Hughes da gawd. The art looks awesome again. Can’t wait for tomorrow.
Hughes da gawd. The art looks awesome again. Can’t wait for tomorrow.
And who says Superman couldn't be a gritty action hero?
That scene from the bottle is incredible.
"They can be a great people Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you. My only son." - Jor-El
Omg I thought the first picture was the legion of superheroes lol.
Hmm.....
Not knowing your preferences beyond this quick conversation......have you checked out Azzarello's For Tomorrow?
It's quite a polarizing run (ran about twelve issues, all easily found in trade) and you won't find many fans of it here. I myself am not a fan of several aspects of it. But it explores a particular flaw in Clark (a couple, actually) and how things can go very, very, very wrong when he drops the ball. I won't spoil it, just in case you're unfamiliar with the plot, but it delves into Clark's motivations and fears and methodology more than a lot of stories, though perhaps in a roundabout way you might want to contemplate on after reading (no offense, I'm just not sure how good you are with literary analysis?).
It also heavily features a new supporting character; a priest who Superman talks to about his troubles, which I think you'll appreciate as a Murdock fan.
Art by Jim Lee. Now, Lee, I'm usually not very hot on his inside page work. He does great covers but I find his facial expressions and body language to be stiff. But he fills these pages with a kind of rough edge that, in my opinion, compliments the story. And the colors are excellent; some of the best of their time.
If you liked Bendis' DD run.....I *think* you'll enjoy For Tomorrow. Or at least parts of it. I'd recommend trying to find a preview online and go from there. As I said, it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I find a lot of people who aren't huge Superman fans find this a solid way into the character. And I think the things Azz says about Clark are accurate, even if they're not always terribly positive.
EDIT: Oh, as to what his flaws are? May I suggest reading the "What Are The Many Sides of Superman You Want to See" thread (probably not the exact title), found here on CBR. Started by a poster who, I think, really knows their stuff. The thread shouldn't be buried too deep, as it was active not too long ago. I made a lengthy post delving into many aspects of Clark's personality, and a number of other posters had some very excellent insights.
Last edited by Ascended; 06-26-2018 at 06:57 PM.
"We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."
~ Black Panther.
Hopefully they have some survivors from the bottle
This really helpful, thanks! I am not familiar with this story (as I mentioned haven't really ever read much of Superman); however, I will give that a look especially if it is good for someone that is new to the character. The priest part sounds really interesting as well. Being a lapsed Catholic, I have a soft spot for when religion shows up in fiction and I feel that, when used in the right context, it can be very effective.
Also, I very much enjoy literary analysis and trying to find the deeper meaning and/or themes in things so that is cool as well!
Last edited by macjr33; 06-26-2018 at 10:35 PM.
The Adam Hughes art was gorgeous in this issue, a real treat, and everything moved along nicely.
Clark reflecting on the Kandorians while he's fighting Zarr shows how much it's loss is eating away at him, and it eats even more so at Kara too, which Clark relays to the reader through his own thoughts.
The League had some humorous moments too while examining Clark and the symbol he'd been branded with, ("it's a circle. lots of things are circles")
So Jon is the one who chooses to go with Jor-El, and I think some of you will be happy with Jor-El's motivations for wanting to take him across the galaxy. Lois is against it, and she makes it clear to Jon that Jor is pretty much a stranger to them, but it's strongly looking like Clark will be the one to make a decision in Jon's favor. It's still possible from what Lois says that she travels with Jon, but it's also possible she gets pissed at Clark deciding to let Jon go and leaves him. We'll see how it goes next week. Jon makes a few jokes about fresh underwear and making it back in time for school which I found amusing.
Last edited by Miles To Go; 06-27-2018 at 01:25 AM.
* Before I say anything: Adam Hughes' Cyborg is hauntingly beautiful and captivating to look at, and his Wonder Woman is jawdroppingly perfect. The scene where Clark is in bed is now one of my favorite images of the character because he looks just like he walked out of the Iron Giant. Hughes simply killed it on this issue. From Kara's soulful eyes that hold an ocean of emotions to Melody looking sick AF with an axe (can American comic characters be waifus? Is that a thing? F$%K she's my waifu. Fight me), Hughes makes a visually gripping book to behold.
