I'm tired of Lois, Jimmy and reporter Clark

[misslane]

The Lois relationship is also very boring, Lana and Clark's love (Smallville) was awesome and it was a breath of fresh air.

I'm sorry, but it's very rare to see anyone sing the praises of Clark and Lana's relationship on Smallville, especially by describing it as a breath of fresh air. When it was still a sweet and compelling relationship, it was still very much in the mold of traditional stories told about Clark's first love in high school. As it continued, however, it became twisted and stale. It was the very antithesis of a breath of fresh air.

Lois has no personality at all aside from I'm a brave independent women, where is the depth?

How do you define depth? Lois is a dynamic and three-dimensional character because she is a brave, independent woman who also hides the fact that she's lonely and is afraid to be seen as vulnerable. Because of her intelligence, beauty, and charm, she attracts powerful men, but she is perhaps most interested in speaking truth to power. What Lois loves is power that comes with humility -- restrained strength. Lois grew up on military bases around the world, so she never had a stable home and had to become someone who adapted to new people and places quickly. Her father is a high ranking general who is both overprotective and demanding. Lois's relationship with her father is a microcosm of her relationship with all entrenched systems of power: military, politics, and business. Lois is mercurial and protean. She knows how to manipulate individuals at all ranks in society to reveal their secrets. She's just as much at home digging for answers in the middle of a desert as an embedded journalist as she is schmoozing with the rich and powerful at a cocktail party. She uses humor and bravado as a way to keep people from getting to close to her, and she's given up a lot in order to service her ambition and her ideals. She's a cynic who longs to find something to believe in. Countless writers have created a rich, complex, and layered character in Lois.

Superman's world really needs a shake up and changes because It's been the same like forever.

Myths and icons don't endure by changing the fundamentals. You can play around with the details and explore different sides of the same story but to discard intrinsic character traits and character dynamics is a surefire way to dilute the power of Superman's myth. It sounds like what you want is a Superman story that bears little resemblance to a Superman story save a few select elements you deem worthy of continuing.

I was thinking that Clark as a cop would get criminal news faster and than save the day as Superman.

Clark isn't a journalist because it makes it easier to get the scoop on crime as it is happening. He's a journalist because he loves writing; because he loves how writing can be just as powerful an instrument of change as saving the day with superpowers.

[LoneNecromancer]

The traditional newspaper journalist is fast becoming outdated in this day and age. It's just Clark's iconic job. But really, as Supes' powers have increased and time went on, there's not even the reasoning that he needs to be updated on news when he can either hear it from the other side of the planet or get events as someone posts them online on Twitter.

The only way to explain it is to say Clark really seems to enjoy writing news articles.

[DochaDocha]

Jimmy has lost a crapton of relevance throughout the years. Perhaps that's some consolation for the OP?

I think a lot of fun can be had, at least a lot of fun for a comic book fan, imagining other professions Clark Kent could've taken. I also think in recent years, some Superman writers have romanticized journalism to degrees that make me kind of chuckle (one of my two best friends was a journalist, and I hung out with his journalism friends time to time), but unless you want to go through a career carousel in which his job changes from issue to issue, I can't really think of ones that would be so obviously better than his current one. Maybe in the future there won't be such thing as professional journalism, and in that case I'd say absolutely change his career, but I think the better course of action is to maintain some of his old roots while finding ways to modernize it so that younger fans aren't confused about Superman's job details.

[Auguste Dupin]

Good points, I just want a little shake up from all the usual stuff like the evil superman stories and the battles with Lex/Brainiac/Doomsday which we all know the ending to.

When was the last time a real change happened? One that felt natural and not forced? I feel like Superman's world has become so stale :/

Well, he did left the Planet because he objected to the way it was run by Galaxy Communications and became a blogger, but it hasn't been used as efficiently as it could have, mostly because it has been mostly handled by Scott Lobdell (although, I do remember an interview where he pretty much said that the reason he didn't used it too much was because he wasn't allowed to). Which is sad, because Clark becoming independant and having to build himself a credibility as a reporter while being free to talk about whatever he feels like could have been a very interesting change of pace, if only for a limited amount of time.
Sadly, with Johnson the book, it's almost completely certain Clark is just going to go back to the Planet and it would all have been for nothing.

[misslane]

Because he's a reporter for a specific newspaper in a specific city, and he doesn't have the freedom to just cover that thing happening hundreds of miles from where he's supposed to be.

Working for a specific newspaper in a specific city has nothing to do with limiting Clark's freedom. He's Superman. He can cover a story in Metropolis or a tiny village in India and still be perfectly capable of fulfilling his obligations as a hero. Plenty of journalists who work for news organizations like the New York Times do not have to spend their time working out of the same office in the same city. Clark doesn't have to be freelance in order to have freedom as a journalist and as a superhero. Besides, Clark's brand of journalism is based on investigative work or long-term human interest stories. He can do the kind of work he wants to do at the news organization he is accustomed to doing it for without needing to change anything about his life or where he works.

