Action Comics #41 discussion

[manofsteel1979]

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

I could see Mxy (and maybe even Lord Vinny) returning for the wrap up of the story. It would be a cool way to pick up some more story threads by Morrison, tie back in the 5th dimensional imps into it all and tie everything from ACTION #1 to ACTION #50 as one long story of sorts.Pay homage to the "roots" of the current Superman and how he started and have the first 100 issues (combined of ACTION and SUPERMAN) finish and cap off the first chapter of the modern Superman.

[bat39]

On the subject of Superman's psyche right now and the whole identity issue, its worth remembering that not only has his identity been exposed, but he's lost most of his powers too...he's gone from being virtually a God to being relatively human (albeit with enhanced strength, speed and reflexes). These developments cannot be viewed in isolation (nor should they be...Pak clearly had a point with having both things happen together).

So Superman is now exposed as Clark Kent. But he can't just fly away and be Superman anymore...he's been 'grounded' (no reference to the story-arc of the same name!), bound to the 'real world', to street-level human experience. Its now his life 24/7. So in that sense, he can't avoid being Clark Kent...by which I don't mean the disguise with the glasses, but simply the human side of him...the part that identifies as a human, albeit an immigrant human.

And there IS clearly a parallel to how Morrison portrayed him. The origin story Morrison laid out for this incarnation of Superman is significant in that it informs our current understanding of his character in the context of this particular arc.

So, as per Morrison's story, he grew up essentially as Clark Kent. Sure, he knew he was an alien, but it wasn't really that much of a factor to him because he didn't really have any idea about the exact nature of his alien heritage (beyond the dreams he had of Krypton's last day...as shown in Action # 3). All he knew is that because of this alien nature of his, he had powers. But the decision to become a vigilante, a protector of the people, was one he made as Clark Kent. Sure, he created the civilian 'Clark Kent' persona and the persona of the vigilante that was dubbed 'Superman', but he was still essentially the same person at his core - Clark Kent using his powers to help people, while also using his skills as a journalist to make a difference in his civilian life.

But several transformative events occur during the course of Morrison's first arc. Clark discovers the exact nature of his alien heritage for the first time. He learns all about Jor-El and Lara, Krypton, and his birth name Kal-El. He acquires the armor, a constant reminder of his heritage. Plus, his powers have exponentially increased...where he could once leap tall buildings and lift cars, he could now fly and lift a building or something much larger, not to mention the barrage of other abilities. So this is where the fracturing of identities, if indeed there was one, really begins. 'Superman' is now not a street-level vigilante but an incredibly powerful alien being with God-like abilities. He spends his time not fighting corrupt mobsters or low-level criminals but stopping alien invasions and other major super-villain threats. He's now also very much aware of his alien heritage as Kal-El, and spends time in the Fortress of Solitude, educating himself about his alien history. In the meantime, he continues his human life as 'Clark Kent', which is very much still the kid who grew up in Smallville and became a reporter, but more and more, Superman was getting distanced from the lived experience of Clark Kent...becoming more a product of Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton. 'Clark Kent' was increasingly in danger of becoming just an act, a disguise for the all-mighty Superman.

What 'Truth' has done is force both identities to come crashing together again. Clark Kent, that is, the 'public' Clark Kent has been exposed. So there's no need for him to be an act. At the same time, Superman has lost most of the trappings he has become accustomed to. He's lost the suit, the Fortress and most of his powers...very visible signs of his alien heritage (the scene in the preview where the Fortress refuses to identify him as Kal-El and strips him of the suit is particularly poignant.)

So basically, the human life as 'Clark Kent', and the alien persona of 'Superman' have both been taken from him. Both these constructs, these carefully developed identities, are gone. So what is left is, for the first time perhaps since his early days in the hero business, the 'real' Clark Kent. The Clark Kent who grew up in Smallville and used his (limited) powers to help people when he moved to Metropolis. He doesn't have to 'pretend' to be human anymore since he's as human now as he's ever likely to be...and he doesn't have the alien identity anymore. So he can truly be the 'real man' again.

