PREVIEW: Clark's Secret Claims Casualties in "Superman" #44

[CBR News]

Gene Luen Yang and John Romita, Jr. bring "Truth" to its finale as Clark's Daily Planet co-workers are in trouble in DC Comics' "Superman" #44.


Full article here.

[Auguste Dupin]

Heh. Most. Dysfunctional. Royal Flush Gang. Ever.

[manofsteel1979]

I find it strange Clark is just walking down the street in his civvies and glasses carrying his briefcase like it's just any normal day. I know it's an out of context preview, but why bother putting on the pretense when his secret is out? He's a walking target. The last thing he should be doing is being out in the open as Clark Kent. He might as well just wear his costume.

[Flash Gordon]

I find it strange Clark is just walking down the street in his civvies and glasses carrying his briefcase like it's just any normal day. I know it's an out of context preview, but why bother putting on the pretense when his secret is out? He's a walking target. The last thing he should be doing is being out in the open as Clark Kent. He might as well just wear his costume.

Ha ha, yeah. "Whelp just another day at work- time to make the donuts"

[Sacred Knight]

I bet its meant to illustrate habit, maybe a bit of denial. He's gonna try to keep doing as he usually does until he's forced to see that no, that doesn't work anymore.

[Dispenser Of Truth]

It seems to be an intentional bit of ongoing characterization over the course of Yang's run that Clark is a complete and utter goddamn moron, between his harebrained rescue plan in the first issue, telling Lois it was totally okay that he beat up a bunch of enemies with super-strength because he could hear that they didn't have heartbeats while still trying to disguise that he was really Superman from her, and now just straight-up heading back to his apartment with his groceries as Clark after last issue.

[adkal]

...and the Feds are after him (but sort of aren't...'cos, y'know, everyone knows where he lives now so if they wanted to bring him in...)

Silly officer...

[adkal]

Oh Perry...

*sigh*

[DeathFalcon182]

DC editorial needs to get fired asap. After years and years of shitty crossovers and inconsistent characterization, their new propaganda is to change Superman completely.

Get rid of secret identity. Check.

Get rid of powers. Check.

Alienate him from his supporting cast. Check.

Instead of calm and a smart guy who doesn't want to use his powers unless absolutely necessary and hates violence, make him generic quick to lose his temper guy with street level powers who loves violence and is a complete dumbass. Check.

Truth has been complete failure because Superman editorial don't know what to do with Superman. Action comics, borderline mediocre. Superman, borderline mediocre. SM/WW, Bad. BM/SM, why is this even a title? Get rid of it already.

Last 2 big Superman crossovers, 1 has Superman become mindless beast and orher changed all of his core characteristics and depoweres him. Quality ideas, bold writing. Bravo DC.

[Dolores - The Worst Poster Ever]

Thought this was the best-written issue of Yang's run so far. Things are picking up.

The art, on the other hand, was its worst. I'm a fan of Romita Jr, but this was easily his weakest work on Superman. It just got worse with every page.

[Rakzo]

As I said in another thread:

I'm actually impressed about how consistently unimpressive this guy's work is.

I mean, this is supposed to be an acclaimed writer right?

However, the story is not engaging, the characterization lacks substance (and in some cases like Lois and Perry White's, is pretty off), the dialogue is dull at best and awkward at worst and finally, the villains can be quite cliche.

After how hyped this guy was I sincerely wasn't expecting such a mediocre story.

[Tayswift]

DC editorial needs to get fired asap. After years and years of shitty crossovers and inconsistent characterization, their new propaganda is to change Superman completely.

Get rid of secret identity. Check.

Get rid of powers. Check.

Alienate him from his supporting cast. Check.

Instead of calm and a smart guy who doesn't want to use his powers unless absolutely necessary and hates violence, make him generic quick to lose his temper guy with street level powers who loves violence and is a complete dumbass. Check.

Truth has been complete failure because Superman editorial don't know what to do with Superman. Action comics, borderline mediocre. Superman, borderline mediocre. SM/WW, Bad. BM/SM, why is this even a title? Get rid of it already.

Last 2 big Superman crossovers, 1 has Superman become mindless beast and orher changed all of his core characteristics and depoweres him. Quality ideas, bold writing. Bravo DC.

I really agree with this. last issue of superman was a disaster

It seems to be an intentional bit of ongoing characterization over the course of Yang's run that Clark is a complete and utter goddamn moron, between his harebrained rescue plan in the first issue, telling Lois it was totally okay that he beat up a bunch of enemies with super-strength because he could hear that they didn't have heartbeats while still trying to disguise that he was really Superman from her, and now just straight-up heading back to his apartment with his groceries as Clark after last issue.

it's not clark is smart on other books too, but here is just over the top.

i also think that Yang should start doing his own story instead of another crossover, the fact that i already know what will happen made his run pretty previsible.

[Shinomune]

I'm going to say it first: Hordr is Morgan Edge's son.

[Dispenser Of Truth]

Not picking this series up anymore for a number of reasons, but borrowed a copy, and gosh, this is just a laundry list of how to screw the pooch on a modern Superman book.

* Lousy dialogue (complete with glaring typo)
* Rushed, hack artwork (I browsed through JRJR's terrific Spider-Man material with JMS the other day, and seeing this so soon after was almost physically painful)
* Generic threats with portent of equally generic DOOM TO COME!
* Botched characterizations (Perry's reaction in isolation I could definitely buy as a fearful overreaction when his people have been endangered, but on top of everything else throughout the run it just appears as another example of almost the entire core cast being stupid, assholes, or most commonly, both)
* Superman's not playing nice anymore, guys (complete with a dumb little half-baked meta 'this isn't Superman!' 'IT IS NOW' moment)

That this dollar bin non-effort is by the same guy who wrote American Born Chinese astonishes me on a semi-regular basis. Even if JRJR leaving is good news on multiple fronts, cape comics are clearly not Yang's game. Such a shame, he's absolutely a great writer on the right project and the basic concept here is an interesting one, if one I could have maybe waited another year or two after Doomed to see. And Pak's done some interesting work with it, even if I think he dropped the ball a bit with Action #44. But this plain and simple isn't working.

[Slaughter]

I'm going to say it first: Hordr is Morgan Edge's son.

He's clearly not human.
I think Hordr_Root is a creation of Brainiac.