Currently Reading:
DC: The Flash, Challenge of the Super Sons, Nightwing
Image: Lazarus: Risen, The Old Guard, Black Magick
Boom: Mighty Morphin', Power Rangers
It all depends on why DC wanted Bendis to come over. If it was just “he’s a superstar, let’s get him over to sell 100k issues of Superman!” then yeah he’s probably failed. But Bendis has other positives beyond sales, he got Fraction and Rucka writing Superbooks, he got Walker working on Naomi with him after Walker left on bad terms with DC, he got Marquez over to DC drawing Batman/Superman, he got Maleev drawing Tec 1000 and Event Leviathan, he’ll probably get Pinaccili over too once her contract with Marvel is up. He and Hickman are buds, and since DC utterly botched a chance to get Hickman over the first time, maybe once he’s done with X-Men Bendis can get him over to DC. He’s culling all the spy organizations DC has which is something editorial wants done (probably so DC can have their SHIELD), so he’s willing to take up editorial mandates.
I would love to know for certain myself how they feel about Bendis, but if they’re actually planning to put him on Batman they must still have some degree of faith in him.
A good writer would have gotten rid of a badly received character a long time ago. Rogol should have been banished to the deepest depths of space months ago. Oh well.
I still like the art; which is 75% of my enjoyment
Also remember, bendis had spiderman and Wolverine join his Avengers, Marvel’s biggest solo character
Which critics have (websites) blasted his run?
Yeah, thanks for that. Jon was quite popular.
For the record, i think its been a solid run. My main complaint is the two separate books; with separate storylines, giving a disjointed experience, like Rucka telling a different story every other issue in WW, a really dumb way to publish comics.
I’ve seen this complaint before and I’ve never quite understood it. The only time all the Superbooks were about the same storyline was during the triangle era. Otherwise there’s the “main” book and then the side book that runs parallel to the main book and may or may not tie into what the main book is doing. Like in Tom King’s Tec Batman just got jumped by Bane whereas Tomasi’s Tec just is completely ignoring that with his Arkham Knight plot. Is it because Bendis is writing both books that people expecte dthe storylines to be easier to place chronologically?
So let's confirm the thesis
23 25 Superman 10 $3.99 04/10/19 DC 48,802
30 31 Action Comics 1010 $3.99 04/24/19 DC 42,317
2 2 Symbiote Spider-Man 1 $4.99 04/10/19 Marvel 165,841
3 3 Batman Who Laughs 4 $4.99 04/10/19 DC 103,645
4 7 Immortal Hulk 16 $3.99 04/03/19 Marvel 90,305
5 8 Batman 69 $3.99 04/17/19 DC 88,666
10 11 Amazing Spider-Man 20 $3.99 04/24/19 Marvel 76,903
18 20 Venom 13 $3.99 04/24/19 Marvel 52,114
21 23 Fantastic Four 9 $3.99 04/24/19 Marvel 51,074
22 24 Green Lantern 6 $3.99 04/03/19 DC 49,256
Commercial Superman book are fine numbers among the best selling comics. I haven't seen anything super critical of Bendis run so I don't know what to say about that part.Simple put to me it seems people expect books to always sell like they have in past. I see it from X-men fans as well they murder the sales numbers when the reality the book is among the best selling books just lower top 25 just not a top anymore. I guess the real question is why doesn't Bendis doesn't superman on the upper half of top 25 books. The answer could be two things
A. Bendis is the wrong writer for Superman
B. Superman does not appeal to fans as much other style of characters
Superman generally doesn't sell, he is a has been of golden age. Sorry but these are cold facts.
Actually, that would be your opinion, which isn't factual at all. Superman is the #25 best selling comic of April 2019, close to 81 years after he was created. Which is one heck of a feat considering his company only occasionally has the slightest clue what to do with him. And as I said before on this thread - when comics weren't just being pushed to the "comics crowd," he sold even better.
So that "has-been" is selling better than the vast majority of "hot new" comics and characters. Or conversely...by the above logic, I guess we're throwing Green Lantern, X-Men, Spider-Man, Supergirl, Harley Quinn, Nightwing, and Deadpool in the has-been pile, too?
Hear my new CD "Love The World Away", available on iTunes, Google Music, Spotify, Shazam, and Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01N5XYV..._waESybX1C0RXK via @amazon
www.jamiekelleymusic.com
TV interview here: https://snjtoday.com/snj-today-hotline-jamie-kelley/
I think it's more of a Superman problem then a Bendis problem. If sales were significantly below the 40,000-50,000 average Superman comics tend to be at,then I could say,yeah,it's all Bendis,but sales are pretty consistent not only with the general sales of the teams just prior,but during the New 52 after Morrison's run ended and before Truth sent sales through the toilet. Superman will probably never crack 70,000+ in sales consistently again. Yeah with events and specials things will spike, but it's just the nature of the business and Superman's place in the market and DC Comics. I personally have found most of Bendis' run enjoyable,but I do understand why some dislike it.
When it comes to comics,one person's "fan-service" is another persons personal cannon. So by definition it's ALL fan service. Aren't we ALL fans?
SUPERMAN is the greatest fictional character ever created.
I'm currently liking the books - Action way more than Superman just based on the subject matter - but I still think Superman just tends to be a hard sell, no matter what current in-continuity canon he's got going on - "brash young dude" or "yeah, I'm a dad" Superman. And you can't win with it ... you redesign him and everyone freaks. You don't redesign him and everyone freaks. You don't serve Lois well enough and everyone freaks (rightly so, though). So on.
Bendis has Ivan freakin' Reis of all people on the main book but it's not doing Lantern Legendary as a run so far. Maybe the title is just waiting for a big plot point to hit and really move it into the eyes of the fandom more. So far it's "Neat" and "pretty okay" but not exactly rocking the house as required reading.
Retro315 no more. Anonymity is so 2005.
retrowarbird.blogspot.com
This is the sad truth. DC and WB have been mismanaging the IP for a long time and sales have bottomed out around 40-50k with some variance.
Bendis is doing just fine on Superman.
As for Superman being a has-been of the golden and, that's an opinion. Not a fact. Given your signature and noted favorites of Batman/Wolverine/The Darkness/Bloodshot, I can see why you would find him unappealing and that's okay. No character or concept has universal appeal.