Superman #23 Spoilers

[FishyZombie]

Ouch! I'm sure she'll get her leg back before the end of the arc, right?

[Miles To Go]

Gut punching installment.

Jon going through a bit of a Clockwork Orange routine. Yikes.

And our villains stand revealed.

I mean, I'm glad the artists have been showing snippets of those upcoming family vacation issues lately, but I'm wondering just how the family all bounce back from this...Lo in particular, but I love how despite the pain, she urges Clark to prioritize Jon.

[Dolores - The Worst Poster Ever]

What was with the art in the three splash pages?

Looked very different from the rest of the issue. Was that deliberate, to make Mahnke art look more like what it was in Action Comics #775, and if so why those pages specifically?

[Superlad93]

-Damn son, this issue was intense. Mahnke's art is starting to remind me of his absolutely insane art style from the early 2000s, and I love it!

-Can't believe they cut off Lois' leg! That was nuts. Maybe they'll regrow it via Black's tech? Or maybe she'll get a super advanced prosthetic leg? Maybe Jon has a power that can help? I honestly don't know, but my interest is peaked. Plus, props to Lois for taking an amputation like got damn champ.

-The Super Elite? I dig the name, honestly. Hmmm, they all seem to be different extraterrestrials. What the hell has Black been up to all this time? It's like he's got his own little f@#ked up version of the Legion of Superheroes. Now all he needs is his very own Superboy! I wonder why they're following him? Has he created some sort of way to suppress the native abilities of aliens?

-Guess this means Cob and Kathy are aliens. That was likely Cobs true form we saw in the swamp after Multiplicity. Does this mean Bessie is an alien cow??

-Also it looks like that Frankenstein and Bride arc wasn't random at all. That alien being drawn to Hamilton and picking Candice to replace wasn't happenstance.

-In fact quite a bit of Tomasi and Gleason's arc hasn't been random at all. There are legit clues everywhere. Say what you want about the current direction, but you can't say that the Superman book isn't thought out.

[Superlad93]

Was that deliberate, to make Mahnke art look more like what it was in Action Comics #775, and if so why those pages specifically?

I think so. It was very reminiscent of the genetically altered gorilla attack in that issue. Nice bit of self referencing stylizing from Mahnke, I think.

[Dolores - The Worst Poster Ever]

While I'm not fond of the execution, the approach that Tomasi and Gleason are taking with Superman's refusal to kill is how I think it should be treated in mainstream continuity.

Superman doesn't kill. You don't challenge that by putting him in positions where he ends up killing, but instead you show the repercussions of Superman not killing.

[Superlad93]

What portal were Brooks and the Haggart talking about, I wonder? Manchester seems to have the ability to travel between Earths in the multiverse (as shown in earlier issues). I wonder if the members of the Super Elite and the monsters are multiversual?

Does this mean Black is the one who put the thought of creating the multiversual cube in Jon's head? Martinez was the who gave Jon the assignment in the first place. Jon said Krypto was in his dream too. A few issues ago we saw Krypto influenced by Cob, so is this were the dream becomes more of a permeation?

I'm having a really good time with this book, man.

[The Learner]

Solid issue. Jon forced to watch his mother suffering, my younger sister had a drop of tear trickling down her cheek when she read that portion. As I have said before, Superman bursting out of the ground to reach Lois is pure gold. I can't wait to read the rest. Clark's ideals will be tested heavily now that Lois has lost her leg and he blames himself.

Can't believe they cut off Lois' leg! That was nuts. Maybe they'll regrow it via Black's tech? Or maybe she'll get a super advanced prosthetic leg? Maybe Jon has a power that can help? I honestly don't know, but my interest is peaked. Plus, props to Lois for taking an amputation like got damn champ.

There is a possibility that Lois' leg being cut off is an illusion created by Manchester Black to push both Clark and Jon to the edges. Last time, he 'killed' Lois to test Superman.

[Digifiend]

Ouch! I'm sure she'll get her leg back before the end of the arc, right?

