Superman: Space Age Announced

[Hypo]

Superman: Space Age #2 Preview
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Mike Allred

[Vordan]

First issue was one of my favorite Superman issues of the year, hoping the second issue keeps the momentum going!

[Frontier]

Time for the 70's and Superman taking down pimps .

[ducklord]

Time for the 70's and Superman taking down pimps .

I'm kinda bummed that he didn't say "Say, Jim, whoa! That's a bad outfit!"

[Robanker]

Time for the 70's and Superman taking down pimps .

If only they were undead so he could say "Is Kal-L gonna have to choke a lich?"

[Robotman]

Another great issue. Though this one could have been titled Superman/Batman: Space Age.

Nice to see that Bowie and Queen made tour stops in Metropolis

Both Superman and Batman learning that you can stop petty surface level crimes but nothing will ever change unless you delve further into the heart of societal injustice, be it political or corporate. Superman representing the country’s mindset pre-Watergate, that no American President would ever stoop to such depths. Of course Lois is the one with the guts to pull back the curtain and show Superman and the world the ugly side of reality.

I’m kind surprised Ollie didn’t have a splash page of him just saying “I told you so!!”

I loved Superman’s reason for helping the average person of the street. “…it makes people feel like no matter who they are no matter how great or small their problems are, somebody cares.”

[exile001]

I was liking the start of issue one but quickly realised it was something I would enjoy a lot more once finished. The Hardcover is pre-ordered and I'm really looking forward to it.

[The Frog Bros]

Another great issue. Though this one could have been titled Superman/Batman: Space Age.

Nice to see that Bowie and Queen made tour stops in Metropolis

Both Superman and Batman learning that you can stop petty surface level crimes but nothing will ever change unless you delve further into the heart of societal injustice, be it political or corporate. Superman representing the country’s mindset pre-Watergate, that no American President would ever stoop to such depths. Of course Lois is the one with the guts to pull back the curtain and show Superman and the world the ugly side of reality.

I’m kind surprised Ollie didn’t have a splash page of him just saying “I told you so!!”

I loved Superman’s reason for helping the average person of the street. “…it makes people feel like no matter who they are no matter how great or small their problems are, somebody cares.”

Awesome. Allred loves himself some Bowie.

Can't wait to read this issue.

[Vordan]

Yeah second issue maintains the quality but I must admit it is a little disappointing that Batman gets so many pages in a Superman book. Still I have to admit it’s a very interesting take on Batman, the contrast between how he and Clark would solve the trolley problem was brilliant, and Russel’s Superman/Lois are excellent.



Favorite moments from the issue were the one above, Lois’ interviews with Superman (I adore how Allred kept putting her in new outfits), Clark standing up for Lois after her breaking Watergate got everyone blacklisted by the White House, Clark and Lois getting married, the two of them taking Jon to the Fortress to meet Jor-El, and Clark thinking on the meaning of hope. First story (besides PKJ Action) in ages that’s actually seriously sitting down and coming up with an answer on what hope means for Superman and the world.

[Zagre]

Yeah second issue maintains the quality but I must admit it is a little disappointing that Batman gets so many pages in a Superman book.

Yep. Same here.

[Filbert]

I can't stand the dialogue. And it's all dialogue--and, I guess, monologue, since there's no normal narration anymore. Nothing but one-liners and attempts at profundity. Like the tying the story in with real world history.
I find the art, specifically the faces, creepy.
I hate naive bumpkin Superman. I guess this one hasn't fought alien tyrants, but he knows the real world.
Interesting take on Batman continues. Would love a classic, pre-1969 Batman (first went dark, in response to Adam West series campiness) but I'm never gonna get it.
LOVED The Flash! Loved him! Bombs, Flash Facts (disappointed it wasn't name-dropped). Didn't like his saying he was 'bored.' Would've liked a straight "I saw my chance."
Is it just me, or is the minister at Clark and Lois's wedding the governor from Action Comics 1?

[CaptCleghorn]

I'm kinda bummed that he didn't say "Say, Jim, whoa! That's a bad outfit!"

