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  1. #1
    Fantastic Member jimmy's Avatar
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    Default What would you do with creative control of Superman?

    If You were given complete and absolute creative control of Superman (all aspects):
    what is the first thing that you would do you?
    what changes need to be made?

  2. #2
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    My main goal would be to expand the supporting cast. Have new recurring reporters at the planet, new recurring cops, maybe new vigilantes inspired by Superman in Metropolis. Mostly new characters instead of the triangle era cast, except I'd bring back Bibbo and Matrix/Linda with a revised origin.

  3. #3
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    With a character like Superman, who exists as a kind of cultural Icon, my sense is that you don't need to rock the boat with gimmicks, death, events. Outside of the BIG death some 20 years ago, that hasn't really worked for him anyway.

    Rather, focus on telling recognizable ever green stories with a lot of imagination and a good bit of creative freedom. Every issue accessible, with an overarching 'run' plot. I genuinely think lot of Superman's sales will be in trades sold in bookstores. Let All Star Superman be your model, or more recently Superman Unchained (this isn't a judgement on quality, but rather production; creators comes and tells a big, 12 issue story with numerous subplots and heavy inclusion of supporting cast)

    With the remit that toys have to be put back together if broken before leaving, let trusted creators tell their stories, whatever scale and style they might be. "American Alien" seems to be in that mold as well, though it's yet another origin retelling.

  4. #4
    Father Son Kamehameha < Kuwagaton's Avatar
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    The line frustrates me now because it's linear superheroics, and I don't feel it hits a high level consistently enough to justify that.

    So, no more evil opposites making him sad, no more identity crisis, no more depowering. More fresh blood like Yang, more creative types like Ewing, Parker, Hine, Seeley, Jonathan Case, Joelle Jones, and Lapham.

    I feel like Superman is written to compete with Batman, Wolverine, Punisher, and the bitter Spider-Man from 1992-2007. Sure Batman is still up there but who else? Deadpool, Harley Quinn, and a much brighter Spider-Man. Gwen Stacy and Batgirl, too. The idea that fun doesn't work just isn't true.

  5. #5
    Metahumane MykeHavoc's Avatar
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    I'm fine with the current creatives and storylines. But as a complete contrast, I'd want it followed up with the total opposite. If/when Supes gets his powers back, go full tilt cosmic, sci-fi epic. And make it fun. Remind people of the grandiose that the character is capable of. With all the same writers and artists in place, to allow them to roll up their sleeves and prove that they have what it takes to run the gamut and tell any Superman story imaginable. If necessary, pay Morrison a boat-load of cash to come in and help direct the brain-trust already in place into a more fantastical direction.

    I understand what they're doing at the moment. I get it. Sometimes, you have to peel the layers back and strip a character down to their bare essence to ensure the audience that it's not the powers that make the man. They're merely tools for him to utilize to do what he inherently does, on whatever level he is capable of, with all his might and, if need be, would sacrifice himself for the greater good. To be the symbol mankind needs to always strive to be the best that we ourselves can be. To push ourselves further than we ever have to achieve what feels like the impossible, but we were always capable of. The deconstructionist story-telling helps to bring it down a bit to our level so perhaps we can feel more of a connection with Supes. Once that's achieved, shoot for the stars, literally and figuratively.

  6. #6
    Ultimate Member Sacred Knight's Avatar
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    I'd bring back supporting characters such as Bibbo, the Metropolis Cadmus branch (namely Dubbelix and the Jim Harper Guardian). I'd have Subterrenia fall, but then have them find a new home far beneath Metropolis itself, so characters like Baka are mainstays, and it becomes a place of refuge for some of the non-threatening supernatural forces in the city. I'd bring back Shay Veritas as well.

    I'd plan a big story revolving Superman and Supergirl and the Zor-El Cyborg Superman, resulting in Zor sacrificing himself honorably for his daughter and nephew, and leaving he cyborg body uninhabited (set up to be later taken over by one Hank Henshaw).

    I'd keep Superman's identity public for a while, continuing to play with the idea of Kentville and having that be a place where he can live somewhat normally because most there accept him but treat him like a person. For work I'd go back to the blogging idea, as that was never utilized to its full potential. Do a fun rivalry angle with Lois and Jimmy at the Planet trying to show that they can essentially beat Superman to a scoop. And often indeed succeeding.