There's probably tech at the Fortress of Solitude they can use. The same tech recently used on Lana, whose Superwoman powers were killing her.

[Superlad93]

Good point, The Learner! He might even be fooling Lois herself. Though, Clark does actually cauterize the wound with heat vision, so it could be real. We'll have to see.


I've been think; maybe Black has somehow seen the future? Mr. Martinez says that "someday we will need him (Jon) to succeed where you (Superman) fail." He talks about like it's an inevitability. Has Black seen a dark future where Clark's aversion to killing has put not just Earth but other plants and even universes at stake? And maybe Jon is the only being on Earth more powerful than Clark who can do the job?

Whatever future event Chester is trying to fight against (if it's true) would make an interesting arc to explore after this.

The same tech recently used on Lana, whose Superwoman powers were killing her.

That specific tech only works on Kryptonian bodies. Lana had an approximation of such a body via Clark's red life force. So I'm not sure that specific tank will work on Lois.

[fanfan13]

So hardcore maaan. I totally didn't expect this. How are they going to fix Lois' leg?

[The Learner]

Good point, The Learner! He might even be fooling Lois herself. Though, Clark does actually cauterize the wound with heat vision, so it could be real. We'll have to see.


I've been think; maybe Black has somehow seen the future? Mr. Martinez says that "someday we will need him (Jon) to succeed where you (Superman) fail." He talks about like it's an inevitability. Has Black seen a dark future where Clark's aversion to killing has put not just Earth but other plants and even universes at stake? And maybe Jon is the only being on Earth more powerful than Clark who can do the job?

Whatever future event Chester is trying to fight against (if it's true) would make an interesting arc to explore after this.

I hope there is no such possible future crisis. It's just that I can't picture Superman and his ideals failing and causing a crisis lol. May be Manchester Black is doing all this to teach Jon how to find a way without killing no matter how hard the situation is? We all know Clark would find a way to fix this all without breaching "no kill rule". What better way is there to teach the values of life, justice other than manipulating Superman and pushing him to edge and showing Jon how his father handle the situations? There are lots of possibilities. Whatever it is, I am excited much.

[QUOTE[That specific tech only works on Kryptonian bodies. Lana had an approximation of such a body via Clark's red life force. So I'm not sure that specific tank will work on Lois.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, Lana's powers were of Kryptonian origin. That must be the reason why that tech worked on her. Apart from marrying a Kryptonian, Lois has no connection to their powers. Hence it wouldn't work on Lois.

[Kuwagaton]

Depending on what you want to call Mxy or Eradicator, I guess this is the one true villain of the run so far. It's feeling like it, at least.

Cobb going on about being a protector is interesting. I mean he should be working for Black but it could be the opposite given the lack of confirmation. It would certainly be counterproductive to see him attack Lois.

[Rakzo]

Well, this compensated for the lack of content from the last one. Great characterization and reveals, Black is back and more on-point than ever.

Mahnke's work was fine but at times it looked uneven, probably because of the different inkers.

[Clark_Kent]

Solid issue. Jon forced to watch his mother suffering, my younger sister had a drop of tear trickling down her cheek when she read that portion. As I have said before, Superman bursting out of the ground to reach Lois is pure gold. I can't wait to read the rest. Clark's ideals will be tested heavily now that Lois has lost her leg and he blames himself.



There is a possibility that Lois' leg being cut off is an illusion created by Manchester Black to push both Clark and Jon to the edges. Last time, he 'killed' Lois to test Superman.

Came in to post this. This is the likely scenario.

Last time only Superman saw the illusion of Lois dying, and Black's plan failed. But if he can trick Lois & Jon this time around? Will they crumble under the pressure and ask Clark to kill, or to reconsider his actions? And how would his family changing their stance on it affect the Man of Steel?

We know Superman won't compromise his morals, but he's never been asked by Lois to do "whatever it takes"...judging from the look on her face, this is exactly what she means...these are interesting situations to put him in.