Superman: New Krypton Special *Potential spoilers*

[Seraku]

preview:

http://www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album.php?aid=23477

early review:
http://comics.ign.com/articles/921/921858p1.html

average score of 8.3.


also yes they do bring up the Jimmy Olsen special AND the Atlas arc

[Slyfer]

http://i.newsarama.com/images/SM_NKS_1-6.jpg


This scene alone is worth the price of admission

[Mat001]

preview:

http://www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album.php?aid=23477

early review:
http://comics.ign.com/articles/921/921858p1.html

average score of 8.3.


also yes they do bring up the Jimmy Olsen special AND the Atlas arc

That's because they tie-in to "New Krypton".

[Sean Whitmore]

The part memorializing Jonathan was very good.

The Codename: Assassin bit bored me.

The part on Kandor was a little slow, but that's okay, this is just the beginning. Things can't go to hell right from the get go.

And the ending has a lot of potential. Bringing Lois' father back as an adversary right after Superman lost his father could really be interesting if handled right. And it's a great way to bring Lex back into play as well (Even though I predict they'll largely be glossing over their history together).


SEAN

[Super Buddies Forever]

Whoa, they're actually following up on that Gail Simone-penned Action Comics Halloween issue from a few years back. I'm stunned.

[Sean Walsh]

The part memorializing Jonathan was very good.

In the press coverage of ACTION 870, I seem to recall Geoff making mention of a scene regarding Pa's death where there was no dialogue. Were the opening pages of this Special those pages?

[Sean Whitmore]

In the press coverage of ACTION 870, I seem to recall Geoff making mention of a scene regarding Pa's death where there was no dialogue. Were the opening pages of this Special those pages?

Yep, the funeral scene had no dialogue. In fact, the entire segment is available in the preview thread, with a word balloon only appearing after about 5 or 6 pages (the Brainiac scan in Post #2).


SEAN

[Seraku]

I liked this, not as good as say AC has been but stil good.

also lol at no one staying alive in comics, as much as I liked the return of a certain character I still have to look a bit crosseyed at it since the character in question died such a big notable death that a "mere human" should not have survived.


also question: was that Bruce and Alfred on the 2nd page of this issue?
http://www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album_view.php?gid=669&page=2

if so then I liked that he was there since the death of his parents was such a major turning point for him and Supes is such a good friend

[Sean Whitmore]

also lol at no one staying alive in comics, as much as I liked the return of a certain character I still have to look a bit crosseyed at it since the character in question died such a big notable death that a "mere human" should not have survived.

On the other hand, his death was a footnote amidst an incredibly busy storyline that is generally remembered unfavorably. That makes him exactly the kind of character who gets resurrected when a writer has a use for them.



also question: was that Bruce and Alfred on the 2nd page of this issue?

I loved that bit. Especially because it didn't devolve into a bunch of multi-colored captions about how alike they are.


SEAN

[Thrillhouse55]

It absolutely was Bruce and Alfred - and it almost brought a tear to my eye, I'm not afraid to admit.

[Super Buddies Forever]

Yeah, that's one reason why I like Johns' writing. He's not one to always launch into the multi-colored inner-monologue boxes. Sometimes you just need to shut up and let the artwork do its thing.

[Binker]

By Nathaniel Ruff (also known as Binker, Binker2 and Nate on many forums)

SUPERMAN: NEW KRYPTON SPECIAL #1

Written by Geoff Johns, James Robinson and Sterling Gates
Art by Gary Frank, Jon Sibal, Renato Guedes, Wilson Magalháes, and Pete Woods
Cover by Gary Frank
Variant cover by Renato Guedes and Wilson Magalháes
Edited by Matt Idelson

PLOT:
"New Krypton" Part 1 of 9! The entire Superman franchise writing team joins forces, with art by Pete Woods and others, to formally launch the Superman event years in the making! While the current threat of Brainiac may have been forestalled in ACTION COMICS #870, the repercussions will be felt for a long, long time. Superman's greatest victory has lead to his happiest day – and his saddest. Gains are balanced by losses while Superman has to figure out what to do with 100,000 Kryptonians! Hold on to your capes as this story leads directly into SUPERMAN #681.

REVIEW:
Geoff Johns' "Brainiac" ended with the death of Pa Kent as Kryptonian city Kandor has now relived on Earth. James Robinson's "Atlas" ended with a mystery that fueled Jimmy Olsen to solve as his own news story that was covered in "Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen" (which BTW I was mixed about because while I had high hopes for it, it was okay for half, then boring and dull in the second half). Sterling Gates ended his first issue on his run of "Supergirl" with Kara Zor-El getting a rivalry with Cat Grant, hate from citizens on her actions in her adventures, and what we've been waiting for: her to change. Now she has a mentor in Lana Lang, and has a secret identity as Lana's cousin Linda Lang. With the lead-ups now done, it is time for the Superman event of 2008 to finally start! And why not start the event than with the writers of all three Super-books of "Action Comics", "Superman", and "Supergirl" doing the first chapter together? Here it is, part one of Superman's newest event! Let's check this baby out!

WOW! Just, just wow. This is part one of the "New Krypton" event, and I'am very overjoyed for what's going to come. Written and drawn by all three creative teams of the three Superman books, this one-shot special brings in to what happened after mainly the "Brainiac" and "Atlas" arcs (the events of Supergirl #34 wasn't brought up), and adds layers of Kandor, Supergirl's parents as the new council, Kandor's citizens with superpowers and Superman wanting to teach them about Earth so they can understand it, and a huge twist and ties all these books together as DC and these teams planned.

