Action Comics 976 Discussion

[Maxi]

Was he Superboy?
Did he met the Legion?
Was Lex in Smallville?
Did he wear the trunks?
Were the Kents alive into Clark's adulthood?
Did Reign of the Supermen happen?
Was Lex president?
Did Our Worlds at War happen?
How much of the Post-Infinite Crisis stuff happened? (Zod, New Krypton, etc.)
Is Ma Kent still alive?
Does Kon knows Kara and Kon?
How did Kara arrive? Pre-Flashpoint or Post-Flashpoint version?
What New 52 stories are still canon?
Did Solar Flare happen?
Did Truth or some variation of it happen?
Why were the Kents living in Hamilton?
How do exactly Superwoman, New Super-Man and Lex wearing the S fit into the new continuity?

These are the ones I can think of now.

[KurtW95]

This issue was fantastic. I'm really looking forward to finding out what's in and what' out in the new merged SUperman ontinuity. Would love to get Connor Kent Superboy to the way he was before Flashpoint as well as possibly bringing back both of the Kents and a classic dynamic from the Daily Planet.

[Doctor Bifrost]

make him commit suicide by making him conscious of his nakedness?

Didn't work on Adam & Eve, so I'm not sure it'll work on Manhattan.

[Doctor Bifrost]

So...does this mean the death of new 52 superman/lois, along with his relationship with WW has been written out of continuity?

I think the death of The New 52 Superman and Lois Lane is probably out, which is an awful lot of what they've been doing with those two characters for the last two years to just vanish like a soap bubble, along with the reactions and/or character development of many concerned parties (Lana, Bruce, Diana). But that's how DC rolls these days - which, for those of us who enjoy serial fiction partially because we like to see follow-through, is a bit of a bummer.

But I'm not sure yet that the Superman/Wonder Woman relationship is completely gone. This new Superman (and, really, that's what we're getting, no matter what materials they are drawing on) could have had five years (maybe three years) that were similar in many ways to the New 52 Superman, including a relationship with Diana, then broken up with her, got together with Lois, married her, they had Jon, and Bob's your uncle! If they want to go that way.

If so, doesn't that pretty much rewrite/erase a good chunk of all of supermans stories for the last 6 years? Its hilarious/sad the amount of effort that goes in to rewriting bad stories isn't it?

Probably a good chunk, yes. As I discussed in another thread, I think it's really strange that the key stories we have been reading just this last year or so - Lana mourns for Clark and Lois, gets powers from 52-Superman's death; Damian meets Jon, who (in any of his identities) has been hidden from the entire superhero community prior to this; Trinity, in which Diana and Bruce try to get used to this new Clark who is "replacing" the one they've known for all these years - suddenly need a major rewrite to be part of the new timeline. If they're included at all.

[JAK]

My answers in RED.

Was he Superboy?
Most likely, yes.
Did he met the Legion?
Most likely, yes.
Was Lex in Smallville?
Yes.
Did he wear the trunks?
Hopefully, yes.
Were the Kents alive into Clark's adulthood?
Not sure, hopefully.
Did Reign of the Supermen happen?
Yes, in some form at least. Likely much as it did.
Was Lex president?
Good question!
Did Our Worlds at War happen?
From the enemies shown on the splash page... most likely, yes.
How much of the Post-Infinite Crisis stuff happened? (Zod, New Krypton, etc.)
Most likely, a decent chunk of it.
Is Ma Kent still alive?
No idea, yet.
Does Kon knows Kara and Kon?
No idea if Kon is still around - hope so, and I hope it's the PF/Post-Crisis version.
How did Kara arrive? Pre-Flashpoint or Post-Flashpoint version?
Good question!
What New 52 stories are still canon?
No idea yet.
Did Solar Flare happen?
No idea, I personally hope not but hard to say.
Did Truth or some variation of it happen?
I'd guess yes. We'll have to see.
Why were the Kents living in Hamilton?
Probably related to your previous question, hard to say. Maybe just to "raise Jon as Clark was raised".
How do exactly Superwoman, New Super-Man and Lex wearing the S fit into the new continuity?
Superwoman: no idea
New Super-Man could be through experimentation
Super-Lex: trying to beat Superman "at his own game" to show he's better.
These are the ones I can think of now.