The "Gosh" was enough to invoke the feel of Christopher Reeve in the scene.

[Refrax5]

Well...that was great!

I mean, its not Superman Smashes the Klan levels of great but it's pretty good.

Russell definitely wants to engage with the BIG ideas in this book. The inevitability of death and how life goes on in the face of that. What's the importance of one person in the larger scheme of things. What it really means to be a hero, especially if you can't ultimately save the world. It doesn't always make for the most compelling narrative, but as a philosophical rumination on the very idea of superheroes (or 'heroes' of any kind really) it kinda works.

I do think that Russell has provided a better explanation for the 'classic' idea of Superman as someone who spends more time being an icon and a symbol of hope than actually changing the world - the idea that one man who single-handedly tries to change the world will almost inevitably f#ck it up. Clark's abortive first attempt to play hero on the day of the JFK assassination almost triggering nuclear war and the end of life as we know is more than enough reason for him to play it safe and not interfere too much even once he puts on the suit (though its possible, based on the solicits for the next issue, that having literally saved the world, he might be confident enough to take a more proactive approach, particularly when it comes to socio-political issues and conflicts).

What really impressed me here though was Russell's take on Batman - a radically different take on the character who still works better than I'd have imagined. I loved the bit where Bruce's internal monologue goes on about someone having to take a stand on the ground, amidst the rats. It brings the lofty narrative, the big ideas, and the grand plans of the world leaders, the scientists, Luthor, and even Clark, crashing down into the street level. And yet, Batman and Superman both play an integral part in saving the world - Superman by literally stopping the nukes, and Batman by foiling Luthor's scheme and bringing him to justice. It really vindicates Batman's place amidst the other superheroes, justifying the vital role than an ordinary guy in military gear can play in an alliance of beings with God-like power. I'm looking forward to more of this Batman, and also Wonder Woman, next issue.

Beyond the characters though I think what Russell really accomplished here was driving home the vibe of the 60's - juxtaposing the optimism of the space age with the existential dread of the nuclear age beautifully. The sheer helplessness humanity must have felt to be living, for the first time, in an era where everything could literally end any second - I really got a feel for that in some parts.

I've talked a lot about the writing but not enough about the art so far - Allred does a stunning job. It's a comic that simultaneously feels like it came out in 2022 and in the Silver Age which is seeks to evoke! Superman witnessing earth's impending destruction in the prologue, his first flight after putting on the suit, the nuclear explosion Luthor triggered, and Batman's debut were some of the visual highlights for me.

Awaiting the next issue with bated breath!

Agreed. I'm really enjoying this as the theme of having hope even in the face of inevitable death, the idea that what we do while we're here matters more than how it ends, is very meaningful to me (especially as someone who has, unfortunately, experienced a lot of death in the past few years).

I also think this version of Batman is very interesting and works really well. I'm not even a huge Batman guy, so that's high praise coming from me.

I would have liked a bit more Flash, but I'm biased because I am a big Flash guy and this version of Barry seems fun.

[Adekis]

This series, like Superman & The Authority, was originally planned as part of "5G", and wound up being its own thing after that fell through. In that regard, it's easy to see the shared DNA between Russel's Space Age and Morrison's Super-Swan-Song. In Morrison, Superman bemoans his failures to enact positive social change. In Russel, we see that failure close up.

However, there are a few major differences in approach which I found fairly frustrating on Russel's side. For one thing, look at how Morrison's Superman frames his failure: in essence, "We lost sight of what was really important because we were too busy doing super-hero ****: fighting made up space villains and big crossovers, with no bearing on real life." That's almost completely incompatible with what we see in Russel's version, where the Justice League, or at least Superman, Batman, and maybe Green Arrow, are staring down the barrel of a loaded gun, in the form of a desperate need for direct social change, and also they completely fail to do any lasting damage to Brainiac and Crisis on Infinite Earths will almost inevitably end them. In other words, they can't fight space villains for crap, a big crossover is going to kill them all, and yet they can't seem to make lasting change on a social level either. They're just... vaguely bad at being super-heroes, in a very grounded and believable way, but also, at least for me, a frustrating way.