    And I'd make it a damn edict that the oval in Superman's belt is yellow, dammit.
    Last edited by Sacred Knight; 09-19-2015 at 04:11 PM.
    "They can be a great people Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you. My only son." - Jor-El

  7. #7
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    Keep the secret ID outed.

    Focus on journalism and populist angles through the adventures of both Lois and Clark.

    This may rub people the wrong way, but only trot out the large-than-life sci-fi aspects once in a blue moon. They make for good climaxes, but traditionally I think a lot of ill-will toward the "unrelatable" Superman has been tied to them, and I can't say I disagree. Bringing a Silver Age aspect back into play should feel like a big deal.

    One-offs, one-offs, one-offs, or otherwise shorter stories building toward larger arcs of real weight for the characters, or thematic weight through the characters as actors and icons.

    Lois ought to be a character of almost equal importance to Clark, with her own arcs and interests.
    Last edited by Cipher; 09-19-2015 at 04:06 PM.

  8. #8
    Ultimate Member Ascended's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jimmy View Post
    If You were given complete and absolute creative control of Superman (all aspects):
    what is the first thing that you would do you?
    what changes need to be made?
    All aspects?

    Get working on a cartoon, quite possibly web-based, absolutely not connected to Cartoon Network, that delves into the limitless scope of the character, rather than trying to ground him. Get a talented novelist (or a few) to write some original novels, covering every demographic from young adults to the people who live and breathe Game of Thrones.

    Get WB working on Man of Steel 2, but tell them to go in a totally different direction. Get him off planet, in another time or dimension, something other than the standard superhero stuff. Do a re-mixed version of Exile or something. Darkseid and the Fourth World. That story where Clark gets sent a million years into the future and the sun is red and humanity is dead (what series/issue was that?)

    Run multiple versions of the character across the comics. A "Year One" type title (a maxiseries or weekly perhaps) that gets into his early days in the t-shirt and jeans. Call it Man of Tomorrow, because irony. Run a Vertigo title that remains true to his character but puts him in some really strange places only Vertigo could go, and confront him with some threats and problems that are totally not okay for kids. Dont care what you call it. And an alternate reality pulp-style comic inspired by things like the recent Bombshells stuff, Cooke's Frontier, or Robinson's Golden Age. Embrace that history, dont shy away from it.

    Likewise, for the titles that are set in the main continuity, make them fun and intelligent and different. Pak's one-shot issue to Bizarro-World? Let's see stuff like that more often. Let's flex some creative muscles and put Superman in places no one else can go, in genres he typically doesnt move it (mystery, spy thriller, old west, bromance dramady, horror, ect).

    Put him in a costume a little closer to the classic one, but that doesnt look like a cheap Halloween outfit brought at Wal-Mart.

    Make Lois relevant again. Dont care how, so long as they dont make her a villain or a b!!ch.

    No more "Clark is who I am, Superman is what I can do" crap. That doesnt make sense and goes against every version of him outside of post-Crisis comics and the shows created during that time. It's not who he is and is not who he is supposed to be.

    Taking the good of post-Crisis, explore Metropolis and the supporting cast more. Bibbo. Gangbuster. Ron Troupe. Henderson. Sawyer (steal her back from Gotham!) Turpin, ect.

    Hire a core creative unit to plot the character's long term goals and direction, a five year plan at least (I'd rather ten). Then stick to it. Post-Crisis (especially the 00's) did a lot of damage. It wont be fixed overnight, so dont expect miracles. But consistent, quality storytelling with the kind of daring imagination we've come to expect from the indies? That's the ticket back to the top.
    "We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."

    ~ Black Panther.

  9. #9
    Ultimate Member Ascended's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sacred Knight View Post
    I'd bring back supporting characters such as Bibbo, the Metropolis Cadmus branch (namely Dubbelix and the Jim Harper Guardian). I'd have Subterrenia fall, but then have them find a new home far beneath Metropolis itself, so characters like Baka are mainstays, and it becomes a place of refuge for some of the non-threatening supernatural forces in the city. I'd bring back Shay Veritas as well.