Going slightly off-topic, but this is kinda similar, thematically, to the arc which played out on Arrow last season.

spoilers:

Oliver had essentially lost the carefully crafted public persona of 'Oliver Queen' at the start of the season, when he failed to get his company back. He had lost most of his family (apart from Thea). His family home. His status as the heir to the Queen fortune and Queen legacy. His best friend from his old life as Oliver was dead, and Laurel, his ex-lover was now part of his crusade and very much involved in his life as the 'Arrow'. Once Thea found out his secret, there was virtually no one left who knew him just as Oliver Queen (specifically the old 'Ollie' who he was before he was shipwrecked). Plus, he refused to pursue a normal relationship with Felicity...so he retreated further and further into his vigilante life as the 'Arrow' since that's all he really had left. But then, thanks to Ra's al Ghul's machinations, he was deprived of the 'Arrow' identity too, something which plunged him into a deep identity crisis. Ultimately, by the season finale, he comes to realize that the old 'Oliver Queen' is no more, he can't be the 'Arrow' again, and he's now basically free to explore the person he truly is, shorn of all the artifice and deception. Which is the Oliver we see driving off into the sunset at the end of Season 3.

end of spoilers

One can argue something similar happened with Bruce Wayne in the Nolanverse.

[manofsteel1979]

On the subject of Superman's psyche right now and the whole identity issue, its worth remembering that not only has his identity been exposed, but he's lost most of his powers too...he's gone from being virtually a God to being relatively human (albeit with enhanced strength, speed and reflexes). These developments cannot be viewed in isolation (nor should they be...Pak clearly had a point with having both things happen together).

So Superman is now exposed as Clark Kent. But he can't just fly away and be Superman anymore...he's been 'grounded' (no reference to the story-arc of the same name!), bound to the 'real world', to street-level human experience. Its now his life 24/7. So in that sense, he can't avoid being Clark Kent...by which I don't mean the disguise with the glasses, but simply the human side of him...the part that identifies as a human, albeit an immigrant human.

And there IS clearly a parallel to how Morrison portrayed him. The origin story Morrison laid out for this incarnation of Superman is significant in that it informs our current understanding of his character in the context of this particular arc.

So, as per Morrison's story, he grew up essentially as Clark Kent. Sure, he knew he was an alien, but it wasn't really that much of a factor to him because he didn't really have any idea about the exact nature of his alien heritage (beyond the dreams he had of Krypton's last day...as shown in Action # 3). All he knew is that because of this alien nature of his, he had powers. But the decision to become a vigilante, a protector of the people, was one he made as Clark Kent. Sure, he created the civilian 'Clark Kent' persona and the persona of the vigilante that was dubbed 'Superman', but he was still essentially the same person at his core - Clark Kent using his powers to help people, while also using his skills as a journalist to make a difference in his civilian life.

But several transformative events occur during the course of Morrison's first arc. Clark discovers the exact nature of his alien heritage for the first time. He learns all about Jor-El and Lara, Krypton, and his birth name Kal-El. He acquires the armor, a constant reminder of his heritage. Plus, his powers have exponentially increased...where he could once leap tall buildings and lift cars, he could now fly and lift a building or something much larger, not to mention the barrage of other abilities. So this is where the fracturing of identities, if indeed there was one, really begins. 'Superman' is now not a street-level vigilante but an incredibly powerful alien being with God-like abilities. He spends his time not fighting corrupt mobsters or low-level criminals but stopping alien invasions and other major super-villain threats. He's now also very much aware of his alien heritage as Kal-El, and spends time in the Fortress of Solitude, educating himself about his alien history. In the meantime, he continues his human life as 'Clark Kent', which is very much still the kid who grew up in Smallville and became a reporter, but more and more, Superman was getting distanced from the lived experience of Clark Kent...becoming more a product of Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton. 'Clark Kent' was increasingly in danger of becoming just an act, a disguise for the all-mighty Superman.

