Superman: Lost By Christopher Priest & Carlo Pagulayan (Ten Issues, March 2023)

[Frontier]

People giving Priest crap cuz he doesn't write everyone like goody two-shoes.

Or coming off unlikeable .

[Mantis-Ray]

So, I read it. I think it was supposed to be a joke, cuz Lois says "it's probably the bathing suit".

---

I think this might be the first time since 2015 or 2016, that Clark has shown interest in any other woman besides Lois Lane, that I'm aware of. If I'm wrong, please correct me. Anyways, this brings up an interesting point. Why does Priest want this type of drama for Lois and Clark's marriage? It reminds me of his two-part Wonder Woman story in Legends of the DC Universe, where Clark was constantly ignoring Lois for Diana because he was bothered by the fact some guy wanted to have sex with her. Her being Wonder Woman.

Overall, I'm going to wait for the story to end. Superman Lost is moving too slow and I'm not that fond of Preist's writing so far. It's not a bad book, just one that probably shouldn't have been serialized for ten issues, in my opinion.

Because its a logical consequence in this situation.

Superman is spending decades away from Lois trying to get home. As he spends longer and longer time away with the prospect of ever returning back to Earth becoming more and more unlikely, Superman developing feelings for someone else is a fairly reasonable occurrence to happen.

[Vordan]

People giving Priest crap cuz he doesn't write everyone like goody two-shoes.

Bendis was right when he said people don’t want Superman to ever make mistakes . For me this is an interesting Elseworld story and a great contrast to the sunshine and rainbows take on Clois in the main books (which I also enjoy). We’ve already got fascist Superman in a powerhouse franchise with Injustice, I’m perfectly fine with Priest writing a story that puts Clark and Lois through hell and doesn’t offer a cop out of “Supes never makes any mistakes or has any flaws because he’s Superman and thus always does the right thing no problem”.

If you want that we’ve got three great ongoings offering just that. It’s telling to me that a lot of the people whining about Priest don’t post in the Williamson, PKJ, or Waid threads.

[CosmeticSkull]

People giving Priest crap cuz he doesn't write everyone like goody two-shoes.

That's not why people are giving him crap. People are giving him crap for his misogynistic writing.

[Kuwagaton]

Bendis was right when he said people don’t want Superman to ever make mistakes . For me this is an interesting Elseworld story and a great contrast to the sunshine and rainbows take on Clois in the main books (which I also enjoy). We’ve already got fascist Superman in a powerhouse franchise with Injustice, I’m perfectly fine with Priest writing a story that puts Clark and Lois through hell and doesn’t offer a cop out of “Supes never makes any mistakes or has any flaws because he’s Superman and thus always does the right thing no problem”.

If you want that we’ve got three great ongoings offering just that. It’s telling to me that a lot of the people whining about Priest don’t post in the Williamson, PKJ, or Waid threads.

The franchise exists in a world where people are constantly demanding a flawed Superman and hate his flaws. Or do they want him to be perfect and then find it boring? Lol.

But hey look at the provocation. I think it speaks to how intriguing these things are even if those unopposed still want them sparingly

[The Frog Bros]

The franchise exists in a world where people are constantly demanding a less flawed Superman and hate his flaws. Or do they want him to be perfect and then find it boring? Lol.

But hey look at the provocation. I think it speaks to how intriguing these things are even if those unopposed still want them sparingly

Yeah I think sometimes it's a lose/lose situation with having him flawed. Detractors of the character say he's too perfect and therefore boring, but when they show flaws, people balk at that too.

For myself, I don't necessarily love Priest, but I do find him intriguing enough to give a lot of his projects a shot. I have been liking it so far; if nothing else I find the art to be pretty outstanding. I just hope the Hope stuff (lol) doesn't end up being what defines the book in the long run. Time (and further plot development) will tell I suppose...

[DABellWrites]

Bendis was right when he said people don’t want Superman to ever make mistakes . For me this is an interesting Elseworld story and a great contrast to the sunshine and rainbows take on Clois in the main books (which I also enjoy). We’ve already got fascist Superman in a powerhouse franchise with Injustice, I’m perfectly fine with Priest writing a story that puts Clark and Lois through hell and doesn’t offer a cop out of “Supes never makes any mistakes or has any flaws because he’s Superman and thus always does the right thing no problem”.

If you want that we’ve got three great ongoings offering just that. It’s telling to me that a lot of the people whining about Priest don’t post in the Williamson, PKJ, or Waid threads.

Well, when you write a character a certain way for half a century, it's going to be hard to switch readers over who are used to reading a certain type of Superman story. And Bendis's controversial time on the character proves that. There's nothing wrong with flaws. They should make sense for a character like Superman. You just can't give Clark any flaws. And the sales reflect that, there's a large disconnect between Superman and the current comic book readership. Something DC hasn't figured out.

Because its a logical consequence in this situation.

Superman is spending decades away from Lois trying to get home. As he spends longer and longer time away with the prospect of ever returning back to Earth becoming more and more unlikely, Superman developing feelings for someone else is a fairly reasonable occurrence to happen.

