Ohhh.... bollocks.... This will probably not make a lot of people happy, but....

[icon_uk]

From Newsarama...




Husband and wife since 1996 in the comics, the new status quo will find Clark Kent and Lois Lane not only unmarried, but establish that they were never married in the first place. Clark will be a bachelor, and Lois will have a new boyfriend, one whose identity is yet to be revealed but is said to be a Daily Planet colleague.

Additionally, Superman's alien origins will be emphasized in a big way, with the character described as "more Kal-El from the planet Krypton than Clark Kent from Kansas." Superman's deep connection to his Kryptonian heritage also explains his new costume, as seen on the cover of Superman #1. It's "ceremonial armor" from his home planet, with the traditional red trunks abandoned.

Perhaps part of the reason Superman's embracing his alien nature is the loss of his adopted parents. Jonathan and Martha Kent are both dead in DC's post-Flashpoint continuity, a pronounced change from the recent past, and a return to the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths status quo in that respect.

Action Comics, which focuses on Superman's early superhero career, depicts a "younger, more brooding" Man of Steel adjusting to his adopted homeworld. His powers are still in development at this point, as he "can leap tall buildings but can't fly in space." The series, written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Rags Morales, will also show the evolution of his costume from jeans and work boots to Kryptonian armor.

Kal-El's present will be told in Superman, with a "new status quo at the Daily Planet" and a new gig at the paper for Lois Lane. Additionally, the series, by George Perez and Jesus Merino, will show that "there's a price to pay for being Superman" and debut a brand-new villain, one said to be more powerful than the Man of Steel.

So essentially, it would seem that everything that Man of Steel did to make Superman an interesting, more human character (Like his parents being alive, Superman doesn't actually gain anything from being parentless, and it makes for an effective contrast with the likes of Batman, is being chucked out to restore a lot of Silver Age stuff?

Now, I won't say I hate this, as it may be a delightful new take on the character, but this does NOT fill me with confidence,

Comments

Casstoons was right again? Weird.

[espanolbot]

Ohhh hoho, this is gonna get people mad.

I do trust Morrison with Superman though, as he's one of the guys that actually gets him.

The guy Lois is dating (so many One More Day riffs are going to spin from this) better not be Jimmy. That'd be weird.

Plus he already had something like that in the Earth 2 story he did.

Re: Casstoons was right again? Weird.

[icon_uk]

I don't think ANYONE wants to see the Jimmy Lois relationship from Morrison's Earth-2 become canon, it's WAY past weird...

[cleome45]

For a second, I thought that "Oy vey" was an actual tag. :D

I said it a few posts ago, but it's worth saying again. If the Big Two really are hell-bent on being such dinosaurs about relationships between men and women (among other things), I don't think I give a crap if they go the way of the real dinosaurs. Let them get out of the way and leave the oxygen for somebody else.

I don't pirate books and I'll still buy one or two, but I wouldn't blame anybody else who just said "fuck it", and decided not to give this shit even barely-lukewarm financial support at all.

[icon_uk]

I took the "Oy vey" out for something more informational, but I think it's implied... :)

[shadowpsykie]

I am getting a tumblr post ready to... talk about this...

this is a big dent in my optimism... see it's not so much the marriage (especially if the rumors about her being the Editor prove true, though even taht could turn bad.) even the death of ma and pa, (I don't like it, but i can live with it) but its the whole Alien vs Human thing...

i like MOrrison... so... i am willing to give all this a chance... but my danger sense is on full blast right now....

[star_of_airdrie]

fan-frikkin-tastic... that's the best part of Superman. Why I like him... the lady Kryponians are lovely, wonderful, and so kick ass awesome... but Clark? Take away his humanity and as 'Protector or Earth' goes back to him going 'neener, neener, neener, I rock so much more than you guys do!'

I'm bracing myself for the inevitable (please God, Wolfman and Perez no!) retconning away of the New Teen Titans.

[darkknightjrk]

"I'm bracing myself for the inevitable (please God, Wolfman and Perez no!) retconning away of the New Teen Titans."

So far I'm seeing more evidence to the contrary of NTT being retconed.

[whitesycamore]

*shrug*

The only thing that really bothers me is the Kents being dead. I'm still looking forward to it though; unlike his work on Batman, I'm fond of Morrison's take on Superman.

