Official : Bendis gets both books

[Yoda]

That doesn't make it different enough from what Dick already does for Damian, or any number of older brother or friend figures Damian already has. Jon was younger and that added a different dimension. Not he's not. He's just not.

And comparing it to Big makes this version of Jon seem to close to Billy Batson and the Shazam Family, which is straight up referencing Big. In other words, there is no way Bendis has presented or spun this version of Jon without making him seem redundant in some way. It was a huge miscalculation.

Pretty much. Plus, in Big, the kids turns back into a child at the end. And never trapped in a volcano for 5 years. This isn't that.

What it seems like to me is that Bendis just wanted Jon to be 17, but didn't want to just make him 17 without any explanation. So we're left with this crap.

Jon's still going to be the "younger" brother. That's the point. You all are fixated on his chronological age. That's not the point I'm making. Damian was like a 40 year old in a 13 year olds body. Jon's still going to be the younger one.

[OpaqueGiraffe17]

Jon's still going to be the "younger" brother. That's the point. You all are fixated on his chronological age. That's not the point I'm making. Damian was like a 40 year old in a 13 year olds body. Jon's still going to be the younger one.

Again even if you are stretching it that way, and it is a stretch, Dick, Jason, Tim ALL already offer that.

[Sam]

Jon's still going to be the "younger" brother. That's the point. You all are fixated on his chronological age. That's not the point I'm making. Damian was like a 40 year old in a 13 year olds body. Jon's still going to be the younger one.

If you're takeaway from what I wrote was that Damian is a 40-year-old in a 13-year-old body than you didn't really understand what I originally wrote, and I don't think you get what we're saying.

Damian isn't a 40-year-old in any form. He'd like everyone to believe he is, but he's very much 13, but a kind of 13 where he doesn't actually relate well to other 13-year-olds, because he didn't have a childhood in the same way they did. He has older brother figures that he cares for. Dick being the prime example. But these are older people telling him he should lighten up, and a lot of the time it bounces off him. Jon was different. Emotionally, Damian is actually much more on Jon's level. Jon is younger, but he's actually more emotionally mature and well-adjusted. Damian bonds with him under the front that he's training Jon, but, in reality, Jon gives Damian just as much as Damian gives him. They're equals, even if Damian is three years older.

Jon is older now. He LIVED those seven years. And the way Bendis has written him so far, doesn't portray a ten-year-old in an older body. It actually portrays a super emotionally mature 17-year-old (undeservedly so). These no pretense Damian can take, these's no younger brother element Damian can hid behind. Jon is now in the same position Dick and most other teenagers are to Damian. He's not on his level anymore. An older young hero getting Damian to lighten up is something we've seen before. It DOES take the uniqueness out of the equation. And no matter how many times you say Jon is still going to be younger one, it doesn't make it so.

[DragonPiece]

Bendis on GA would be great but he’s already at the number of books where I’m concerned about his ability to maintain the quality.

I'm not, believe it or not, he wrote even more books than he is right now at Marvel at one point.

[Vordan]

I'm not, believe it or not, he wrote even more books than he is right now at Marvel at one point.

Oh I know believe me. I was following along with his X-Men and GotG runs, that’s why I’m growing concerned. It didn’t work out imo when he tried taking on so many books at Marvel. But we’ll see.

[Celgress]

It also allows the exploration of the general treatment of powerful and famous women in these types of situations as Rucka has indicated. Lois is going to be dragged through it while Superman will be seen as the pure one she corrupted. It also allows for some more exploration as to the costs of secret identities as this mess is based solely on its existence. Their love and relationship is solid and they have to actually work through something there is no easy fix for. I don't see how it's any less interesting than a run of the mill faux or real love triangle with someone being tempted by a third party.

I'm still not sold on the idea. What you just described sounds extremely boring to me. If you like it I'm glad for you but I don't like it one bit and thus have zero interest in seeing how it plays out. At the end of the day, I think this is simply sleight of hand so Bendis can have his cake and eat it too regarding the Clois Marriage/Relationship. Subtracting Clark Kent from Clois is doing a disservice to Clois that is both intellectually dishonest as well as ignorant of why their dynamic is so cherished by fans. Why they are the most beloved couple in comics is because Lois accepts both sides of her lover she does not favor one over the other but embraces the whole. At this point, there is no tension in their marriage about Clark's dual identity nor should there be. They have evolved beyond that. If Bendis does not understand this maybe he should not be writing Superman, but what do I know.

[Konja7]

I’ve heard him compare this to Big. I doubt he’s ever seen Big. The Billy/Freddy dynamic in the Shazam movie was superhero Big. And it was awesome. This Jon/Damian thing isn’t similar to Big or what made it endearing at all. Jon is 4 years older than Damian now, he’s not in an older body.

