PKJ Action Comics Discussion and Spoilers

[manofsteel1979]

I don't want to be that guy...but a part of me sort of want to see them kill off the current illeration of Jon so Clark gets both of his books back.

I doubt that will happen though.

[Matt Rat]

I don't want to be that guy...but a part of me sort of want to see them kill off the current illeration of Jon so Clark gets both of his books back.

I doubt that will happen though.

Taylor's already 'noped' that, but it would make sense logically, but DC would be accused of burying their gays and social media would have a fit.

[DragonPiece]

Not caring for Jon’s book is one thing, but acting like there won’t be a time when Clark gets 2 books running again is silly. Superman and the authority just finished and he’s costarring in Superman the next few months anyway during the crossover. I’m guessing Waid is launching a in continuity Superman book next year as well.

[NaVi]

It is sad that nowadays it is easier to kill the main character (Clark) than the secondary character (Jon).
By the way, someone really believes that Jon is bisexual, I think it's very obvious that the moment Jon goes out with a girl, DC will be criticized from all sides.

[manofsteel1979]

I actually don't believe its going to be a given that Clark/classic Superman will have two books going forward after the current status quo. Given the floppy market being what it is, I believe the only character at DC that will probably have two solo books or more will be Batman. He seems to be able to support multiple books .At least that's what DC seems to think given all the Batman titles it puts out each month compared to Supes, Flash, Green Lantern etc.

I think there may be more than one Superman family book going forward, but I could see a day sooner than later where Superman, the classic version, will only have one ongoing monthly in continuity book. Thats basically the case right now and I could see them sustaining that for the foreseeable future.


Or...maybe im just a pessimist now and I've finally become the cynical old man yelling at clouds. LOL.

I actually hope I am just wrong.

[The Frog Bros]

Finally got to reading the current issue. Decent issue but the next one should be a real banger. Highlight for me was the scene when the children asked Clark to take them with him back to Earth, his genuine surprise at the request, and his ensuing response. Though you could sure feel the awkwardness in the air after that.

The backup… JHI and Lois kicking ass, always cool. Like the main story though, next issue should be some good action coming. Pretty glad to see Kenan, always thought he has one of the coolest iterations of the Superman logo.

[cranger]

This last issue was good, but I am glad this story is wrapping up very soon. The use of supporting characters in the backup has been nice so next issue should be fun.

[Vordan]

Metallo has seen better days

[Ascended]

I actually don't believe its going to be a given that Clark/classic Superman will have two books going forward after the current status quo. Given the floppy market being what it is, I believe the only character at DC that will probably have two solo books or more will be Batman. He seems to be able to support multiple books .At least that's what DC seems to think given all the Batman titles it puts out each month compared to Supes, Flash, Green Lantern etc.

Or...maybe im just a pessimist now and I've finally become the cynical old man yelling at clouds. LOL.

No, your assessment looks right. Knowing what we do about current sales, Clark seems to be holding his own just fine but he's not at the level that truly and easily justifies a second solo.

Hell, GL, Aquaman, Arrow.....most of the big names can't support a solo at all these days, so Clark's not in bad shape, for the shape DC is in.

What I expect to see going forward is what we currently have; a single Clark solo, one or *maybe* two books for secondary franchise characters like Jon or Kara, and a regular supply of miniseries that run the gauntlet from "familiar and classic" to "weird and experimental."

I'm actually perfectly fine with that. Most of the mini's we've had the last few years have been pretty damn good, Action has been stellar, and while I miss the days of having five Superman solo books (one every week, even on skip weeks!) I'll take quality over quantity every time.

And I don't see much changing in the immediate future. DC has burned a lot of bridges with a lot of fans over the years, especially the last decade or so, and I don't see many realistic avenues for them repairing that damage in the direct market, which itself doesn't seem to be in the best of shape. But with the push into OGN's and other formats, I find I don't care very much. I don't want the LCS format to die, but it's a bad business model, always has been, and we have other viable markets that DC can, and is, putting effort into.

We're not going to run out of Superman stories to read. As fans I think we sometimes connect the shrinking of the direct market to the end of these characters but there's no truth to that. Formats will change and so will our reading habits, but Superman isn't going anywhere, even if his floppy comics do.

[GregoryD]

I want them to revive Adventures of Superman and use it as a vehicle to push huge cosmic adventures.

[HsssH]

Hell, GL, Aquaman, Arrow.....most of the big names can't support a solo at all these days, so Clark's not in bad shape, for the shape DC is in.

