ACTION #958 Discussion (SPOILERS AHEAD!)

[vasir12]

In Jurgen's defense on the Doomsday fight, Superman was trying to get Doomsday out of the city. In Hunter/Prey, he fought Doomsday on an uninhabited rock. So distance is an option. Doomsday on a rampage in Metropolis, Superman needs to move him. Which is why he dove into Doomsday in his opening move and then told Lex they need to get Doomsday out of the city. Superman did also mention that he should fight Doomsday from a distance, but it was quickly taken off the table when Superman saw all the people in Doomsday's path. Not to mention that Superman has been punched more than once in his career. So going by this logic, he should only have ever been punched once in his life and then learned to avoid all punches for the rest of his life. Remembering something and being able to do something about it are two different things. I get not liking Jurgens story or writing, but this is pretty nit-picky.

Now the inconsistencies or Superman being on the sideline for some of the big events, those are annoying. Except for Forever Evil. I'm giving him a pass on that one. Forever Evil treated the DCU like the JL were the only heroes on earth. When they were gone, it was all villains. What was Green Arrow, Animal Man, Martian Manhunter, or hundreds of other heroes doing? FE seemed unusually isolated, which I guess it had to be for the story to work.

Well we know what Martian Manhunter was doing. He as a big part of Forever Evil, but know what's you saying.

[mr_crisp]

1) I'm going to assume that Clark is some sort of robot double setup in case Superman ever died and it was made before his identity was outed.

2) Doomsday is some sort of test created by Oz.

[Patrick Gerard]

I didn't like it.

SuperDad wont leave the farm for Darkseid (twice?). But Trademark Infringement gets him starting a brawl in a city street.

At least he's saving folk. I'm glad Jurgens and I share that displeasure of Movie-Supes. But Superdad only rescues people just to drop them down right where they were; In the middle of the action. "Run!", he says. "F'n, where?", I ask.

It's lucky that SuperDad is a bright spark, tho. Having been murdered at the hands of a monster (and not shutting up about it for around four issues now), the last thing i'd be wanting to do is defend against him again in a fist-fight......... Oh, wait......

Glad Lois is getting some good screen time. Sitting at home watching her husband learn nothing from experience and potentially orphaning their young son. The guy who wouldn't get involved; the guy who would never run from a fight (?) This comic is confusing already.

Clark Kent was cool, tho. I genuinely felt that Jurgens handled that bit quite well. I'm certainly intrigued. I just wish he and Tomasi would switch books.

I'm sad that this is what Action Comics seems to be already turning into. An old man trying to remind kids that he was Hip once. Jurgens and Straczynski should start a club.

He was present when the JL defeated Darkseid the first time. Fighting parademons and saving people. When he got close enough to join in, he saw the JL had things under control and supervised from a distance.

[Dolores - The Worst Poster Ever]

Fighting parademons and saving people.

Where was this mentioned?

When he got close enough to join in, he saw the JL had things under control and supervised from a distance.

When he was close enough, the situation appeared hopeless. It looked so bad that he was microsecond away from stepping in, but Cyborg teleported Darkseid away just as Post-Crisis Superman was going to join the fight. There's a panel of him clenching his fist when he thinks he has to help the League fight Darkseid.

[Sacred Knight]

They were just too thoughtless to even a reason in the narrative that doesn't hurt characterization nor hurt the course of events said character is being retroactively put into. I'm sorry but "a second away from helping" is and always will be such a piss-poor explanation. Its not even hard to think of a legitimate handicap to keep him out of the action with good reason. You just say he didn't have his powers for that first year or something. A phenomenon not unheard of in Superman's career. No powers=can't help. Easy. They were just lazy.

[Kid_Quantum]

They were just too thoughtless to even a reason in the narrative that doesn't hurt characterization nor hurt the course of events said character is being retroactively put into. I'm sorry but "a second away from helping" is and always will be such a piss-poor explanation. Its not even hard to think of a legitimate handicap to keep him out of the action with good reason. You just say he didn't have his powers for that first year or something. A phenomenon not unheard of in Superman's career. No powers=can't help. Easy. They were just lazy.

Agreed.

This is Superman. If he can help; he will. That's what he does. Besides - he's wearing an S-shield and is on an Earth full of heroes. What is he actually hiding from? Responsibility?

[Kuwagaton]

I have a hard time thinking that Superman would be resentful of not receiving help. And who would know superman better than Superman.

A few thoughts:

- Notable to me that Clark calls Olson "Jim". New52 Superman used to call him Jim, SuperDad used to call him Jimmy. Does this indicate that the mystery Clark is more related to the new52 Supes than than SuperDad?

Not that this changes a whole lot, but actually, Post Crisis Clark used "Jim," too.

[adrikito]

Agreed.

This is Superman. If he can help; he will. That's what he does. Besides - he's wearing an S-shield and is on an Earth full of heroes. What is he actually hiding from? Responsibility?

MAYBE.. He was afraid of ending up in the phantom zone, because superman would not believe superdad story.

DC stuff.. To put this character again as Superman.. The following is ruin more, the n52 superman.

[cajun_duck]

-Agreed with everyone else, Jon should not join this fight. If he does somehow get close to the action he should be absolutely terrified to the point of no mobility.

I agree with you on this. And I will go as far as saying that either Clark Kent or Lex will have to get him out before something hits him or Doomsday attacks him. Just to prove to Jon that he is too young and inexperienced to fight.

[Slaughter]

Jon could be useful in this situation if he helped evacuate civvies, preferably while keeping hidden from Doomsday and concealed somehow.

[cajun_duck]

Jon could be useful in this situation if he helped evacuate civvies, preferably while keeping hidden from Doomsday and concealed somehow.

This would also work pretty good.