Kneel Before Zod Series By Joe Casey And Dan McDaid Coming In 2024

[thwhtGuardian]

I want this 2025 event to be Superman vs. Zod with Brainiac and Lex in the mix. Last time something with all of the big 3 in one story was attempted was New Krypton. Something like that could inject some much needed excitement into DC’s line.

I'd read the heck out of that, especially with Lex helping Superman.

[Vordan]

If Zod manages to restore his Kandorians like he planned to in the first issue, perhaps the conflict in 2025 will be him coming to Earth to take Superman’s half. That would draw Brainiac’s attention and obviously be a point of concern for Lex. Damn I could see Zod using this “hive mind” tech he’s implemented on the natives on the Kandorians as well, ensuring their loyalty and also giving Superman a reason to oppose him taking them.

[exile001]

Another excellent issue overall. I really liked that issue two viewed Zod from an entirely different angle than the first. It gives him depth and dimensions.

I love that he's clearly conflicted in exactly what he is doing and why, wanting to be the dictatorial warlord of his younger days (well, almost) but also understanding that a carefully prepared defence is more prudent than going on a blood soaked rampage, as though having the ultimate mid-life crisis.

Ursa was pretty badass, even if it was a little too much of the queen bitch trope. It would have been nice to have her fleshed out beforehand, but DC have had about a decade and didn't bother.

I was irritated that Sinister Sons was mentioned in the ed box, as I was hoping this'd ignore it completely.

I worry that this keeps Lor away from (or safe within) the Zod mini, which should be DC's only focus here. I'm sure the light-hearted fluff of Sinister Sons will please its fanbase, but DC are trying to make Zod a true Superman level threat again. That needs to deal with Lor, one way or another. I hope it's a misdirect.

The curse of DC determined to keep its shared universe above all, I guess.

[Vordan]

Lor will be involved in the Zod event in 2025 if that’s really happening. Can’t find info saying how long Sinister Sons will run, but it might only be 6 issues, which means Lor might return in the back half of the main Zod book.

[garazza]

Lor will be involved in the Zod event in 2025 if that’s really happening. Can’t find info saying how long Sinister Sons will run, but it might only be 6 issues, which means Lor might return in the back half of the main Zod book.

I could've sworn I read an article that explicitly said it was an ongoing when they announced Sinister Sons but I can't find anything to substantiate that. The only thing I've found is that Lunar has it listed as six issues but nowhere else is it listed as such. It could sell well enough (which it probably will) it would get extended to 12 to match Zod like Green Arrow did before it became an ongoing.

[Last Son of Krypton]

Minis often gets marketed as ongoing to avoid being viewed as useless by the potential buyers.

[exile001]

Minis often gets marketed as ongoing to avoid being viewed as useless by the potential buyers.

Yeah, it's kind of sad that fans (have been conditioned to) feel that way.

[Vordan]

Minis often gets marketed as ongoing to avoid being viewed as useless by the potential buyers.

The Marvel method, though usually DC was better at telling you if something was a mini or an ongoing.

[Last Son of Krypton]

KNEEL BEFORE ZOD #5

Written by JOE CASEY
Art by DAN McDAID
Cover by JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER
Variant covers by LUCIO PARRILLO and JOHN GIANG
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 5/7/24

In the aftermath of war, General Zod hurtles closer to his dark fate! On the verge of losing everything—including his own life—a desperate and deranged Zod is faced with an all-new challenge…introducing—the Legion of Zod!

[Frontier]

Those covers go hard.

[Vordan]

The solicit makes it seem like the “Legion of Zod” is something other than a Multiversal team up. Really don’t want any more multiverse stuff for a while, I’m going to guess the Legion of Zod is tied to either the Kandorians in stasis (maybe they wake up and take Zod’s name in his honor), or it’s an alien alliance that seeks to join forces with Zod for some reason.

