PKJ Action Comics Discussion and Spoilers

[DragonPiece]

I think ,war world saga is the lead...Jon story is just set up and building,For now

Personally, whatever story Clark is in is the main story to me. I love Jon, but he's just isn't the main character as long as Clark's around.

[Last Son of Krypton]

About AC sales...

The ranking of the SM books at the beginning of Infinite Frontier was misinterpreted, not knowing yet estimated numbers and that the market was changed (for the better) after the pandemic.

Looking back, SM & AC started, more or less, in the 40k range (SM's last issue #33 had estimated sales of 36k). Customers dropped the books for lack of interest in the direction. They picked the series, and found a 2-part filler followed by another filler arc with mediocre art to set up a relaunch starring a character they weren't interested in.

I'm sure that if Infinite Frontier's Batman started with some lame fillers to cancel the book and relaunch it with Bat-Jace, you would see sales dropping like a stone for the main bat books too.

Taylor's and PJK's stuff kinda works together, but who came up with this status quo? Who is setting things up?

DiDio did it a couple of years ago, lol. DC is on autopilot.

[Yoda]

How are you rationalizing blaming Jon for the lower sales when his books have consistently sold better than Action or the Clark focused Future State books?

[SJNeal]

I'm sure that if Infinite Frontier's Batman started with some lame fillers to cancel the book and relaunch it with Bat-Jace, you would see sales dropping like a stone for the main bat books too.

I'd like to think so, but highly doubt it. The Bat-zombies will not be deterred!

[Last Son of Krypton]

How are you rationalizing blaming Jon for the lower sales when his books have consistently sold better than Action

You are reducing what I said. My argument was about the SM books being saddled with fillers to set another book that could've been its own thing.

About Taylor's SM sales compared to PKJ's, how you can say it's doing better? A first issue with 6/7 variant covers can't be compared to a series without that gimmick and that's past its 30th issue. Collectors and speculators bought multiple copies of it (that's the point of the shitload of variants, lol). 2 issues in, Taylor book is doing like Bendis' Legion first 2 issues. That's the best idea we have so far about how the book will perform after retailers will adjust their orders.

As I said above PKJ's fillers in the SM book started with sales in the 40k range (my estimation based on the ranking) and ended with 36k. Taylor's book will not perform better than the book that was cancelled for it. The 3rd issue will lose another 10-15% (that's the norm for every series).

or the Clark focused Future State books?

Superman of Metropolis #1 ranked 28th and Superman Worlds of War #1 ranked 43th in Jan.

https://www.comichron.com/monthlycom...1/2021-01.html

But... Superman Worlds of War#2 ranked 48th in Feb

and Superman of Metropolis #2 dropped at 50

https://www.comichron.com/monthlycom...1/2021-02.html

I'd like to think so, but highly doubt it. The Bat-zombies will not be deterred!

They would drop the Jace-lead BM book for sure.

[Lvenger]

PKJ is talking with comics Youtuber Comics by Perch in just over an hour. I'm not going to be free to watch it, but for anyone interested, here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vf8...=ComicsbyPerch

[Vordan]

The art looks great.

Last Sampere issue I think, going out on a high note at least!

[Quinlan58]

Summary of the Superman-relevant portions of the "Comics by Perch" podcast:

• He doesn't understand why people say that he’s hard to write because he’s too powerful, since he’s been physically challenged over and over and has other weaknesses.
• The Tomasi’ and Jurgens’ runs making him a father makes him easy to write for PKJ
• Finds writing Superman “an amazingly rewarding experience”.
• Acknowledges he can’t say how long he’ll stay because plans may change any day. He uses specifically the date December 2022, but only as a working example. Later when told he looks like he's setting up a 5-year run, he says he "hopes so".
• When pressed to elaborate and mention more obscure influences than the usual “Reeve and Byrne”, he mentions the Reeve movies again (specific emphasis on IV and the first two movies), John William’s music for those movies and Superman 400 (makes specific emphasis on the Steranko story). Says he read and enjoyed Silver Age (and pre-Silver Age) comics as a kid but recognized Superman 400 as something different when it came out.
• He wanted to get out of the Daily Planet bullpen and make a big space epic.
• Acknowledges some Lois fans would be super-pissed off at him if he extended the Warworld saga 5 years.
• Hopes it’ll be as much of a touchstone as the Dark Phoenix saga
• Mendonca is following Sampere and then there’s another person following Mendonca that he can’t spoil now.
• Acknowledges some people have said this has been done before in the Triangle years but insists this will be different.
• He’s introducing a lot of cultural stuff on Warworld. He doesn’t want to see Warworld again as a “big shiny metal ball with guns sticking out of it/a Death Star rip-off”.
• He sees it as starting as a big space station going across the universe conquering planets, killing most of the population and taking many slaves, and over time it’s become sort of a crazy preserve for all these cultures.
• All the buildings in Warworld are actually pieces of different structures from different cultures, that rust over time due to the rain and form all those pulls of rusty water that look like blood.
• He hopes someone takes this approach with Atlantis.
• When prompted about the adaptation potential of his work, he says he’s not thinking in those terms.
• He thinks Mongul has mostly been one-dimensional. He says Bendis did him a service by killing off Mongul and replacing him with his son.
• He wants to make this Mongul way more dangerous, interesting and sympathetic, legitimately scary. He wants to make him the antithesis of Superman.
• He’s trying to separate him from the likes of Thanos and Darkseid by making him a slaver, and establishing a Warzoon culture build around the concept of dominance, the way the framing of Dune is built around water scarcity.
• He feels the aging-up of Jon Kent was a trade-off. Understands people wanted to see more of the family dynamic Tomasi introduced. He tried to keep Jon’s old personality when he was writing him, “generous, fun-loving, gregarious, fun, messy, beautiful kid”. He thinks the potential dynamic with Damian now could be fun. He gets that in theory we lost a lot, but in practice and in potential he doesn’t think that much has been lost. He builds his stories with Jon centered on him being no longer a little boy but a young man.
• He tries to make a balance between listening to the fans and being a slave to fan demands. Specifically mentions not wanting to listen to “#SnyderCut” type of demands.
• He says people wanting to “One More Day” Jon’s age-up would be disrespectful to everyone.
• He believes the long game will treat them kindly.
• When Clark leaves for Warworld, there’s a lot of characters in the supporting cast left behind on Earth, who will be seen again after the Warworld story ends (not just Lois), including some he’s dying to use for the first time.
• When asked if the company would do a book set in the past in the Tomasi status-quo, he says “why not? You can do whatever you want in comics” and uses Batman ’89 and Superman ’78 as examples, as well as the Super-sons maxi-series done after the age-up.
• He has no idea about the Linear-verse. When explained to him, he’s baffled and agrees that maybe not every question (“how does Batman exist in the 30’s and in the 90’s?”) need answers. He implies he feels the same way about 5G having fixed dates.

Overall, tons of stuff we had heard before, more specifics on the Warworld worldbulding, some hints on the post-Warworld stuff (besides Lois, other members of the Earth-based supporting cast will show up), I felt he was a little more candid on his thoughts on Jon's age-up and the fanbase reactions, mentioned Lois twice umprompted (it's disappointing that this is a highlight, but considering his initial interviews, it sort of is).

[Last Son of Krypton]

[*]Acknowledges he can’t say how long he’ll stay because plans may change any day. He uses specifically the date December 2022, but only as a working example. Later when told he looks like he's setting up a 5-year run, he says he "hopes so".

Dec. 2022 = double sized Action Comics #1050.

[The Frog Bros]

PKJ at NYCC:

“no evil Superman in my run.”

“It’s literally not possible” to imagine Superman in mainstream continuity breaking bad, he said.

“It is possible to have ultimate power and not be evil,”

https://aiptcomics.com/2021/10/07/ny...evil-superman/

Hooray!

[kalai]

I wonder how long the Warworld Saga will be,
and will it directly lead into the whole Gladiator Superman we saw in Future State?
By the looks of it, PKJ is planning for a deep dive into the culture of Warworld, so maybe 12 issues plus?

[kalai]

Last Sampere issue I think, going out on a high note at least!

That's a shame, but hey Mendonca's art looks pretty good on the Last Ride!

[Vordan]

Thanks for the write up Quinlan! Just had a big brain moment where I realize that the way PKJ is building Warworld is making it into a dark twisted f***** up mirror of Clark’s Fortress of Solitude. Warworld hosting the enslaved last members of species Mongul has made extinct is a dark reflection of Clark’s Intergalactic Zoo in the Fortress. Mongul even displays “statues” of his enemies! Man I’m loving this

PKJ at NYCC:

https://aiptcomics.com/2021/10/07/ny...evil-superman/

Hooray!

Hah glad he’s on my side about that it will balance out Taylor . Won’t ever forget how mad people got when Morrison talked down all the evil Supermen.

[DragonPiece]

So was the big status quo change PKJ kept hyping up when he was announced just Clark living on warworld during his run? None of this seems to crazy in hindsight.

[guanlishabi]

Thanks for the write up Quinlan! Just had a big brain moment where I realize that the way PKJ is building Warworld is making it into a dark twisted f***** up mirror of Clark’s Fortress of Solitude. Warworld hosting the enslaved last members of species Mongul has made extinct is a dark reflection of Clark’s Intergalactic Zoo in the Fortress. Mongul even displays “statues” of his enemies! Man I’m loving this

Hah glad he’s on my side about that it will balance out Taylor . Won’t ever forget how mad people got when Morrison talked down all the evil Supermen.

That sounds kind of like Brainiac to be honest.