Superman #16 Preview

[manofsteel1979]

The one thing that keeps me from believing that the Sand Superman saga (either version) is the key to all of this is that I don't know if DC is willing to uncanonize the Death and Return saga. I mean it survived Zero Hour, Infinite Crisis and New 52 ( sorts) . Is DC willing to say the Superman who was killed by Doomsday and later resurrected is some fake? I mean, I could see them leaving the rest of the last 30 or 40 years of stories on the floor, but I don't think they are willing to sacrifice the sacred cows of Post Crisis Superman stories, especially since THE architect of that story is involved with this whole Rebirth thing.

Unless the powers that Be retcon the Sand saga occurring post Death and Return. If they do, then all bets are off.

I'm still thinking the ElectroSupes Red and Blue saga is the key or one of the keys to all this, but perhaps it's all red herrings and the final answer is something completely unexpected. Much like the Spanish Inquisition.

[PyroTwilight]

I'd be unwilling to believe it because of how contrived it'd be.

I mean. I've been a DC Comics reader since roughly 2005 and have never once ever heard of the Sand Superman until Rebirth, and only because of the CBR website. To bring up a story from decades ago as a way of explaining whatever happens in the future would be really hard to follow let alone like as a reader.

[Jadeb]

I'd be unwilling to believe it because of how contrived it'd be.

I mean. I've been a DC Comics reader since roughly 2005 and have never once ever heard of the Sand Superman until Rebirth, and only because of the CBR website. To bring up a story from decades ago as a way of explaining whatever happens in the future would be really hard to follow let alone like as a reader.

Yeah, I think the Sand Superman story could inspire how this plays out, somehow, but I don't think that specific story will be essential to the plot. We might get a modernized homage, as an Easter egg for longtime readers, but nothing more than that.

[Slaughter]

Here's a few other possible dark horse theories from the past:

- Superman being given his old energy powers by Sharon Vance/Strange Visitor/Kismet, exploding into Imperiex and then coming back even through he should have died - he even came with a bit of extra enlightnment about his place in the universe, which he made sure to stuff Darkseid's face into lololololol.

- Superman #100 AKA the issue where Superman defeats Brainiac 12, gets thrown into the time-stream and has to choose which timeline is his, choosing the Birthright timeline instead of the Man of Steel one.

[DragonPiece]

I think a lot of you are over thinking things

[Dispenser Of Truth]

I think a lot of you are over thinking things

I have to agree. I definitely think this will turn out crazy, but not "Superman hasn't really been Superman since the early 90s" crazy. If nothing else, I don't think the President of DC would be wild about every story he's ever written for the character being declared not simply out-of-continuity, but as having never really been Superman books at all.

[Thor-Ul]

It's me or Prophecy sounds a lot like a hero in diguise? Is he the Superman from another universe? I would even bet he was Parallax/Hal but he would had recognized Superman from the Convergence event.

[Jadeb]

I have to agree. I definitely think this will turn out crazy, but not "Superman hasn't really been Superman since the early 90s" crazy. If nothing else, I don't think the President of DC would be wild about every story he's ever written for the character being declared not simply out-of-continuity, but as having never really been Superman books at all.

Jon is too hot a property to be declared illegitimate. He's even about to get his own book. If anything's going to happen, it will reinforce that he's the son of the true Superman. At least until they reboot again.

[Elegant Dreamer]

Since this looks like a semi-sequel to The Mulitversity, maybe the Doom is the Gentry, but that's me and my small weird opinion.