Jon is likely 3 years older than Damian. Jon was 11 when he started his "trip" with Jor-El, so Damian is likely 14 now.

Although it wouldn't be impossible DC makes that Damian's age is 15. After all, they make Damian 13, when Tim was 16 all the time.

[Ascended]

Bendis on GA would be great but he’s already at the number of books where I’m concerned about his ability to maintain the quality.

Yeah, I'm getting a little concerned about that too.

We know Bendis can juggle a dozen titles at once, but his quality drops pretty hard once he hits a certain number. Since coming to DC I feel like Bendis has caught his second wind and I've liked what I've seen and I really dont want the guy to sink back down to GotG levels. I dont know if his later years at Marvel, and the lower quality of his work, was due to burnout or if he had too many projects running or what. But I'd rather have Bendis on three or four books with Daredevil quality than fifteen books that aren't worth reading at all.

[Robanker]

Yeah, I'm getting a little concerned about that too.

We know Bendis can juggle a dozen titles at once, but his quality drops pretty hard once he hits a certain number. Since coming to DC I feel like Bendis has caught his second wind and I've liked what I've seen and I really dont want the guy to sink back down to GotG levels. I dont know if his later years at Marvel, and the lower quality of his work, was due to burnout or if he had too many projects running or what. But I'd rather have Bendis on three or four books with Daredevil quality than fifteen books that aren't worth reading at all.

While I agree entirely about Bendis' capacity as a writer, I do like what he's doing as a curator of a line (Wonder Comics) and wouldn't mind seeing him extend his grasp in that respect.

[Ascended]

While I agree entirely about Bendis' capacity as a writer, I do like what he's doing as a curator of a line (Wonder Comics) and wouldn't mind seeing him extend his grasp in that respect.

I'd be down with that.

You notice we're getting a lot of personal imprints lately? Way's Young Animal, Gaiman's Sandman Universe, Ellis' WildStorm (if that can be called an imprint), Bendis' Wonder Line and whatever imprint his Cover and Pearl stuff is under.....and isn't Johns rumored to be launching an imprint too or something?

[Robanker]

I'd be down with that.

You notice we're getting a lot of personal imprints lately? Way's Young Animal, Gaiman's Sandman Universe, Ellis' WildStorm (if that can be called an imprint), Bendis' Wonder Line and whatever imprint his Cover and Pearl stuff is under.....and isn't Johns rumored to be launching an imprint too or something?

"The Killing Zone." I remember because it's a terrible title. Hopefully the comics are good, though.

[Vordan]

I'd be down with that.

You notice we're getting a lot of personal imprints lately? Way's Young Animal, Gaiman's Sandman Universe, Ellis' WildStorm (if that can be called an imprint), Bendis' Wonder Line and whatever imprint his Cover and Pearl stuff is under.....and isn't Johns rumored to be launching an imprint too or something?

Didio is the one behind it. He specifically offered Bendis his own imprint to get him to jump ship. He’s a big supporter of these imprints because he believes they will help DC appeal to people who aren’t regular comic readers, and expand DC sales beyond Comic Book Shops, Bendis talked about it on Word Ballon. Didio is also the one behind the Walmart book for example which seem to be a success.

"The Killing Zone." I remember because it's a terrible title. Hopefully the comics are good, though.

I wonder when we’re going to hear more? It’s been months since we’ve heard anything. I’m also wondering if Johns will be writing everything or if he’ll be doing what Bendis does where he sets the tone and then picks writers to helm other books that Johns wants done.

[Celgress]

I realize I'm not a published writer, but Bendis making Lois go heel would fly against every storytelling convention I've ever seen with respect to what he's building just for a quick shock....

I agree completely. Making Lois a heel would be extremely stupid. I doubt Editorial would allow such a thing to happen.

[Robanker]

I agree completely. Making Lois a heel would be extremely stupid. I doubt Editorial would allow such a thing to happen.

While I doubt that happening, editorial isn't why. In fact, I'm almost certain that they're pushing for it because it'll land a headline in a traditional media publication and therefor garner them fictional sales like every gimmick headline.

In essence, it's a terrible idea and therefore I am certain they're looking for every way possible to enact it. I'm going to go ahead and say Bendis is the one pushing for her staying altruistic.

[Celgress]

While I doubt that happening, editorial isn't why. In fact, I'm almost certain that they're pushing for it because it'll land a headline in a traditional media publication and therefor garner them fictional sales like every gimmick headline.

In essence, it's a terrible idea and therefore I am certain they're looking for every way possible to enact it. I'm going to go ahead and say Bendis is the one pushing for her staying altruistic.

Either way, I hope whoever is pushing against this idea wins the day. If there is a heel turn it should later be revealed to be a bait & switch, otherwise, well just yeah....