[darkknightjrk]

Honestly, I'm not even all that mad about the Kents being dead either--I'm listening right now to a interview Mark Waid did for the War Rocket Ajax podcast, and he just effectively ripped apart some of those crappy Byrne stories where Superman would stub his toe and he would fly back to Smallville to get a slice of apple pie from Ma Kent, which seemed to be the only thing she would do, and then Superman would whine for half the issue until he got patted on the head and he'd fly back.

I'm not saying that the Kents have never been awesome in the past, but I wouldn't be surprised if that stuff has something to do with Superman's "ineffectual whining boy-scout" reputation, and it's probably for the best that they aren't around as a crutch for Clark to lean on.

[darkknightjrk]

Well...to their credit, at least it's not being done by invoking Faust, so, you know, DC still has that going for them.

[domino_blue]

You want to know what disturbs me about this? We are eventually going to get that ugly Superman costume instead of the classic.

[thanekos]

Demon Knights, All-Star Western, Action, Levitz's Legion, and of course all the rest.. nice temporal spread.

(Wonder how long it'll be before someone just can't scratch the time-travel crossover itch, Legion Lost aside.)

[stolisomancer]

[flidgetjerome]

All I can take from this is that Kon is currently in the leatherboy outfit because they needed his old outfit so Clark could wear it.

DC? Kon's outfit was never a very good outfit.

(Also, if Marvel's really right about rage selling comics, Supes should start dating a character named Larlie Looper.)

[icon_uk]

Actually, the thought of Lois dating Charlie Cooper, who we then find out is Neron, might be one of the few things about this to make me smile.

[rordulum]

Wait, this is Superman: Brand New Day?

Hah. I'm so glad I never read Superman books. God, comic book publishers suck.

[schrodingers_fangirl]

Kryptonian armour? Really, DC? Really? Clark is already almost indestructible and you have to have him in armour?

The Kents being dead upsets me. The marriage being destroyed enrages me. I won't be reading this although I may Byrne steal it at my LCS just to see the train wreck.

I do not understand the destruction of the marriage. I've seen nothing from DC about how it makes Clark hip and accessible to a younger audience. When I first read the summaries of what DC is doing with the universal reboot I wasn't happy, and Clois being no more is the first thing that made me cry crystalline tears of fangirl betrayed.

[venatosapiens]

Maybe he's no longer indestructable? If he can't fly, maybe he's a lot weaker as well.

[selke]

So they're chucking the marriage out the window and having Lois date someone new. I thought Mephisto was only Marvel?

[hyperactivator]

Full reboot. New Superman and new Lois. And a super villain didn't do it with thier blessing.

Superman is just starting out and they are meeting for the first time.

[venatosapiens]

Oh, we're retconning away Byrne? Good. I don't much like him or his work, and this will piss him off. That said, I don't approve of this particular proposed iteration of Superman: it feels very, very Smallville, with all of the terrible inter-character dynamics that implies. It's like the bits and pieces are fine, but in totality it doesn't work.

[an_idol_mind]

I was hoping we'd get an unmarried Superman in Action Comics, and the normal married version of Superman in the non-flashback book.

I'm not a fan of the Kents not being around, either. That's essentially taking good toys out of the toybox. If writers don't want to bring up the Kents, they don't have to mention them. But now it means that, barring more timeline-foolery, those two good characters are unusable outside of flashbacks for any creator that comes along in the future.

I'd be lying if I said that Morrison's take on Superman in Action Comics doesn't interest me. For the main Superman book, though, it's very disappointing that Superman's family has been dismantled in the standard continuity. Superman's status as a character with living parents and a happy marriage was actually pretty unique for a comic book hero, and I think it was one of the draws of the character.

[big_daddy_d]

I was hoping we'd get an unmarried Superman in Action Comics, and the normal married version of Superman in the non-flashback book.

THANK. YOU. That is one of the things I been saying in regards to the reboot. It's just pure logic. It's a solution where EVERYONE wins, yet there just has to be a clear loser. From the articles I've read, it seems like we're getting the exact same Superman in both books with little to no growth within the time gap. What? He's just less brooding and fully powered in the Superman book. That's it.

