Superman: Space Age Announced

[Jim Kelly]

Do you really need to have all the answers to act like siegel and shusters superman?

You can read the first twenty months of Superman--the Vin Sullivan era--and tell me what you think. These stories have been reprinted enough that they aren't hard to find.

I would say that Supey acts like he has the answers and he sets out to teach others what they should do. He doesn't need to have all the answers to act like that, but he comes across as believing he has all the answers. Of course, his answers are full of holes--but he never questions himself.

And it is also that Siegel and Shuster had experiences that left them exasperated with the world around them, so through Superman they get to act out what they'd like to do.

So it's both--an expression of the creators' frustrations and a pedagogy.

[manwhohaseverything]

You can read the first twenty months of Superman--the Vin Sullivan era--and tell me what you think. These stories have been reprinted enough that they aren't hard to find.

I would say that Supey acts like he has the answers and he sets out to teach others what they should do. He doesn't need to have all the answers to act like that, but he comes across as believing he has all the answers. Of course, his answers are full of holes--but he never questions himself.

And it is also that Siegel and Shuster had experiences that left them exasperated with the world around them, so through Superman they get to act out what they'd like to do.

So it's both--an expression of the creators' frustrations and a pedagogy.

I did actually.. it's just,it been a long time.and i don't really remember much.

He might come across as such..But my take,he goofs up enough and on paper.I read batman or zoro(people can deny all they want superman and zoro does have same outlaw shtick)..Those guys?they don't.They are mere power fantasies in that sense.They offset that by having batman be crazy,manipulative or emotinal stunted/broken..etc modern era.So,people know that being batman is a stupid idea and ofcourse make it a bit more complex.

[Vordan]

Tripwire interview with Russell

[Filbert]

I found it a pretty mediocre imaginary story. For once, I enjoyed the holographic Jor-El, and it's nice to see Lex doing his original first scheme (Action Comics 23), but I hated Lois and the Kents, and found the art uneven.
Then I way the cover again today and realized it uses the 'classic' Superman logo, with the squared 'u,' and I can forgive almost all of its faults.

[Hypo]

Superman Space Age #3
Written by MARK RUSSELL
Art and cover by MIKE ALLRED
Variant cover by JOE QUINONES
1:25 variant cover by NICK DERINGTON
$9.99 US | 80 pages | 3 of 3 | Prestige (all covers are card stock)
Release Date: 11/22/22

The end is nigh! As red skies reign, Superman does what he can to make the world a better place for as long as it continues to exist. But money is power in the greed-driven ’80s, and villains like Lex Luthor seem poised to win in the end. Little do they know, there are bigger things to worry about and the hero they’ve grown to hate is their only hope against this crisis! Don’t miss the riveting finale of this soon-to-be-classic miniseries!

[Frontier]

Oh hey, Black Canary .

[bat39]

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!

[BBally]

First issue of Superman: Space Age only made the top 20 in the Dollars charts for floppies, though I see this doing better as a trade release down the line.

https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/...mics-july-2022

[BBally]

Bad news for Superman: Space Age's overall sales, issue 1 peaked at 96.

[Yoda]

Floppy sales on this book don’t matter in the slightest. For one, it’s a $9.99 book. That’s going to limit sales a bit (and DC doesn’t go the Marvel route with 18 variant covers). It’s getting it’s three issue bi-monthly run and will be a evergreen in hardcover and TPB.

[Vordan]

Love the Derington variant for the third issue

[superduperman]

The ten dollar price tag is probably why people are reluctant to pick it up.

[DABellWrites]

Not really, no. There's elements of Donner in the mix, like the crystal Kryptonian tech and AI Jor-El hologram, but mostly it's just a Silver Age riff. Of course, most people tend to think of Donner as reflecting the entirety of the Silver Age, so I suppose you "could" say that the influence is heavier and more direct, but I wouldn't. Maybe I just don't want to give Donner more undue credit; not every story built on Silver Age aesthetics is a Donner homage.

The Jor-El AI *does* teach Clark how to use his powers with more finesse and control, and provides knowledge Clark wouldn't get on a farm, but at no point did I really feel that Clark was just following the designs of either of his fathers. He finds his own way, and while the Kents and Jor-AI do provide guidance and support and Clark doesn't make the journey alone, I didn't feel like they took over Clark's agency.