I did mention already this has happened before. To expand on it, what does it offer that writers haven't done in the past? It's just re-treading old ground to me, if Hope is going to turn out to be someone who Clark had the hots for and just remembered his love for Lois in the end. I can be wrong, maybe Priest might surprise me.

People giving Priest crap cuz he doesn't write everyone like goody two-shoes.

That's not really the problem. Well, at least not for me. It's that there's a clear inclination (some will call it sexist) when it comes to Superman being away from Lois. How many times have this happened so far? A LOT. Elseworld or not, Superman being away from Lois is free reign for the character to get the hots for another woman. Where if it happened to Lois, what are the chances she'll get interested in other men? Be honest. This goes beyond being a goody two-shoes.

[Vordan]

The franchise exists in a world where people are constantly demanding a flawed Superman and hate his flaws. Or do they want him to be perfect and then find it boring? Lol.

But hey look at the provocation. I think it speaks to how intriguing these things are even if those unopposed still want them sparingly

Superman only existing in two extremes - as an unimpeachable morally superior figurehead or a weak pathetic dictator-to-be just waiting for the opportunity to snap - is probably why the character struggles with the general audience. Not many people are going to be fans of a character who can only be perfect or evil. Priest likes pushing the envelope, and Elseworlds are perfect for that. I’m enjoying the story and am glad he gets to attempt something like this. That it’s provoking discussion and attention means it’s doing something right, especially since other threads about books which are giving people what they say they want can’t seem to provoke much discussion.

Well, when you write a character a certain way for half a century, it's going to be hard to switch readers over who are used to reading a certain type of Superman story. And Bendis's controversial time on the character proves that. There's nothing wrong with flaws. They should make sense for a character like Superman. You just can't give Clark any flaws. And the sales reflect that, there's a large disconnect between Superman and the current comic book readership. Something DC hasn't figured out.



I did mention already this has happened before. To expand on it, what does it offer that writers haven't done in the past? It's just re-treading old ground to me, if Hope is going to turn out to be someone who Clark had the hots for and just remembered his love for Lois in the end. I can be wrong, maybe Priest might surprise me.

You complain that Priest is rehashing old stories while also complaining that Priest is doing something that differs from what readers expect based on past experiences . So Superman can’t do anything new because readers don’t want that, but he also shouldn’t rehash old stories because readers… don’t want that either? Superman has been in every type of story imaginable already, he’s been around for over 80 years, if writers can’t ever do a story that’s similar to what other writers have done in the past then Supes is done as a character. You’re putting him in a bottle where he can never be interesting because he has to only be the perfect role model and I’m not interested in that. Especially not in a world where there’s already plenty of stories about Superman being outright evil, it’s way too late to start hand wringing over the damage to Superman’s “moral core” or whatever.

Superman’s sales problems have more to do with the failure of his adaptions than the comics themselves. No one becomes fans of superhero characters because of the comics anymore, it’s entirely about the movies/cartoons/video games/TV shows, and Superman has been ill served there. For all the complaining, the New 52 brought much higher sales than the Pre-Flashpoint take had been bringing in for the last decade. Superman fans are scattered and divided and love to whine, this forum is proof. Most of the people on the forums would rather complain about what you don’t like than discuss what you do. Funnily enough Lost’s last issue actually rose in sales, probably because the shrieking attracted attention and interest. Clearly Priest is doing something right!

We’ve got Williamson and PKJ killing it on the main books with a happy Clois, Waid doing another Superman Elseworld book, Venditti has a sequel to Superman ‘78, there’s that crossover with Godzilla & Kong coming where Clark proposes to Lois in the preview, people who want Superman to be their comfort character are going to be fine. But stories like this one should be allowed to exist.

[DABellWrites]

Superman only existing in two extremes - as an unimpeachable morally superior figurehead or a weak pathetic dictator-to-be just waiting for the opportunity to snap - is probably why the character struggles with the general audience. Not many people are going to be fans of a character who can only be perfect or evil. Priest likes pushing the envelope, and Elseworlds are perfect for that. I’m enjoying the story and am glad he gets to attempt something like this. That it’s provoking discussion and attention means it’s doing something right, especially since other threads about books which are giving people what they say they want can’t seem to provoke much discussion.

There's another extreme. The simple farmboy from Kansas.

You complain that Priest is rehashing old stories while also complaining that Priest is doing something that differs from what readers expect based on past experiences . So Superman can’t do anything new because readers don’t want that, but he also shouldn’t rehash old stories because readers… don’t want that either? Superman has been in every type of story imaginable already, he’s been around for over 80 years, if writers can’t ever do a story that’s similar to what other writers have done in the past then Supes is done as a character. You’re putting him in a bottle where he can never be interesting because he has to only be the perfect role model and I’m not interested in that. Especially not in a world where there’s already plenty of stories about Superman being outright evil, it’s way too late to start hand wringing over the damage to Superman’s “moral core” or whatever.
[/QUOTE]

There's a good reason why Snyder's Superman never found it place outside the movies, and Injustice is the same. Despite their respective popularity, DC/WB still puts out a certain Superman. That's just the truth. I don't care about Superman being the perfect role model. I've gone on record stating stuff like that has harmed the character. I watched the Justice League Bizzaro Lego movie, and thought how they handled Superman and Bizzaro's relationship was good. I could see Superman acting that way toward Bizzaro regardless of the incarnation. And yeah, I want to see Priest surprise me with a revisited Superman trope. I've got nothing against the story, in fact, I'd like it better if it was a graphic novel.

