MAN OF STEEL (2018) Event mini-series Discussion thread (SPOILERS)

[Miles To Go]

Its still possible she does and she comes back sooner than Jon somehow, but the odds are increasing substantially that it could just be Jon leaves and she and Clark are on the outs over it. Which I would find a less interesting scenario.

I have the same sinking feeling, an angry Lois leaving the Planet so she won't be around Clark (who she'll blame for letting Jon go) and being around Lex Luthor in September is the sort of behavior that couldn't come from someone ok with Jon leaving. It's a very logical conclusion, and a very natural reaction one could expect from a concerned mother.

And it'd be less interesting, absolutely...I know you're probably tired of hearing this, but we know through Doomsday Clock that the separation, whatever causes it, isn't even long term, so what's the point of wasting a year on it?

It's still possible Action Comics is set sometime after Superman with Lois back, and her time away is covered in Superman until at least issue six when adult Jon arrives, but there would have to be an awfully interesting reason for her to stay away from the Planet and saddle up with Lex Luthor while still being together with Clark.

[Sacred Knight]

Yeah, I'm hoping something similar. If Action were to take place a bit after the first Superman arc, and we skirt around how Lois got home until we get to that point, perhaps Superman would then see her return after the Earth is removed from the Zone, but she returns alone and sets up the new mystery with Jon and what all happened while they were away. It would at least give the opportunity for that stuff to be chronicled later, which was the main appeal to me of the idea of Lois going with.

[RepHope]

Feel the same as the last issue. Great art, Bendis nails Supes inner dialogue, but stumbles with other characters. Even I don’t think Barry is so idiotic that he would say “caca poo-pop”. The hell does that even mean? I’m waiting for the final issue where I hope Bendis will actually lay out why Jon wants to go with Jor-El, what exactly Jor-El intends, what happened to Lois, etc. Bendis usually starts strong and ends weak. We’ll see if he can avoid his usual pitfalls here.

[Sacred Knight]

Yep, I have a pretty good idea, when this ends, where I'll be in terms of things I like, which are quite a few things, and the things I don't, which won't be many, but there are a couple things.

[Last Son of Krypton]

I can picture in my mind Ezra Miller's Flash saying something like “caca poo-pop”.

[Miles To Go]

I can picture in my mind Ezra Miller's Flash saying something like “caca poo-pop”.

I'm caca for poo poop puffs.

[Sacred Knight]

This is what immediately came to my mind.

[manofsteel1979]

This was the first issue of this I didn't love. It's not terrible by any means but it didn't grab me like the last four. I was taken aback by how quickly Jon decided to go with Jor-El given recent developments, but I am willing to see if it's explained somehow in upcoming issues. I also sort of now agree with Miles To Go on what direction they may be heading with Lois, which is frustrating. Also not a big fan of some of the League dialogue. ( looking at you, Flash).

However what I did like is the art by Adam Hughes ( this series is probably going to go down as one of the prettiest Superman books of all time), and the way Bendis writes Clark and Kara and how the voices for each continue to be spot on.

Still looking forward to Issue #6 next week.

[Sacred Knight]

Yeah, he's got Superman down pat, which is by a large margin the most important thing. I love his Supergirl. There is definitely a difference in attitude with Jon...but frankly I might end up liking that more as its well known I haven't been a fan of him to this point. Lois, like Jon hasn't been present a ton outside of the flashback scenes but there's nothing about her thus far that makes me bat an eye. She's sweet to her family, and a little feisty. All good there.

If we're looking at the League: Barry was awful, needs a lot of work there. Wonder Woman was good. She had a taste of that formal speech pattern I dislike for her in one bubble but otherwise she sounded good. Based on the prior issues, Batman and Hal were also good. Bendis gets the space cop thing with Hal and Batman is as Batman is normally characterized. Cyborg okay I guess but I've never been sure how Vic should sound as I've never been too knowledgeable about him outside of his New 52 promotion.

One thing I did really like about the JL scenes though was how Wonder Woman, and likely the rest of his comrades, understood immediately what he'd be thinking in regards to this villain and Kara. She kept Kara there with them so they could protect her, she knew that's what he wants without him having to say a word about it.

[Miles To Go]

This was the first issue of this I didn't love. It's not terrible by any means but it didn't grab me like the last four. I was taken aback by how quickly Jon decided to go with Jor-El given recent developments, but I am willing to see if it's explained somehow in upcoming issues. I also sort of now agree with Miles To Go on what direction they may be heading with Lois, which is frustrating.

I don't want to be right either , I would much prefer the more complicated Action Comics is a flash-forward thing I have in my head and that Lois does go with Jon because the thought of wasting a year heading into Doomsday Clock on a separation angle is just too convenient an out for drama when you could be doing something more unique keeping them together with this giant problem (how to go about life without Jon) hanging over their heads

[Sacred Knight]

It wouldn't even really have to be a substantial step forward. Pretty much outside of the triangle era when everything was lock-step, there are quite often instances where we simply understand that the contents of one book has to be taking place a bit before or after the other. It wouldn't be anything odd at all. It could just be understood that Action is after the Earth is free of the Zone. Lois is home, but its kept a little hush-hush of the details, so that all can be revealed then in Superman. So it could still definitely work. I'm just not as sure about it anymore.

