in at least two issues, so it's very likely that this will be tried, and fail for some reason. Keep in mind, Jor-El created Bliss to apparently be out of reach to even Doctor Manhattan. Sounds like the safest place in the whole universe.

And, again, wouldn't having the ability to take a stroll around the planet before settling down undercut the urgency of the situation. This isn't like buying a house. It's running away from continued genocide.

Kinda reminds me of Superman's first encounter with the Forever People, where he discovers they come from a place called 'Supertown' where everyone has powers (actually part of New Genesis) and although he strongly wants to go there and be among the people there, he denies himself that future because he feels dutybound to protect the people of Earth.

You're so right! If this is true then this almost acts like a homage to that (Bendis has cited Kirby as an influence for this run I believe). This new paradise even comes fully loaded with his dad, wife, and son, but he's gotta stay back.

Earth is going to be put into the Phantom Zone at some point. If Lois and Jon aren't back by then, there's a good chance that even if the immediate threat is quelled, they still can't return because the Earth basically isn't there

This is an extremely good point that I totally overlooked. I'd be interested to find out how long the world is stuck in the Phantom Zone, and how that affects bigger titles like Justice League. As I recall, Bendis and Snyder have had multiple story meetings. And if it's long enough I'm sure King will do something fun and wacky with it in Batman.

[Superlad93]

Gotta also keep these guys down here in mind. This "council" of sorts seems to be super tied to things, and we can't really tell if they're condemning or condoning/facilitating Zaar's continued genocide. Zaar might actually just be the opening salvo to a much bigger mystery where Clark doesn't really know who to go to or who to trust with the care of his family when Earth is no longer safe.

That's a lot of aliens and a lot of worlds being represented here, and if you look carefully you'll see what looks to be a Guardian of the universe right there. Might explain why Clark doesn't send them to Oa for protection or even really tell Hal about it (Guardians could be watching via ring)?

[nonsense man]

well hope bendis does what you suggest still have doubts because of his recent marvel work

[JasonTodd428]

Wouldn't you two say this only adds to the story potential of this planet and Lois (her in particular) and Jon's stay there? Almost a Truman Show or Pleasantville sort of deal where paradise isn't all it seems. Sounds like something Lois would be up for uncovering with Superboy as her assistant (kind of a perfect mix of the Jimmy Olsen and Superman role).

Something like that is exactly what I'm expecting it to end up being assuming of course that Jor-El is in fact taking them there to begin with. Like I said before his concern for Jon's safety could very well be genuine and he could be intending to take him there in order to better protect him from Zarr but there's no telling at this point if they will actually reach their destination at all. Things could happen and they end up somewhere else entirely either because they were blown off course or because that wasn't the plan to start with. I would really like to see it end up being the scenario you're describing though wherein things are not what they seem and where the normal roles played by Superman and Jimmy are instead take up by Jon and Lois. I think a story like that could be really fun to read.

This is an extremely good point that I totally overlooked. I'd be interested to find out how long the world is stuck in the Phantom Zone, and how that affects bigger titles like Justice League. As I recall, Bendis and Snyder have had multiple story meetings. And if it's long enough I'm sure King will do something fun and wacky with it in Batman.

I'm wondering about that too since that should be something that effects the overall DCU and could potentially also effect how long Clark and his family are separated. I think we are in for a bit of a wild ride on that score.

[Restingvoice]

Let me be frank: THIS THREAD IS BORN OF SPECULATION. Not much is confirmed outside of what has been said in interviews, social media, solicitations, and 20 some odd pages of preview (DC nation 0 and AC 1000).

But in this thread, for purely the sake of conversation, I'd like to take the idea of Lois and Jon being sent away to planet "Bliss" aka home of the super people from Oz Effect as a fact. For those wondering, this is what I'm talking about




And keep the fact that "she's [Lois] in ever upcoming issue" https://twitter.com/BRIANMBENDIS/sta...82630684160000 in mind. So, assume her POV (and likely Jon's) will be given regularly. And also keep in mind that Doc Shaner (artist of issue 2) has said that Clark's life going forward will have a new status quo.

So, with these factors taken into account, what are everyone's thoughts on the idea that Clark and Lois will now have a long distance relation on a scale that only Superman could accommodate for? How do you feel about how this might affect Jon's relationship with his father and mother, and just how it'll play out for him in general? How do you feel about Lois being the only human on a planet of super people? How do you feel about Clark being by himself in the big city for a while?

Thought?