What 'Truth' has done is force both identities to come crashing together again. Clark Kent, that is, the 'public' Clark Kent has been exposed. So there's no need for him to be an act. At the same time, Superman has lost most of the trappings he has become accustomed to. He's lost the suit, the Fortress and most of his powers...very visible signs of his alien heritage (the scene in the preview where the Fortress refuses to identify him as Kal-El and strips him of the suit is particularly poignant.)

So basically, the human life as 'Clark Kent', and the alien persona of 'Superman' have both been taken from him. Both these constructs, these carefully developed identities, are gone. So what is left is, for the first time perhaps since his early days in the hero business, the 'real' Clark Kent. The Clark Kent who grew up in Smallville and used his (limited) powers to help people when he moved to Metropolis. He doesn't have to 'pretend' to be human anymore since he's as human now as he's ever likely to be...and he doesn't have the alien identity anymore. So he can truly be the 'real man' again.

Going slightly off-topic, but this is kinda similar, thematically, to the arc which played out on Arrow last season.

spoilers:

Oliver had essentially lost the carefully crafted public persona of 'Oliver Queen' at the start of the season, when he failed to get his company back. He had lost most of his family (apart from Thea). His family home. His status as the heir to the Queen fortune and Queen legacy. His best friend from his old life as Oliver was dead, and Laurel, his ex-lover was now part of his crusade and very much involved in his life as the 'Arrow'. Once Thea found out his secret, there was virtually no one left who knew him just as Oliver Queen (specifically the old 'Ollie' who he was before he was shipwrecked). Plus, he refused to pursue a normal relationship with Felicity...so he retreated further and further into his vigilante life as the 'Arrow' since that's all he really had left. But then, thanks to Ra's al Ghul's machinations, he was deprived of the 'Arrow' identity too, something which plunged him into a deep identity crisis. Ultimately, by the season finale, he comes to realize that the old 'Oliver Queen' is no more, he can't be the 'Arrow' again, and he's now basically free to explore the person he truly is, shorn of all the artifice and deception. Which is the Oliver we see driving off into the sunset at the end of Season 3.

end of spoilers

One can argue something similar happened with Bruce Wayne in the Nolanverse.

*slow clap*

That's one hell of an analysis of this and rings true. It's sort of bringing the themes Morrison explored in his run full circle at last.

So without "Clark Kent" and "Kal-El" who is he? Who is "Superman?".

[Superlad93]

On the subject of Superman's psyche right now and the whole identity issue, its worth remembering that not only has his identity been exposed, but he's lost most of his powers too...he's gone from being virtually a God to being relatively human (albeit with enhanced strength, speed and reflexes). These developments cannot be viewed in isolation (nor should they be...Pak clearly had a point with having both things happen together).

So Superman is now exposed as Clark Kent. But he can't just fly away and be Superman anymore...he's been 'grounded' (no reference to the story-arc of the same name!), bound to the 'real world', to street-level human experience. Its now his life 24/7. So in that sense, he can't avoid being Clark Kent...by which I don't mean the disguise with the glasses, but simply the human side of him...the part that identifies as a human, albeit an immigrant human.

And there IS clearly a parallel to how Morrison portrayed him. The origin story Morrison laid out for this incarnation of Superman is significant in that it informs our current understanding of his character in the context of this particular arc.

So, as per Morrison's story, he grew up essentially as Clark Kent. Sure, he knew he was an alien, but it wasn't really that much of a factor to him because he didn't really have any idea about the exact nature of his alien heritage (beyond the dreams he had of Krypton's last day...as shown in Action # 3). All he knew is that because of this alien nature of his, he had powers. But the decision to become a vigilante, a protector of the people, was one he made as Clark Kent. Sure, he created the civilian 'Clark Kent' persona and the persona of the vigilante that was dubbed 'Superman', but he was still essentially the same person at his core - Clark Kent using his powers to help people, while also using his skills as a journalist to make a difference in his civilian life.

