Controversial opinion: Superman up in the Sky is better than any of Bendis

[superduperman]

I see the Wal-Mart books as being more like an anthology series. One creator gets to do "their" vision and then another one takes over after that. Sort of like All Star was supposed to be before Morrison broke the mold.

[Ascended]

Ive only read the first issue of the direct market version of Up in the Sky (last night). It was solid, classic Superman, and well done for what it was. I've heard about what happens later in the story but haven't read any of it so all I can really judge is the first DM issue (which was like, three issues of the Wal-Mart version I guess?). I'll probably get the next issue at my LCS, but from what I hear I might not make it to story's end. So its sorta unfair for me to compare it to Bendis; I've got one issue of King under my belt but I've got a year's worth of Bendis to reflect on.

But I dont think this is a viable comparison. Bendis is writing in the mainline continuity and dealing with added things like DC asking him to fix their spy stuff, Jor-El being alive, etc. King is playing in his own sandbox and doesn't have to worry about anything else. That changes a lot about what kind of story the writer can tell and what kind of assets they have at their disposal, as well as what kind of stuff they need to address (King doesn't have loose ends from Johns to contend with, for example).

All that said, I prefer Bendis. King's first issue was good but feels sort of like a "paint by numbers" story. Very classic, sorta Donner-ish really, and well executed (so far) but not terribly original or new and I don't feel like it's really saying anything about Clark we haven't already heard or doing anything I haven't seen a dozen times already. And I really, really, really, really, really, really, really hate having other people explain things to Clark that Clark already knows. I don't need Pa Kent or, gods above, Batman, explaining who and what Superman is to Clark and what his responsibilities are. And King having Clark struggle with whether he should find the girl rubs me wrong. I dont feel like Clark is the kind of guy who really weighs things in that way. If someone needs help, he helps. He doesn't consider whether saving one life is worth his time. He just doesnt (in my mind) view his responsibilities that way.

Didnt get enough of Lois or the other supporting cast from King to really be able to judge. Bendis didn't have a good handle on Lois starting off, but has improved a lot since. Haven't seen enough from King yet to say who's got a better grip there, though I thought King did a good job with Lois in that one-off issue of Batman a while back. Put a gun to my head and I'd say King writes the better Lois, but I'd need more to really say.

Bendis has a better grip on Clark's voice and uses the powers in more interesting ways. And while the things he's done have been polarizing, he's still breaking new ground which is usually something I can appreciate even if I don't agree with it (after 20+ years reading Superman comics, novelty has its place).

But this isn't a comparison that really works. King's story is self-contained and meant to appeal to people who don't read Superman, while Bendis is doing a long-form narrative for established fans set in the main continuity. It's like trying to compare long-running tv shows to a movie adaptation; different audiences, goals, etc.

[Steven Caldwell]

It is my opinion that Bendis is not good as I do not like his writing.