I'd be lying if I said that Morrison's take on Superman in Action Comics doesn't interest me. For the main Superman book, though, it's very disappointing that Superman's family has been dismantled in the standard continuity. Superman's status as a character with living parents and a happy marriage was actually pretty unique for a comic book hero, and I think it was one of the draws of the character.

That's another good point. There was still danger, character drama, and good stories with a Superman who had a family. I don't get this kick creators have about taking away the good things that worked.

[cypherfdp]

"younger, more brooding"

Whatever interest Grant Morrison brought to the table is out the window now.

[turtlefu]

DC's formula:

Take Superman

- everything that made him interesting, human, or provided a contrast with the other million superheroes

=

boring, generic Superman, with no humanity, and is nothing but angsty and "edgy"

[detective_deathman08]

I hate it when they try to make batman and supes to much alike.

[don1138]

The red cape really works with the cuffed jeans and Timberlands -- really it does -- but I'm most impressed that the Earth-One Urban Outfitters (or was it the WB store?) had Superman logo t-shirts in-stock (Looks like Nu-DC Metropolis is the "city of the future" in more ways than one!) when Clark went a-shoppin' fer his debut costume.

[icon_uk]

The red cape really works with the cuffed jeans and Timberlands -- really it does --

I'd say it did and would be cute if Superman was aged about six.

[sherkahn]

I read the above post and just nod my head in disgust and soul breaking disappointment.

"Additionally, Superman's alien origins will be emphasized in a big way, with the character described as "more Kal-El from the planet Krypton than Clark Kent from Kansas."

For all the goofs and flaws in "Clark Kent", it was the humanity that was instilled in him that made him the inspirational hero he is. Born on another world, possessing different biological traits than any of us he still is ONE of us. His SOUL was... is... human. Clark always had a strong heritage as his role as Kal El.

Now DC has gone and made him yet another strange visitor from another world. No less "alien" than Martian Manhunter, Starfire, Mon-El, and the list goes ON about aliens from other worlds who live among us, but are not part of DC's human population.

For all of it's flaws, DC's Kingdom Come got this message right:


And DC seem to be turning back the clock on that lesson, and changing Superman from what he is


to something truly alien.

[icon_uk]

My favourite Kingdom Come quote on the matter is the exchange between the Spectre and the preacher fellow.

Preacher - "Sometimes I forget that he's not actually from Earth."

Spectre - "A accident of birth"

[stillanerd]

Okay, here's my reactions to each of these announcements about Superman's new direction:

* This Superman is very much an alien, one struggling to adjust to his adopted home. In the series, he must come to terms with both the loss of his home world, as well as the loss of both of his adopted parents. He is more Kal-El from the planet Krypton than Clark Kent from Kansas. He’s a loner trying to find his place in the world.

One problem: he was raised on Earth, not Krypton. Sure, once he discovers where he was from and about why he was sent to Earth, then yes, he would want to learn more about "being Kryptonian." But since he was raised as a human, his behavior should be closer to that. It's that fact that he was raised as a human by humans is why he has such a great affinity for his adoptive home planet. And while I can get having Jonathan Kent be dead, having Martha also be dead is unfortunate. I suppose DC felt she was too "Aunt May" by keeping her around, but Clark having his parents still alive was one of the things that worked about John Byrne's reboot.

* The series’ first storyline will explore the origins of Superman’s costume, as it evolves from a look that includes jeans and work boots to a new look: a suit of battle armor that pays tribute to his Kryptonian past.

Okay, I can get him wearing a makeshift costume in the beginning since, if Martha Kent is dead, she never made him a costume. But I'm sorry, the "Blur" outfits Clark wore in Smallville look better than this t-shirt and blue jeans "costume." And that dinky looking cape?! Geez, it makes this "costume" look even worse. He looks like a 7 year old kid pretending to be Superman, not Superman himself. Thankfully, this is just going to be for one story. The official new costume being Kyptonian battle armor I suppose could work. But then again, considering he's how he's practically invulnerable, why would he need armor? Unless we've gone back to Superman being hurt by "burst shells."

* His great powers have limits. When the series begins, Superman can leap tall buildings, but his ability to fly is in its infancy.