But several transformative events occur during the course of Morrison's first arc. Clark discovers the exact nature of his alien heritage for the first time. He learns all about Jor-El and Lara, Krypton, and his birth name Kal-El. He acquires the armor, a constant reminder of his heritage. Plus, his powers have exponentially increased...where he could once leap tall buildings and lift cars, he could now fly and lift a building or something much larger, not to mention the barrage of other abilities. So this is where the fracturing of identities, if indeed there was one, really begins. 'Superman' is now not a street-level vigilante but an incredibly powerful alien being with God-like abilities. He spends his time not fighting corrupt mobsters or low-level criminals but stopping alien invasions and other major super-villain threats. He's now also very much aware of his alien heritage as Kal-El, and spends time in the Fortress of Solitude, educating himself about his alien history. In the meantime, he continues his human life as 'Clark Kent', which is very much still the kid who grew up in Smallville and became a reporter, but more and more, Superman was getting distanced from the lived experience of Clark Kent...becoming more a product of Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton. 'Clark Kent' was increasingly in danger of becoming just an act, a disguise for the all-mighty Superman.

What 'Truth' has done is force both identities to come crashing together again. Clark Kent, that is, the 'public' Clark Kent has been exposed. So there's no need for him to be an act. At the same time, Superman has lost most of the trappings he has become accustomed to. He's lost the suit, the Fortress and most of his powers...very visible signs of his alien heritage (the scene in the preview where the Fortress refuses to identify him as Kal-El and strips him of the suit is particularly poignant.)

So basically, the human life as 'Clark Kent', and the alien persona of 'Superman' have both been taken from him. Both these constructs, these carefully developed identities, are gone. So what is left is, for the first time perhaps since his early days in the hero business, the 'real' Clark Kent. The Clark Kent who grew up in Smallville and used his (limited) powers to help people when he moved to Metropolis. He doesn't have to 'pretend' to be human anymore since he's as human now as he's ever likely to be...and he doesn't have the alien identity anymore. So he can truly be the 'real man' again.

Going slightly off-topic, but this is kinda similar, thematically, to the arc which played out on Arrow last season.

spoilers:

Oliver had essentially lost the carefully crafted public persona of 'Oliver Queen' at the start of the season, when he failed to get his company back. He had lost most of his family (apart from Thea). His family home. His status as the heir to the Queen fortune and Queen legacy. His best friend from his old life as Oliver was dead, and Laurel, his ex-lover was now part of his crusade and very much involved in his life as the 'Arrow'. Once Thea found out his secret, there was virtually no one left who knew him just as Oliver Queen (specifically the old 'Ollie' who he was before he was shipwrecked). Plus, he refused to pursue a normal relationship with Felicity...so he retreated further and further into his vigilante life as the 'Arrow' since that's all he really had left. But then, thanks to Ra's al Ghul's machinations, he was deprived of the 'Arrow' identity too, something which plunged him into a deep identity crisis. Ultimately, by the season finale, he comes to realize that the old 'Oliver Queen' is no more, he can't be the 'Arrow' again, and he's now basically free to explore the person he truly is, shorn of all the artifice and deception. Which is the Oliver we see driving off into the sunset at the end of Season 3.

end of spoilers

One can argue something similar happened with Bruce Wayne in the Nolanverse.

Good work indeed, sir!

I'd just like to add that Morrison gave us a very visual struggle of identities with Superman during the Captain Comet arc. If you recall Superman going back and forth from t-shirt and jeans to space armor during this time. He would wear the t-shirt and jeans when he fought for the little guy and protected the city, but he'd were the armor when larger than life threats were around and he hung out with his JL buddies. Plus Superman was lamenting about how Superman was taking up more and more of his time and Clark had been outlived.

The man was being pulled in quite a few directions during this time. We even had the part with the JL were he tried to bring his small town brand of justice to the whole world. There were a lot of compromises and reevaluations that needed to be made in order for his current life to work. Now all of that must be reexamined again. As you say the identity issues must be reevaluated. Now that you've mentioned it, it does feel like a continuation of at least some of the thoughts in Morrison's first arc.

But this is also why I think having a 5D imp come fix things would be unlikely and a little lazy. If/when the "fix" things I'd hope it would be a more inspired idea than just saying "well it worked before". At that point imps become the dragon balls. A fun idea that's abused.

