Superman#8 Discussion & Spoilers

[Miles To Go]

spoilers:

Jon goes through rigerous testing over at the new fortress. Lois is still pretty upset, but is still capable of bantering with both Jon and Clark. The tests show Jon is a healthy seventeen year old. Clark flies off to blow off some steam, angry that it's not Lex or Darksied that robbed him of seeing his son's maturing years, but his own father. Mongol randomly arrives and Clark beats him up. He returns to the fortress and Jon tells his family of his trips and missions to space. He notes that the galaxy is very much like Earth..squabbling and in need of help. Jor-El attempted a few stabs at negotiation, but often it fell on deaf ears. Jon meets up with the Green Lantern corps and asks for them to take him home, which only saddens Jor-El and apparently he spent a whole summer not even talking to Jon. Jor-El and Jon's ship is sucked through a black void and wind up on Earth 3 where Jon is confronted by the Crime Syndicate

end of spoilers

A lot of answers and action in this one. Jon is still very likeable, and you really feel a bit for Jor-El, almost sorry for him in a way as he's trying to bring the galaxy together in unity (strong emphasis on the themes of the story title) and can't seem to manage it, we know Jon is ultimately convinced Jor-El isn't stable but it's nice to see him try to understand him at the very least before they are thrown into where they end up. Lois is on fine form here, full of occasional bite in her snark and some good chemistry with both her son and husband, even thinking about something for the paper when Clark tells her of who he found outside.

[Badou]

Bendis really had such a poor voice for Jon in this book. He really doesn't seem to be able to write him well at all and this while story with him seems to be spiraling down fast. I'm getting bad flashbacks of his X-Men run dealing with the O5. Also it is really sad to see just how much Lois continues to get dumped on. Man, her character has had a rough stretch here for a while it feels like.

[Miles To Go]

Bendis really had such a poor voice for Jon in this book. He really doesn't seem to be able to write him well at all and this while story with him seems to be spiraling down fast. I'm getting bad flashbacks of his X-Men run dealing with the O5. Also it is really sad to see just how much Lois continues to get dumped on. Man, her character has had a rough stretch here for a while it feels like.

How was her character "dumped on?" here. Elaborate.

[Kurus]

How was her character "dumped on?" here. Elaborate.

She acts like a complete moron. Lets her son take of with his genocidal grandpa and then leave him alone with him, and to top it of doesn't tell her husband that she's back.

[Miles To Go]

She acts like a complete moron. Lets her son take of with his genocidal grandpa and then leave him alone with him, and to top it of doesn't tell her husband that she's back.

It's been made perfectly clear why she did all of those things and they make sense. You don't have to like it, but there it is.

I was specifically asking him what was wrong with Lois in this issue, not what she'd been going through lately.

[Kurus]

It's been made perfectly clear why she did all of those things and they make sense. You don't have to like it, but there it is.

I was specifically asking him what was wrong with Lois in this issue, not what she'd been going through lately.

It make no goddamn sense whatsoever. What make her insufferable in this issue is she whine about how what she did was clearly stupid, as if to rub our faces in as to how big of a moron she is under Bendis.

[manwhohaseverything]

Yeah! Lois's dialogues were too long and not needed. And superman's need to smash things when he gets upset is getting old. I did not find anything wrong with Jon's voice. Green lantern Corps not helping Jon just cause Jor el arrived, felt weird. Just goes to show you that Clark could have Found Jon via Green lanterns, if he wasn't half assing it like i said. Especially, after Lois left the kid in space.he had options like i said.

[Leaf57]

I think I've given this run a fair enough shake but personally I'm done, I'm not even angry about the age-up to Jon anymore, I'm ultimately just indifferent to this book.

What really broke me is how the whole summer space trip with Jor El situation has been handled so far, since Man of Steel mini many a detractor of Bendis have been pointing out what a bad and illogical decision it is for the characters to agree to it, with Jon's reasoning seeming out of character. And while I could see their point I was willing to go along with it as I saw it as a platform to explore some pretty interesting dynamics, seeing this estranged family from two different worlds reconnect, Jor-El a man still grieving the loss of his wife, world and a son he never got a chance to raise has essentially a second chance now with his grandson, seeing Jon learning and being immersed in Kyroptonian culture in way Clark never was, Jor-El gaining a better understanding and appreciation for Clark's love of humanity through Lois and showing how Jon and Lois adapt without Clark presence in their lives.