Picking up from the events of "Brainiac", Superman has some mixed feelings: his father is dead, Kandor is back, he wants to teach the Kandorians how to control their powers on Earth, but he can't shake off those feelings of going to Brainiac (who was captured following the events of the arc) and, if possibility, kill him. But the focus on Superman in this special relies on him, and later Supergirl, in the City of Kandor. The meeting was special for Kara, for very good reasons, but I don't think it was for Superman that much. He tries his best to tell Zor-El and Alura about Earth, and how that each person on Kandor should be taught how to use their powers, but it seems to Zor-El and Alura that they are fortunate, if not confident, that all of them will be fine. Doesn't disaster, if not just bad things, happen when people say that? You could feel Superman trying to make them understand where he is coming from is completely different from the many other Kryptonians. That is also felt when Zor-El talks about how great Jor-El was as a father, and Superman pauses because the only father he knew wasn't Jor-El but Jonathan Kent. Something tells me that Superman will tell them that, in a way close to how he said about as "Krypton made me, but Earth made me who I'am" from John Byrne's "Man of Steel". And his fears start to prove correct when one Kryptonian ends up killing a close-to-extinct blue whale. Just that, this very good thing for Superman is not going to go all that well down the line.

Then, picking up from the events of "Atlas", we have Codename: Assassin (I'll just use Assassin for the remainder of this review) coming back, Jimmy Olsen and his story, and Lois Lane (later Lucy Lane) on someone they knew who happens to be alive, and that someone is the major player for this entire event as he ties everything together, and he was this special's shocking surprise: General Sam Lane! Yes, Lois and Lucy's father is alive, and is about to start a war against, to him, Earth's newest threat: Superman and the Kryptonians of Kandor. And that, was a surprise. And I loved how all of that was tied together nicely. Don't you just love comics? Hell, don't you JUST LOVE SUPERMAN!

Overall, "New Krypton" has arrived, and OH MY GOD was it that good! Clark's troubles with his later father, Superman's troubles with Kandor, Jimmy and his story, Lois and her revisiting family troubles, and the shocking return of Sam Lane (who also recruited Lex Luthor by the way) now starting the war against any and every Kryptonian because of Kandor's rebirth. This is what we all should expect from Superman events: excitement, a well-written story, and the need for every issue and every issue that comes out. Geoff, James, and Sterling are going to be fine, and we are in for a wild ride! By the way, I thought the idea of all of Kandor's citizens wearing a combination of Byrne, "Birthright", and post-Infinite Crisis clothing were a nice easter egg. Anyway, with the game set; let's get this party started!

RATING: Yay

Next Issue: The story continues in SUPERMAN #681! Metropolis Never Looked So Super!

[CYOTI]

Whoa, they're actually following up on that Gail Simone-penned Action Comics Halloween issue from a few years back. I'm stunned. Actually that issue was a fill in by Abbnet and Lanning, I believe with Byrne on pencils.

[Retro315]

I wondered if that was Bruce and Alfred. The nice car, and the way he stands in the shadows and the black trenchcoat blows in the wind like Batman's cape ... plus a hat and maybe glasses - his face isn't really possible to see ... probably a disguise.

Anyway, I thought it was a good nod. In that situation, he wouldn't say crap. He'd show up for moral support then leave quietly. No need to cause a commotion.

I wondered if Lois wearing that Army t-shirt back ... when the heck was that? Was foreshadowing a fatherly return. Didn't think it'd be an almost "Incredible Hulk" esque dad hates my super-powered boyfriend turn, but hey ... awesome.

And recruiting Luthor - after Luthor and the Revenge Squad housed Zod's Phantom Zone forces ... the icing on the cake. The Army equipped with Kryptonite Rifles, Red Sun Pulse Rays and such ... not so powerless against 100,000 Kryptonians who aren't as honed and battle-hardened as Superman?

Things are moving along nicely.

[Slaughter]

And recruiting Luthor - after Luthor and the Revenge Squad housed Zod's Phantom Zone forces ... the icing on the cake. The Army equipped with Kryptonite Rifles, Red Sun Pulse Rays and such ... not so powerless against 100,000 Kryptonians who aren't as honed and battle-hardened as Superman?

It's time to show those aliens! that just because we can't fly and fire lasers from our eyes, it does not mean we're defenseless! ALL HAIL THE GOD-EMPEROR OF MAN, no, wait, I mean, HUMANITY WILL FIGHT!

100.000 vs Earth... I like those odds!

Can't wait to see what will happen.

[Duy]

Action Comics has been so good that collaborating with Supergirl and Superman, no matter how solidly they've done their jobs, just brings down the average.

[WorstThingUS]

It absolutely was Bruce and Alfred - and it almost brought a tear to my eye, I'm not afraid to admit.

I still say Diana would have been there. The one time they don't shove the "holy trinity" down our throats is the only time it would have been appropriate. And it's as big a mistake for Pete Ross not to be here as it was for him not to be at Jonathan Kent's funeral on Smallville. He knew the man his whole life, but then if he's there, you don't get that heavy handed drama with Lana feeling isolated, which is heavy handed and contrived. If anything, Lois is the odd person out having known Jonathan the least.