[bat39]

The man was being pulled in quite a few directions during this time. We even had the part with the JL were he tried to bring his small town brand of justice to the whole world. There were a lot of compromises and reevaluations that needed to be made in order for his current life to work. Now all of that must be reexamined again. As you say the identity issues must be reevaluated. Now that you've mentioned it, it does feel like a continuation of at least some of the thoughts in Morrison's first arc..

An excellent addition to my analysis. And it got me thinking about this on another, more meta front.

Morrison's story was supposed to be a modern reinterpretation of Superman's evolution from the Golden Age 'Champion of he Oppressed' to the more sci-fi Silver Age global (and universal) superhero. But Superman's evolution in-universe is also symbolic, in a sense, of the early evolution of the mythos.

When the character was created, he was just another comic-strip hero. The set-up was pretty simple...a guy with extraordinary strength and speed using his abilities to fight for the little guy while also maintaining a civilian life as a reporter.

But then, as the character grew more and more popular and the mythology evolved, everything started to change. Superman became more and more powerful. The mythos became increasingly more complex, with a lot of sci-fi elements thrown in. The kind of stories changed - Superman was no longer some outlaw fighting the establishment, he was a symbol of the establishment, and a superhero who fought monsters and aliens and supervillains. Before long, we had stories and commentary about which was the 'real' identity. Not to mention, retcons and reboots that gave the character and brand of Superman a kind of identity crisis.

Extend the symbolism to Pak's new story and the analogy continues to hold. Much as this new status quo allows Superman to once again be the man he originally was, it also allows the franchise to take a 'back to basics' approach in hopes of rediscovering the essence of the character for a new generation.

[Superlad93]

Extend the symbolism to Pak's new story and the analogy continues to hold. Much as this new status quo allows Superman to once again be the man he originally was, it also allows the franchise to take a 'back to basics' approach in hopes of rediscovering the essence of the character for a new generation.

I agree, this is yet another evolution in the idea of how the myth is told!

Take a look at this video posted by Auguste (http://thenerdsofcolor.org/2015/05/2...-american-way/) go over to 31:37. Yang has some very very interesting comments and ideas on the Superman myth, and what it means today. He talks about what it means to be the famed "man of tomorrow" in today's world vs what it meant in the 1930's. Very cool stuff.

[Blue Light]

I really enjoyed this. It was just a touch too set-uppy to outright love, but it has successfully made it murder to have to wait a whole month for Action #42. If Superman #41 is at least this good, we're all set for a great ride.

[zwixxx]

Not a follower of the title but heard about the 'change in direction' so bought #41 because I thought with it being the start of the Truth storyline that we'd see him being outted and the initial reaction to the news. Maybe I just picked the wrong one and Superman #41 will have that. (or is that 8page bit in the FCBD Divergence comic all we'll get ?
btw: $3.99 feels kinda steep for a comic that doesn't have a stiff cover like Batman/Detective comics.

[Ascended]

Not a follower of the title but heard about the 'change in direction' so bought #41 because I thought with it being the start of the Truth storyline that we'd see him being outted and the initial reaction to the news. Maybe I just picked the wrong one and Superman #41 will have that. (or is that 8page bit in the FCBD Divergence comic all we'll get ?
btw: $3.99 feels kinda steep for a comic that doesn't have a stiff cover like Batman/Detective comics.

TRUTH isnt a standard crossover with a Part 1, Part 2, and so forth. Action is telling the story of what Clark does after his identity has been outed and his powers have been lost. Superman will tell the story of how those things happened to begin with, at least at first, upon which case it'll "catch up" to the present. Both Action and Superman (as well as Superman/Batman and Superman/Wonder Woman) will use different members of the supporting cast and explore how this affects different parts of Clark's life. Jimmy is being used in Action, Lois and Perry in Superman, Lana and Steel in SM/WW, and so forth. So you havent missed anything at all, other than perhaps the eight page previews we got last month (which are free to download from Comixology btw). If you're frustrated that you dont know how we got to this point, that's okay. We'll start getting the answers to that next week (or is it the week after?)

Anyway.

TRUTH.