Bonus: again, nothing at all confirmed or even hinted at, but lets assume there are plans for a back-up feature (likely in action comics)/mini/maxi/ or even a straight up book dedicated to the adventures of Lois Lane On Super-Planet (obviously featuring Jon). Is that something you'd be interested in?

That will be a bad idea since utopia means lack of conflict. Unless the story will be about fall of utopia as conflict starts to manifest, but that's an old trope. I imagine Superboy will be happy and Lois will be stressed out, because she's the type who likes to go out, find problems and solve it. I'd be okay with it if Lois becomes a problem solver of sort of this world. Whenever there's conflict she's there to settle it to maintain peace, but I assume this utopia also has a police force, so I don't know. Eventually even Superboy will get bored because there's nothing to do and no people need saving. As a kid I imagine he enjoys being a hero.

[DevilBat66]

Clark has sent Lois and Jon to the future to train with the LSH .

Just thought of that. You heard it hear first.

[Stardust]

I think its a rather awesome idea, tbh. But, this comes with the caveat that I get EXTREMELY bored portraying comic book marriages as pristine and saccharine as the Kents were in Rebirth.

Isn't this argument the same as "Superman is overpowered he is boring".
A happy relationship is "saccharine".

That doesn't do it for me in fiction. The idea that this couple has roadblocks to overcome makes for more interesting storytelling, imo, and in this instance, its taking right from the playbook of "taking relatable ideas and amping them up to 11",

Then I'm proposing that Superman will cheat on Lois not with one other woman, but with 11, because cheating is realistic, but we have to amp it up.

which I think works extremely well for Superman.

My thoughts on Bendis' possible new direction are simply this: a new comic writer only has so many chances to make me like his story, and so far Bendis has thrown his first two away for cheap "this is a mystery, you have to buy my books to find out more" effects without substance.

Since I haven't seen how he writes Lois through his own fault of not including her, he has gained no faith from me in the direction he will take her.

[Sacred Knight]

Isn't this argument the same as "Superman is overpowered he is boring".
A happy relationship is "saccharine".

First off I didn't say I was bored with a happy relationship. I said I was bored with a pristine relationship. One perfect without any problems whatsoever to speak of, be it work-related stuff, be it financial issues, be it differences in parenting philosophy, etc. There's a difference. Tension and natural difficulties to navigate as a team does not equal unhappy. That out of the way, yeah you can compare it. If people get bored with an overly powered Superman, its comparable. For me, its just the opposite, a highly powered Superman makes him more intriguing, but I'm sure there's others who feel differently. And to each their own on that.

Then I'm proposing that Superman will cheat on Lois not with one other woman, but with 11, because cheating is realistic, but we have to amp it up.

Okay. Just don't pretend anything I said was comparable to this hyperbole. Nowhere did I remotely suggest Superman has to cheat on Lois because its realistic. There is a WIDE berth between wanting the relationship to be explored with natural difficulties along the way, and wanting Superman to cheat on his wife.

[JasonTodd428]

First off I didn't say I was bored with a happy relationship. I said I was bored with a pristine relationship. One perfect without any problems whatsoever to speak of, be it work-related stuff, be it financial issues, be it differences in parenting philosophy, etc. There's a difference. Tension and natural difficulties to navigate as a team does not equal unhappy. That out of the way, yeah you can compare it. If people get bored with an overly powered Superman, its comparable. For me, its just the opposite, a highly powered Superman makes him more intriguing, but I'm sure there's others who feel differently. And to each their own on that.

I agree. Just because a relationship encounters bumps in the road doesn't mean it can't also be a happy one despite those occasional rough patches. My parents had a lot of rough patches during their marriage as did my grandparents and both couples had long lasting, fulfilling and happy marriages in spite of the trials they faced. It would be a far more realistic take on a relationship if Clark and Lois's marriage had its rough patches to go along with the good times.

Okay. Just don't pretend anything I said was comparable to this hyperbole. Nowhere did I remotely suggest Superman has to cheat on Lois because its realistic. There is a WIDE berth between wanting the relationship to be explored with natural difficulties along the way, and wanting Superman to cheat on his wife.

Yep. Personally, I want to see the relationship explored through the addition of rough patches that are unique to their particular situation because I think it will add some depth to that relationship and will show the strength of it as well. I don't, however, care to see Clark cheating on Lois because that's a cop out way of introducing unnecessarily forced drama into the relationship and is an extremely overused tactic by writers when they want to "spice things up" a bit.