And Kryptonians...well, it seems super-dickery is just in the blood.

Lucy Lane has been totally rebooted. Never married to Ron, no child and now in the military. But again total sister rivalry contrivance given how Sam Lane faked his death in Worlds At War. There's just no way that leads to this.

And can someone tell me just when Luthor ended up in jail again? Is this a post-Salvation Run development?

[Sean Whitmore]

Lucy Lane has been totally rebooted. Never married to Ron, no child and now in the military.

There was the line about her hooking up with people in Lois' circle. I wonder if she just left him.



And can someone tell me just when Luthor ended up in jail again? Is this a post-Salvation Run development?

End of the Zod story, I believe.


SEAN

[Mat001]

And it's as big a mistake for Pete Ross not to be here as it was for him not to be at Jonathan Kent's funeral on Smallville. He knew the man his whole life, but then if he's there, you don't get that heavy handed drama with Lana feeling isolated, which is heavy handed and contrived. If anything, Lois is the odd person out having known Jonathan the least.

Uh, I'm pretty sure that was Pete Ross in the first row, near the Kents. Note the blond hair. There are three individuals to the right and then it's Kara and Lana. I also think in the back row, I see John Henry and Natasha Irons. I think Nat is the one sitting behind Lana and Kara, while John is standing behind here. I could be wrong, but I think it's them.


And Kryptonians...well, it seems super-dickery is just in the blood.

Almost all of them have been.


And can someone tell me just when Luthor ended up in jail again? Is this a post-Salvation Run development?

Possible. I think "New Krypton" is before "Salvation Run".

[Sean Whitmore]

I think "New Krypton" is before "Salvation Run".

Seriously?

I avoided Salvation Run because of my allergy to crap comics, so I don't know if there are any particular sticking points that suggest what happened in what order. But it's weird to think DC's timetable is so screwed up that they're still publishing stories that take place before a mini series that ended (6?) months ago.


SEAN

[WorstThingUS]

There was the line about her hooking up with people in Lois' circle. I wonder if she just left him.

And the baby? I'm thinking flat-out reboot.




End of the Zod story, I believe.

SEAN

Which I did not buy in protest of a year's wait. Thanks.


Uh, I'm pretty sure that was Pete Ross in the first row, near the Kents. Note the blond hair. There are three individuals to the right and then it's Kara and Lana. I also think in the back row, I see John Henry and Natasha Irons. I think Nat is the one sitting behind Lana and Kara, while John is standing behind here. I could be wrong, but I think it's them.

I think you're right. I was thrown off by a lack of a kid because who in Smallville wouldn't be at the funeral to babysit him? And it makes perfect character sense that Lana and Pete wouldn't sit together.

And on second glance, Franks is working the Christopher Reeve thing harder than ever.

[Sean Whitmore]

And the baby? I'm thinking flat-out reboot.

Certainly possible, but with Lucy in the military, it's also possible Ron has custody.


SEAN

[Spiffy]

For them most part I quite liked this book. I've been fairly hyped about the New Krypton story since I first heard about it, and this issue seems to be heading in exactly the directions I'd hoped.

I think it's entirely appropriate too that it was a combination of naivity, divided loyalties and even a bit of thoughtlessness that had Supes dumping that bottle on Earth instead of finding another empty planet for it somewhere. Superman comics are ALWAYS best in the rare times they allow him to do totally dumb shit. And this was REALLY dumb.

The "New Krypton, no they call it Earth" line was quite ominous too, moreso than the more obvious teasing bits. It shows more than anythign else the ugly side of even the best Kryptonians--arrogance. In recent years we've been teased with several stories about how much of the rest of the galaxy hated Kryptonians. Kryptonian arrogance and internal strife has been part of Supes' origin story for several incarnations.

So we've got an entire city of beings, ALL with their own agendas, ALL eventually as potentially powerful as Kal-El (and it won't even be THAT long, because remember he was "decharged" of solar energy all the way at the end of the last Crisis--so he's only had a year and change in-continuity to "recharge"). In fact, frankly, if a Kryptonian just happens to be bigger than Kal-El, its probably reasonable to assume he'll eventually be stronger.

These folks, because of their horrible political past have totally gone the other way into anarchy. In other words, no rules, nothing but personal responsibility, and certainly no reason to respect anyone on Earth for any reason, other than perhaps SOME of them having a kind of (probably still arrogant) perceived "Noblesse oblige" towards inferior beings. And since many of them were followers of Zod, even less inclined towards respecting anyone's autonomy.

And there are what? Maybe five or six heroes on Earth who could stand up to one of them in a fight? Okay, lets be generous and assume that other than Zod's people most Kryptonians have no military training, no martial arts, no tactic sense, etc. So maybe outisde of brute power, they can be tricked, manuevered etc. by a larger amount of Earth's heroes. So let's totally invent a generous number and say... two dozen or so Earth heroes could stand up to a Kryptonian with an agenda.

Is this looking bad? Yup.

It's an interesting story in that it not only puts Superman in a real gray area, it also makes you feel on some level that people like General Lane and even Luthor might... kind of have a point.

[Ratwedge]

I dont know about anyone else but im looking forward to the Kryptonians getting their arse kicked. Bring on Luthor and Kryptonite!