[Patrick Gerard]

I think for now we're just getting a broad historical recap - ala Batman Last Rites like I realized in my last post - but yeah, presumably we'll at least get an 80-page giant or something next year to really get into the nitty-gritty of it all.



Yeah, it's bizarre, but Black Dawn involves them leaving Hamilton to move back to Metropolis, so they were out there for some reason, and given I don't think they're going to majorly overwrite the last year or so Mxy was probably still around as Fake Clark. Therefore, chances are something similar (but clearly not identical) happened to justify both conceits. The possibility of Superman on a dirtbike sticking around is just an added bonus. Gotta question though, how did that whole setup work when Fake Clark thought he was Lois's husband and Jon's father, rather than Lois's single coworker? Especially since Jon at least probably vanished when he moved to Hamilton? I imagine that's a detail likely to just be glossed over altogether.

I could be wrong but I thought the next Action issue was the recap. I think Jurgens said the next two. Meanwhile, the Wonder Woman Annual and an issue of Trinity look to be recaps as well.

Though there's certainly room for playing in the sandbox of the past. I suspect the broader picture will remain vague until we see how the battle against Oz and/or Manhattan plays out since other characters will get rolling resets. I'd lay stronger odds on seeing Jimmy/Perry/Zod/Pete Ross/Lana/Lori Lemaris/Steel/Alpha Centurion/etc. contextualized in the nearer term than the particulars of the JLA. History with Batman or Green Lantern may be easier. Participating in Blackest Night or A Death in the Family shouldn't be hard. I think Conner returning with a new identity is a lock but that they may be saving it as an event for Titans, Legion, or the main miniseries/crossover.

[Superlad93]

Lee Weeks man.. I never get tired of seeing him draw Superman.

Sunning. It's like an inverted version of the Lois and Superman flight. Weeks draws the crap out of both Superman and Jon. I particularly love Jon's untied shoes. Between this, the Cave Carson variant, and the Jimenez variant I'm in Superman art heaven! All that's missing is a Quitely with the new suit and Jon, and I'd pass out lol

[JAK]

Lee Weeks man.. I never get tired of seeing him draw Superman.

Absolutely, yes! This man needs to be on "Action Comics" with Jurgens. Funny enough, some of Weeks's work reminds me of Jurgens's art, in ways.. the capes and eyebrows, especially.

[FishyZombie]

It does make some sense for them to move to a relatively secluded area when Jon was first developing his powers. Otherwise incidents like Jon killing the cat in a rookie mistake, would have been rookie mistakes in a place where millions live, much greater risk of people getting hurt or seeing him practice his powers ect.

[Superlad93]

It does make some sense for them to move to a relatively secluded area when Jon was first developing his powers. Otherwise incidents like Jon killing the cat in a rookie mistake, would have been rookie mistakes in a place where millions live, much greater risk of people getting hurt or seeing him practice his powers ect.

This is a really good point.

I imagine Jon's biology is also why Clark had to deliver him by himself in the Fortress.

Mxy as Clark may just be retconed out honestly.

[STC]

Reborn Superman and Lois merged back with New 52 Supes and Lois. So how old are they now? Are they in New 52 aged bodies?

[FishyZombie]

Reborn Superman and Lois merged back with New 52 Supes and Lois. So how old are they now? Are they in New 52 aged bodies?

smart thing to do is keep it vague. Probably mid thirties since they had Jon earlier in this timeline.

[Robotman]

smart thing to do is keep it vague. Probably mid thirties since they had Jon earlier in this timeline.

Seems about right as New 52 Superman was about 28 and Superdad and Lois were around 40.