    I'd plan a big story revolving Superman and Supergirl and the Zor-El Cyborg Superman, resulting in Zor sacrificing himself honorably for his daughter and nephew, and leaving he cyborg body uninhabited (set up to be later taken over by one Hank Henshaw).

    I'd keep Superman's identity public for a while, continuing to play with the idea of Kentville and having that be a place where he can live somewhat normally because most there accept him but treat him like a person. For work I'd go back to the blogging idea, as that was never utilized to its full potential. Do a fun rivalry angle with Lois and Jimmy at the Planet trying to show that they can essentially beat Superman to a scoop. And often indeed succeeding.

    And I'd make it a damn edict that the oval in Superman's belt is yellow, dammit.
    Quote Originally Posted by Cipher View Post
    Keep the secret ID outed.

    Focus on journalism and populist angles through the adventures of both Lois and Clark.

    This may rub people the wrong way, but only trot out the large-than-life sci-fi aspects once in a blue moon. They make for good climaxes, but traditionally I think a lot of ill-will toward the "unrelatable" Superman has been tied to them, and I can't say I disagree. Bringing a Silver Age aspect back into play should feel like a big deal.

    One-offs, one-offs, one-offs, or otherwise shorter stories building toward larger arcs of real weight for the characters, or thematic weight through the characters as actors and icons.

    Lois ought to be a character of almost equal importance to Clark, with her own arcs and interests.
    I agree with a lot of these posts.
    "We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."

    ~ Black Panther.

  10. #10
    Incredible Member ManSinha's Avatar
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    As I have said before in another thread - I would agree with the cosmic focus - I would go as far as to say - take away his magic and Kryptonite weaknesses - then have at least one story line or book where he uses his investigative skills and solves crimes or international intrigue (may be with a certain Ambassadress ) similar to "The Private Life of Clark Kent" series in Pre COIE books - another one would be cosmic oriented perhaps featuring GL Corps occasionally - I would also agree with those that suggested that I would also ask for people to give Superman the brain power commensurate with his physical prowess - blowing all the others in the immediate and extended cast away with ease. Make him a Super Man - the books/merchandise will sell itself

  11. #11
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    Lots of good ideas in these other posts.

    My first thought is to embrace the multiverse and Convergence. Superman would be divided somehow in two (possibly by picking up on the Pre-Flashpoint Lois and Clark) giving us a weaker Earthbound Superman that works at the Planet and has the more classic set-up. Here would be a character who'd have those Private Life of Clark Kent type stories, pal around with Batman, etc.
    Tied to this Earthbound Superman would be an emphasis on Lois and the Planet staff. If we include pre-FP as the guy then there might be two Loises who'd provide a sort of dynamic where older Lois (using a pseudonym) is trying to fix her "mistakes" vicariously and younger Lois is trying to be her own person. Jimmy would be in on the secret as well, but either I'd reverse Clark being outed or at the very least give him back an identity no one knows.

    The other Superman in Action Comics would leave the Earth behind for the most part having adventures through the multiverse. And by multiverse I'm not talking alternate Earths every issue but rather stories in any environment imaginable, One issue Superman is battling the Time-Tapper across recorder history, the next he is trying to save an alien race whose world is ready to explode like Krypton, and the issue after that he is babysitting a 5th dimensional infant left in his care by Myxyzptlk. This would be the guy dating Wonder Woman (with whom he'd at points share these over-the-top adventures). This Superman would have no secret ID (either he never leaves the Clark name to his Earth-centric counterpart or that counterpart has a new ID with this Superman keeping the outed Clark history).

  12. #12
    Phantom Zone Escapee manofsteel1979's Avatar
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    So many good points that I agree with!

    As far as other media...first...yes...we need another cartoon/ animated show that spans the entire mythos of the character.
    George Miller on MOS 2...let him do whatever he wants. A stand alone one-shot adventure staring Henry Cavill.
    A good Superman video game.It can be done.

    In comics: First things first...revive ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN as a monthly anthology similar to the previous incarnation. Digital and print.

    Publish a SMALLVILLE ongoing in digital only and keep the LOIS & CLARK book going,but move the setting to another earth, preferribly to their native Earth.