[Spiffy]

Possible. I think "New Krypton" is before "Salvation Run".
That messes things up in other ways. Its been at least hinted that this story arc probably doesn't end all that definitively. In other words, the Kryptonians will be probably be the new status quo to some degree. If this was really supposed to happen as long ago as that, we've got a real believability gap that the Kryptonians haven't shown up during some fairly major events since then.

I'm thinking this is post Final Crisis. We just haven't been told that yet. That would make the entire Brainiac arc post FC too, but I don't recall any reason it couldn't be. I mean we don't REALLY think FC is going to kill Lois, do we?

[Spiffy]

I dont know about anyone else but im looking forward to the Kryptonians getting their arse kicked. Bring on Luthor and Kryptonite!
I always enjoyed the version of Luthor who actually had a POINT to his seeming knee-jerk reaction against Kryptonians. It was only a bit more recently that they undid that by insisting that his seeming concern for humanity's autonomy was only a cover for him being a total fruit loop--who'd only be happy with humanity being saved... if he was the one doing the saving.

I'd actually like this to be played out with a more sane, better Luthor who's actually doing it for the right reasons. While the last several years of Superman comics have been fairly okay, overall the franchise still needs a real kick in the teeth. And played correctly, this storyline can totally do it.

Superman has to be trapped in the middle the whole time, and I'll pay top dollar if they don't wimp out and allow him some genuine heavy duty guilt and angst. Basically, every misdeed a Kryptonian does on Earth should weigh on him. And its nothing as crass as him having an overblown sense of responsibility, the classic boyscout thing, but instead because this time it WILL literally be his fault. I thought Action 870 was kind of epic with that scene of Supes just taking that bottle and dumping it off just to spite Brainiac. That lack of forethought should bite him on the ass for a LONG time--if they have the guts it may even play out as something that dogs him and follows him around so much that he'll never again (well for a couple story years at least) be that ultimate shiny hero adored by most of humanity. Because that was getting pretty boring anyway.

[Jack Zodiac]

I totally called the Sam Lane thing when Atlas showed up as a military pawn. It helped that this idea was already used, not even ten years ago.

The story's really building up. There's so much more going on in the Superbooks right now. Even with Robinson's severely disappointing start to his run and this complete newcomer on Supergirl, I'm still really excited about reading them and seeing where all of this goes.

[Mat001]

Seriously?

I avoided Salvation Run because of my allergy to crap comics, so I don't know if there are any particular sticking points that suggest what happened in what order. But it's weird to think DC's timetable is so screwed up that they're still publishing stories that take place before a mini series that ended (6?) months ago.


SEAN

I think that Lex gets out of prison after "Last Son", which then leads to "New Krypton". Then he forms the Injustice League which takes us to "Injustice League Unlimited", then he's in "Salvation Run" and then back for "Final Crisis". I could be wrong, but "New Krypton" is before "Final Crisis". Part of the problem is that the delays for "Last Son" throw things off. I think it's been said that all DCU stories published while "Final Crisis" is going, takes place before the first issue.


I think you're right. I was thrown off by a lack of a kid because who in Smallville wouldn't be at the funeral to babysit him? And it makes perfect character sense that Lana and Pete wouldn't sit together.

Exactly. Clark Ross can be kept at home with a nanny, so that his crying doesn't disrupt the service. Johns and Frank didn't forget Pete. They just aren't focusing on him right now.

[Seraku]

I hope to god Johns brings back the Superman Revenge Squad from "Last Son"

There's just something perversely amusing about Parasite and Metallo tag teaming to kill Kryptonians.

[dupersuper]

Great book. I'm refusing to accept any lame "Lucy never married Ron and had a kid" reboot, though.

[Magneto Rocks]

I was quite worried by two big factors:

1) James Robinson's apparant inability to write anything remotely resembling Superman
2) The simple idea of Superman NOT being the Last Son of Krypton for any period of time.

That said, this overcame them and more- I actually didn't enjoy the "Braniac" arc nearly as much as most people (I preferred 'Last Son' and 'Up, Up and Away!') but this looks like a big step upwards. While I continue to be totally unimpressed with the threat of the new Braniac (Who was threatening until the moment he actually 'revealed' himself and hasn't been ever since), I must say the developments with him in this issue intrigue me. I'm very interested to see where they're going with this, and the Kandor scenes in particular REALLY worked for me.

Hopefully Robinson doesn't bring it down.

[Sean Whitmore]

While I continue to be totally unimpressed with the threat of the new Braniac (Who was threatening until the moment he actually 'revealed' himself and hasn't been ever since)

I agree and don't agree. I thought his threat level was sufficient throughout the "Brainiac" story. He hadn't been that formidable since the 1950's.

But seeing him trussed up like a lab monkey this issue, and that threat is gone. The law of diminishing super-villain returns was enforced with lightning speed.


SEAN

[Retro315]

The threat's not really "gone" ... leave him too close to a loose wire and you're all screwed. Superman took him down to earth, and apparently he's dismissed nearly all of the data his probes have sent him about earth over the years, so it'll take him probably one example to realize he's got to play things cool and cunning.

Still - just the fact that he direct-connected to the military computer before Assassin destroyed it will probably be recurring forever in DCU. Brainiac's programming has officially come into contact with a government facility's system.

He might not be attached to anything thanks to Assassin, but I imagine he knows everything he needs to know and will play it cool. Brainiac can process their entire system in 1/1000th of a second.