Makes sense, considering how it's been established that Superman's powers slowly developed the more he was exposed to yellow sunlight as he grew up. And Action comics #1 is, apparently, the "first" Superman story.

* Clark Kent is single and living on his own. He has never been married.

* Lois Lane is dating a colleague at the DAILY PLANET (and his name isn’t Clark Kent) and she has a new position with the paper.

Well, pretty much everybody guessed that Lois and Clark's marriage was going to be "One More Day"ed, as DC has being wanting for years to go back to the whole Superman/Clark/Lois triangle they feel the marriage took away. As long as Lois still has a crush on Superman, even while she's dating someone else, that hopefully will soften the blow for fans. Although why do I get the feeling that her new boyfriend is going to be Perry White's son, the guy from Superman Returns? And as for Lois' new position? I'm guessing she's going to be the new editor for the [I]Daily Planet[/I], which would certainly provide a different take on the traditional Lois and Clark's frictional relationship.

[icon_uk]

Although why do I get the feeling that her new boyfriend is going to be Perry White's son, the guy from Superman Returns?

Aside from being played by the rather lovely James Marsden, I found I liked and respected Richard White a whole lot more than Superman in that movie, which was a depressing realisation.

[starwolf_oakley]

Well... They haven't said if Lois knows "the secret" in this reality and if was ever Clark's girlfriend in this post-Flashpoint world. If Grant Morrison wants to do his own version on "How Lois and Clark fell in love with each other," well, I'm interested in that. I don't know if he's ever done a straight superhero love story, because Emma Frost and Scott Summers was NOT a love story.

But we have until September when the issue comes out.

[jaybee3]

I don't think we'll have that story though (the love story) from Morrison. The DC press release explicitly states that in the Perez Superman (which takes place in the "present") Clark is single and Lois is dating someone else. Which is dumb. They should have just split the difference and have Morrison do Bachelor Superman and Perez Involved/Married Superman. That way everybody (except Dan Didio and Mephisto) is happy.

[jaybee3]

I think the Morrison one (which is at the beginning of Superman's career) will go over well but the other one (even with George Perez) not so much.

The Lois and Clark thing I think will get the biggest backlash (especially coming off of Smallville which in its final seasons basically became Lois & Clark V.2). DC has spent the last 30 years or so telling us that L&C are soul mates to the point where in every Elseworld timeline they always end up together and in current continuity Superman can be trapped with Wonder Woman for 1000 years and even knowing Lois is probably dead can not get over her. The L&C relationship is even pivotal in Morrison's own All-Star Superman.

No one really wants to see L&C with other partners (even in the Silver Age), the closest they've ever come is Lana (and she had - during the 50s-60s - a sizable fanbase coming off of the Superboy comics where there was no Lois). Even the relationships they gave L&C during the post-Crisis reboot "Man of Steel" era (for Lois, Jose Delgado and Clark with Lori Lemaris and Cat Grant) never took off because readers wanted L&C together (just go back and read those issue letter columns and they always had a letter about it). And this isn't exactly a Spidey/MJ situation either (as much as I hate that) since Peter always had viable love interests other than MJ (like Gwen or Black Cat). I don't think anyone can envision Clark Kent by contrast as a swinging bachelor.

The loss of the Kent parents (one of the many positive things to come out of the Byrne reboot) as constants in Clark's life that he could go back to is a dumb move as well. If they want to do all this stuff, isn't Earth-1 the place to do it?

Instead they want us to accept that the Green Lantern and Batman franchises (minus Barbara Batgirl being back) are exactly the same as before but everything Superman is COMPLETELY different? As if the last 20+ years of Lois and Clark as a successful happy couple never happened? WTF? Who's running DC these days? Mephisto?

[nickfury90]

I think they could announce Superman would be rocking a Lady Gaga ensemble and only speaks in German obscenities and I'd still be hyped for Morrison's Superman. From JLA, to Superman Beyond, to All-Star Superman, that man GETS the character like very few in the history of this industry.

[kusonaga]

This is not my Superman.

[gehayi]

Mine either.

[sinisterlink]

This is like OMD, except in this version the marriage is broken up and Aunt May dies anyways. Nice.

[biod]

Well to be fair, Supes didn't make a deal with the Devil.