Originally Posted by
stillanerd
I don't want to be pessimistic here, but based on the interviews I've read, the sneak peaks we've seen of the Superman titles for the "Truth" storyline, and DC's previous track record regarding Superman throughout the New 52, I have bad feeling this will wind up being one of the more misguided creative directions since the Electric Blue Superman. Or, perhaps a more apt comparison, this could be regarded as just as much a fundamental misunderstanding of who a fictional superhero is and represents since Denny O'Neil removed Wonder Woman's powers and turned her into a Emma Peel knockoff.
And it's clear what the Superman writers like Pak, and Kuder are attempting to do here: it's one of those deconstructionist stories in which, in their words, "everything that makes Clark's life easy and comfortable is going to be stripped away," that he's "pushed to his limits and tested on every level in the best kind of ways," and in the process he'll come out triumphant and stronger at the end. That's all well and good, but one also gets the impression that the writers feel the only way to make Superman more interesting and relevant for today's audience is to all but take away everything which has helped to define, mold and shape the character of Superman over the past 75 years. Based on what we've been seeing in the Sneak Peaks, Clark has become Superman in name only, coming across as if he were Wolverine without the adamantum claws, funky haircut and excess body hair. Heck, the way Pak and Ruder describe what Clark's status quo will be, what with them talking about "the folks who live on Clark Kent's block back home" and "the Shadow ninjas," it reads more like something more suitable for Daredevil than Superman.
And it's not about a mere costume change or stripping away his powers that the big problem here--it's the taking away the secret identity. Time and time again, we've been told the reason for Clark to have a secret identity wasn't just so he could protect those he cared about; it was also so he could have some semblance of a normal life, that passing himself off as an ordinary human being is what brought him closer to those he wanted to help, to embolden his sense of humility. Now he's just going to be Superman 24/7. Short of rebooting continuity yet again, that's not something you just easily undo without coming up with the most contrived of scenarios. Pak suggests in the interview "Truth" is putting greater emphasis that "Superman's always been one of us, a man of the people," but what he's seem to overlook is that while Superman may see himself as "a man of the people," the people do not. They always see Superman as someone who is more than human, that he's a symbol of hope and look up to, no matter what his power set is. That's another reason why Clark passing himself off as a "mild-mannered reporter" was so crucial to how Superman works; because ironically, the only real way Superman can be regarded as "one of us" and "a man of the people" was through being Clark Kent. If everyone knows Clark Kent is Superman, then everyone will only see him as Superman, "the strange visitor from another planet," instead of Clark Kent, the everyman.
Also, and I'm sure others have alluded to this, what was the point of letting Jimmy Olsen in on the secret if everybody now knows the secret? (If the idea of having Jimmy know was that the folks at DC realized the New 52 Superman needed someone who wasn't a superhero to talk to, then maybe DC shouldn't have killed off Clark's adoptive parents. Just a thought.) And to have that secret identity be revealed by Lois Lane? That's certainly doing her character any favors, not matter what Pak says about how "Lois is a straight-up hero," because the sneak-peak for Superman clearly shows that her outing his secret identity was--surprise, surprise!--a huge mistake which has given Clark more problems, hence why she's trying to now apologize to him and make up for it.
In short, I think this latest attempt by DC to make Superman more identifiable will be a costly one, especially if fans believe this is DC trying too hard to imitate Marvel. Then again, I've been wrong before quite a few times, so who knows.