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How do you make Superman more interesting? Give him more powers.

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He writes turgid, melodramatic horse shit is why I don't like him.

That's disappointing to hear, I've always enjoyed comics when they're extravagant and not reserved. 52 is probably my favorite piece of work DC has done.

I've thought about trying it out, but it's never really piqued my interest. I might look into it some time.

It's kind of a roller coaster in terms of quality but I enjoy it. It's getting kind of messy with the monthly and weekly crossing over. I'd prefer they just keep making the weekly.
 
A lot of the Silver Age weirdness was apparently the result of his editor using Supes as an outlet for his own psychological issues. The miniature Superman being a really, really obvious allegory for his feeling of being replaced by his child, and his resentment thereof.

It's meant to be his kid! That makes this panel all the more disturbing:

gklSwYq.png
 
That's disappointing to hear, I've always enjoyed comics when they're extravagant and not reserved. 52 is probably my favorite piece of work DC has done.
Hell yeah! Maybe it's just me, but 52 seems severely underrated. Such great minds working together is something you don't get often. It's a great introduction to the wider DC universe if you only know a little too.
 
He writes turgid, melodramatic horse shit is why I don't like him.

I don't really agree with that.

Hell yeah! Maybe it's just me, but 52 seems severely underrated. Such great minds working together is something you don't get often. It's a great introduction to the wider DC universe if you only know a little too.

I thought 52 always (rightfully) gets nothing but incredible praise because of the story and the creative team.
 
I don't really agree with that.

I don't really care how you feel.

That's disappointing to hear, I've always enjoyed comics when they're extravagant and not reserved. 52 is probably my favorite piece of work DC has done.

Don't be disappointed. You are free to like him, and his work. I don't necessarily have any opinion about you (or any fans) for liking his work.

Personally, however, I don't find anything he's worked on particularly extravagant, provocative, or daring.

Instead, I find his work to feel bloated, boring and tonally homogeneous.

I think that, in general, he relies very heavily on referencing universe canon in lieu of creating much of anything at all. This heavy reliance on mining nostalgia can have the effect of masking the shallowness of his ideas for lots of people, but for me, it just makes his stories seem like very elaborate, officially endorsed fan-fiction.
 
Yes, make him stronger, so when people bitch about him being OP, they will actually be right and not saying bullshit.
(even I did this in the past)

Off topic: I really liked All Star Superman too, it was the one of the stories that made me go from "meh, Superman" to "nice, Superman".

Geoff Johns is one of a small handful of people left at DC that know how to write Superman, so I'm not worried at all.

Also, Diana is the truly anime team member.



Nothing says "Anime as Fuck" like limiter removals.

This killed me. Poor Diana.
 
Is this gonna be some shonen level bullshit here?

Nothing is bullshit on the level of Shinra Tensai or Almighty or kyoka suigetsu.


Hahaha nothing will reach The Almighty or Kyouka Suigetsu for a lead character....i think thats when comic fans would drop books....dont know how i still read some of these stories with powers like The Almighty or anything that Ichibē Hyōsube can do.

Say my name and i will take some of your power to resurrect myself?......Brush that off next page.





Wolverine is more interesting and less powerful than Superman right? How many good stories does he have? Why doesn't he have nearly as many good stories as Superman?

What abouat Namor? People think he's cool as hell because he's a Marvel character....how many good Namor stories do you know off the top of your head?

Black Panther? Name me 5 good BP stories off the top of your head.

Green Arrow?

Iron Man?

Hawkeye?

Johnny Storm?

Guardians of the Galaxy?

None of those guys have as many good stories as Superman, and they've been around forever. The only ones who beats him in that department is Batman and Spider-Man. How powerful he is has nothing to do with it.

Not that im a huge Supes fan so im kinda biased as is....Rmita Jr. is drawing this shit so that makes me hate just a bit more.
But in recent times i dont know a Supes story that was overall better than:
Thor God of Thunder GodBomb
 
MOS Superman is pretty much the Marvel version of Superman (the dark brooding stuff that every Superhero has these days it seems)

If you make him like that then it removes that one quality about him that separates him from the other heroes.

I dunno. I never felt that he spent much time brooding in that movie, but that's not really my point, I guess. I'm not saying Superman should be a tall dark and brooding fellow. I agree that it would ruin Superman if he was always brooding. What I'm saying though is people can't really process "Your race was destroyed but you aren't upset" because they don't really seem to get that since he was raised on Earth and raised as a human, he didn't really have a connection to lose. I think Superman is fine as he is, but having him seem a little more vulnerable and human isn't exactly a bad thing. I suppose that was the point of Smallville, but I thought MoS did a solid job of making him seem human and relatable. If there was anything that movie did well, it was that.