To absolutely no one's surprise, (if you know me) I quite enjoyed the hell out of this. Honestly, I dont have much to add to the excellent posts and analysis others have already come up with, and I completely agree with all my usual suspects (and you know who you are). Im still a little concerned about how Lois' side of the story will play out, but if Yang is half as good as Pak and understands these characters half as well, we might be looking at the best Super-line we've had in thirty years, and quite possibly one of the best line-wide stories since the Death and Return.

I love Kentville. I've long thought that Clark's neighborhood should be more prominent in Superman stories and its nice to finally see that happen. And I like how he's been returned to the outlaw status. I really adore that, actually. My Superman is a friend to the people, not the authorities, and that rings very true here. The cop (I forget his name) has a properly ominous T-1000 vibe going on and the conflict here had a great setup, not to mention it's extremely topical right now. I only hope that we learn that this guy and the people who follow him (we see them moving in on Kentville) are revealed to be a rogue element within the MPD (which is essentially confirmed, I think, by Dawn Patrol or whatever the hell they called themselves). Police violence is absolutely a topic worth exploring right now, but not all cops are bad people and I'd hate to see them painted in such a black and white, "good guys" and "bad guys" sort of light. But Pak has never disappointed me in this regard; even the psychos from the Tower had a little depth to their motivations (not much, but some) and this story looks like its going to run a lot deeper than that one did.

It's also nice to see Clark really struggle with the common heroic type stuff and not complain or go into an existential crisis. He's in a bad spot, possibly the worst one of his life, and he's just going about his business regardless. That's damned hardcore and as "Superman" as it gets. It feels raw, vibrant, and alive. Gods I love this Golden Age-ish status quo. Absolutely wonderful. Its not something I want to see as the normal status quo, (well...maybe I'll change my mind about that before TRUTH ends) and I dont feel like we're in any danger of that (if anything, I imagine this will all be resolved too quickly) but while it lasts, if this issue is anything to go by, Im all in.

A few things bother me, but they're mostly nitpicks. The biggest one is that Pak went a little heavy on the "so this is what human feels like" stuff. But then, I realize, Clark hasn't been this close to being human since he was a child. Even when he burns out his powers after a Super Nova (which is a much better name than Johns' lame-ass solar flare) it's short lived; Clark hasnt ever felt real hunger or cold or other human annoyances for more than brief moments, and nothing compared to what he's experienced here, which is to say, life threatening. So I can let that slide.

In Pak we trust. Now we'll see if Yang is up to the challenge.....

[Auguste Dupin]

TRUTH isnt a standard crossover with a Part 1, Part 2, and so forth. Action is telling the story of what Clark does after his identity has been outed and his powers have been lost. Superman will tell the story of how those things happened to begin with, at least at first, upon which case it'll "catch up" to the present. Both Action and Superman (as well as Superman/Batman and Superman/Wonder Woman) will use different members of the supporting cast and explore how this affects different parts of Clark's life. Jimmy is being used in Action, Lois and Perry in Superman, Lana and Steel in SM/WW, and so forth. So you havent missed anything at all, other than perhaps the eight page previews we got last month (which are free to download from Comixology btw). If you're frustrated that you dont know how we got to this point, that's okay. We'll start getting the answers to that next week (or is it the week after?)

I think it's in 3 weeks, actually. The way I understand it, it goes like this:
Week 1: Action Comics
Week 2: Batman/Superman
Week 3: Superman/Wonder Woman
Week 4: Superman (where the answers are going to be).

[Ascended]

I think it's in 3 weeks, actually. The way I understand it, it goes like this:
Week 1: Action Comics
Week 2: Batman/Superman
Week 3: Superman/Wonder Woman
Week 4: Superman (where the answers are going to be).

Damn it all! I want answers NOW! DAMN YOUSE, DC'Z! DAMN YOUSE!!!!!

I gotta say, between this, Bizarro, and Justice League (easily the best thing Johns has written in ages, despite his ignoring some real basic continuity, the punk) Superman had a really good week.

