Superman '78 Digital-First Series Announced

[Quinlan58]

I didn't see anything worthwhile in this comic.

Oh, sure, it has a couple moments with the Brainiac droid that adequately sell the menace, and even some moments of humor that actually ellicited a grin (never more than that, and even then most of the humor fell flat, either because what works on the screen does not always work on print or because it was unfunny to begin with), but the only moment here that made me think something beyond "this is bland" or "this is nice I guess" was the shirt rip and cut to Superman flying... which is just repeating imagery from the movie, anyway, and we already saw that page in the promotional material for this comic. The artstyle does make it feel properly 70's, but it's in the most inoffensive way possible. Brainiac's warped self-image as a savior of endangered species (both when they're about to be destroyed and when there's an invasive species around) clashes with the actions of his droid in a way that rather than inspire curiosity for the incoherence of his actions, just makes him look like a poorly thought-out villain. This is just... completely unremarkable material that's copying far superior previous Brainiac stories and whose only point of interest is that it's based on the '78 movie... but if you want that, just go for Johns' pre-Flashpoint run, Gary Frank literally draws Supes as Christopher Reeve and Donner helped plot some of the stories.

[The Frog Bros]

Got my copy a little late and finally read it. I thought it was... fine? Personally, I didn't think it was anything great and found it a little boring. Kicked in a bit more when Brainiac was involved but overall thought it was more on the mediocre side of things.

This could be because I read the Yang Batman/Superman Annual immediately after, a series which was dynamite from page one of issue one.

Or I dunno, maybe my interest in seeing the Donnerverse in comic form is not that high of a priority (even though I love the film).

[Vordan]

As someone who thought people saying Venditti’s MoT was better than Bendis were utterly insane, I think we have to put this title in perspective: yes it’s “basic” but I believe that’s deliberate. This is meant to be “status quo” Superman for people who hate all the changes made to mainline Superman. Here’s a Superman in his “classic” status quo: unmarried with a secret identity, fighting supervillains. It’s not overly ambitious or aiming to shake things up, just be a solid Superman story in a recognizable format. I wish Venditti showed more ambition but I’m enjoying it. The characterization is on point, the art is solid, this isn’t going to blow your mind but I think it’s comparable to something like Millar’s Superman Adventures run.

[Quinlan58]

As someone who thought people saying Venditti’s MoT was better than Bendis were utterly insane, I think we have to put this title in perspective: yes it’s “basic” but I believe that’s deliberate. This is meant to be “status quo” Superman for people who hate all the changes made to mainline Superman. Here’s a Superman in his “classic” status quo: unmarried with a secret identity, fighting supervillains. It’s not overly ambitious or aiming to shake things up, just be a solid Superman story in a recognizable format. I wish Venditti showed more ambition but I’m enjoying it. The characterization is on point, the art is solid, this isn’t going to blow your mind but I think it’s comparable to something like Millar’s Superman Adventures run.

Yang did far better with the "classic" status quo in Batman/Superman, and so did Seeley in the first issue of Superman vs Lobo (I mean, even if you think it was too cartoonish and too blatant in its politics, at least it's trying something). Even in the context of "this is offering the classic status quo the main comics can't anymore", it just can't compare with other contemporary offerings also playing with that premise.

[Vordan]

Yang did far better with the "classic" status quo in Batman/Superman, and so did Seeley in the first issue of Superman vs Lobo (I mean, even if you think it was too cartoonish and too blatant in its politics, at least it's trying something). Even in the context of "this is offering the classic status quo the main comics can't anymore", it just can't compare with other contemporary offerings also playing with that premise.

Totally fair. I’m enjoying it enough to keep reading, and perhaps Jor and Lara being brought into the picture will shake this story up. Yang is definitely a better Superman writer, no doubt.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

This is meat & potatoes Superman, no doubt. Venditti is delivering exactly what was asked of him--nostalgia porn for Donner fanboys. I think it's a little early to know how ambitious Venditti's story will end up being, but my expectations are pretty much at the same level as they were for Venditti & Pelletier's Man of Tomorrow, which was fun, unambitious Superman comics you can hand to a kid to hook them on the character.

[manwhohaseverything]

Yang's superman was "classic"?it had adventures of goldenage pastiches,westerns and what not...That's classic?

[HsssH]

I think that the definition of "classic Superman" is all over the place. Most of the time I think it just means something that is not Post-Crisis reboot or does not resemble it.

[Quinlan58]

Going with the definition that was mentioned for it, "unmarried superman with a secret identity".

[Falcon16]

The only good thing this comic has going for it is David Bowie Brainiac... I have the weirdest image of Brainiac singing "Modern Love" in my mind now... tbh, they wouldn't have casted Bowie as Brainiac, much like how Reeve wasn't a well-known actor.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

The only good thing this comic has going for it is David Bowie Brainiac... I have the weirdest image of Brainiac singing "Modern Love" in my mind now... tbh, they wouldn't have casted Bowie as Brainiac, much like how Reeve wasn't a well-known actor.

I don't think the intention of this series is to do what the Salkyns would have done, but rather what Donner could have done with an unlimited budget and an unlimited budget for modern SFX and casting. So, in that scenario, I can absolutely see Donner casting Bowie.

[titansupes]

Reeve was the only real unknown of the core cast. The deliberately filled out everyone else with either known actors (Kidder) or outright superstars (Brando, Hackman, Ford) etc. So yeah, Bowie's as realistic a pick as anybody.

That said, I've finally read the issue and was sadly disappointed. I adoooored the preview pages of Lois and Clark in the street and Clark with Perry etc, but... after that, the rest of the issue is just the fight and it's like... meh? Nothing particularly interesting about it. Hopefully it picks up.

[manofsteel1979]

Just getting around to reading it and it's...ok?

As others have said, the dialogue, the likenesses etc are spot on and it feels like we are stepping back into the world of the Donner/Salkind Superman and based on that novelty alone it has a ton of merit. However, there wasn't a lot of meat here, but for now I chalk it up as the first sliver of act one of a movie. The real proof will be issue two on.

My only problem is that for any series, issue one is your first impression and for non fans of the Donner Superman or just novice comic book readers, there's nothing here to grab them to get them to come back for issue 2 on. I know this book is aimed mostly at us fans of the Donner Supes, but if it doesn't grab at least a few other readers along for the ride, I don't foresee this lasting beyond the 6 issues of this series, which is a shame because I'd honestly love to see this last for at least a couple years. We will see though.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Just getting around to reading it and it's...ok?

As others have said, the dialogue, the likenesses etc are spot on and it feels like we are stepping back into the world of the Donner/Salkind Superman and based on that novelty alone it has a ton of merit. However, there wasn't a lot of meat here, but for now I chalk it up as the first sliver of act one of a movie. The real proof will be issue two on.

My only problem is that for any series, issue one is your first impression and for non fans of the Donner Superman or just novice comic book readers, there's nothing here to grab them to get them to come back for issue 2 on. I know this book is aimed mostly at us fans of the Donner Supes, but if it doesn't grab at least a few other readers along for the ride, I don't foresee this lasting beyond the 6 issues of this series, which is a shame because I'd honestly love to see this last for at least a couple years. We will see though.

I think the majority of readers will be picking this up in trade, rather than individual issues. This is aimed at casual readers who are looking for Superman comics that taps into their nostalgia for the Donner film. Same deal with Batman '89.

[Hypo]