I'm having a tough time articulating my point, because otherwise it seems like I'm shitting on the character, which I'm definitely not trying to do.

It's kind of a roller coaster in terms of quality but I enjoy it. It's getting kind of messy with the monthly and weekly crossing over. I'd prefer they just keep making the weekly.

Sounds shaky. I'll give it a shot though. I've only started and dropped two New 52 books. That's been Red Hood and the Outlaws (which should just be a Red Hood book) and Justice League (because fuck literally all those people except for the later recruits).
 
:(

evrytim I see Johns hater its one of these few things:

1. They don't like how he writes Batman
2. They think he pushed New 52 (he didn't)
3. He likes Hal/Barry over Kyle/Wally

He wrote Justice League (new52) which featured the worst versions of every one of those characters that I have ever seen. His Wonder Woman was especially awful.
 
He wrote Justice League (new52) which featured the worst versions of every one of those characters that I have ever seen. His Wonder Woman was especially awful.

It's crazy how Johns simply cannot write her or Batman. He's gotten every other major Leaguer with varying degrees of success, but his Bats is nothing special and he falls flat on his ass with Diana every time.
 
I don't really care how you feel.

I don't know why you needed to be a dick, but more power to you.

It's crazy how Johns simply cannot write her or Batman. He's gotten every other major Leaguer with varying degrees of success, but his Bats is nothing special and he falls flat on his ass with Diana every time.

His Diana's been...better? Or rather, his Diana's not been trying to tear anyone's throat out with her teeth. (There were a couple of issues recently where she was pretty levelheaded when talking with Lex so...fingers crossed!)
 
I personally feel one of the reasons why people pick Batman over Superman is because they find it easier to relate to him. Now yes, I understand he's a billionaire, but it's the human that he is that people relate to. He had something bad happen, he grieved, then decided to do something. People like him because they see him as believable, regardless of whether he is or isn't, because of the fact that he's a pure human being. He's shown to be vulnerable, yet strong, and that allows people to get behind him.

People have a hard time relating to Superman because he's not human. He looks like a human and his anatomical structure is the same, but he's not human. He doesn't openly grieve and brood (very popular tropes these days) about the death of his race and all that. He never comes off as vulnerable, just strong. I think people have a hard time dealing with it and I don't think a lot of the more popular stories make Superman human enough for people to get behind him.

Look at it like this: Do you work for a living? Did you ever have the hots for someone who didn't take notice of you? Have you ever lost a loved one? Do you ever feel like you don't belong? Do you ever feel like you don't really understand where you've come from? Do you ever see injustices that you wish you could right?

If you answer yes to any of the above, then Superman knows how you feel :)

People prefer Batman because his whole deal is very much a teenage, angsty, rock n roll dream: billionaire playboy by day, dressing up in leather and driving fast cars at night; being all broody and menacing against an Art Deco skyline as you decide which fetish girl you'll tussle with next or which mad doctor's drug trip you'll be coming down off tonight.

Superman has to go to work in the morning.

I think Superman is fine as he is, but having him seem a little more vulnerable and human isn't exactly a bad thing. I suppose that was the point of Smallville, but I thought MoS did a solid job of making him seem human and relatable. If there was anything that movie did well, it was that.

That's where I thought the film failed. I felt more sympathy for Zod than any other character.
 
That's where I thought the film failed. I felt more sympathy for Zod than any other character.

I felt for Zod as well. He was literally conditioned and program to preserve the race.

On the other hand, he was overthrowing the government...why? He wasn't allowing evacuations. Not much for racial preservation there.
 
They should indeed embrace Superman instead of adding silly weaknesses.

Even if it means to go the self aware comedy route after all superheroes are guys in silly costumes. There is no need to establish serious background stories for every superhero.
 
I felt for Zod as well. He was literally conditioned and program to preserve the race.

On the other hand, he was overthrowing the government...why? He wasn't allowing evacuations. Not much for racial preservation there.

Being an idiot, I can relate to Zod. Greatest General in Kryptonian history and he can't last one round with a mouthy boffin.
 