Taking this book for what it is, a trip down Silver Age lane, I thought it was excellently executed, probably one of the best issues from all the various mini's we've gotten over the last few years. With only one issue down it's hard to judge, but I think when it's over this might maybe stand in the company of the other great mini's from the modern era like Smashes the Klan, maybe possibly even All-Star. And given the time period, it's quasi-introspective nature, introduction of other heroes, and it's connections to real historic events I also got a vague New Frontier vibe from it. But the book has a very distinct voice and personality that probably won't appeal to every reader, so it might not be for you. I dunno, but for myself, I thought this book was excellent.



He's both. That's why he works. Superman was very much the direct expression of the hopes *and* frustrations of two poor kids struggling to get by. But Superman wasn't just a "get even" tale, he aspired to be more than just revenge. Consider the Golden Age story where Clark forces a foreman to work in the same awful conditions as his workers. Yes Superman, via proxy, is working out the frustrations of the work force. But he's also teaching a lesson about how people should act towards each other. Clark doesn't force that foreman to work in his own conditions solely to punish him, he (also) does it so the foreman will recognize his errors and change his ways. Superman provides the catharsis of seeing crappy people get what they deserve, but there's still a moral to the story.

As for the stuff with Ollie, I find his hypocrisy one of his most interesting character traits. Dude was born rich, straight, white, and male. Hard to have more privledge in America than him. And he didn't start to shift into the knee-jerk liberal we know today until the problems of the "lower classes" slapped him in the face and he lost his money to white collar crime and his sidekick to drugs. He had to get bit personally before he gave a damn about these issues. So yeah, Ollie's a dick, bitching about the The Man when he himself was, and still largely is, The Man. In a lot of ways, he embodies many current complaints about democrats; out of touch hypocrite elites who want to save the poor underprivileged wretches from themselves and can't understand why their self-righteous soapboxing pisses everyone off. That, to me, is an interesting character hook. Not because Ollie is a model to follow or because I necessarily agree with him, but because it makes for a fun, complex character with multi-layered motivations.

And I love how Ollie and Clark interact. They're a lot alike and I think they both dislike that about themselves.

I would say Donner's film is the furthest thing from the Silver Age you could get.

[Johnny Thunders!]

I don’t think the Donner films are furthest from the Silver Age, but it does lack flying monkeys and Bizarro’s. The movies does open with Kal’s ship educating him on all the known galaxies so if it’s not White Noise so to speak, that is kind of Super baby territory which is very Silver Age. I just hope we’re not using Silver Age as a insult. As I have said before, people romanticize the Golden Age but they ignore how much the silver age and golden age share. Mxyzptlk, Superboy, those are Golden Age ideas. Plus, even if his editor was a tyrant, I think Jerry Siegel is a more thoughtful and skilled writer in the silver age.

[bat39]

I don’t think the Donner films are furthest from the Silver Age, but it does lack flying monkeys and Bizarro’s. The movies does open with Kal’s ship educating him on all the known galaxies so if it’s not White Noise so to speak, that is kind of Super baby territory which is very Silver Age. I just hope we’re not using Silver Age as a insult. As I have said before, people romanticize the Golden Age but they ignore how much the silver age and golden age share. Mxyzptlk, Superboy, those are Golden Age ideas. Plus, even if his editor was a tyrant, I think Jerry Siegel is a more thoughtful and skilled writer in the silver age.

Reminds me of the discussion some of us were having over on my thread about the definition of the ''classic'' Superman.

The way I see it, the Donner movie stripped Superman down ''back to basics'', and that involved getting rid of some of the Silver Age excesses and taking the character and his world a lot more seriously. To a certain extent, its the same thing the then-contemporary Bronze Age comics were doing (albeit without actually throwing anything out of continuity), and what the Byrne reboot would eventually do in a very different way.

Honestly, there isn't really a lot in the original Donner movie that specifically traces back to the Silver Age. The Fortress is the only thing that really comes to mind, and the Donner movie radically reinvents the Fortress from what it was in the Silver Age (and arguably the movie's Fortress has become the definitive Fortress in most people's minds). Well, General Zod and the Phantom Zone too, but those elements have also been significantly reinvented from their Silver Age comic-book iterations and have far surpassed them in popular consciousness.

Actually, its the non-Donner sequels which probably have more of a ''Silver Age'' feel, though that likely wasn't intentional. Superman being split into two? Superman having random powers like a cellphone S he can throw? Superman wiping Lois' memory with a kiss? Nuclear Man? Stuff I can easily imagine in a Silver Age Superman comic (though those comics would have taken these ideas to even more bonkers extremes!)

The way I see it, the Golden Age created the basic character and concept, the Silver Age was a wild period of invention that rapidly expanded the mythos, but it was during the Bronze Age that what we think of today as the ''classic'' Superman was somewhat cemented - both in the comics, and on-screen in Donner's film.