GL sales were fine, but it looks like DC has conflicting directions for the franchise and thats why we have nothing at the moment. And I think that Aquaman could hold a solo if DC wasn't pushing Kaldur as the main guy and at the same time releasing 2-3 Aquaman books each month.

[Mantis-Ray]

GL sales were fine, but it looks like DC has conflicting directions for the franchise and thats why we have nothing at the moment. And I think that Aquaman could hold a solo if DC wasn't pushing Kaldur as the main guy and at the same time releasing 2-3 Aquaman books each month.

I've learned that people above all else value consistency and stability. There's a comfort in knowing that these characters will always be there, chugging on and doing stuff.

Which these last few years have been the exact opposite of. Like its one thing for a single character or 2 to try the legacy thing, but its another thing entirely when everyone does it.

[thecoffeeman]

We're not going to run out of Superman stories to read. As fans I think we sometimes connect the shrinking of the direct market to the end of these characters but there's no truth to that. Formats will change and so will our reading habits, but Superman isn't going anywhere, even if his floppy comics do.

Say it again for those in the back!

I'll continue to support the traditional floppy market for Superman titles as long as it's around, because I find engaging with the community as a story unfolds to be enjoyable, but formats change as media consumption habits change.

[Quinlan58]

Kenan's inclusion felt so awkward. Like, Lois is calling people she's on first-name basis with, the entire family... and then there's Kong Kenan, who she can't even call just "Kenan" comfortably. Always going to root for more use of the extended Super-verse heroes, but it could have been handled better. Though I get in-universe she didn't just call the JL because Clark got expelled out of the JL due to the whole mess with Genesis.

The initial hyping up of Mongul's new "Unmade" was great, as was most of the rebellion's war-room conversation. Though it was hilarious to see Clark changing his mind so quickly on whether to use the Ultra Powerful weapon hidden underneath the planet, at least it shows Clark being somewhat practical. The inclusion of the kids in the mission... can't say I like it. "They're not safe anywhere, but they might feel safe with you" is unconvincing, they were drawn extra-little this issue which annoyed me, the whole deal with wanting to go live with Clark felt like the culmination of this arc's "we're going to deconstruct hero worship with Mongul but we're also going to play it entirely straight with Clark himself" problem.

I liked the specific missions everyone was given, though, as well as the snippets of backstory for Natasha's mentor/friend whose name I forget, and the feeling that now that the revolutionary fervor has cooled a little with time, everyone in Warworld expects to lose... and they still keep fighting anyway. Clark's mention that "everyone here has been in worse situations than this" was interesting. It's not everyday that an arc explicitly diminishes itself in importance in the character's life, and yet it works because it's true, and because it sells Clark and the rest of the main cast as experienced badasses, while at the same time everything else sells the importance of what's happening.

Byla's reveal... I mean, we hardly know Byla beyond "storyteller and friend of children", so it's not as if that was a particularly emotional moment. Honestly, the characters of Byla and the Phaelosian who helped Clark change his approach to his fights (can't remember his name right now, Kryl?) should have been fused. Combine them and it might have ended in a character we might care about. But separate... I know those characters, I know their respective roles, I know they had their own lives and ways of thinking beyond just Clark (okay, I know the Phaelosian gladiator has his own way of thinking beyond just Clark), but I don't very much care about them. Then again, the whole atmosphere of the thing helps sell it, even if I don't particularly care about Byla.

On the other side of the coin, OMAC's "I really hope you aren't in there, Lia" did a good job at pulling my heartstrings. Yeah, I really wish there was more to OMAC than just his devotion to Lia, but on the terms of what the character has been so far, that was an effective moment.

And the back-up was good besides that Kenan moment.

Overall, an enjoyable issue that shows more than others the flaws of this arc so far. Still hyped for the next few issues and for Kal-El Returns, though.

[Ascended]

Overall, an enjoyable issue that shows more than others the flaws of this arc so far. Still hyped for the next few issues and for Kal-El Returns, though.

Think I agree with your entire post.

It was a good issue, and if the themes of hero worship are becoming more unbalanced, well, I'm not sure what else we could expect in a superhero comic....and I'm not sure it's even unintentional. Maybe we're gonna find out in the end that hero worshipping Mongul is bad...but Clark won't live up to expectations either. Maybe the ultimate lesson here will be that we all need to be our own heroes, or some other such thing.

In any case, I'm still loving this arc. I need to start collecting it in trade. Don't often get the floppy and the collection both, but for this run I think I might.