Section 8 #6: "He's Gotta Be Strong and He's Gotta Be Fast and He's Gotta Be Fresh From the Fight"

[superboyprime]

"I think the team maintain their own space by virtue of their sheer lunacy; no regular character’s dignity is going to survive prolonged exposure to them, and no editor would be dumb enough to try to disprove that theory." - Garth Ennis

Comments

[captainbellman]

Gareth Ennis has peaked. Between this and "Code Pru" it seems he's just going to continue to get worse and worse in terms of writing quality until it's only his most hardcore fans who stick around.

[lonewolf23k]

So he caught the Frank Miller Brainworm?

[his_spiffynesss]

I wonder if half the problem is on the editorial side. When these writers get to be such big names, I think maybe it's hard for the book editor to say no and reign in their worst impulses.

[tcampbell1000]

Honestly, I really like this. It's neither Ennis' best work nor free of his usual tics, but it walks a nice line between acknowledging that Superman (sadly) isn't real and presenting him as a real, believable being.

It is, in fact, a refreshingly old-school characterization of Superman -- while most modern renditions seem to be caught between making him a bruised-knuckled, desperate champion of the underdog and making him an overpowered, brusque jerk, this is the Superman I most aspire to be: quiet, reassuring, reaching for the most comforting words and actions he can find, and willing to take time out of his day to help a sad, sick man, because everyone he meets (who isn't oppressing others) is worth his kindness.

Ennis was probably aware that six issues was all he was likely to get for this Hitman spin-off, so he had his concluding statement all queued up. I don't agree entirely with the philosophical point, but it HAS a point, well-stated, and one I can respect.

[filthysize]

This is exactly my thought. It's actually acknowledging the power of comics. That in our world, we don't have a Superman, but there's still a point to him in that we can read Superman comics and dream of a better world, and that it's valid all the same. That image of Six-Pack lying in the cold with a Superman cape as his blanket is really, really powerful.

Ennis has always written Superman as a necessary inspiration, but this actually reads like the closest he's ever given a thank you to the existence of superhero comics.

[walkingthroughforest]

I really loved this. Ennis writes one of the most beautiful renditions of Superman, and again he knocked it out of the park. Thoughtful, kind, inspiring and gathering his strength from his words, not his fists.

This series may not have been Ennis's best works, but he nailed a home run in the bottom of the 9th here.

[tigerkaya]

Despite his shitty outlook on superhero comics he knows how to write Superman damn near perfect examples also being Hitman.