Action Comics #41 discussion

[sandmountainslim]

Well first off Im a bit unhappy that after getting used to a NEW reality a couple years back in the New 52 there is ALREADY another damned reboot I am having to deal with (i still was not completely over the Byrne one) but I guess we are where we are and all in all it was a GOOD issue and I enjoyed it. Kal is always Kal no matter what changes they make to him or how they screw up the universes and that is what matters to me.
I guess I must have missed the latest issue of Superman? When did it come out?

[Auguste Dupin]

Well first off Im a bit unhappy that after getting used to a NEW reality a couple years back in the New 52 there is ALREADY another damned reboot I am having to deal with (i still was not completely over the Byrne one) but I guess we are where we are and all in all it was a GOOD issue and I enjoyed it. Kal is always Kal no matter what changes they make to him or how they screw up the universes and that is what matters to me.
I guess I must have missed the latest issue of Superman? When did it come out?

In 3 weeks.
Yep, I know. Fortunately, it doesn't really matter in this case, at least if you read the Sneak Peeks, you get the general idea of what happened.
Also, it's not a reboot. Really, it's not. They just don't use the name "New 52" anymore (mostly on the account of it not being "New" anymore and not having "52" books on the shelf). But same continuity, same numerotation, and in this case same creative team. Not a reboot.
So, now you can stop being unhappy about it being a reboot and start being unhappy about the fact that Superman 41 comes out after this is kinda scr.wed up.

[sandmountainslim]

In 3 weeks.
Yep, I know. Fortunately, it doesn't really matter in this case, at least if you read the Sneak Peeks, you get the general idea of what happened.
Also, it's not a reboot. Really, it's not. They just don't use the name "New 52" anymore (mostly on the account of it not being "New" anymore and not having "52" books on the shelf). But same continuity, same numerotation, and in this case same creative team. Not a reboot.
So, now you can stop being unhappy about it being a reboot and start being unhappy about the fact that Superman 41 comes out after this is kinda scr.wed up.

Oh ok Well in that case it was a good issue. I hope he powers up a bit soon. I don't mind if they keep the revealed secret gimmick going a few months in fact that could prove interesting.

[DochaDocha]

I think one of the reasons why I've enjoyed Pak's run is his use of narrative boxes, as I think Superman is a character who benefits greatly from proper use of them. That said, I think the story would've had the same feel even if there were none. I'm not sold one way or another on "Truth" after one issue, and while I wouldn't say it wasn't badly written, it's another one of those stories that remind me how slow-paced these decompressed stories are. It almost, ALMOST, makes me wish all the books were one "Truth" story.

[Dispenser Of Truth]

Sure dug it, but I won't deny I was kind of let down by the bit with the bike: I thought that the guy gave Clark a deal because he knew he was Superman rather than in spite of it, but of course in fact the moment one of those reprehensible ordinary people gets the slightest bit of power, they'll immediately try and tear down their saviors to make themselves look like big men, rather than do what Superman might think they would. It's not Pak's fault, it's mine for having misinterpreted where the scene was going and there's plenty later to balance it out and just make it realistic rather than cynical, but it's still kind of hard to believe we're only a few years out from this:

[Agent Z]

I ended up liking it. I'll see the next issue.

[MarvelMaster616]

I really enjoyed this issue. I was actually a bit worried at first that Superman would be too emo. However, that's not what happened here. He may have been jaded and a bit crass. But he was still Superman. He's still the same hero he always was. He's just wounded and weakened at the moment.

And what made the most impact, in my opinion, was how so many ordinary people rallied around him when he returned to Metropolis. His identity being exposed doesn't undo all the good he did for Metropolis and the world. People don't automatically turn on a guy just because he's been outed as an alien and the government wants to arrest him. It's a testament to the power of Superman's deeds. Doing the right thing even when it's not always the easiest thing leaves an impression on people. They will rally around him. They will stand by him. He did exactly what he wanted to do. He inspired ordinary people to do better. That's the true essence of Superman.

[Snark88]

So how long are we speculating Depowered Clark is gonna last? Not that I don't find the Truth run interesting, but I hope we don't have to wait years before we see Supes return to form, or god forbid this becomes the new status quo for him.

[manduck37]

We haven't seen de-powered Clark in this continuity where he can just enjoy a hotdog and the rain. It is a new experience for him.

We've seen it a few times in the pages of Superman really recently. Like explaining to Jimmy how hotdogs tastes different without his powers. Or getting cold because he forgot a jacket and isn't used to checking the weather before he goes out. Or going to a bar with the Justice League and getting drunk. Plus in this continuity his powers didn't fully develop right away. So really he should have years and years of experience living like a regular person. Which is why it bothered me to read about how every little thing was this amazing new experience to him. It didn't take away from any enjoyment of the other parts. It was just a little nitpick thing that I found irritating, mainly because it's inconsistent with the rest of the books and it all happened so recently.

