Controversial Superman Opinions

[Jon Clark]

Johns has failed before when it comes to revitalizing Superman in the long run. His Action run, and his Superman run are examples of that.

Doomsday Clock will sell incredibly well, as Johns comics usually do, but once he's done, I see Superman spiraling down, like he did with New Krypton, and Truth. John's runs are like supernovas, for a while they shine brighter than the ever have before, then they explode.

On those lines, an unpopular opinion from me is that Doomsday Clock sounds like a vanity project.

I think part of the problem is that Johns' ideas for Superman don't really leave footholds for the people that come after him. The whole New Krypton bit went off the rails because wherever Johns was going once he left no one else had any directions to follow. The books just wandered in a dozen directions with no destination. And other than the SuperFlare that seemed more like set up for Truth what exactly came out of his run on Superman in the New 52. He put Clark and the Planet team together just in time for that whole part of Superman's life to vanish. There's no "Emotional Spectrum" or "Barry is the Speed Force" concept that Johns has for Superman to reinvigorate the character, so all we get is spitballed ideas that Johns tosses out with no real enthusiasm which then are quickly tossed to the side by the next guy on the book.

[Ascended]

Johns has failed before when it comes to revitalizing Superman in the long run. His Action run, and his Superman run are examples of that.

Doomsday Clock will sell incredibly well, as Johns comics usually do, but once he's done, I see Superman spiraling down, like he did with New Krypton, and Truth. John's runs are like supernovas, for a while they shine brighter than the ever have before, then they explode.

On those lines, an unpopular opinion from me is that Doomsday Clock sounds like a vanity project.

It seems to me that Johns just doesnt have any ideas for Superman (or the rest of the Trinity) like he does the B/C-list characters he's done such wonderful work on.

Everything Johns does with Superman is rooted in Donner-ism and the (wrong parts of the) Silver Age.....but he largely fails to provide any kind of unifying, connective tissue. What he did with Green Lantern was brilliant; he took several unrelated concepts (Sinestro's yellow ring, the Star Sapphire, etc) and expanded the ideas while tying them more closely to the core of the GLC mythos. Say what you will about the rainbow Corps and how they've taken over the cosmic corner of DC to the detriment of the company as a whole, but it's enriched the mythology of the property in a way we haven't seen since the Corps was first introduced decades ago.

But Clark? Best we get is a return to a status quo that had largely proven itself to be stagnant in the first place.

Without doubt Doomsday Clock will sell well. If Johns' last Superman run is any indication it might not sell as well as a Johns story should, but it'll still sell well. But will it be a good story, or more to the point, a good Superman story? I wouldn't bet on it.

EDIT: I do have to give Johns credit for unifying the various takes on Krypton though. That, he did fairly well. But the franchise is full of awesome stuff ripe for expansion; the 5th dimension, the Phantom Zone, Almerac.....that he has done nothing with these concepts shows, in my mind, that he's not the right guy for the property. I'd rather see him spend a decade on Vibe than a six issue arc on Superman.

[Kuwagaton]

Two things on Johns that I was thinking about before looking at recent posts here: that Legion story was the best thing done with them in at least twenty years. Granted I don't know as much about the Abnett stuff as I'd like.

And most unpopular probably: I would thoroughly enjoy Superman, for his 80th, thrashing a blabbering Manhattan and delivering a cheesy meta zinger. I enjoy seeing pretentious characters dealt with in a manner that betrays their dignity.

[Francisco]

My unpopular opinion of the day are: Superman is the only thing interesting about Krypton. Krypton is better left unexplored beyond Jor-El, Lara and a few legends. There's such thing as too many Kryptonians alive.

[suemorphplus209]

My unpopular opinion of the day are: Superman is the only thing interesting about Krypton. Krypton is better left unexplored beyond Jor-El, Lara and a few legends. There's such thing as too many Kryptonians alive.

Pretty much the case after Dark Knight 3 in the Dark Knight Universe. No Kara. No Krypto. Only Kal. Miller took the term Last Son of Kryton pretty literally, as his version of Kal-El is really the only full blooded Kryptonian in that universe.

[Jim Kelly]

Eveyone's entitled to their controversial opinion but, while I may have qualms about Kryptonians surviving in the here and now, I have nothing against the old Krypton that was featured in '60s and '70s comics. That was cool.

It's a whole world with an amazing history and fantastic beasts and thousands of tales to be told. And there's no reason why all that information shouldn't be encoded into the rocket that brings Kal-El to earth--a complete holographic library of wondrous events that Superman can relive from the safety of his Fortress of Solitude entertainment centre.

[Ascended]

Two things on Johns that I was thinking about before looking at recent posts here: that Legion story was the best thing done with them in at least twenty years. Granted I don't know as much about the Abnett stuff as I'd like.

And most unpopular probably: I would thoroughly enjoy Superman, for his 80th, thrashing a blabbering Manhattan and delivering a cheesy meta zinger. I enjoy seeing pretentious characters dealt with in a manner that betrays their dignity.

I also enjoyed Superman and the Legion....but its not really a Superman story so much as it is a Legion tale.....and given how poorly the Legion had been handled, Johns writing the best Legion story of the last twenty years isn't saying much. I dont want to dismiss the good work he did there, but context matters too.

Its not that Johns cant write a good scene with Superman, or even a good story where Superman is a part of the narrative. Its that he doesnt seem to grasp the full scope of the character and the vast majority of what he "gets" comes from one or two very limited sources.

If I want someone to publish a "Superman '78" comic staring the Reeves version of Superman, I want Johns behind the pen. If I want someone to write any other version of Superman ever, then I want someone else. Almost anyone else.

[Timothy Hunter]

I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of Superman: For Tomorrow.

