Superman #10 SPOILERS!!!!

[Superlad93]

Even that though seems out of proportion. His reaction in the initial issue was that Jor El was completely insane and they have to do something about it. There's really very little to support that at all, Jor El was worried and confused because he thought Jon tried to run away from him after the wormhole, but he still hasn't really shown anything at all that would justify Jon's statements. If the most Bendis was going to lay down for that was "You don't know the deals I've made" to save you and then have Jor El be attacked, it's a pretty weak justification for some rather alarming interpretation on Jon's behalf.

I agree that the word choice of "crazy" in issue 8 was off because it has a distinctively villainous connotation to it given the medium we are in. However, I defend issue 7's ending specifically because its ambiguity is a deliberate choice. 8 tells and shows us what the issue is, and "unwell" or "sick" are more appropriate descriptors. That said, I think what Jon was feeling in the moment should be taken into account, and may explain the harsher term alluding to a threatening nature. The intention being that he felt he wasn't on a trip with an adult with all their faculties.

While Jor-El telling Jon about his existential crisis function as a greatly humanizing moment for the former Mr. Oz in our eyes, they also act as a deeply unnerving thing to hear as an 11 year old. This is the man charged with looking after you wondering if any of what he's ever done even means anything, and if it's all just madness. I mean, what's that 10 year old supposed to do? Tell his grandpa--who looks 10 seconds away from a breakdown, and has apparently hinged his search for meaning on the life of a 10 year old--that he's not okay with this trip anymore and wants to leave? That's why when he asks the GLs to take him home, and Jor-El finds out, Jon takes it back. This is a real thing that happens in our world, where adults with mental issues that have kids uses those kids as safety blankets, thus putting an unfair amount of responsibility on the child, and basically making them feel guilty for even thinking of leaving for a more suitable situation.

So when we fast forward to issue 10, and Jor-El has, yes, saved Jon, but is screaming at him for running from him when clearly that's not even remotely what happened in issue 8, that's not a good look for him. Jor-El pacing around clearly distraught about all he's had to do to get Jon back is clearly making Jon remember what a fragile state he was in to begin with. You think back to the guy who didn't talk to the kid for a long period of time because he thought Jon was leaving him and multiply that by 10 years. You take the guy that was genuinely at the end of his rope as far as the study of science went, and you make him calculate an infinite amount of variables. In issue 8 Jor-El actually calls it categorizing chaos, and now he's literally done the very thing that he was dreading in search of the one thing that seemed to hold a glimmer of meaning in his life (his grandson), and it broke him.

That said, being mentally unwell doesn't exclude you from having the ability heroic to and for someone. All too often fiction gives us the mentally unwell person as amoral villain. I like that this isn't clean and clear.

And on top of it, both Lois and Clark are being written as basically thinking this is all Jor El's fault and he needs a beat down. There's a real disconnect for me between what we're seeing and how the characters are reacting.

But the thing about that is, for Lois and Clark, it's clearly "I need and outlet for this frustration, and the guy who was taking care of our son seems like a good place to start." They aren't vindicated/fully justified in their rage at Jor-El, but I'm sure we could all contrive a reason in such a moment.

Just off the top of my head "hey, jackass, when my kid asked the cops to take him home, why didn't you freakin take him home? If you had, maybe the black hole wouldn't have gotten him." Jor-El has no good rebuttal to that other than "I needed him, and wanted him to stay." But Lois and Clark can't blame a freakin black hole on him.

With fiction I always say that I don't need any character to always pick the right choice, most logical choice, or even the agreeable choice, but I need to get where they're coming from. If Lois and Clark are blaming Jor-El on some level then I get that even though I know it's not his fault.

All and all this still seems like the weakest issue to me. Curious as to which one did you think from earlier was weaker?

Issue 2 is, in my opinion, the weakest of his Superman run. It's the only time during this run that I've personally thought that he should've combined two issues (2 and 3). Every thing in issue 2 is better articulated in issue 3. Make no mistake though, I think issue 2 has valuable moments that have carried on even to now, but I think it does far, far less with itself than this issue.

It's kinda even weirder when Jon was so excited and happy that Jor El had rescued him from Earth 3 and then immediately seems to jump to he's crazy as soon as he comes back.

Well, yeah, of course he's happy. Someone from his universe not only saved him from immediate danger, but also got him back to his universe. There's a lot to be happy about there. But, what I think you might be overlooking is that up till the moment where Jor-El starts saying that Jon ran from him, and explaining that it's been years of doing infinite calculations looking for him, Jon didn't really see the toll it took on him. Then as he puts his story together to tell his parents he notes the early warning signs that were left to fester, and that's how he arrives at his ultimate conclusion.

But scarring a Kryptonian is a big deal and it's weird that it got glossed over or was just an art mistake.

You would think it was a big deal, but Bendis had Reis give Jax-Ur scars on his head (that you can still see in the flashback where he clear has his powers in full), so it doesn't seem to be that scared a cow in this era.

I could see them either totally doing away with it in subsequent issues in an effort to soften his look and hearken back to his childhood, or explaining it as maybe something Jor-El did to Jon unbeknownst to him when he teleported him similar to the suit having a recall function.

[Superlad93]

I find myself suddenly realizing that Bendis just did something potentially really, really fascinating with Jor-El here that may play into other aspects of his run down the line......

Jor-El can now effectively function in at any point in DC multiversal history. He's been dimension/time traveling for OVER A DECADE. That mean even though Zaar didn't seem to have anything to do with Jor-El in today's Supergirl as far as the Circle's records go, he totally could've met a time traveling Jor-El.

But, oh, it's not just DC's history, is it? He also said "forward" in time. Say it loud, and you damn well better say it proud: LEGION!

I bet you anything Jor-El shows up in an issue of Young Justice after they leave Gemworld and go to other realities. Jor-El seeing Conner and mistaking him for an older Jon before he finds the real one seems like a strong possibility.

[dietrich]

The Kents are taking the changes in their lives how Super. Jon taking the whole tortured by Ultraman, mad grampa and sped up ageing in stride.

Fearful of Bendis writing Damian and Jon reunion. Don't want Damian contacting a heavy dose of the Stepfords and morphing into an A-OK-guy like these 3

[jackolover]

I'd say that Jon's mostly worried about what "deals" Jor-El made to get him back, and how clearly unwell he seems. Jor-El looks unwell with his lazy eye as the big indicator. I don't think Jon assumes any malevolence out of Jor-El, but rather he's genuinely concerned because this was already a guy who was not in a good spot. I think just leaving a guy like that to his own devices is the thing he's scared off.

So, Clark ‘s refusal to originally let Jor-El take Jon away was justified because of this terrible outcome? Never let relatives bring up your kids.

Just as an aside, what does Bendis’ Man of Steel mini have to do with this? Is there a connection here with the Earth being in the Phantom Zone?

[Vordan]

So, Clark ‘s refusal to originally let Jor-El take Jon away was justified because of this terrible outcome? Never let relatives bring up your kids.

Just as an aside, what does Bendis’ Man of Steel mini have to do with this? Is there a connection here with the Earth being in the Phantom Zone?

Man of Steel set up the status quo for the Bendis Superbooks. Bendis has been hinting that’s something happening behind the scenes with organizations like STAR Labs which will be dealt with in Event Leviathan.

[jackolover]

Man of Steel set up the status quo for the Bendis Superbooks. Bendis has been hinting that’s something happening behind the scenes with organizations like STAR Labs which will be dealt with in Event Leviathan.

Thanks Vordan