[Kid A]

The only way to explain it is to say Clark really seems to enjoy writing news articles.

Which Morrison emphasized of course, though it worked better when he was working for a small paper like George Taylor's Daily Star.

Well, he did left the Planet because he objected to the way it was run by Galaxy Communications and became a blogger, but it hasn't been used as efficiently as it could have, mostly because it has been mostly handled by Scott Lobdell (although, I do remember an interview where he pretty much said that the reason he didn't used it too much was because he wasn't allowed to). Which is sad, because Clark becoming independant and having to build himself a credibility as a reporter while being free to talk about whatever he feels like could have been a very interesting change of pace, if only for a limited amount of time.
Sadly, with Johnson the book, it's almost completely certain Clark is just going to go back to the Planet and it would all have been for nothing.

Yeah that's a shame Lobdell didn't or couldn't do (which ever is the case) anything with the blogging set-up. Huge missed opportunity there.

[Auguste Dupin]

Working for a specific newspaper in a specific city has nothing to do with limiting Clark's freedom. He's Superman. He can cover a story in Metropolis or a tiny village in India and still be perfectly capable of fulfilling his obligations as a hero. Plenty of journalists who work for news organizations like the New York Times do not have to spend their time working out of the same office in the same city. Clark doesn't have to be freelance in order to have freedom as a journalist and as a superhero. Besides, Clark's brand of journalism is based on investigative work or long-term human interest stories. He can do the kind of work he wants to do at the news organization he is accustomed to doing it for without needing to change anything about his life or where he works.

Mmmm....Actually, yeah, because there's this thing called an editor, and he gives you assignements, and he tells you that this article has to be this long, and to be on this page, and that you have this many days to write it....So, really, his independance is very relative. Every time he's making a paper on his own, he has to pitch it, to convince his editor that he totally should let him make a paper about that. He can't just be like "Hey Perry, I just happened to stumble into a conspiration in South India", because Perry's first question will be "And what exactly were you doing in South India in the first place? I don't remember paying you a ticket to South India".
So, unless Clark's gig is the internationnal (and even then, it mostly consists of covering specific events you're assigned to, not doing whatever you want around the world), there's going to be a disconnect between Superman and Clark's job.

[Auguste Dupin]

Which Morrison emphasized of course, though it worked better when he was working for a small paper like George Taylor's Daily Star.

I really liked the Daily Star. Of course, it worked better when Clark was young and starting, but still, the old "small struggling paper with a niche" gave it a certain personality.
Clark should totally recreate the Daily Star.

[The Red Monk]

Superman certainly feels slightly out of place confined to just Metropolis when he's evolved to someone so goddamn powerful that he regularly goes global/cosmic.

I don't really see why Clark Kent must be at The Daily Planet, though. I mean, to bring up an example, Peter Parker has changed jobs several times over the years, and it didn't harm his character in the slightest. If Clark were to become, say, a doctor, or a teacher, I don't think it would impact his character that much. Professional journalism is not likely to be a thing in the future, since people nowadays are more likely to get their news from sources outside of the mainstream media, and as technology progresses, that is likely to become even more pronounced. Being a doctor or a teacher would be a good way to move the character forward without ruining his fundamentals.

The only problem I can see is that pretty much ALL of Clark's significant supporting cast, except for Ma and Pa Kent and Lana and Pete are at The Daily Planet, but, well, if there was ever a time to start expanding Clark's supporting cast and mythos beyond Metropolis, now is as good a time as any.

[Kid A]

I really liked the Daily Star. Of course, it worked better when Clark was young and starting, but still, the old "small struggling paper with a niche" gave it a certain personality.
Clark should totally recreate the Daily Star.

I dunno if you're joking, but I kind of like this idea. As an online paper.

Superman certainly feels slightly out of place confined to just Metropolis when he's evolved to someone so goddamn powerful that he regularly goes global/cosmic.

Yeah. As much as I like Metropolis when it's done right as the futuristic City of Tomorrow, it's really time to stop treating it like his Gotham. It doesn't really make sense to tie him down to Metropolis fighting generic monsters of the week, while Hal Jordan is out there saving the universe.

[Auguste Dupin]

Superman certainly feels slightly out of place confined to just Metropolis when he's evolved to someone so goddamn powerful that he regularly goes global/cosmic.

I don't really see why Clark Kent must be at The Daily Planet, though. I mean, to bring up an example, Peter Parker has changed jobs several times over the years, and it didn't harm his character in the slightest. If Clark were to become, say, a doctor, or a teacher, I don't think it would impact his character that much. Professional journalism is not likely to be a thing in the future, since people nowadays are more likely to get their news from sources outside of the mainstream media, and as technology progresses, that is likely to become even more pronounced. Being a doctor or a teacher would be a good way to move the character forward without ruining his fundamentals.