[Dispenser Of Truth]

Jak gave it his shot, here's mine:

Was he Superboy?
Both versions of him had some adventures as a kid before going public, so almost certainly. The question is if he wore the suit or not; I'd lean towards no.
Did he met the Legion?
Both versions of him did, so almost certainly. Even given the mystery surrounding the Legion's status right now, I'd be legitimately shocked if they were taken out.
Was Lex in Smallville?
Yes, we saw him in the history overview.
Did he wear the trunks?
Sadly, I'm leaning towards no. It does feel notable that we haven't seen anything to contradict it, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Were the Kents alive into Clark's adulthood?
Leaning towards no, since we didn't see them with baby Jon. They might be held back as a surprise though.
Did Reign of the Supermen happen?
Looks like it, though if so in a very different form given the lack of a birthing matrix, and the likely absence of Superboy ('Death' would have been over a decade ago, even accounting for his aging having been paused for awhile he'd be an adult by now).
Was Lex president?
Have to wait and see, but I'm going to guess no.
Did Our Worlds at War happen?
Seems that way, though I doubt Sam Lane 'died'.
How much of the Post-Infinite Crisis stuff happened? (Zod, New Krypton, etc.)
Probably very little. Zod seems to still be the berserker of Suicide Squad (I'd also say that other than that great Bizarro three-parter, that whole story was probably the least-remembered of Johns' Action arcs, so there's less impetus to keep it canon), and I imagine they'd want to scrub New Krypton given the chance. I expect some of Johns/Frank's Brainiac might be in continuity though, and the Legion team-up is seminal enough they might want to hold onto it.
Is Ma Kent still alive?
In question.
Does Kon knows Kara and Kon?
No way to tell.
How did Kara arrive? Pre-Flashpoint or Post-Flashpoint version?
The current Supergirl book doesn't seem like it's going to undergo any changes, and she would have shown up very recently, so I'm leaning towards Post-Flashpoint. She was never 'divided' after all, so presumably this is who she was always 'supposed' to be in this universe.
What New 52 stories are still canon?
Men of Tomorrow definitely happened in some form since Ulysses is in the villainous lineup and it introduced Mr. Oz, and if the one figure in there is Superdoomsday then presumably large swaths of Morrison's Action can go in there too. I doubt we're going to see much to contradict the likes of Pak's early Action stories or Superman Unchained, so even if they're not directly addressed they can probably be assumed to have happened early in his career.
Did Solar Flare happen?
Men of Tomorrow seems to be some kind of canon, so maybe?
Did Truth or some variation of it happen?
Why were the Kents living in Hamilton?
I'd say yes, since it kills two birds with one stone - that's why the Kents fled to Hamilton, and that's why Mxy still showed up to fight Superman just now, due to the pose as Clark. Of course, that invites complications all its own (the Clark disguise would be as Lois's husband rather than coworker), and the idea that they would've moved to Hamilton so Jon could develop his powers outside the city is fairly convincing (why wouldn't they have just gone back to Smallville then though?), so we'll see.
How do exactly Superwoman, New Super-Man and Lex wearing the S fit into the new continuity?
This is the big one. Lex wearing the S fits, I think: regardless of whether or not Clark was out of the picture, declaring "No, I'M Superman" is the most Lex Luthor move imaginable. But Lana's current situation, and almost the entirety of Kenan Kong's existence, make no sense in light of these revisions (even if the new Superman can still Super-flare to empower the latter, what's with the ghost of the New 52 Superman we just saw?). Lana at least seems to already be changing, but New Super-Man is going to need a lot of work to make any sense at all in light of this.

Reborn Superman and Lois merged back with New 52 Supes and Lois. So how old are they now? Are they in New 52 aged bodies?

They seem about the same age, maybe a couple years younger.

[Robotman]

Is that SuperDoom next to Doomsday? Hard to tell as the helmet is different than the one that appeared in Morrison's Action Comics. That story takes place in some abstract time so it can fit in anywhere.