Granted, Superman shocked him and took him down fast, and he didn't impress quite the way Zod's blitzkrieg strike did ... but Brainiac has technology that makes any escape by him something that has to be dealt with immediately. And it may already be too late ...

Brainiac has officially gotten into our systems! We're screwed!

I wonder if the Anti-Life Equation will purge him ...

[Retro315]

But seeing him trussed up like a lab monkey this issue, and that threat is gone. The law of diminishing super-villain returns was enforced with lightning speed.

If that law wasn't in effect, every villain would have destroyed the earth ten times by now, and all the heroes would be dead.

They stay "threat level alpha" and soon enough our heroes and their loved ones are killed off for shock value and to hype the cool new bad guy. Like Doomsday. They have an unforeseen weakness established, they're diminished - but at least they can learn from their mistake and come back stronger the next time.

[CYOTI]

Great book. I'm refusing to accept any lame "Lucy never married Ron and had a kid" reboot, though. Those were some of the worst 90s stuff alongside Perry adopting that black orphan, his lung cancer, Sam Lane's problems with Trope, the Daily Planet's Rush Limbaugh with a heart of gold and Hank Henshaw being an art teacher.

[Sean Whitmore]

If that law wasn't in effect, every villain would have destroyed the earth ten times by now, and all the heroes would be dead.

You kinda hope the law doesn't go into effect the second time you see the guy.


SEAN

[Mat001]

Those were some of the worst 90s stuff alongside Perry adopting that black orphan, his lung cancer, Sam Lane's problems with Trope, the Daily Planet's Rush Limbaugh with a heart of gold and Hank Henshaw being an art teacher.

What was wrong with Perry adopting Keith and his lung cancer?

[Super Buddies Forever]

Yeah, but Johns has basically stripped away the last twenty years for all of the supporting characters, minus Cat Grant's son being murdered. Why does Perry White's lung cancer hurt him as a character today? Because we like to see him chomp down on cigars, because it's so iconic? Or why does Keith White detract from anything? Because it shows Perry is more than just a hotheaded grump? Why does Ron and Lucy being a couple hurt either of them? Because that's too much development for supporting characters in the Superman universe?

The "de-characterization" of the Planet staff is the biggest stickling point I have with the Johns run and the reason I keep finding myself critical of it rather than lavishing it with praise for the well-crafted plots.

[Super Buddies Forever]

Yeah, but Johns has basically stripped away the last twenty years for all of the supporting characters, minus Cat Grant's son being murdered. Why does Perry White's lung cancer hurt him as a character today? Because we like to see him chomp down on cigars, because it's so iconic? Or why does Keith White detract from anything? Because it shows Perry is more than just a hotheaded grump? Why does Ron and Lucy being a couple hurt either of them? Because that's too much development for supporting characters in the Superman universe?

The "de-characterization" of the Planet staff is the biggest stickling point I have with the Johns run and the reason I keep finding myself critical of it rather than lavishing it with praise for the well-crafted plots.

[Super Buddies Forever]

Yeah, but Johns has basically stripped away the last twenty years for all of the supporting characters, minus Cat Grant's son being murdered. Why does Perry White's lung cancer hurt him as a character today? Because we like to see him chomp down on cigars, because it's so iconic? Or why does Keith White detract from anything? Because it shows Perry is more than just a hotheaded grump? Why does Ron and Lucy being a couple hurt either of them? Because that's too much development for supporting characters in the Superman universe?

The "de-characterization" of the Planet staff is the biggest stickling point I have with the Johns run and the reason I keep finding myself critical of it rather than lavishing it with praise for the well-crafted plots.

[Super Buddies Forever]

Yeah, but Johns has basically stripped away the last twenty years for all of the supporting characters, minus Cat Grant's son being murdered. Why does Perry White's lung cancer hurt him as a character today? Because we like to see him chomp down on cigars, because it's so iconic? Or why does Keith White detract from anything? Because it shows Perry is more than just a hotheaded grump? Why does Ron and Lucy being a couple hurt either of them? Because that's too much development for supporting characters in the Superman universe?

The "de-characterization" of the Planet staff is the biggest stickling point I have with the Johns run and the reason I keep finding myself critical of it rather than lavishing it with praise for the well-crafted plots.

[Super Buddies Forever]

Holy hell. Have no clue how that happened, but late night posting on this board tends to get wonky at times. I'll just show myself out...

[Karl O'Neill]

This was a pretty good issue, not as strong as the opening of the sinestro corps war but still great all the same. I am very interested to see which direction they are goiing to take with this franchise.

Johns is making superman books great again.

[WorstThingUS]

What was wrong with Perry adopting Keith and his lung cancer?


Seriously, especially since the whole Keith thing was well orchestrated to tie in not merely with an attack on Metropolis (we met Keith years before) but the death of Jerry White. I enjoyed the hell out of all that. I miss when Superman had an elaborate supporting cast spread out over four books.

That Rush Limbaugh character was poorly done, though.

[Gavin Higginbotham, BotF]

I was quite worried by two big factors:

1) James Robinson's apparant inability to write anything remotely resembling Superman

I LOVED the Krypto vs Atlas issue. It's the first time (except perhaps when he tried to help Superboy against Superboy-Prime) where I've actually thought Krypto was badass. I don't really "get" how Krypto looks exactly like an Earth dog but if Kryptonians and humans can look the same, then I shouldn't worry about it.