[Ascended]

Eveyone's entitled to their controversial opinion but, while I may have qualms about Kryptonians surviving in the here and now, I have nothing against the old Krypton that was featured in '60s and '70s comics. That was cool.

It's a whole world with an amazing history and fantastic beasts and thousands of tales to be told. And there's no reason why all that information shouldn't be encoded into the rocket that brings Kal-El to earth--a complete holographic library of wondrous events that Superman can relive from the safety of his Fortress of Solitude entertainment centre.

I personally want Clark's knowledge of Krypton to be purely academic. I think that dynamic (Clark's relationship to his homeworld) is at its best when Clark knows facts about Krypton, but a lot of the little things that makes a place come alive is lost to him. He should have history records, maybe a couple food recipes, technological diagrams, etc. But I dont want Clark to know what Krypton sounded like, or tasted like, or felt like. I dont want him to have access to the most popular music or entertainment, or a detailed list of what was popular in fashion or in culture. How did people greet each other? How did the dating/mating rituals play out? What was the slang and/or curse words sound like? What did political elections look like? Stuff like that are things Clark shouldn't know about.

If I do some research about ancient Ireland (where my ancestors came from) that doesnt really tell me very much about what the place was really like. I want Clark to be on that sort of level, where he knows just enough to know how much he doesnt know.

Given how advanced the technology was, there's no reason in-story for Clark to not have access to fully immersive VR records that hold every detail about the planet. But I dont want Clark to experience that, it lessens the sense of loss too much and I think having those questions hanging in his mind adds to the pathos.

EDIT: Of course, just because Clark doesnt know these things doesnt mean we readers cant. I really enjoy stories that flesh out Krypton. I just want to enjoy those tales and that knowledge without Clark sharing it.

[Kuwagaton]

Same. And I like the Roots style approach where they go through the history of the planet and the El bloodline rather than pin everything to Jor El.

I also enjoyed Superman and the Legion....but its not really a Superman story so much as it is a Legion tale.....and given how poorly the Legion had been handled, Johns writing the best Legion story of the last twenty years isn't saying much. I dont want to dismiss the good work he did there, but context matters too.

Well, it was Superman and the Legion, so not making it feel like a Legion story (featuring Superman) would have been bad. It's like when they do an X-Men story and they put Wolverine up front. Even if Superman is sort of the leader or main guy, you have to spread the focus considerably or else you kinda lose the true team feeling. Makes them seem like back up dancers instead of the band. But maybe it was different for fans in the 70s? I dunno.

I wouldn't sneeze at anyone who sets a mark with a generally underperforming franchise. If you say "best ___ story in twenty years " and replace LoSH with anyone else, it may sound like a more flattering situation. A lack of quality elsewhere represents a problem that many capable others couldn't overcome.

I agree that Johns can do with expanding his sources.

[superduperman]

My unpopular opinion of the day are: Superman is the only thing interesting about Krypton. Krypton is better left unexplored beyond Jor-El, Lara and a few legends. There's such thing as too many Kryptonians alive.

I don't get the fixation with a planet he's not old enough to even remember. His only knowledge of it would be whatever his father put in his ship. Even if it was a cool society, he didn't get to participate in it anyway.

[superduperman]

Krypto is kind of a dumb idea. (ducks) A better concept would be some sort of shape shifting pet that just happens to take the form of a dog.

Supergirl is fine but when you have an entire city survive, it really undermines the idea of him as a survivor. The joke that half the planet survived really wasn't that much of a joke. It really doesn't make sense when you realize the entire city agreed to live without super-powers stuck in a bottle.

Kryptonite should be one color. Unless some mad scientist makes an artificial version or something.

Kingdom Come has the coolest costume.

Half the original Justice Society could probably kick Superman's ass. (Dr. Fate, Spectre, Alan Scott Green Lantern, all magic based characters)

Power Girl shouldn't be his cousin but should be from a planet like Krypton with a red sun. Sort of like Supergirl in TAS.

[Jim Kelly]

In my head I'm always trying to balance out 1) the Superman that I loved from the second I read his comics as a little kid 2) what would satisfy me now as the best artistic expression of the character and 3) how to present the Superman concept I like in a way that a sufficient number of fans would embrace those concepts.

Based on my primal experience of Superman, I really don't have a problem with all the surviviing Kryptonians. That gave me so much--I can't think of anything more amazing than the Krypton of Curt Swan--this will always be my happiest memory. And with that, I've always accepted that Superman has total recall (perhaps a bit damaged by Kryptonite exposure) so he can recall all the details from his homeworld. That's a foundational element in the Weisinger Superman.

However, I realize that's a tough sell. Not every fan is willing to believe that Superman can remember everything. But Kryptonians were highly advanced, so it makes sense that their computers stored exponentially higher amounts of data than ours and that their recording techniques were vastly superior. So I see that as the best way to get back to Superman totally recalling Krypton's past. However, there are many loopholes you could build into that. For example, it could be like a video game where you have to get through one level to reach another. The computer library wouldn't disclose all its secrets to a baby Kal-El--it would monitor and test his advancement through the years, giving him keys to open more virtual doors as he proceeds through life.

[Johnny Thunders!]

In my mind, Superman's brain is like any other muscle in his body. It handles more than it logically should. His tiny hands shouldn't lift an air craft carrier but we allow it. I feel the same about his mind, it shouldn't allow him access to every detail from his memory but it does. His arms work like our most powerful lifting machines. To me that allows his mind to work like our most powerful computers with equal or better storage and recall capabilities.

[Carabas]

In my mind, Superman's brain is like any other muscle in his body.

That would certainly make him a lot more alien than he usully is presented.