Obviously Russel and Morrison's stories are no longer meant to be connected points on the same timeline, but they're still dealing with basically similar premises. So it's frustrating to see one approach it with "Superman lost sight of what was important," and the other to come in with "Superman has no idea what he's fucking doing." What's keeping me invested is just that, well, Space Age still has tremendous art, and it's an interesting story told reasonably well. I just don't always like Russel's apparent approach.

Batman seems pretty fantastic though. I guess I just think... if Superman is going to be so much less cool than Batman, why aren't you just writing a Batman comic? Space Age is a great Batman comic so far! But it's somewhat hit-and-miss on Superman, at least for my money.

... money which I will still spend on the rest of the series.

[Vordan]

However, there are a few major differences in approach which I found fairly frustrating on Russel's side. For one thing, look at how Morrison's Superman frames his failure: in essence, "We lost sight of what was really important because we were too busy doing super-hero ****: fighting made up space villains and big crossovers, with no bearing on real life." That's almost completely incompatible with what we see in Russel's version, where the Justice League, or at least Superman, Batman, and maybe Green Arrow, are staring down the barrel of a loaded gun, in the form of a desperate need for direct social change, and also they completely fail to do any lasting damage to Brainiac and Crisis on Infinite Earths will almost inevitably end them.
In other words, they can't fight space villains for crap, a big crossover is going to kill them all, and yet they can't seem to make lasting change on a social level either. They're just... vaguely bad at being super-heroes, in a very grounded and believable way, but also, at least for me, a frustrating way.


Batman seems pretty fantastic though. I guess I just think... if Superman is going to be so much less cool than Batman, why aren't you just writing a Batman comic? Space Age is a great Batman comic so far! But it's somewhat hit-and-miss on Superman, at least for my money.

... money which I will still spend on the rest of the series.

Isn’t that basically exactly how the superhero fights play out in the mainline? If we take real world knowledge out of the equation (that the status quo must hold because these are ongoing corporate IPs), the big DC heroes do suck at their jobs. They beat up the bad guy, usually after he’s killed a bunch of people anyway, send him to jail where he sits in time out for a while, then he breaks out again and the whole thing starts over. Difference is in this story is that this world will end because they can’t break that cycle, unlike the mainline Earth which is always going to revert to normal no matter what happens.

Personally I’ve found this a pretty engaging deconstruction and reconstruction of the Pre-Crisis Superman. The deconstruction comes from how naive this Superman is. This is a guy who is way too idealistic about his country and his fellow people. He doesn’t crack the Watergate case because he isn’t willing to really believe Nixon is a crook. However the reconstruction comes from Superman being willing to admit when he’s wrong and support others who called him out on it, others like Lois.

Funnily enough you just made me realize what Russel is going for with regards to Superman and Batman’s flaws. Batman’s flaw is his sense of scale. He starts off fighting petty crime and then he graduates to the “real” crooks, the elite. However even that is thinking too small, there’s a threat capable of killing reality itself on the way and Batman isn’t doing anything to prepare for it (how ironic). I do think Russell is giving Batman too much focus for what’s being billed as a Superman story, no argument there.

Superman’s flaw is his optimism which results in him making the same mistake Krypton did. Pariah and Brainiac are in Jor-El’s position and Kal is in the position of the Science Council. They’re telling him the situation is fucked, the planet is going to die, and he needs to start taking drastic measures. He thinks they’re both way too pessimistic and kinda crazy and dismisses what they’re saying, the same way the Science Council dismissed Jor-El! Difference between Superman and Batman is that Superman can think on both the large and small scale, we see that with how he talks about the interconnection of micro and macro events. And I think that’s going to play a part in the ending of the series.

While it’s possible that Russell may end this with a firm “nope everyone dies and Superman’s life ends in failure” the way he’s been setting things up, I think there may be a twist coming. It might be that this Superman will go take part in CoIE, and because of his involvement he’ll be able to either bring his Earth back to life or reboot it, either option giving it a second chance. That’s my prediction for what the ending will be anyway but I’m also game for a full on depressing ending of “nope everyone dies”.