But whether or not Robinson writes a good Superman... I'm not sure. He's only had four issues so far and I enjoyed the storyline. With the promise of developing the supporting cast as he did with Starman awhile back, I can't wait to see what he's going to do.

[CBikle]

Seriously, especially since the whole Keith thing was well orchestrated to tie in not merely with an attack on Metropolis (we met Keith years before) but the death of Jerry White. I enjoyed the hell out of all that. I miss when Superman had an elaborate supporting cast spread out over four books.

That Rush Limbaugh character was poorly done, though.

All of that stuff, just sounds awful.

I'm glad I missed it and I'm hoping that none of it is revisited, especially that "lung cancer" stupidity, which I'm sure was handled with all the ham-handedness which can usually be expected from a politically correct anti-smoking story arc.

[CYOTI]

What was wrong with Perry adopting Keith and his lung cancer? What was the point other than typical 90s political correctness? I mean it has no impact given that Perry is still smoking again and the kid has practically disappeared since the Superman books reshuffled over to Eddie Berganza's stable. The Perry cancer story probably would have worked better in retrospect if they had the guts to kill him given the high fatality rate of the disease..

[CYOTI]

Seriously, especially since the whole Keith thing was well orchestrated to tie in not merely with an attack on Metropolis (we met Keith years before) but the death of Jerry White. Jerry White died long before Keith got adopted by the Whites. I don't think he was introduced when Jerry died.

[Sean Whitmore]

I mean it has no impact given that Perry is still smoking again

Years later, under different writers and editors.

Might as well ask what the impact of any story is.


SEAN

[CYOTI]

The "de-characterization" of the Planet staff is the biggest stickling point I have with the Johns run and the reason I keep finding myself critical of it rather than lavishing it with praise for the well-crafted plots.What exactly would be the point of Keith or Perry's lung cancer. They all occured due to heavy handed political correctness. and never amounted to much story wise. Johns dumped them along with Ron and Lucy because they were practically ignored afterwards. How many times did you see Keith or the other stuff when Johns's predecessors like Rucka or Loeb referencing the stuff? They were all reset or erased exactly because they were ignored.

[Sean Whitmore]

They all occured due to heavy handed political correctness.

Hey, let's get the phrase political correctness in this thread another three times, then people will start coming to their senses!


SEAN

[jeangreydp]

There was the line about her hooking up with people in Lois' circle. I wonder if she just left him.


SEAN

Yeah, I was really confused about this part! What about Ron and Sam? I don't appreciate a re-boot in this case. I think John's has enough talent to make his story work without wiping away her entire history.

[Mat001]

Jerry White died long before Keith got adopted by the Whites. I don't think he was introduced when Jerry died.

Keith was introduced after Jerry White's death, but the plan to have the Whites adopt him didn't come until the spring of 1994, when Louise Simonson wanted to resolve Keith's storyline with his mother. The Whites were chosen to keep him in the books.


What was the point other than typical 90s political correctness? I mean it has no impact given that Perry is still smoking again and the kid has practically disappeared since the Superman books reshuffled over to Eddie Berganza's stable. The Perry cancer story probably would have worked better in retrospect if they had the guts to kill him given the high fatality rate of the disease..

Every member of the supporting cast was dropped because too many people complained about them and the writing team at the time didn't want them in the books. As soon as they were gone, fans started complaining because they were gone. Hence the fans are their own worst enemy, because they don't know what the hell they want.

Perry's only smoking again because it's an iconic aspect of the character and the books are going for iconic. And the lung cancer story has no impact unless he dies? Wow, that's morbid. Yeah, it has a high fatality rate but guess what, not everyone dies from it. So the stories only suck because of political correctness as you define it. Okay. Got it.

I mean, the lung cancer couldn't be anything other than trying to warn readers of the dangers of smoking. Same way that Jim Gordon having a heart attack because of stress, smoking and poor health didn't send a message to readers. Or the Robin story where Tim had to deal with teenage sex with his then girlfriend Arianna. Or the Hulk stories dealing with child abuse, abortion and AIDS were all about being PC. Not trying to send a message and hoping that the reader stops and takes a second look.


Johns dumped them along with Ron and Lucy because they were practically ignored afterwards. How many times did you see Keith or the other stuff when Johns's predecessors like Rucka or Loeb referencing the stuff? They were all reset or erased exactly because they were ignored.

Rucka used Lucy and refered to her son, even showing him, during "That Healing Touch". Loeb, Kelly, DeMatties and Schultz used Ron during their first year, but he and Lucy were written out with all other supporting characters to focus on the original characters from before 1986. If not for the complaints about the supporting cast, almost none of them would've been shipped off to limbo.


I'm glad I missed it and I'm hoping that none of it is revisited, especially that "lung cancer" stupidity, which I'm sure was handled with all the ham-handedness which can usually be expected from a politically correct anti-smoking story arc.

Not really. Perry had already stopped smoking after reading that it contributed to Jim Gordon's heart attack, back in 91. This also lead to Jonathan trying to get in shape because he knew that his health wasn't that great. The following year, he had his heart attack. When the lung cancer arc began in 96, there wasn't a big old speech about the dangers of smoking. Rather the story focused on the fact that Perry was afraid to tell Alice and Keith about his diagnosis and Clark convincing him to do so. Then the story focused on Perry's fight, while Clark had to cover for him and still be Superman. It wasn't done with any ham-handedness at all. The only reference to smoking was the fact that it contributed to his illness and lamenting that he didn't quit sooner. And that only happened on one page in one issue. After that, it wasn't really mentioned again.