The only problem I can see is that pretty much ALL of Clark's significant supporting cast, except for Ma and Pa Kent and Lana and Pete are at The Daily Planet, but, well, if there was ever a time to start expanding Clark's supporting cast and mythos beyond Metropolis, now is as good a time as any.

Yeah, but Peter Parker changing has always been part of the character's stick, going all the way back to Lee and Ditko where he graduated from High school. And even he had a tendency to go back to be the precursor of selfies.
Clark Kent, on the other hand, has always been a professional journalist. And in itself that's okay. Unlike what you're saying, professional journalism isn't going anywhere, if anything because someone somewhere has to make the news the Internet is going to spread like a virus. What's dying, however, are newspapers. But if the problem is relevancy, then the one thing to do is simply to have Clark settle on whatever is kinda relevant that is the closest to what he's usually associated with doing.
But let's be real, here: Clark Kent is never going to be anything long term other than a reporter. It's like saying Bruce Wayne shouldn't be rich anymore.

[kidstandout]

Superman certainly feels slightly out of place confined to just Metropolis when he's evolved to someone so goddamn powerful that he regularly goes global/cosmic.

I don't really see why Clark Kent must be at The Daily Planet, though. I mean, to bring up an example, Peter Parker has changed jobs several times over the years, and it didn't harm his character in the slightest. If Clark were to become, say, a doctor, or a teacher, I don't think it would impact his character that much. Professional journalism is not likely to be a thing in the future, since people nowadays are more likely to get their news from sources outside of the mainstream media, and as technology progresses, that is likely to become even more pronounced. Being a doctor or a teacher would be a good way to move the character forward without ruining his fundamentals.

The only problem I can see is that pretty much ALL of Clark's significant supporting cast, except for Ma and Pa Kent and Lana and Pete are at The Daily Planet, but, well, if there was ever a time to start expanding Clark's supporting cast and mythos beyond Metropolis, now is as good a time as any.

you are not alone in that sentiment.

[Auguste Dupin]

I dunno if you're joking, but I kind of like this idea. As an online paper.

Let's say I'm half joking, in a "that would be kind of cool but I don't see it happen" kind of way. But yeah, even in universe, it would sort of work to have Clark deciding to recreate and modernize the newspaper that was the entire life of the first man who gave him a chance in this profession, so that what it stood for stick around even though the actual paper is probably long gone by now. Plus, having Clark forced to have actual editorial responsibilities (while probably keeping the thing small enough to have him be realistically Superman) could give a bit of fresh air to his professional life, and would be a throwback to the Pre Crisis Earth 2 universe, where Clark was the editor of the Daily Star. And it could give him a new cast of characters to play with (like, for instance, a young idealistic reporter that would be in many ways similar to Clark when he got started) while still keeping the old one around in some capacity as collegues.

[Jim Kelly]

How do you make money as a blogger? I always thought of it as an avocation but not a money making position. And if you're blogging, isn't that a kind of solitary existence? I guess you can go out to find things to write about, but it's not a situation that would supply a regular ensemble of work relationships like the DAILY PLANET. If Clark was spending all his time blogging, then I guess the cast of characters would be built around the people in his apartment building--as those would be the people he had the most daily contact with.

I can see tweaking the DAILY PLANET/Galaxy Communications as some kind of multi-media news organization. And therefore, Clark's reportage would appear in all those media at the same time (web, podcast, TV, newspaper).

The classic Superman story--especially on the radio show and in the comic strip--would have Clark (and Lois) investigating a story and it would build to the moment when Superman would go into action. That created suspense, because the audience were waiting for the climactic moment when the Man of Steel would do his thing.

Nowadays, comic book stories don't build up suspense in that way. The hero is always in costume from the first page. And there is so much emphasis put on super-heroes hanging out with other super-heroes or trading blows with other super-beings, that there's not a lot of space for building up a credible supporting cast of civilian associates.

[Auguste Dupin]

How do you make money as a blogger? I always thought of it as an avocation but not a money making position. And if you're blogging, isn't that a kind of solitary existence? I guess you can go out to find things to write about, but it's not a situation that would supply a regular ensemble of work relationships like the DAILY PLANET. If Clark was spending all his time blogging, then I guess the cast of characters would be built around the people in his apartment building--as those would be the people he had the most daily contact with.

I can see tweaking the DAILY PLANET/Galaxy Communications as some kind of multi-media news organization. And therefore, Clark's reportage would appear in all those media at the same time (web, podcast, TV, newspaper).

The classic Superman story--especially on the radio show and in the comic strip--would have Clark (and Lois) investigating a story and it would build to the moment when Superman would go into action. That created suspense, because the audience were waiting for the climactic moment when the Man of Steel would do his thing.

Nowadays, comic book stories don't build up suspense in that way. The hero is always in costume from the first page. And there is so much emphasis put on super-heroes hanging out with other super-heroes or trading blows with other super-beings, that there's not a lot of space for building up a credible supporting cast of civilian associates.

The same way you make money on Youtube. Or free newspaper for that matter.
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