[Sacred Knight]

I also had another thought in regards to Jon...this isn't as out-of-character as the internet is freaking out about. Jon actually liked Jor-El and went to bat for him in Oz Effect for a while. There was a bond growing there. And this was even during a period in which Jor-El was possessed to some degree. So there's already precedent for an actual positive, if still largely undeveloped and unfamiliar, relationship. As for it being out of character for him to want to go on this adventure...why? Where has it ever been stated that Jon isn't adventurous? Where has it ever been stated that he'd never, under any circumstances, challenge his parents authority? Just because he's a good kid doesn't automatically mean that the latter can't, and never has happened. Hell Damian's gotten him to play hooky plenty of times. This obviously is a more significant trip than just sneaking out at night to fight crime, but, it does show he can be a bit mischievous, that he can, like any kid, defy his parents from time to time. This isn't how I imagined the situation going down, but, at the same time looking at the character, there's absolutely no reason to think that this is something he'd never in a million years want to do.

[DragonPiece]

I have the same sinking feeling, an angry Lois leaving the Planet so she won't be around Clark (who she'll blame for letting Jon go) and being around Lex Luthor in September is the sort of behavior that couldn't come from someone ok with Jon leaving. It's a very logical conclusion, and a very natural reaction one could expect from a concerned mother.

And it'd be less interesting, absolutely...I know you're probably tired of hearing this, but we know through Doomsday Clock that the separation, whatever causes it, isn't even long term, so what's the point of wasting a year on it?

It's still possible Action Comics is set sometime after Superman with Lois back, and her time away is covered in Superman until at least issue six when adult Jon arrives, but there would have to be an awfully interesting reason for her to stay away from the Planet and saddle up with Lex Luthor while still being together with Clark.

I get your concerns, but remember Bendis constantly said Clark and Lois are going to try a different dynamic since they aren't a ordinary family. I wouldn't take this to mean Lois leaving Clark and the planet, but just switching around their lives a bit. I think Lois may be a bit annoyed at the new family dynamic more than Clark will be, but ultimately, there won't be any divorce or separation.

[Superlad93]

I much prefer how Man of Steel the movie handled this by making part of the House of El's ethos of hope their rebellion against conventional procreation and interspecies interaction. Jor-El and Lara break with the status quo on Krypton to produce a child and look to the stars for Krypton's future with enough humility to admit Krypton's failings. Instead of being dismissive, Jor-El saw promise in humans, and encouraged his son to not only link both civilizations together, but also to see in such a link the possibility for something greater than Krypton alone.

I can totally see why you or anyone else would enjoy this take. I don't even find much to be narratively "wrong" with it. For what it has to say in the context it is saying it, it's strong. My only personal real quibble with it is that I prefer just the idea that they looked to the stars and put their faith in the kindness of strangers and a largely unfeeling universe. Baby Kal effectively becoming Krypton's first (sometimes ever) astronaut in a long time personally works for me better and says enough about his parents rather than adding in the natural birth being an unusual thing on Krypton. Saving the powerful imagery and loving message of birth for Lois and Clark and framing it as impossible as a child making it to a safe place where nice people are there to love them works for me in the context of the myth.

Jon to be so insensitive to his parents and naive about the possible dangers. What is extra upsetting is that if all Jor-El wanted was to show Jon the universe, then (and maybe I missed this) why now?

I've got to see how this shakes out in regards to Jon seeming to be insensitive to his parents' feelings on the matter. I think it's fair to take the context of their universe and lives into question (Jon has traveled to other dimensions and gotten home before bedtime. He's been mind controlled (so has dad). And along with Kathy he's traveled to other dimensions just to pass the time) so his views on the matter are measured in "well, so long as you get me back before school starts." That said I'm not all the way sold on it, and will need some elaboration on Jon's part next issue. I will say though that I enjoyed the sort of 'little opportunist' characterization coupled with a shout out to his established passion outside of heroics, all things space. That eased things enough for me that I'm down to see what he has to say next week (or later in the run).

As far as why Jor-El's here, you haven't missed anything directly pointing to it. Though it is worth mentioning that just moments before Jor-El shows up Jon notices a growth spurt. This could've been the signal? His maturation period as essentially a new species/hybrid may start here, and that's why Jor-El picked this moment. But that's just speculation on my part.

And why does how Jon was conceived have to be brought up as a preface to proposing that mission? When so many other of the fantastical aspects of Superman that defy conventional wisdom go unquestioned, raising the issue of human and Kryptonian mating in such an explicit way ("Ew" is right, Jon.) does feel unnecessary crude and cruel.

Like you pointed out before I think it's ambiguous enough to question if it's the actual act of sex or if it's Lois giving birth to her child. I admit the latter was my first reading, and in that sense I think Jor-El was further illustrating the impossibility of the whole situation because both Lois and her son are alive and well. That he goes into the subject, sex or physical birthing, I think is more to make him both out of touch and tactless in this moment where he's already being painted as opposition to our heroes. Though one's level of how crass it was is subjective due to personal level of comfort. I personally thought it was a step too far after he's already bloviated on the mathematical absurdity of the situation. But that's just my opinion on it.

btw good talking to you again.

[Flash Gordon]

I enjoyed this issue. The pacing is fantastic.

Kara feels "right", which is so nice for a change. Lois and Clark sound good, Jon even seemed to have character to him.

I'm not into Jor-El being around at all, but I can tolerate it if it's done well.