I enjoyed that arc because it showed how a family deals with cancer, which for me is poignant, since I had lost a family member to it five years earlier.

[Sean Whitmore]

Every member of the supporting cast was dropped because too many people complained about them and the writing team at the time didn't want them in the books. As soon as they were gone, fans started complaining because they were gone. Hence the fans are their own worst enemy, because they don't know what the hell they want.

Isn't it a lot simpler to assume that it was different fans complaining about the big cast and then complaining when they were gone?

It's not that fans don't know what they want, it's that different fans want different things. So no matter what the writers do, someone's not gonna like it.


SEAN

[WorstThingUS]

Isn't it a lot simpler to assume that it was different fans complaining about the big cast and then complaining when they were gone?

It's not that fans don't know what they want, it's that different fans want different things. So no matter what the writers do, someone's not gonna like it.
SEAN

We're ignoring that Superman once had four monthly books and a quarterly one over which to distribute his large supporting cast and once it dropped down to three then to two, it's understandable if some saw it as a bit too much. I mean given how lax and flat out lazy they are regarding continuity on lead characters, you think someone is going to take the time to keep up with tertiary ones?

[Mat001]

Isn't it a lot simpler to assume that it was different fans complaining about the big cast and then complaining when they were gone?

It's not that fans don't know what they want, it's that different fans want different things. So no matter what the writers do, someone's not gonna like it.


Maybe, perhaps. Either answer is valid, even if it pretty much comes down to the fact that there was a complaint and the creative teams responded. I think this is why Bergenza (sp) came out in 02 and was confused by how the fans reacted to the stories. First they were upset because the books were going downhill and wanted new talent and other demans. So they give them that, but then get mad when the talent starts crapping out on them and doing things they didn't like.


We're ignoring that Superman once had four monthly books and a quarterly one over which to distribute his large supporting cast and once it dropped down to three then to two, it's understandable if some saw it as a bit too much. I mean given how lax and flat out lazy they are regarding continuity on lead characters, you think someone is going to take the time to keep up with tertiary ones?

The thing was continuity of the characters wasn't the problem. It was that there were too many characters to follow. One of those complaints that I read about in Wizard, yes I know it's Wizard, but hear me out. One of those complaints was that the cast took time away from Superman, because of their size. This lead to Wizard's suggestion and others picked up on it, that his supporting cast was getting in the way. I think even Mark Millar said that the writers at the time weren't interested in writing about Superman. Just his supporting cast.

Besides, there were four main books and the quarterly whenever it came out, back in 99. The supporting cast vanished almost overnight, as soon as the new team came on. By the end of 2000, only a handful were still left and then they were gone by mid 2001. Long before the books started dropping like flies. Clark, Lois, Perry, Jimmy, Jonathan, Martha, Lana, Pete, Lex, John Henry, Natasha, Krypto, Ned, Hope and Mercy were it by 2003. Sam and Ella were around for a while going into and coming out of "Our Worlds At War", but before long, they were both gone. And Perry and Jimmy were regulated to cameo roles, without the in-depth looks that we had in the 80's and 90's. John and Nat were only used by Schultz and when he left, only Loeb used them for a few months. Nat appeared a couple of times after that. Krypto moved to the Titans book, Ned vanished and so did Lex's bodyguards. Casey gave us a couple of issues with Turpin, but that was it.

Anyway, I'm glad at least that the supporting players have returned. Sure, it's a bit sad that they've changed a couple of things, but at least we have a supporting cast again. The books are, to me at least, returning to the way they were when I had to leave ten years ago. Sure, there are changes, but at least with Crisis, these changes have an explaination. More so than what was done with the conclusion of the Futuresmiths storyline.

[Samy]

Anyway, as to the New Krypton Special itself, I thought it was okay. Perfectly competent but didn't really wow me. It did catch me offguard twice, when it was revealed that the military had Brainiac, and when Sam Lane returned. And that's a good thing. I also like the setup where, as another poster said, Lane and Luthor might have a valid point about preparing defenses against Kryptonians. There's a lot of setup *for* good stuff to come, but I'm not sure there's much good stuff *in* the issue itself. Just laying the foundation stones I guess, it's dull work but has to be done.

How does this military operation connect to the Squad K operation we saw a couple years back, headed by that Ulysses guy? Is Squad K a part of Lane's whole master plan?

[Bored at 3:00AM]

With the exception of the dull-tastic Codename: Assassin nonsense, this was pretty good stuff. Not nearly the Adrenalin Shot of Excitement that the Sinestro Corps War one-shot was though.

But lots of potential here.

[Pyro]

Yeah, but Johns has basically stripped away the last twenty years for all of the supporting characters, minus Cat Grant's son being murdered. Why does Perry White's lung cancer hurt him as a character today? Because we like to see him chomp down on cigars, because it's so iconic? Or why does Keith White detract from anything? Because it shows Perry is more than just a hotheaded grump? Why does Ron and Lucy being a couple hurt either of them? Because that's too much development for supporting characters in the Superman universe?

