Dark Crisis: World Without A Justice League - Superman Spoilers & Discussion

[Vordan]

Here’s the preview, looking forward to what King’s return to the character will bring!

Going to be a sad story apparently:

My wife just read it. She said it made her cry. As a warning.

https://twitter.com/tomkingtk/status...dP2hOfCixHgP5Q

[Frontier]

This is definitely a Tom King Superman comic, but his eerie Silver Age style (and the scratchy speech bubbles) actually works well here.

Also, Lois with long hair again!

[superduperman]

This looks way darker than the cheery cover suggests.

[Matt Rat]

Love it so far. Lois actually feels like a believable mom again, King has a great voice for Kid Jon. This is how it's meant to be.

[Digifiend]

Lemme guess, someone dies?

[superduperman]

Okay, so, here's how I picture the how the pitch meeting for this went:

Editor: Okay, Tom, we're doing this little Dark Crisis one shot tie in thing and we want you to write it. Superman looks like the old Earth 2 version with the gray hair and the symbol and Jon looks like Robin! It's cute!

King: So, it's not canon?

Editor: Um...well, no, it's...

King: (rubs hands together like a silent movie villain) So, I can do whatever I want to Lois?

Editor: I mean, I guess so. Wait, Why would you...?

King: Great! I'll have it on your desk by Friday! (leaves office, shuts door behind him)

Editor: Did-did we just make a mistake?

[DABellWrites]

I still don't like the Robin costume. No matter how much I see it.

[Robanker]

Okay, so, here's how I picture the how the pitch meeting for this went:

Editor: Okay, Tom, we're doing this little Dark Crisis one shot tie in thing and we want you to write it. Superman looks like the old Earth 2 version with the gray hair and the symbol and Jon looks like Robin! It's cute!

King: So, it's not canon?

Editor: Um...well, no, it's...

King: (rubs hands together like a silent movie villain) So, I can do whatever I want to Lois?

Editor: I mean, I guess so. Wait, Why would you...?

King: Great! I'll have it on your desk by Friday! (leaves office, shuts door behind him)

Editor: Did-did we just make a mistake?

I know you're referring to the DMV interlude in Up in the Sky, but he's done other stuff with Lois! He spared her in his Action #1000 story!












Oh god, I hope this is good. Please not the 1,001st death of Lois Lane.

[HsssH]

I don't really understand what exactly is the problem with those Up in The Sky pages that people keep bringing up. It was too graphic? It makes no sense that Superman worries about him not being there and Lois getting killed by someone/something? Did people miss how that story ends? You know, with Lois being capable on her own and not needing Clark to watch over her all the time like many other stories imply?

[exile001]

I don't really understand what exactly is the problem with those Up in The Sky pages that people keep bringing up. It was too graphic? It makes no sense that Superman worries about him not being there and Lois getting killed by someone/something? Did people miss how that story ends? You know, with Lois being capable on her own and not needing Clark to watch over her all the time like many other stories imply?

Part of it is definitely the fan base being utterly sick of seeing Lois dying (especially as motivation for Superman turning bad).

Also, never rule out people on the CRB boards being unable to fully compliment a work by Tom King.

[Yoda]

I don't really understand what exactly is the problem with those Up in The Sky pages that people keep bringing up. It was too graphic? It makes no sense that Superman worries about him not being there and Lois getting killed by someone/something? Did people miss how that story ends? You know, with Lois being capable on her own and not needing Clark to watch over her all the time like many other stories imply?

The subject matter isn't the problem. How Clark deals with the anxiety he feels for Lois and his loved ones is a topic that definitely can be explored. It's the 8 pages of Lois being gruesomely murdered over and over and over again in a purportedly all ages general audience book that was being sold at Walmart that was the problem. It's not subverting any sort of trope or showing Lois to be competent or anything at all really. Its one of Kings biggest misses. He could have interjected it with scenes of her actually being OK and competent and it wouldn't have been a problem.

I typically like King's writing. That issue and Heroes in Crisis are really the only books of his I think deserve the vitriol that they get. I mean, Human Target is one of my favorite books on the stands right now. So I'm not a King basher by any means. I think this Dark Crisis book is going to be solid and probably a real kick in the gut though.

That and the fact that yes, I'm sick of seeing Lois used as fodder to show Superman's feelings.

[Robanker]

I don't really understand what exactly is the problem with those Up in The Sky pages that people keep bringing up. It was too graphic? It makes no sense that Superman worries about him not being there and Lois getting killed by someone/something? Did people miss how that story ends? You know, with Lois being capable on her own and not needing Clark to watch over her all the time like many other stories imply?

It's more that it's 10 pages of Lois snuff. Him worrying is fine. Showing all the ways she could get executed in graphic detail is another.

More importantly, this was in the line of books put in kids sections intended at bringing in new audiences.

[HsssH]

I'd assume that editors thought that it was okay for those Superman Giants and it wasn't King trying to sneak in some "snuff" for kids.

[The Frog Bros]

I think it'd be funny if Clark brings home something greasy for dinner and Lois grills him for it.

Would make an amusing epilogue/denouement type scene.

[Yoda]

I'd assume that editors thought that it was okay for those Superman Giants and it wasn't King trying to sneak in some "snuff" for kids.

King said in an interview later on that no one was paying attention to what was going into those books because they didn’t think anyone was reading them. So it’s doubtful that any editor was doing any sorta meaningful review. King also got his Batman editor kicked off the book at one point, so the idea that an editor wouldn’t risk that even if they did think it was inappropriate isn’t surprising.