[FishyZombie]

I think a lot of you are over thinking things

I'll be surprised if it ends up being anything other than the following happening.
-the two Supes are Red and Blue and merge
-Mr. Oz is totally Adrian Viedt
-Creepy Clark is Hank Henshaw, or MAYBE Superboy Prime (please no, I hate that little shit)

[Sacred Knight]

Agreed. I don't know how they reconcile the two Lois's. Maybe they say New 52 Lois was a creation specifically for Superman Red since the real Lois was gone, but she mergers with the actual Lois anyway in the reconciling of the histories, in theory making her real just the same. As for Jon and the possible conundrum of him being the son of only half of Superman, there's two ways around it. One, when the history is fixed, you could say that Jon is conceived shortly after the wedding but BEFORE Red/Blue. Therefore he was concived when Superman was still whole. Or, if they retcon the Red/Blue saga as to actually having been something masterminded by Dr. Manhattan all along as a precursor to his eventual later strike (again, the patented Johns model of taking an old story and making it more than what it initially appeared to be), the revised and true history could potentially erase that ever happened, as it was a result of tampering and thus, not "what was supposed to be". Either or works to say Jon is the son of a full fledged Superman. The former explanation is easier,yet it still means that Superman was not whole for about 10 years. Don't know if DC would want that. The latter answer is more retcon-y, but the positive of that scenario is that Superman was never split in two to begin with thus he never went any amount of time being not whole anymore.

[Lokimaru]

Agreed. I don't know how they reconcile the two Lois's. Maybe they say New 52 Lois was a creation specifically for Superman Red since the real Lois was gone, but she mergers with the actual Lois anyway in the reconciling of the histories, in theory making her real just the same. As for Jon and the possible conundrum of him being the son of only half of Superman, there's two ways around it. One, when the history is fixed, you could say that Jon is conceived shortly after the wedding but BEFORE Red/Blue. Therefore he was concived when Superman was still whole. Or, if they retcon the Red/Blue saga as to actually having been something masterminded by Dr. Manhattan all along as a precursor to his eventual later strike (again, the patented Johns model of taking an old story and making it more than what it initially appeared to be), the revised and true history could potentially erase that ever happened, as it was a result of tampering and thus, not "what was supposed to be". Either or works to say Jon is the son of a full fledged Superman.

Dude New 52 Lois was the real Lois for the New 52. Saying she isn't is like saying Galvatron wasn't really Megatron.

[Sacred Knight]

You're looking at things from the perspective of things being set in place and unable to be changed. That doesn't apply in comics on its best day and certainly doesn't apply right now. It doesn't matter what things were when the New 52 started. It matters what they've changed things into now. And what they've done since last spring is perpetuate the idea that the current Superman and Lois to be the real deal. That's what they're rolling with now. If any Lois is going to be more "real", its going to be the mother, not the New 52 version. Its changing things yes, but it was changed regardless.

[Lokimaru]

You're looking at things from the perspective of things being set in place and unable to be changed. That doesn't apply in comics on its best day and certainly doesn't apply right now. It doesn't matter what things were when the New 52 started. It matters what they've changed things into now. And what they've done since last spring is perpetuate the idea that the current Superman and Lois to be the real deal. That's what they're rolling with now. If any Lois is going to be more "real", its going to be the mother, not the New 52 version. Its changing things yes, but it was changed regardless.

No they've perpetuated the fact that they are dimensional anomalies, The fans have dubed them the real deals. The New52 versions were them but they were changed like everyone else. They are the real deal the new guys are just unaltered copies.The fact that Superdad doesn't show up on scans specifically designed to scan for Supermen proves it. It's like if Man of Steel, Birthright and Secret Origin Superman appeared and gave you a cape and asked you to chose the real Superman like Paris with the Golden Apple. Who would you choose?

[Sacred Knight]

Actually, if one reads carefully they'll find that only Superman has been designated an anomaly. Never Jon or Lois. And they put intoquestion as to why he's an anomaly a long time ago. So again, this is just all about DC changing their minds. New 52 Superman was the real deal between 2011 and early 2016. Then they changed their minds. Convergence Superman was a dimensional anomaly in Convergence and Lois and Clark. But the second Rebirth Special hit, we were flat out told via another character that it wasn't that simple. So things changed again. They'll change one more time when the things are set straight in Reborn.

That's just the way it is. Lord knows I'm not perpetuating it because I'm in love with the idea, my attitude toward the whole thing over the past year attests to that. But it is what they're doing nonetheless, and they're the creators, they get to do that if they want to.