So the new issue is out

Superman #38 spoilers:
Basically, Superman has developed a Superflare ability, which at the moment is able to incinerate anything within a quarter of a mile around Superman. The drawback is that this depletes his solar powered cells and, during the day or so it takes to recharge them, he is for all intents and purposes as human as Batman. No powers, no invulnerability.

Yeah, not so not interesting now, huh?
 
So the new issue is out

Superman #38 spoilers:
Basically, Superman has developed a Superflare ability, which at the moment is able to incinerate anything within a quarter of a mile around Superman. The drawback is that this depletes his solar powered cells and, during the day or so it takes to recharge them, he is for all intents and purposes as human as Batman. No powers, no invulnerability.

Yeah, not so not interesting now, huh?

I like it, honestly. It has a nice drawback for what it allows him to do. Now it's time to put him into a scenario where it's a legitimate option, because as far as I can see he's never going to use it otherwise.
 
Sounds shaky. I'll give it a shot though. I've only started and dropped two New 52 books. That's been Red Hood and the Outlaws (which should just be a Red Hood book) and Justice League (because fuck literally all those people except for the later recruits).

He wrote Justice League (new52) which featured the worst versions of every one of those characters that I have ever seen. His Wonder Woman was especially awful.

I liked Throne of Atlantis, Trinity War & Shazam backups but I feel that JL is a pretty weak book overall. It's recently gotten a little bit better with the Lex vs Bats thing but he cut out like half the league to make that story work. I don't know how to explain it though because he ran JSA as a team book very well (though it was him and Goyer instead of just him).

Look at it like this: Do you work for a living? Did you ever have the hots for someone who didn't take notice of you? Have you ever lost a loved one? Do you ever feel like you don't belong? Do you ever feel like you don't really understand where you've come from? Do you ever see injustices that you wish you could right?

If you answer yes to any of the above, then Superman knows how you feel :)

People prefer Batman because his whole deal is very much a teenage, angsty, rock n roll dream: billionaire playboy by day, dressing up in leather and driving fast cars at night; being all broody and menacing against an Art Deco skyline as you decide which fetish girl you'll tussle with next or which mad doctor's drug trip you'll be coming down off tonight.

Superman has to go to work in the morning.



That's where I thought the film failed. I felt more sympathy for Zod than any other character.


Personally I enjoy Batman because when written properly he has to approach challenges with intellect (not saying that Supes is a brute but rarely is he a detective), Gotham feels like an actual fleshed out setting while Metropolis is just a stand in for New York, each of his rogues feel distinct from each other and pose different challenges, I like his secondary characters better (Bat Family vs Jimmy & Lois) and his costume is just so damn awesome.
 
... Jury's still out, for me.

Johns is doing that aggressive flag-planting thing that I've kinda come to dislike about his writing. I don't necessarily believe in sacred cows but the general rule of comic book writing- especially if you know you're not going to have a long run on the book- is return the toys to the box when you're done... unless changing the status quo is justified by a story that makes it worth it. So far, most of the dramatic changes in this story seem more for the sake of change than quality or nature of the story itself. He may pull something great out of it, so I'm not writing him off yet, but this issue didn't justify the changes.

. . .

Pretty much the kind of changes that a typically editor will ask you to be cautious about unless you're Geoff Johns. I feel like Johns has lost his talent for living in the world as written and organically moving it where he wants to go (Flash, Lantern, JSA) and now just comes in like a wrecking ball to institute whatever he likes. Maybe these will all pay off, but it's a lot of changes in one issue... worth looking at for the newsworthiness but the story isn't quite there for me, yet.

And then...

http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2015/02/05/a-super-farewell-by-geoff-johns

Superman #38 came out yesterday and JR and I wanted to say thank you, because the issue sold out!

I have to admit, it's a little bittersweet, because not only is it our final chapter of the Ulysses storyline, it's also the penultimate issue to my short run on the title with the great and amazing John Romita Jr., as issue #39 will be my last.

I’m incredibly honored to have been the lucky writer working alongside JR on his first-ever monthly book for DC Comics and I'm extremely proud of the work we've done, especially the final issue of the run which dives deeper into the fallout from Superman’s new power.

You'll find out the next team on Superman very soon. As for what’s next for me in the comic world besides JUSTICE LEAGUE with the amazing and talented Jason Fabok, you'll have to ask my longtime friend and collaborator, the great Gary Frank...

Until then, I also wanted to say thank you to everyone for watching #DCTV every week!
Despite giving him the benefit of the doubt, I can't say I'm not surprised.
 
That's where I thought the film failed. I felt more sympathy for Zod than any other character.