I also notice that Pak is writing Superman's voice a little differently. It's not quite the same voice he's used for Superman before, and its not quite the voice he's used for Clark, but it's somewhere in between. I don't know if its being done intentionally or if its just a subconscious side-effect of the plot rattling around in his brilliant head, but after I realized that we're seeing a fusion of the Clark Kent and Superman personalities here, I really loved it. I can't see Superman acting in such a "regular guy" fashion as he did in this issue, and I can't see Clark Kent acting with such confidence, but mesh the two and you get lines like we saw here. Whether Pak is doing it on purpose or not, who knows, but it's friggin perfect.

[Auguste Dupin]

Damn it all! I want answers NOW! DAMN YOUSE, DC'Z! DAMN YOUSE!!!!!

I gotta say, between this, Bizarro, and Justice League (easily the best thing Johns has written in ages, despite his ignoring some real basic continuity, the punk) Superman had a really good week.

I also notice that Pak is writing Superman's voice a little differently. It's not quite the same voice he's used for Superman before, and its not quite the voice he's used for Clark, but it's somewhere in between. I don't know if its being done intentionally or if its just a subconscious side-effect of the plot rattling around in his brilliant head, but after I realized that we're seeing a fusion of the Clark Kent and Superman personalities here, I really loved it. I can't see Superman acting in such a "regular guy" fashion as he did in this issue, and I can't see Clark Kent acting with such confidence, but mesh the two and you get lines like we saw here. Whether Pak is doing it on purpose or not, who knows, but it's friggin perfect.

It reminds me of that podcast I posted elsewhere of Pak and Yang, where Yang said the new status quo was less about losing his secret id and more about losing the wall between his identities. I guess Pak got the memo.
But yeah, I agree with you. I'd argue it has to be done on purpose, but my fanfiction years teached me that sometimes, you just go with what naturally feels right, without necessarily making a conscious choice in that direction. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter. What matters is that Clark's new voice feels like a perfect in between someone who had both his identities merged into one would have, and that it stays true to who he is. And since Pak does Batman/Superman too, at least half of "Truth" will have that voice.
Seriously, I love this comic. It pretty much sold me on everyhing, even the parts I wasn't completely sure yet, like the remains of the cape as mint, or the bike.
Haven't read JL, but yeah, between this and Bizarro, it was a pretty good week for good ol' Sup. And as someone noted in this thread, a pretty varied one in terms of tone.

[zwixxx]

^thanks for the aboves. Never been a big Superman fan due (methinks) to his apparent too-Superness (ish). But the version in Action #41 and the Truth storyline, well I'm kinda curious to see where it is going to go. So rather than getting a single comic of a Superman title (to see how he was 'unmasked') I'm gonna Truth for at least a couple of issues to see where each of the 4 storyarcs go. - and I need a hero to get behind now that Bruce is "off on vacation for the forseeable future"

[Ascended]

Haven't read JL,

All you need to know is Superman dares Lex Luthor to do something, and Johns perfectly captures their dynamic (despite not understanding Superman at all). It was one of the best interactions I've seen them have in a long time.

^thanks for the aboves. Never been a big Superman fan due (methinks) to his apparent too-Superness (ish). But the version in Action #41 and the Truth storyline, well I'm kinda curious to see where it is going to go. So rather than getting a single comic of a Superman title (to see how he was 'unmasked') I'm gonna Truth for at least a couple of issues to see where each of the 4 storyarcs go. - and I need a hero to get behind now that Bruce is "off on vacation for the forseeable future"

If you like this, I also recommend Morrison's opening Action arc and the first issue of Pak's run, (24 or 25?) which is a Zero Year tie-in. It's young, rookie year Superman and he's great.

Dont buy into the hype; Superman has it rougher than anyone.

[Johnny Thunders!]

Totally great, makes me want to reread Paks Hulk. I don't remember all his stories feeling so tight. The art is terrific too. I think he and Roccafort have been my favorite new Superman artists. They don't look like traditional Superman artists. Pak and Chang, I think this may be the most solid team in awhile, and I really enjoyed the Romita issues. I can't say I saw this direction coming.