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

[Lightning Rider]

I am still not convinced the ending makes sense or what the rules of time travel Priest is following or how he applied them here. If the "Gatekeeper" is responsible for providing a path home for Clark that branches off after only a few days, how do all the events leading to saving Victor's planet still occur creating the Gatekeeper in the first place. Is it like a alternating loop? Clark lives the LOST timeline, resulting in the Gatekeeper. The Gatekeeper alters the past to avert a Clark going through the Lost timeline. But then there would be no Gatekeeper so Clark goes through the LOST timeline, etc. But then why would Lois remember the LOST version of Clark even if he doesn't return until after the events of LOST in Lois' timeline. So the Gatekeeper and the LOST version of Clark are essentially alternate future versions. Or is it closer to the MCU Endgame time travel and like Gamora?

Jon fans probably are taking very detailed notes from this. Overall, I think this was a weird series. Relied very heavily on fakeouts and really dragged through the first six or so issues, but got a little better in the back half.

I was really enjoying the series but the ending was a bit of a let down. Things were “fixed” by just breaking the space time continuum and creating a paradox of having two Clarks existing at the same time.

If it’s that easy for every Green Lantern to just drop out of hyperspace and alter events in time, reality in the DCU would constantly be collapsing in on itself. There are villains with power rings who would cause insane amounts of problems.

I do like the idea of Gatekeeper Superman out there being a cosmic guardian. I would like to see some more stories of a lone Superman detachment from his earth life dealing with far out universal threats. Wearing his awesome white suit of course.

Superman as a Jack Kirby cosmic god.



I loved Priest’s Lex! It would be great if he could do a Lex Luthor series next.

Yeah, I'm not sure how the rules work. I like having a coherent explanation for time travel so that it doesn't feel like a cheap tool that evades consequences. That said, I think Superman sending Lois back an un-traumatized version of himself is a sweet and the kind of sacrificial act of love I imagine he would make. Especially since it means he kind of embraces the "you can't go home again" sentiment. I am curious to see if this version would pop up again in the future as a cameo.

A bit uneven but I still enjoyed this series and I think we are all agreed he writes a fantastic Lex.

[Hypestyle]

is the trade paperback coming out yet?

[DABellWrites]

Yeah, I'm not sure how the rules work. I like having a coherent explanation for time travel so that it doesn't feel like a cheap tool that evades consequences. That said, I think Superman sending Lois back an un-traumatized version of himself is a sweet and the kind of sacrificial act of love I imagine he would make. Especially since it means he kind of embraces the "you can't go home again" sentiment. I am curious to see if this version would pop up again in the future as a cameo.

A bit uneven but I still enjoyed this series and I think we are all agreed he writes a fantastic Lex.

I don't find it sweet. If anything, that's not the same Clark who left, he's a variant (or whatever) of the original who couldn't come back. If anything, it's morbidly depressing that Clark is somewhere in space dead.