The film failed in a lot of ways. We burst out laughing at Kevin Costner's tornado exit.

I was especially impressed with Zod's ability to begin explaining his evil plan as a knock-out induced skull field hallucination and then pick up perfectly where he left off when Kal came to.

That's really the new super power here: narrative dissociation. It's like dissonance, but it goes all the way to eleven.

And then...

http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2015/02/05/a-super-farewell-by-geoff-johns

Despite giving him the benefit of the doubt, I can't say I'm not surprised.

Do we start a pool yet on the backpedal for Super Flare?
 
So the new issue is out

Superman #38 spoilers:
Basically, Superman has developed a Superflare ability, which at the moment is able to incinerate anything within a quarter of a mile around Superman. The drawback is that this depletes his solar powered cells and, during the day or so it takes to recharge them, he is for all intents and purposes as human as Batman. No powers, no invulnerability.

Yeah, not so not interesting now, huh?

Ok, so what are the circumstances that led up to this new power?
 
And then...

http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2015/02/05/a-super-farewell-by-geoff-johns


Despite giving him the benefit of the doubt, I can't say I'm not surprised.

He's really under a crazy workload. I don't think he has the time anymore to reinvent any wheels. He's pretty much coordinating everything that has to do with DC and entertainment. He has his hands in movies and video games and probably animation as well.

Do we start a pool yet on the backpedal for Super Flare?

I'll be surprised if he doesn't use it often considering it's destructiveness. Think super girl has used it twice so far. Wouldn't be surprised if he uses it in future's end.
 
So the new issue is out

Superman #38 spoilers:
Basically, Superman has developed a Superflare ability, which at the moment is able to incinerate anything within a quarter of a mile around Superman. The drawback is that this depletes his solar powered cells and, during the day or so it takes to recharge them, he is for all intents and purposes as human as Batman. No powers, no invulnerability.

Yeah, not so not interesting now, huh?

But both of those things are drawbacks, surely, for Superman?
 
I liked Throne of Atlantis, Trinity War & Shazam backups but I feel that JL is a pretty weak book overall. It's recently gotten a little bit better with the Lex vs Bats thing but he cut out like half the league to make that story work. I don't know how to explain it though because he ran JSA as a team book very well (though it was him and Goyer instead of just him).

I really did not enjoy Trinity War, though it did get me interested in Justice League Dark, which got me interested in Constantine. Also, Forever Evil can go screw itself too. Did not like it's influence on the two aforementioned books.
 
I really did not enjoy Trinity War, though it did get me interested in Justice League Dark, which got me interested in Constantine. Also, Forever Evil can go screw itself too. Did not like it's influence on the two aforementioned books.

I'm checking out JLD right now because I haven't really ever dived into DC's magic stuff. Really digging Constantine in the stories, may pick up swamp thing soon.

LMAO

I'd rather he stay on Supes and finally leave Justice League, but the big wigs at DC really want him on JL so eh.

This sounds like the way to go. Really curious who they're going to have on supes now.
 
Despite Johns making a bunch of last-minute status quo changes then leaving, I'm really excited about the new writer being brought on!

Eisner-winning comics creator Gene Luen Yang.

His graphic novels including "American Born Chinese", "Level Up", "Boxers and Saints", and "The Shadow Hero."

His love of comics comes from "all changed in fifth grade when his mother took him to their local book store where she bought him his first comic book, DC Comics Presents Superman #57."

Superman could legitimately be called his first love. His work always has heart and emotion. A lot of his work delves into the duality, multiculturalism, and expectations of being raised by immigrants in America (something to layer with Superman). He's been awarded the highest honor in comics, the Eisner, and yet he's proven he can write in an established universe's voice with his work on Avatar The Last Airbender comics. A UC Berkeley graduate, computer scientist, and university professor, this is a smart guy who expresses himself through comics for love, not the paycheck.

I wish it was a different artist and he was doing a graphic novel instead of a run... but my hope is through the roof at someone coming onto Superman with something to say and potentially move people.

Of course, he might just be getting his feet wet and do his best to just follow the formula before making any waves. The monthly format is a totally different writing experience than what a typical indie writer is used to. I'm trying not to make my expectations get out of control.

But I'm genuinely excited. This is probably one of the few legitimately great writers to come onto Superman out of passion rather than marketing. Who loves Superman and gets his shot to tell that one great Superman story that's inside us all. Not as a concession to working at DC or for the paycheck, but hopefully to put something awesome out there.
 
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