* Sh!t dude, can we talk about the freakin wordless scene when Kara finds Clark....like...I can't even, dude. A scene only matched by sink-feeling inducing opening shot of the comic. That smashed bottle now has names AND faces, and thus, in the context of this book, the actual tragedy is totally sold, and culminates in that one hauntingly still look that Kal notices Kara has on and the explanation that comes with it. Dude, that's knowing your medium and some good ass writing to go with it. Respect.
* A very "set-up-for-the-climax-of-this-story-and-new-status-quo-going-forward" issue. But speaking for a moment about this issue as its own thing: There's a sense of loss of control in all three of the stories. They all see what's happening, sure, but the forces they're dealing with are either stronger, more elusive, or harder to understand than was once thought (Zaar, the arsonist, and Jon). The concept is worlds ( a single family, a city, and a planet) under siege, and having to adapt or fight back.
* So, I'm gonna take a second to maybe revel in some vindication for a bit, so forgive me: Bendis totally picked up the concept that Superman and Lois having biological child the ol' fashion way--while beautiful--has been suggested to be mathematically impossible (thus enhancing its beauty as far as I go.) and his rearing could and maybe should by nature be even stranger than Damian's or any other super-kids'. I genuinely wasn't expecting--and let's be honest here-- Superman's version of Rick and Morty, but here we are, right? Now that I've said it you sorta kinda want that sh!t for a bit, huh?
But seriously though, take a hot second and revel in the sheer awesome absurdity of Bendis basically proposing Superman meets Rick and Morty lol
* Favorite line by context: "I promised S.T.A.R. labs I wouldn't do this anymore." Implying that at some point Superman had an awkward conversation with scientist about how often he borrows to the center of the Earth for work or otherwise. Yeah, that's a hard win in my book. Also brings us to the fact that we now can assume how Zaar blew up Krypton.
* Probably my favorite magic trick of this set-up issue is how it narrows attention and creates legitimate interest in plot lines. As of right now, the main two plots are 1) stop Zaar from Kryptoning Earth and 2) stop Jon from leaving home. Till this point the Fabok sections have only severed to inform the present by remixing the words of the flashback to apply to other situations to inform Clark's mental state, but now it's becoming the story.....while still being remixed. We learn exactly how Clark's personal world took a devastating blow in the flashbacks right when we learn exactly how Kal-El's home world died because now the same thing is happening to his current world. Next issue we get the fate of both of his current worlds.
That's not bad pacing. Not bad at all.
Last edited by Superlad93; 06-27-2018 at 02:19 AM.
"Mark my words! This drill will open a hole in the universe. And that hole will become a path for those that follow after us. The dreams of those who have fallen. The hopes of those who will follow. Those two sets of dreams weave together into a double helix, drilling a path towards tomorrow. THAT's Tengen Toppa! THAT'S Gurren Lagann! MY DRILL IS THE DRILL THAT CREATES THE HEAVENS!" - The Digger
We walk on the path to Secher Nbiw. Though hard fought, we walk the Golden Path.
If that were the case, Lois would be sticking around at the Planet and she and Clark would help each other process the loss of Jon. Losing her only son could have thrown her for a loop, and she needs someone to blame.
Again, we don't know where she is, but we know she'll be in Action Comics, so either she appears in flashbacks (like Sacred Knight theorizes), or she's still on Earth and not with Clark, or is with him, albeit distant, and is processing Jon's loss in her own way. I can't rule any option out with the way the scenes with Jor-El play out in this issue. It can go in any direction.
Last edited by Miles To Go; 06-27-2018 at 02:46 AM.
This really was boss mode in terms of telling a Superman story. Each and every panel just tells such a complete story with so much nuance and emphasis from Bendis and Hughes. I was disappointed by the recent takeover because Hughes' pinups don't do him justice.
That was just as amazing as I really could have hoped and frankly, I'd love to see this whole thing get an animated adaptation to show off its storytelling.
Thank you Bendis for making Jor-el so smug, they're so right about that guy. The payoff to those teases was priceless.
Oh, where did they mention it would lose the unconsciousness and depleting effects? I never did finish the Johns/Romita run, stopped pretty early actually.
In any case, it wasn't mentioned. Maybe if Bendis uses a similar idea in the future to confirm its use or happens to mention it on Twitter.