How Was Chuck Austen's Superman?

[Timothy Hunter]

People rag on Bendis, but Chuck Austen's Superman has gone down as one of, if not the most, hated runs on the character. Why is his tenure on Superman so despised? Is it really as bad as people say?

In addition what are your thoughts on Superman: Metropolis, a twelve issue miniseries Austen wrote starring Jimmy Olsen?

[Kuwagaton]

I only have like two issues of Metropolis. It was alright but could easily go in any direction.

His Action run is a very unfortunate case. Austen has easily written some of the worst comics I've ever read, but Action isn't one. It was actually one of my earliest stretches following the character, but it holds up pretty well. Aside from not really liking Lois... one of those weird writer hangups.

The Finn ending actually worked pretty well with what he was doing, too, whoever that really was.

[Riv86672]

I’m not going to prattle on w. specifics.
I’ll just say I hated Austen’s Avengers run.

[Timothy Hunter]

I only have like two issues of Metropolis. It was alright but could easily go in any direction.

His Action run is a very unfortunate case. Austen has easily written some of the worst comics I've ever read, but Action isn't one. It was actually one of my earliest stretches following the character, but it holds up pretty well. Aside from not really liking Lois... one of those weird writer hangups.

The Finn ending actually worked pretty well with what he was doing, too, whoever that really was.

"Austen in later interviews that J.D. Finn was actually longtime Superman editor Eddie Berganza, though this has never been confirmed.[1] The DC Website has listed Joe Kelly as the writer for these issues, though the solicits still note J.D. Finn as a guest writer,"

[Yoda]

Reis on art was the only redeeming factor. It was horrendous and just terrible. He wrote the absolute worst Lana Lang that you possibly could. Made her utterly pathetic. His Superman was just an *******. The villian Prius, at one point was just f*cking women to death. It was horrendous.

He was finally removed when shops were telling DC they were not going to order anything while he was writing.

[Stanlos]

Reis on art was the only redeeming factor. It was horrendous and just terrible. He wrote the absolute worst Lana Lang that you possibly could. Made her utterly pathetic. His Superman was just an *******. The villian Prius, at one point was just f*cking women to death. It was horrendous.

He was finally removed when shops were telling DC they were not going to order anything while he was writing.

Um, I have to ask if that bold text is real?

[Yoda]

Um, I have to ask if that bold text is real?

It was. 86EA750F-9908-4E76-AB59-CFFDAEE55970.jpg

[Stanlos]

Wow.

There are no words.

I hope that Cheetah took him down offpanel and ate him.

[Sacred Knight]

Couldn't stand what he did to Lana. Not liking the marriage is one thing, but with a non-creator owned IP if you have to work with it you work with it, that's part of the job. You can't undermine nearly an entire cast to make meta statements.

[Flash Gordon]

Chuck Austen's stuff is some of the worst comics I've ever read, like bottom of the barrel bad. Definitely the lowest point for Superman.

Bendis' run has been pretty solid superhero fare, the hate it gets on here is silly. It's the best the SUPERMAN books have been since Grant Morrison.

[Kuwagaton]

Preus was a Kandorian cult leader who killed a woman during sex as he had the powers of Superman, a lack of knowledge about humans, and the indifference of his own actions. An Austen idea, sure... but he was a villain. You can argue that sexual violence has no place in these comics, and I do agree in the sense that I don't even make an exception for something like Killing Joke, but it's the sort of thing people find worse because of who wrote it instead of what it is. Like sorry, I don't find it really less tasteful than melting people with heat vision.

Couldn't stand what he did to Lana. Not liking the marriage is one thing, but with a non-creator owned IP if you have to work with it you work with it, that's part of the job. You can't undermine nearly an entire cast to make meta statements.

No one was thrown under the bus. Lana was in the middle of what Schultz and Rucka were doing with her anyway, they set up and followed those beats. her relationship with Clark was along that same trajectory since Byrne and the relationship with Pete, likewise under Jurgens.

Writing imperfect characters is not a disservice to them

[Sacred Knight]

I would disagree it was on the same trajectory as far back as Jurgens. In the triangle era Lana never wanted to actively break up his engagement/marriage to Lois in order to get back with him. Yeah there were still feelings deep down, but she was respectful. Nor do I recall her having the type of venom toward Lois that she was portrayed with here back then. I mean, if they had regressed her after that before Austen, fair enough. Makes sense I would miss that since that was the period I left and I've still never actively read everything from that time, but I just wouldn't agree at all that it was recognizable to what the triangle years did with her.

[Laufeyson]

Chuck Austen's Superman is the only period where I can't stomach Superman. For me, it's the worst and lowest point of Superman.

But at the other point, the guy is kind godly in the drawing. So rather than his writing, I am waiting for his drawing now.

[Timothy Hunter]

Was the Lana Lang character used after Austen's run Pre-Flashpoint? Did DC try to do damage control for Lana did they just ignored the love triangle subplot?

[LordUltimus]

Was the Lana Lang character used after Austen's run Pre-Flashpoint? Did DC try to do damage control for Lana did they just ignored the love triangle subplot?

They had Ma Kent call both Lana and Lois on their behavior.