Superman January 2019 Solicitation

[bigstupidjellyfish]

Bendis and company are spoiling us. I mean, Epting? Freakin’ EPTING?!

Hell yes.

The first arc of Superman will be collected in January, yeah for me (a trade waiter)!

[Miles To Go]

With this solicitation for Superman, I'm even more chronologically confused about where Action Comics takes place. I didn't think it'd take place a year after everything, I thought only a few weeks had passed when we caught up with everything. Sounds like Lois will be in the issue too, but does that mean she's been doing her weird post-trip mission and remaining separated from Clark for a year? It does'nt seem to synch up with what Clark had said at the start of Unity saga that he was still trying to contact them.

Unless...unless by the time the Earth is released from the Phantom Zone, it's taken it a year to come back

[Kuwagaton]

It's intriguing to me that the same guy bringing Kon back is in the same month bringing us an all new, all different Jon. I don't love the idea of him aging especially with another young adult Superboy around, but it's a complete wait and see. I'm probably more interested in where they take Jor-el, though.

Really into the 100 page special and what sounds like a Valentines holiday special.

Bendis and company are spoiling us. I mean, Epting? Freakin’ EPTING?!

Epting actually had a run as a Superman artist some years back.

[Miles To Go]

And if it's been a year since Man of Steel, that puts us directly into the path of Doomsday Clock, so is Superman/Action ahead of virtually every other title chronologically?

[Dispenser Of Truth]

I have to imagine it's a year for Jon somehow due to time travel shenanigans, because otherwise #7 involves a yearlong timeskip ahead of Action (given at the start of the current Superman arc Lois hadn't returned home yet to Clark's knowledge).

[Miles To Go]

I have to imagine it's a year for Jon somehow due to time travel shenanigans, because otherwise #7 involves a yearlong timeskip ahead of Action (given at the start of the current Superman arc Lois hadn't returned home yet to Clark's knowledge).

I wonder if Clark will say to Lois "where have you been? It's been a year" during their big reunion in AC#1004? From the way Bendis described the moment in his scene breakdown released across DC titles last week, it's been quite a while for Lois and she thought she'd never have a moment like this with Clark again. That indicates a long passage of time.

[The World]

Damn they brought back OG Conner.

[Superlad93]

Conceptually speaking--as with most of the idea in Bendis' run it's playing to the age old "Superman is just us but bigger--I'm think the idea behind the slight age up and change in physical appearance is very close something we've all experienced in someway in our live: the summer vacation growth spurt. You know the deal. You're in middle school and see one of your classmates an suddenly they've turned into a giant over the summer and their voice sounds super strange--like it's out of tune. The flip side is just as strange: you come back to school from summer break and suddenly the seats feel smaller and the ceilings feel way lower. But since it's Jon Kent the Superboy, he spent his summer in space with his no longer dead grandpa and time shenanigans were afoot.

I'm now fully expecting a gangly limed Jon Kent right in the thick of puberty. The promise of Man of Steel issue 1 made good, and not just that, but also the promise of Tomasi's Superman run featuring a Jon Kent who was at the onset of puberty (starting at ages 9 to 14 depending on what sort of bloomer you are, and lasting for roughly 4 years). Whatever writer came along to write the middle school aged (you start middle school at 9 in the states) Superboy who just started puberty, they'd have to do something with that.

I just wonder what he'll be drawn like?

[Sacred Knight]

His powers might be changing too to some degree too. Based on that sketch that had him with a small scar which "reminds him he's half human", it almost seems like he's going to have a pretty drastic power drop, or Bendis might be going back to the deal in the beginning of Rebirth where his powers fluctuate to the point where sometimes he has none at all. I kinda hope for the latter. The hero on a schedule could be intriguing.

[The World]

His powers might be changing too to some degree too. Based on that sketch that had him with a small scar which "reminds him he's half human", it almost seems like he's going to have a pretty drastic power drop, or Bendis might be going back to the deal in the beginning of Rebirth where his powers fluctuate to the point where sometimes he has none at all. I kinda hope for the latter. The hero on a schedule could be intriguing.

Could just be he gets hit with something powerful enough to split him open but it turns out he doesn't heal as well as his dad.

[Superlad93]

I'm still questioning if that picture was Jon Kent of the present/post-space trip. I'm skeptical that Bendis would show off the full look that far in advance. Plus, there's this IG post https://www.instagram.com/p/BkyEe8xH...en-by=dccomics saying "Upcoming cover to superman issue six by @ivanreisart @joeprado2017 I did post this a couple of weeks ago but it seems that some people still think that we are going to murder this young super boy in man of steel. Look! He’s right there, or is he?"

I feel like Bendis showed us a picture of a future Jon Kent to drum up buzz and speculation, but the present day Jon Kent (the one coming from a year of travel) has yet to be unveiled. I'd even go so far as to say that we might actually get future Jon in issue 6, but then get present day Jon in issue 7.

Might end up being something close to a Fantastic Four/FF situation where future Franklin around alongside his younger self in the present. And I'm thinking it'll play into the United Planets story line with future Jon being from the point where the UP is a bit further along.

[Sacred Knight]

Yeah, these theories based on that sketch of course come with the addendum that it isn't necessarily a lock about anything. I think its very possible, but hardly a 100% confirmation. #6/#7 should put that to bed one way or the other.

[quote]

Could just be he gets hit with something powerful enough to split him open but it turns out he doesn't heal as well as his dad.

Oh sure, definitely. If there's any truth to that sketch what happened could be any number of things, my previous ideas were just the first thing to come to mind.

[Superlad93]

Totally. I'm not saying anything otherwise. An all around pretty hype time to be a Superman fan when you lay everything out on the table. Things I'm probably most hype for are the Leviathan event, United Planets, Jon's return and what his story will deal with, Lois and Clark's story in issue 1004, Conner's return, and, surprisingly, crazy grandpa Jor-El.

Also, as an aside, it dawned on me that outside of Earth-5 there will never be a such thing as Captain Marvel Jr ever again. That means ______Jr is totally up for grabs, and conceptually Jon is one of only two characters in the whole DCU at present that can actually pull off the name. Given how much Bendis has been enjoying his deep dives into past Superman stories, and Jon is literally part of the modern day incarnation of Super Sons, I can totally see that being his name from here on. I'd be so down for heroes and other people just calling him Junior. Superman Jr. seems just as possible as Superlad or his continued use of Superboy right now, imo.

[Jackalope89]

Bendis-I like Jon! Don't worry!
*sends him off to space ASAP to age jump him almost immediately while canceling Super Sons*
Me- Yeah, this kind of thing rarely ends well.

I get people are "liking" Bendis' take on Superman. I get people wanted Young Justice back (though bringing back things of the 90s best LEFT in the 90s is something else entirely). But the more of these solicitations I see, the more of his work I read, the less and less excited I get for his work.

[manofsteel1979]

It's intriguing to me that the same guy bringing Kon back is in the same month bringing us an all new, all different Jon. I don't love the idea of him aging especially with another young adult Superboy around, but it's a complete wait and see. I'm probably more interested in where they take Jor-el, though.

Really into the 100 page special and what sounds like a Valentines holiday special.



Epting actually had a run as a Superman artist some years back.

Yeah. During the last year or so Dan Jurgens was writing SUPERMAN. Mid 98-99 I believe. I remember absolutely loving his work.