Action Comics #973 (SPOILERS)

[Dolores - The Worst Poster Ever]

What if it's (Flark) a manifestation of Blanque's power (and Blanque isn't even aware)?

He can get into Kal's head - and has done so a few times - and maybe his abilities since being contained in the mountain have mutated, allowing him to do something along the lines of what Brainiac did way back in the Dead Again saga.

We don't know Blanque's origin, only that he enjoys what he does and what he does can be really, really grim. He's telepathic, telekinetic, and bloomin' powerful. Mayhap, his origin is tied to Geneticron and, although he mostly doesn't care about that, a part of him does. A part that somehow molded itself on another element of good it found nearby: Clark.

Blanque having something to do with the human Clark is a possibility.

He was able to enter Superman's mind and discover his history, so he could use that to implant and manipulate the mind of the fake Clark, which would explain why that device Superman used on him said he was saying the truth, when fake Clark spoke of his childhood in Smallville.

[Waterfall]

I've realized that the entirety of the Superman line is just a guessing game of what the hell the story/characters/setting all are. That's so sad.

We need new editorial and creative teams on these books.

But that's the fun part. I have never read a Superman comic before and it makes me giddy how new and old readers alike are trying to figure out what's going on.

[MarvelMaster616]

Maybe it's just me, but I'm kind of tired of the whole Clark mystery. I feel like Jurgans is dragging that out to a point where it's hard to get too excited at this point. Not that I have anything against mystery Clark, but he's not breaking new ground or anything. It feels like nobody is at this point, other than Jon. He's one of the main reasons for reading the Superman comics at this point. I find the stories around mystery Clark to be less and less compelling. But that's just me.

[spirit2011]

But that's the fun part. I have never read a Superman comic before and it makes me giddy how new and old readers alike are trying to figure out what's going on.

It's fun having misteries and try to guess what is going on. It's something different for the superman books

[stephens2177]

Maybe it's just me, but I'm kind of tired of the whole Clark mystery. I feel like Jurgans is dragging that out to a point where it's hard to get too excited at this point. Not that I have anything against mystery Clark, but he's not breaking new ground or anything. It feels like nobody is at this point, other than Jon. He's one of the main reasons for reading the Superman comics at this point. I find the stories around mystery Clark to be less and less compelling. But that's just me.

Are you kidding me,this last issue amped up the Clark mystery,and it's getting great now
We now know Clark isn't just a human Clark,even if HE believes he is,well HE isnt.
Either he is a villian
A villans pawn
Or a timey whimey double that doesn't known he is a timey whimey double

It's fun having misteries and try to guess what is going on. It's something different for the superman books

Yep,these are fun times,and finally superman fans get the Batman treatment,with a real story,and a real mystery

[Flash Gordon]

Yep,these are fun times,and finally superman fans get the Batman treatment,with a real story,and a real mystery

If it was the Batman treatment we'd have Tom King and Scott Synder (or another great creative) penning individual Superman epics at the same time. I sure wish for that treatment!

[Kuwagaton]

But that's the fun part. I have never read a Superman comic before and it makes me giddy how new and old readers alike are trying to figure out what's going on.

That's awesome. Welcome!

[rui no onna]

If it was the Batman treatment we'd have Tom King and Scott Synder (or another great creative) penning individual Superman epics at the same time. I sure wish for that treatment!

Would be nice, alas, big name creative teams cost more. Probably a lot easier to afford on a title selling 80K@$4.99 (est. retail $400K, DC's est. cut ~$160K) or 100K@$2.99 (est. retail $300K, DC's est. cut ~$120K) versus one that only sells 60K@$2.99 (est. retail $180K, DC's est. cut ~$72K). I'm curious how much digital and GN (book market) sales add to that. Last estimate for digital was around 10-15% of print on average with some titles being exceptions (e.g. Ms. Marvel).

[darkseidpwns]

If it was the Batman treatment we'd have Tom King and Scott Synder (or another great creative) penning individual Superman epics at the same time. I sure wish for that treatment!

Kings Batman is a cesspool of mediocrity with people who dont even talk like people. It took him 16 issues to introduce Robin and his story has gone nowhere in the same amount of issues.
Snyder had his shot, it was well received but he still essentially wrote Superdad in Post Flaspoint clothing.

[SuperCrab]

Maybe it's just me, but I'm kind of tired of the whole Clark mystery. I feel like Jurgans is dragging that out to a point where it's hard to get too excited at this point. Not that I have anything against mystery Clark, but he's not breaking new ground or anything. It feels like nobody is at this point, other than Jon. He's one of the main reasons for reading the Superman comics at this point. I find the stories around mystery Clark to be less and less compelling. But that's just me.