[Vordan]

[Vordan]

-Casey grew up reading comics because his parents would buy comics for him on road trips to shut him up
-Waid was the one who brought him back to DC, after Waid got back in he hooked Casey up with Kaminski, Kaminski always wanted to do a Zod book
-Casey did not like the Bendis Zod, it was too different from zeitgeist Zod
-Shannon and Stamp are signposts for Zod’s characterization, but he doesn’t hear either of those two as the “voice” of Zod
-Now that Casey is on the inside with DC, he knows what the plan for DC as a whole is, he knows what the GL plans are
-Casey is thrilled that the United Planets is an element they can play with in the modern day because he’s a huge Legion fan
-The United Planets plays less of a role as the series unfolds because Zod and them get further and further apart
-After the first few issues Zod’s status quo will become radically different, issue 4 changes the setting and focuses on more personal fights/conflicts
-Zod is at his worst when he doesn’t have a war to fight
-Question for Casey is does Zod deserve peace/contentment given his villainous backstory?
-Zod cast Lor out in part because Ursa is pregnant and it’s a House Zod tradition to force the firstborn out once a “spare” is available so that the firstborn either finds their own strength or dies. Casey says issue 5 will dig into that tradition a bit more, my guess is Zod went through a similar rite of passage and we might get to see it. If Ursa wasn’t pregnant Zod wouldn’t have kicked Lor out
-Most villains are victims of hubris but Casey doesn’t think that’s Zod’s sin, he thinks instead Zod doesn’t recognize what he’s good at. He’s good at being a fighter and serving as an adversary for someone. Zod thought he wanted to be a ruler but he’s finding out it’s not what he thought it would be
-Casey wants Zod to be engaging and for the reader to be excited to se what’s happens next, he doesn’t care if the readers like Zod or not. He’s approaching this more like a scifi novel where it’s more an exploration of character rather than a moral tale. Fun of writing this book is not having to address morality
-Set up Casey was given had everything he needed to get at Zod, his planet is the soft spot for him.
-Jor is a manifestation of Zod’s inner conflict over his new role not his conscience per say
-Mentally Zod is kinda losing it, he’s off-center because he’s denying his true self
-Casey believes that most people see the worst parts of themselves in other people. The way Zod talks about the universe is really a reflection on himself. Zod can never be weak and must strike fear into others because he himself preys on the weak
-One planet is never going to be enough for him, Zod is formulating plans that go beyond sitting on a throne, we’ll see the payoff for that at the end of the first year. First year is broken up into 3 acts, first and third acts are reflections of each other. Lot of setup people won’t think will have payoff gets paid off in a big way
-Zod can’t settle for anything less than taking on the entire universe, he’s the personification of war. Zod would be happier in an Eternal War over victory
-In a roundabout way the GLC will appear, Casey plays coy here
-If the Kandorians were freed and then to not want to join him, Zod would be fine with fighting them if he has to. In the back of his mind Zod kinda relishes the idea of taking on entire city of people with powers like his
-Writing Zod after writing Superman is a fun experience for him because of how different he is. No one is expecting Zod to be redeemable and he doesn’t even have to give Zod sympathetic or “nice” moments
-Sending Zod through his dark night of the soul is about making him more of a bastard
-Approved for 12 issues, whether it goes on from there with or without Casey isn’t something he knows. He wrote seven issues already and is working on issue eight’s script
-More aspects of the cosmic DC universe are going to poke their heads into the book. There were a lot of corners Casey wanted to touch on but couldn’t during his Superman run. Issue 6 and 7 are a two part story that is a total Legion/Keith Giffen tribute. Loves playing in those sandboxes

Lmao I love how Casey is always wearing sunglasses.

[Frontier]

Well, at least he's honest about Bendis Zod .

[The Frog Bros]

Holy hell, he’s wearing a WKRP t shirt! Absolutely incredible!

I’d say the most telling (and poignant) quote about Zod in general is that he’s at his worst when he doesn’t have a war to fight. Seems to sum up the character and his motivations pretty succinctly.

Can’t tell if the sunglasses are hilarious or pretentious. Considering the afrementioned tshirt, I don’t think his humor can be questioned.