And how does Bendis choose to prove his naysayers wrong and subvert expectations? why by proving them right all along, turns out Jor-El really is just crazy and by having Lois and now Jon almost immediately regret their decision and wanting off said trip. Honestly I could have even gone along with the trip proving to have ultimately been a mistake had Bendis even explored that properly but the whole scenario seems to be exactly what the initial doubters said it was, an excuse to get Jon and Lois out of the way for a few months and way to age-up Jon off-panel.

If the only way Bendis can craft his vision for this series is by having the characters making dumb decisions that they instantly regret (no Bendis having Lois acknowledge here that leaving Jon alone with Jor El was a mistake last issue doesn't make it any less egregious) than there little reason for me to get invested in any future decisions they make or further developments that happen to them.

Oh and Bendis sense of humor is just groan-worthy, whoever told him he was funny growing-up lied to him.

[OpaqueGiraffe17]

Already dropped this dumpster fire of a run after #6, glad to hear I haven’t made a mistake.

[Yoda]

So far, we haven’t seen that Lois, Clark, or Jon’s decision was actually all that bad. The “crazy” Jor El isn’t “crazy” in the sense that people were expecting. He’s not doing anything Clark wouldn’t do out there really, something Jon expressly acknowledge in this issue. Nor has any of his actions have been hostile unless he spoilers:

drove their ship into the black hole, which is kinda implied I guess but I don’t think that’s a given yet. And if not it could be the time on Earth 3 that drives him into that territory

end of spoilers So as bad as I thought they all looked, Jor El’s actual portrayal has so far not been untrustworthy. He’s doing exactly what he said he would and is just having a hard time of it.

[LordUltimus]

So far, we haven’t seen that Lois, Clark, or Jon’s decision was actually all that bad. The “crazy” Jor El isn’t “crazy” in the sense that people were expecting. He’s not doing anything Clark wouldn’t do out there really, something Jon expressly acknowledge in this issue. Nor has any of his actions have been hostile unless he spoilers:

drove their ship into the black hole, which is kinda implied I guess but I don’t think that’s a given yet. And if not it could be the time on Earth 3 that drives him into that territory

end of spoilers So as bad as I thought they all looked, Jor El’s actual portrayal has so far not been untrustworthy. He’s doing exactly what he said he would and is just having a hard time of it.

Which seems weird to me, as the narrative doesn't seem to portray Jor-El as sympathetic.

[rpmaluki]

I like this better.

[Yoda]

Which seems weird to me, as the narrative doesn't seem to portray Jor-El as sympathetic.

It definitely could take a turn, but I think he is a lot more sympathetic in this issue than he was before. In fact, I am actually thinking my idea that he manipulated Lois to leave isn’t going to pan out. He may have unintentionally made her uncomfortable but nothing he’s done short of maybe the last scene of this issue has shown any intent to harm Jon. I think we are seeing that he has all the same good intentions Clark has, but doesn’t have the ability to handle them like he would because he’s missing Clark’s humanity and his ability to see how all this stuff connects.

So unless things take a turn next issue, i don’t think Jor El is the villain everyone is expecting him to be. The regret Clark and Lois feel now is based on their thinking Jor El did this intentionally but that hasn’t been established yet. This is akin to letting your kid spend the summer with a grandparent and he gets hurt in a car accident not anything sinister. Definitely could change if what the end shows was intentional, but so far it’s not as bad as people claim.

[rpmaluki]

This is definitely the most sympathetic Jor-El for me and I'm hoping it sticks and there's not some dark twist down the road. Whatever Jon's version of "crazy" is, I know I don't want him to be a villain or have malicious intent against his family.

[DragonPiece]

Another great issue, it really does make you feel a bit bad for Jor-El, I'm glad we get to see some of his pov. I'm guessing we will evetually learn this has to do with Dr. Manhattan casting him aside and him trying to find new purpose in the world.


Also, this issue is pretty much defending Lois and Clark's decisions letting Jon go out in space and IMO, Bendis handed it well. Someone in this thread said it was character assassination somehow and I don't understand at all, how is Lois's character ruined forever for trying to rationalize her decision? How is Clark ruined forever, because HE of all people, wants to believe their is good in his grandfather? The way some of you guys post about bendis books really makes it seem like he killed your dog with the unnecessary hate and criticism that's more like nitpicks.