    A mature readers SUPERMAN title similar to Ascended's idea. Keep Superman the same....however have him in situations and tackling problems you wouldn't normally see in a mainstream Superman comic. Perhaps focusing on hard nosed crusading reporter side to Clark Kent a little more. I'd call it CLARK KENT:MAN OF STEEL.

    A new editor for the main SUPERMAN line. Keep Pak.Do whatever it took to get Jonathan Hickman to commit to at least two years of Superman stories hopefully longer.

    Plot a course for a 5 year run of ACTION and SUPERMAN as the bedrock. SUPERMAN /BATMAN and SUPERMAN/WW would more or less be stand alone but reflect any major goings on in Superman and Action.

    Expand the supporting cast. A mix of fan favorites from over the decades like Bibbo, Steve Lombard, Cat Grant and Ron Troupe with the newer characters like Shay Veritas, Lee Lambert etc.

    Make the secret ID secret to the general public again somehow,but have Lois, Jimmy and Perry know the secret and be a support system for Clark/Supeman.

    Get Lex back from Johns and return him to the Supertitles again as the main underlining threat. Not in every issue mind you and don't over use him,but have the Lexcop tower lurking in the skyline of Metropolis to remind people of his presence.

    Crap or get off the pot with the Superman/WW relationship...do something actually interesting with it, or just end it already. (the title can and should continue as a team up comic.)

    Relaunch Supergirl with a similar premise to the upcoming TV show, except have her working for Cat Grant CATOPOLIS blog as an intern and have her split time from hanging out in space with the academy in Space and as heroine of Metropolis. Have her staying with Clark and work on making their relationship closer and less antagonistic.

    Retcon Kon-El and start over from scratch. More Kesel's original idea for the character "the Metropolis Kid" and Less the angst ridden bore he became under Johns. Bring back the Cadmus cast....with one new addition...their new director....John Henry Irons. Have him mentor our hero and keep an eye on him for Clark.

    METROPOLIS SCU staring Maggie Sawyer and Dan Turpin......nuff said.

    Somehow get Hank Henshaw back as the Cyborg Supes (I like Sacred Knight's idea)

    Ditch the Jim Lee Superman design and go with the classic suit or an updated variation ala the MAN OF STEEL suit.

    Rogues Gallery....a mix of new threats with remixes of classic foes and underutilized ones such as Conduit, Dominius, etc.

    Start to fill in more of the blanks of what occurred in the "missing 5 years" from the early Morrison run of ACTION to the start of Perez's SUPERMAN. Use this to firmly establish what bits of the Pre-Flashpoint (or even Pre-Crisis) history occurred to DC YOU Supes, including how the current continuity version of the Death and Return of Superman played out.

    oh..yes...I'd restore the proper numbering to ACTION COMICS. A small thing....but an important one. It's not a crime to acknowledge a rich history and that these characters were published and existed in various incarnations prior to September 2011. (I'd do the same with DETECTIVE COMICS too.)

  13. #13
    Extraordinary Member Prime's Avatar
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    Superman really needs another cartoon and another movie. For MOS 2 I would just go cosmic with him meeting the fourth world and have Darkseid as the villain there an d JL2 where he comes to earth. I really like the idea of a Vertigo Superman title, it can be done, but just as the other said, keep Superman the same just put him in a different more adult situation.

  14. #14
    Ultimate Member Sacred Knight's Avatar
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    I'd also come close to dismissing any idea where the buzz term "Put the man in Superman" is seen. I see that I get rid of it. Because the humanization of Superman comes about from the way he acts, his compassion, and his love of people, human or otherwise. Not via forced plot contrivances. Embrace the fantasy and wackiness of the mythos, don't limit it to make a point that can be made just the same within the confines of said wacky fantasy world. Anime routinely "humanizes" anthropomorphic animals in crazy settings just by the way they conduct themselves. It should be no more difficult for Superman unless you don't know what you're doing.
    "They can be a great people Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you. My only son." - Jor-El

  15. #15
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    I would connect krypton to Ancient Egypt because obviously there are similarities between the two. And I would also change his skin tone and hair. Because his powers comes from the sun he should have a tan and his hair should at a minimum be curly and not straight.

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