How about a new52 Superman Lost in the Multiverse Book?

[SuperCrab]

With editorial seemingly set on their path of killing off new52 Superman and substituting SuperDad for him on his titles come Rebirth, at least for the moment, I was thinking about what could be done that would both give new52 Superman fans a chance to read a book about his continuing adventures in real time, and not mess with editorial's plans to have him be presumed dead in the main universe.

What I stumbled upon is this: What if new52 Superman is, say, seemingly vaporized in a heroic act of sacrifice by getting between the villain Superman's solar flare and the other members of the "Super League"? It would kind of fit with the cover (or at least the artwork they have solicited in some places as the cover) of Superman #52. And of course, everyone would assume he was dead. So, they could carry on exactly as they plan to do with the post-Rebirth titles.

*However*, what if instead of being vaporized, in reality, Superman is unmoored from his home universe, doomed to travel from parallel world to parallel world on a random basis, never knowing when he'd flash and move to the next world? You could do a new monthly about his adventures in a bunch of parallel worlds, both ones similar to the real world, but with alternate histories creating divergent presents (i.e. What if the Russians won the Cold War?) and radically different ones where the sentient life on earth is essentially alien because of different evolutionary paths. All kinds of interesting opportunities there. Maybe he could even end up in SuperDad's old universe for an issue or two, where SuperDad and Lois are missing and presumed dead.

That'd be a fun book, I think, and it would still leave him "dead" in the main DC Universe and unable to pop up in stories, while potentially allowing them to bring him back if they want to (i.e. He might randomly flash back into the universe and find someone who could anchor him there before he randomly pops out).

The book would have to deal with him seemingly having a deadly disease that is killing him anyway, but the answer to that could be as simple as the same flare that led to his apparent death in the main universe and is moving him through other universes recharged and cured him or that he found some high tech earth, or a still living version of Krypton, in his random jumping from universe to universe, and was able to get fixed up my medicine beyond the current abilities of anyone in the main DC universe

Thoughts?

I'd definitely subscribe to a book like that.

[Superlad93]

I have quite literally ALWAYS wanted a Superman run that was basically Multiverse Quantum Leap. The idea has is so accessible yet rewarding for long time readers. One of my favorite aspects about the idea is the of altering what Superman can and can't do ability-wise. Superman is a character that is built on context and circumstance. If he's in a yellow star environment with the right level of gravity, he's a god among men, relatively speaking. If he's by a red star with the right gravity he's just like a guy. Superman doesn't *really* have powers, just context. He's just a guy from Krypton, and that means something on some places that aren't Krypton. So if you begin to take him to other universes where physics may act differently and so on, you can conjure up some pretty interesting circumstances for Clark Kent to navigate.

But with all that said, I wouldn't want to see THAT book right now with the new 52 Superman. I think the punch of having him go away from not only his fictional friends but also the reader should remain key if this new Rebirth direction is going to have any weight behind it. It's not enough, for me, that Lois and his friends will miss him. I need to miss and appreciate him in hindsight as well, I feel. I can't really do that if the very next month he's out having fun adventures that I can just read.


I think the Homer's Odyssey-like Multiverse adventure run should be saved so it is it's own thing. An idea that's allow to grow strengthen on it's own time, and not a glorified waiting room for a character while he's fake dead. But this is just my personal thinking, obviously.

[GreenLanternRanger]

No thanks. Although I would love to see series focusing on the various Supermen & Superwomen of the Multiverse.

[stephens2177]

I would buy it

[666MasterOfPuppets]

Sounds interesting. I just hope he doesn't land in a red sun earth or something. The "Superman depowered" card has been played to death.

[friendly-fire-press]

Not a bad idea. I'd consider checking it out. It would be cool if it were done in a similar way to American Alien ie a one-shot story per issue with rotating artists (possibly even writers too)

[CaptCleghorn]

I once said that a book similar to the Planetary/Batman team-up, except instead of Planetary we have nu52 Supes and instead of a wide variety of versions of Batman we have different versions of Superman. The current comic book Superman traveling along and meeting Christopher Reeve, the Fleischer cartoon Superman, the Super Friends Superman and other versions from over the years. That would have made an incredible 75th anniversary. Still could make a nice hundredth.

[Kuwagaton]

Although I don't like when comics get into what he can or can't do, I like what superlad mentioned, a quantum leap style. This for one thing solves the dilemma about whether or not he should have an alter ego. I say something like that works at maybe halg of golden age strength, maybe as he was in Truth.

[Sacred Knight]

I'd be all for it if it was necessary, but I don't think its going to be. New Superman's hiatus will be brief.

[Dataweaver]

Just like Wally's hiatus has been brief.

[adrikito]

It would be interesting.

Superman trapped in another world (as in Justice League Unlimited animated, when Superman dies)..

Although Rebirth unfortunately confirms that things are not so .. and it looks like Superman dies in July ..

[DieHard200904]

I'd be all for it if it was necessary, but I don't think its going to be. New Superman's hiatus will be brief.

Doesn't eliminate running a miniseries about what happened in the interim, but I sadly will admit that with DC being uncreative enough to run yet another Death of Superman, Reign of the Supermen, etc., well, I doubt they will do that.

[DieHard200904]

Just like Wally's hiatus has been brief.

Well, fingers crossed, if they can launch a return to Pre52 universe, Wally may very well come back. Although I am feeling kind of split considering that I get Barry on TV, DCAMU, and New 52 while I got Wally Pre52. That's part of what the original Reign of the Supermen did, allowed the making of spinoff characters to give them a little of their own attention and showtime. If that's what it takes to expand their character titles for DC, good for them.