A Court of Owls for Superman

[Vordan]

https://twitter.com/magsvisaggs/stat...328247299?s=21

COURT OF OWLS is all about Batman coming to learn he doesn't know Gotham at all, that this city he always thought he understood (a city which is as much character as setting) had untold secrets that could alter the meaning of everything he's done.

What would SUPERMAN's be?

Saw this and I thought it was an interesting thought experiment. How would you guys approach this?

For me the obvious angle is to use Smallville. The whole “1950s Rockwellian atmosphere” Smallville usually gets stuck with feels like the perfect cover to something much darker. I remember a John Ostrander mini about the history of the Kent family, with the Kents splitting in two about which side they supported, Union or Confederacy. Plus “Bleeding Kansas” as a whole was no stranger to violence over slavery. Make a story where Clark goes home to write an article about the death of Middle America, have him start to uncover unsettling hints that there’s something rotten in his idyllic hometown, something the locals and even his parents know about but have kept hidden from him. Tie it in to the miniature civil war over slavery that happened in the Smallville location as Kansas struggled to become a state, have it be responsible for the deaths of several Kents, and I think you’d have something powerful on your hands.

[Korath]

Wasn't the Circle and Rogol Zaar being basically that in Bendis' run ?

I mean, he thought he knew how Krypton was destroyed and it turned out that it was mostly because a secret organization is father was a part off had created a super-soldier and said soldier had a burning hatred of Kryptonian, alongside on of the Circle members.

It's not CoO 1:1 but it's close enough.

[HsssH]

Is it bad that Superman had, relatively speaking, normal childhood and wasn't surrounded by various monsters?

[Ra-El]

I would be down to some Twin Peaks type stuff on Smallville. Not season 3 Twin Peaks: The Return, but definitely the first 2 seasons.

Maybe, if they wanted to go that dark, they could make Clark go to back to Smallville, to investigate some mysterious murder, like In Cold Blood. After he gets there he start investigating what happened and then the weird start to come up.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I agree with Korath as Bendis already did that with Rogal Zaar/The Circle and the Invisible Mafia.

I guess my pitch would be a cold case from his youth that Clark has to revisit.

[Jon Clark]

Just take JMS' approach from Supreme Power

Jonathan and Martha were government operatives chosen to raise Kal-El. The residents of Smallville were observers.

Hell, even Lois was recruited by her father to keep the alien under control.

Perry has been in on it from the day Clark was hired. It's why the Clark Kent disguise worked- everyone was in on it.

[Doctor Know]

They had something like this during Byrne's run during the Millennium Event. Hundreds of Smallville's residents were altered and assimilated into the Manhunter's operation. The Manhunter's were attempting to capture Clark's rocket before it reached Earth. They hunters were delayed by the GLC, and Clark's rocket made it to Smallville. The Manhunters infiltrated the town by killing several people, chiefly the doctor. The town doctor had access to all pregnant women and small children to alter, and men who got sick.

[Vordan]

Is it bad that Superman had, relatively speaking, normal childhood and wasn't surrounded by various monsters?

Nah, I get that some people prefer Smallville to be exactly as it’s been sold as since Byrne: A normal town that you’d never expect Superman to come from. But every small town has its secrets which is why I’m not bothered by DC occasionally playing with that.

[Jackalope89]

Being in rural Kansas, and the only space related thing there is Clark landing as a baby, I would immediately toss out anything space (and thus government) related.

Instead, it would be Ma and Pa getting caught up in an old cult that had origins going back centuries in the area, whose ruling council were powerful magic users. As for why they would target Ma and Pa, they could be either defectors or the children of a few defectors, and their bloodline is key for the cult. And being that they have a son (unknown to the cult that he is an alien), they want him too. They would also target Lana and other friends of his that live in Smallville, requiring Clark, Lois and now kid Jon to investigate when they find the farm in rough shape, as if it were abandoned.

[witchboy]

Just take JMS' approach from Supreme Power

Jonathan and Martha were government operatives chosen to raise Kal-El. The residents of Smallville were observers.

Hell, even Lois was recruited by her father to keep the alien under control.

Perry has been in on it from the day Clark was hired. It's why the Clark Kent disguise worked- everyone was in on it.

Wow that's twisted and interesting. I think it would damage the brand if it were in the main continuity, but as some kind of mind trick for an issue or two, or an Elseworlds, it would make a great short run story.

[adkal]

Nah, I get that some people prefer Smallville to be exactly as it’s been sold as since Byrne: A normal town that you’d never expect Superman to come from. But every small town has its secrets which is why I’m not bothered by DC occasionally playing with that.

They basically did this way back in the late 80s with the Millennium storyline. The Manhunters were in Smallville (and stuff).

Sure, it was basically universe-wide, but there was a lot of weird stuff going on Smallville because of it.

[adkal]

They had something like this during Byrne's run during the Millennium Event. Hundreds of Smallville's residents were altered and assimilated into the Manhunter's operation. The Manhunter's were attempting to capture Clark's rocket before it reached Earth. They hunters were delayed by the GLC, and Clark's rocket made it to Smallville. The Manhunters infiltrated the town by killing several people, chiefly the doctor. The town doctor had access to all pregnant women and small children to alter, and men who got sick.

Apologies, somehow I didn't see you had already posted this.

[Riv86672]

Is it bad that Superman had, relatively speaking, normal childhood and wasn't surrounded by various monsters?

Not at all. Still...

...But every small town has its secrets which is why I’m not bothered by DC occasionally playing with that.

If it’s a good story, I’m all for it.

[Soubhagya]

Just take JMS' approach from Supreme Power

Jonathan and Martha were government operatives chosen to raise Kal-El. The residents of Smallville were observers.

Hell, even Lois was recruited by her father to keep the alien under control.

Perry has been in on it from the day Clark was hired. It's why the Clark Kent disguise worked- everyone was in on it.

That would actually make a good Elseworlds story. If you do it in the main books, you would have to play around a bit. After an incident he gets amnesia. To remember himself he goes through all the stuff. Revisits Smallville. Spends time with his friends and family. Looks at the records in Fortress. But he senses that something is off. Things aren't adding up. Till he discovers that all of his life on Earth has been a lie. In the end you have to reveal that all this evidence including Lois, Perry and others was planted by the villains who havethe real Lois, Jimmy, etc. in order to turn Superman away from Earth.

[Ra-El]

Just take JMS' approach from Supreme Power

Jonathan and Martha were government operatives chosen to raise Kal-El. The residents of Smallville were observers.

Hell, even Lois was recruited by her father to keep the alien under control.

Perry has been in on it from the day Clark was hired. It's why the Clark Kent disguise worked- everyone was in on it.

Does Clark know about it? Because if not,it would make him a completely moron.