[Auguste Dupin]

Sure dug it, but I won't deny I was kind of let down by the bit with the bike: I thought that the guy gave Clark a deal because he knew he was Superman rather than in spite of it, but of course in fact the moment one of those reprehensible ordinary people gets the slightest bit of power, they'll immediately try and tear down their saviors to make themselves look like big men, rather than do what Superman might think they would. It's not Pak's fault, it's mine for having misinterpreted where the scene was going and there's plenty later to balance it out and just make it realistic rather than cynical, but it's still kind of hard to believe we're only a few years out from this:

I can see the people of Kentville pulling off something like that, actually.
As for the biker dude, well....it doesn't really faze me. There's douchebags every where, you know. Plus, even in Morrison's last arc, you had stuff like the cab driver Lois and Jimmy were in complaining about Superman and how he always "pisses off" monsters of the week and have a fistfight with them in the middle of Metropolis, so it's not like even Morrison's Superman had 100% approval rate either.

[Flash Gordon]

I liked the bit with the biker dude, myself. I feel like in the Superman mythos there is a tendency, since perhaps the Silver Age when "Smallville" came about, to portray Middle America as some kind of hot spot for Norman Rockwell home spun kindness. It screams Mayberry. The world is full of hateful people and small towns are (sometimes) hot beds for that. Having this big dumb idiot think that he can take Superman was refreshing, to me.

Even if it was a bit stereotypical, and oddly written.

[manofsteel1979]

So how long are we speculating Depowered Clark is gonna last? Not that I don't find the Truth run interesting, but I hope we don't have to wait years before we see Supes return to form, or god forbid this becomes the new status quo for him.

Well, the early interviews seem to indicate that this whole storyarc that the writers cooked up is lasting around a year. So I would say likely roughly a year....possibly even in time for SUPERMAN and ACTION #50 (which would be 10 months.) 40 issues of the four titles in total would be more than enough space to explore this whole set up.

I don't think he will be at this power level for the whole duration of the arc. The secret identity being outed though will likely last the duration, and it's possible, depending on how the readers and fans react to that aspect, it could end when this story ends, or if it proves popular, may stay "out" for a time beyond this next year. I don't foresee it as "permanent" as someone will want to come along and play with that particular toy again,but We will see.

However, rest assured, he will be back in the red and blue complete with cape and soaring in the skies again soon.

[manofsteel1979]

I liked the bit with the biker dude, myself. I feel like in the Superman mythos there is a tendency, since perhaps the Silver Age when "Smallville" came about, to portray Middle America as some kind of hot spot for Norman Rockwell home spun kindness. It screams Mayberry. The world is full of hateful people and small towns are (sometimes) hot beds for that. Having this big dumb idiot think that he can take Superman was refreshing, to me.

Even if it was a bit stereotypical, and oddly written.

Well technically the scene with the biker dude was in Alaska. Hardly middle america,but I see your point. I live in a rural "hamlet", and believe me, we have our share of knuckleheads out and about.

[MeloDet]

We've seen it a few times in the pages of Superman really recently. Like explaining to Jimmy how hotdogs tastes different without his powers. Or getting cold because he forgot a jacket and isn't used to checking the weather before he goes out. Or going to a bar with the Justice League and getting drunk. Plus in this continuity his powers didn't fully develop right away. So really he should have years and years of experience living like a regular person. Which is why it bothered me to read about how every little thing was this amazing new experience to him. It didn't take away from any enjoyment of the other parts. It was just a little nitpick thing that I found irritating, mainly because it's inconsistent with the rest of the books and it all happened so recently.

Well, yes and no. While his powers weren't anywhere near their current level for most of his life, he did have powers from the moment he left his ship. He breaks either Martha or Jonathan's finger almost right away, he's developed super-hearing and a degree of invulnerability by the time he's seven, and he's had heat vision since maybe 10-13 years old?

As for the difference between this issue's food scene and the one in Superman #40, in this one he isn't just experiencing food as a human for the first time but satisfying borderline starvation. Similarly he's not just a little cold because he forgot his jacket, but almost freezing to death after spending three days wandering the Alaskan wilderness.

[Prime]

Well, the early interviews seem to indicate that this whole storyarc that the writers cooked up is lasting around a year. So I would say likely roughly a year....possibly even in time for SUPERMAN and ACTION #50 (which would be 10 months.) 40 issues of the four titles in total would be more than enough space to explore this whole set up.

I don't think he will be at this power level for the whole duration of the arc. The secret identity being outed though will likely last the duration, and it's possible, depending on how the readers and fans react to that aspect, it could end when this story ends, or if it proves popular, may stay "out" for a time beyond this next year. I don't foresee it as "permanent" as someone will want to come along and play with that particular toy again,but We will see.

However, rest assured, he will be back in the red and blue complete with cape and soaring in the skies again soon.

I sense Mr.Myz coming up. He will be the one to erase everyone's mind.