They could have done a little more with him. I think the outline of him behaving in stereotypical Clark Kent fashion is good, but I'd have had them make him almost a co-star in the books and cut the creepiness factor, except in so far as some others might perceive him that way because they know he's some sort of fake. Eventually, he becomes a beloved part of the team, comic book readers like him, and then things start to happen. This Lois dinner date with him so she can learn more about him is good, but what if instead they had been thrown together repeatedly at work, he hadn't been creepy, and he started to remind her of who her husband used to be? Then she starts almost without realizing it having an emotional affair, and in a moment she kisses him and then gasps and runs away. It could have been a whole new take on the traditional Clark-Lois-Superman love triangle.

Instead, he's just been sort of there, acting vaguely creepy. I actually kind of like the way he acts clumsy and is obsessed with Lois and does all the traditional Clark Kent things, but in sort of a way that makes you wonder, was the original Clark creepy too and just had a sort of charm that this guy is missing? I mean, it's a hook of sorts. And he clearly thinks he's Clark. But for the limited story they want to do with him, where they aren't making him a major player and really having hm cause drama and stuff like the above paragraphs lays out as an alternative way they could have done this, it's stretching on too long. I already had that feeling anyway, but in this issue of AC when they had that little asterisk and info box saying what issue of AC this Clark had been introduced, I was kind of shocked by how long, issues wise, they'd been dragging this thing out without any resolution. Time to wrap it up. Really, it should have been better paced from the beginning- maybe they find out who he is, but for whatever reason, he's got to be kept in place for a while, etc.. I mean, it's been nearly a year of double shipping and this is at least the second or third arc that basically has been framed around the idea of "Who is Clark Kent?" with solicitations talking about revelations that wind up being minor clues at best.

[Sacred Knight]

In regards to the Clark mystery, I'll be let down a bit if its something not having to do with Rebirth/Reborn. If its just something like Dead Again where someone like Blanque created him, to me it'll be a pretty big waste. But the Geneticron element still has me thinking it indeed is more than that.

[Flash Gordon]

Kings Batman is a cesspool of mediocrity with people who dont even talk like people. It took him 16 issues to introduce Robin and his story has gone nowhere in the same amount of issues.
Snyder had his shot, it was well received but he still essentially wrote Superdad in Post Flaspoint clothing.

Batman is larger than life, it makes sense that his dialogue is strange. King's BATMAN is quality, real quality. I think it's going to go to levels that will be "classic Batman run" levels.

As for Synder, I didn't read his Superman but I wasn't talking purely about King and Synder being on these books- just somebody of their caliber. Scott Synder and Tom King are masters of their craft, whether you enjoy them or not.

[Flash Gordon]

Would be nice, alas, big name creative teams cost more. Probably a lot easier to afford on a title selling 80K@$4.99 (est. retail $400K, DC's est. cut ~$160K) or 100K@$2.99 (est. retail $300K, DC's est. cut ~$120K) versus one that only sells 60K@$2.99 (est. retail $180K, DC's est. cut ~$72K). I'm curious how much digital and GN (book market) sales add to that. Last estimate for digital was around 10-15% of print on average with some titles being exceptions (e.g. Ms. Marvel).

Yeah, true. Batman is a bigger seller, but nothing says that Superman CAN'T be. I wish DC would just take a chance and put a rad creative team on Superman and just give them space and see what happens. We never get that. Alas.

[stephens2177]

In regards to the Clark mystery, I'll be let down a bit if its something not having to do with Rebirth/Reborn. If its just something like Dead Again where someone like Blanque created him, to me it'll be a pretty big waste. But the Geneticron element still has me thinking it indeed is more than that.

Could Clark's desire to find out the secret of Genetctron be him subconsciously trying to find where he was created,maybe he cant help his need to know.

Or

Yeah a mental construct that believes he is real,and who's past was just filled in,without actual knowledge of what really happened

[brucekent12]

Yeah, true. Batman is a bigger seller, but nothing says that Superman CAN'T be. I wish DC would just take a chance and put a rad creative team on Superman and just give them space and see what happens. We never get that. Alas.

DC did put a rad creative team on Superman- Scott Snyder and Jim Lee on Unchained! I personally liked the book, I thought Snyder did a good job on the story, especially Lois, but the several months delay really hurt the book, regardless of whose fault it was. I didn't readall the comments on this post, to see if someone else said the same thing, but the delay definitely threw the book off.