Superman’s sales problems have more to do with the failure of his adaptions than the comics themselves. No one becomes fans of superhero characters because of the comics anymore, it’s entirely about the movies/cartoons/video games/TV shows, and Superman has been ill served there. For all the complaining, the New 52 brought much higher sales than the Pre-Flashpoint take had been bringing in for the last decade. Superman fans are scattered and divided and love to whine, this forum is proof. Most of the people on the forums would rather complain about what you don’t like than discuss what you do. Funnily enough Lost’s last issue actually rose in sales, probably because the shrieking attracted attention and interest. Clearly Priest is doing something right!

Fans will always be divided and split.You're never going to make everyone happy. It's like what Jack Kirby said in a video I watched, Marvel has the prerogative to publish the type of Captain America they want. If it's not selling, they need to change an element of it. I don't know if that makes sense in context of what I'm replying to.
I'm glad Priest's book is selling well. We need more Superman books selling. We need more DC books selling that's not Batman. I want to see the industry get back to the point where DC could have Hellblazer publishing for years again. Anyways, there's still a disconnect between Superman and the current readership, there have been for years. There's no reason why a character like Superman isn't one of DC's top-sellers. Even with the lack of adaptations, Superman is still a big name in the industry.

We’ve got Williamson and PKJ killing it on the main books with a happy Clois, Waid doing another Superman Elseworld book, Venditti has a sequel to Superman ‘78, there’s that crossover with Godzilla & Kong coming where Clark proposes to Lois in the preview, people who want Superman to be their comfort character are going to be fine. But stories like this one should be allowed to exist.

That's good. More Superman is always a good thing, even if it's Donner.

[manwhohaseverything]

You think evil superman never found a place in pop culture?what are you on about?there is the boys and invincible that are both more popular than ever.

[CosmeticSkull]

That's not really the problem. Well, at least not for me. It's that there's a clear inclination (some will call it sexist) when it comes to Superman being away from Lois. How many times have this happened so far? A LOT. Elseworld or not, Superman being away from Lois is free reign for the character to get the hots for another woman. Where if it happened to Lois, what are the chances she'll get interested in other men? Be honest. This goes beyond being a goody two-shoes.

Well if she did, she would be ripped to shreds by the mostly male readership. Hell, earlier in this thread, someone called her "toxic" for merely having dinner with an old friend while Clark was dead.

[Yoda]

I don’t think Prieat has done anything particularly egregious yet. The book is just boring and rehashing poorly written stories from 20 years ago. Every time I give Priest a shot he fails to impress me. Halfway through the books run and it’s biggest crime is being boring.

[NaVi]

Well if she did, she would be ripped to shreds by the mostly male readership. Hell, earlier in this thread, someone called her "toxic" for merely having dinner with an old friend while Clark was dead.

have dinner and almost mess with him in bed, plus it was suggested that when he was with Clark he also saw that guy. It seems that people forget that outside of the comics Lois has been seen with half JL (Smallville), with Bruce and almost went to Gotham with him (the animated series), without forgetting what almost happened in the Snyderverse. The idea that Superman/Clark is allowed everything while Lois would be destroyed is actually the opposite, part of Superman's icon is that Clark is Lois's lap dog who shows interest in everyone and only notices Clark at the end.

[CosmeticSkull]

have dinner and almost mess with him in bed, plus it was suggested that when he was with Clark he also saw that guy.

That never happened. again, you're just making things up.

It seems that people forget that outside of the comics Lois has been seen with half JL (Smallville), with Bruce and almost went to Gotham with him (the animated series),

Oh look, more misogyny. Lois and Clark were not a couple when Lois was dating those people. She wasn't cheating on him. Clark wasn't even romantically interested in Lois for most of Smallville.

without forgetting what almost happened in the Snyderverse. The idea that Superman/Clark is allowed everything while Lois would be destroyed is actually the opposite, part of Superman's icon is that Clark is Lois's lap dog who shows interest in everyone and only notices Clark at the end.

Your comments prove exactly the opposite. You have the gall to get angry at Lois for dating who she wanted before she was in a relationship with Clark, yet you try to excuse Clark being a cheating SOB. Misogyny and sexism run strong in this fandom.

[Triniking1234]

have dinner and almost mess with him in bed, plus it was suggested that when he was with Clark he also saw that guy. It seems that people forget that outside of the comics Lois has been seen with half JL (Smallville), with Bruce and almost went to Gotham with him (the animated series), without forgetting what almost happened in the Snyderverse. The idea that Superman/Clark is allowed everything while Lois would be destroyed is actually the opposite, part of Superman's icon is that Clark is Lois's lap dog who shows interest in everyone and only notices Clark at the end.

That never happened and stop getting the pronouns wrong; makes things harder to read.