The "de-characterization" of the Planet staff is the biggest stickling point I have with the Johns run and the reason I keep finding myself critical of it rather than lavishing it with praise for the well-crafted plots.To be honest, I agree that Geoff Johns' biggest weakness is integrating a supporting cast into his stories. However, I think he's doing a better job of it on Action Comics than he has on Green Lantern. It's not even a weakness, necessarily, because he really focuses on telling a good story about the hero, and he's so good at that it's hard for me to fault him.

That said, I was not very impressed with this special. I'm not positive exactly how the story was divided up, but the overall set-up was a little boring. I did find the New Krypton scene very unsettling, though. Seeing the Superman and Supergirl turn their backs on dead blue whale as Kara said "it'll be fine" was effectively ominous in showing how irresponsible the New Kryptonians are with their newfound powers. But I could care less about the whole Sam Lane, Atlas, Codename: Assassin, Must-Kill-Aliens deal. I suppose it's necessary to bring this whole thing to a head, I just don't find it very interesting.

[Lupek]

This was mostly terrific.

I might have even gotten a little misty a few times.

[kane]

I hope it will be not necessary to buy the supergirl issues to follow the whole story. I never cared about her and never will, so i will skip the supergirl issues of New Krypton.

I think the main story should be in the superman books and the supergirl issues should be only tie-ins.

[G. Wayne]

Yee-yikes, I've only been reading Superman since Godfall, so the historical significance of the return of General Ross--, er, General Lane was lost on me. It sounds like I missed a lot in the 90's, but it also seems like nothing of interest to look into.


...The "New Krypton, no they call it Earth" line was quite ominous too, moreso than the more obvious teasing bits. It shows more than anythign else the ugly side of even the best Kryptonians--arrogance. In recent years we've been teased with several stories about how much of the rest of the galaxy hated Kryptonians. Kryptonian arrogance and internal strife has been part of Supes' origin story for several incarnations.

Not to mention when Clark said something in regards to learning about the cultures of Earth, and the immediate response was "Why would we want to less Kryptonian?"


So we've got an entire city of beings, ALL with their own agendas, ALL eventually as potentially powerful as Kal-El (and it won't even be THAT long, because remember he was "decharged" of solar energy all the way at the end of the last Crisis--so he's only had a year and change in-continuity to "recharge"). In fact, frankly, if a Kryptonian just happens to be bigger than Kal-El, its probably reasonable to assume he'll eventually be stronger.

These folks, because of their horrible political past have totally gone the other way into anarchy. In other words, no rules, nothing but personal responsibility, and certainly no reason to respect anyone on Earth for any reason, other than perhaps SOME of them having a kind of (probably still arrogant) perceived "Noblesse oblige" towards inferior beings. And since many of them were followers of Zod, even less inclined towards respecting anyone's autonomy.

And there are what? Maybe five or six heroes on Earth who could stand up to one of them in a fight? Okay, lets be generous and assume that other than Zod's people most Kryptonians have no military training, no martial arts, no tactic sense, etc. So maybe outisde of brute power, they can be tricked, manuevered etc. by a larger amount of Earth's heroes. So let's totally invent a generous number and say... two dozen or so Earth heroes could stand up to a Kryptonian with an agenda.

Is this looking bad? Yup...

Clark still has his experience with the powers over the others, but still, yeah, this looks all sorts of not good. :biggrin:

[lawman]

I still say Diana would have been there. The one time they don't shove the "holy trinity" down our throats is the only time it would have been appropriate. And it's as big a mistake for Pete Ross not to be here as it was for him not to be at Jonathan Kent's funeral on Smallville...
I agree with Mat: I think that was him in the first row, standing and shaking Clark's hand.


Lucy Lane has been totally rebooted. Never married to Ron, no child and now in the military.
Too many assumptions here. All we actually know is that she's now in the military. Absent incontrovertible evidence to the contrary, I prefer to assume that her marriage with Ron is still on the record. (And really, what would be the point of retconning that?)


And can someone tell me just when Luthor ended up in jail again? Is this a post-Salvation Run development?
I, too, was wondering how he wound up in the pokey. Certainly he's been arrested before... but if he actually, finally, got convicted of something and imprisoned, you might think it would've merited a mention in a comic somewhere.

[lawman]

I'm thinking this is post Final Crisis. We just haven't been told that yet. That would make the entire Brainiac arc post FC too, but I don't recall any reason it couldn't be. I mean we don't REALLY think FC is going to kill Lois, do we?
I agree with this. (Certainly no way it can be before Salvation Run, anyway: we saw the scene where he was captured and handed over directly to Waller and the Squad way back in JLA #13.)


That lack of forethought should bite him on the ass for a LONG time--if they have the guts it may even play out as something that dogs him and follows him around so much that he'll never again (well for a couple story years at least) be that ultimate shiny hero adored by most of humanity. Because that was getting pretty boring anyway.
But not with this. What I'm looking forward too is how he manages to fix things, not how terrible he feels about the problem. (Superman should be admired, just as Batman should be feared. It's intrinsic to what they are.)

[lawman]

What was the point other than typical 90s political correctness? I mean it has no impact given that Perry is still smoking again...
Acknowledging the dangers of smoking is mere "political correctness" to you? Yeesh. It's not as if they completely banned the appearance of smoking in their comics, like Marvel did; it was just one storyline, and appropriate for the character. What's really disappointing, character-wise, is that Perry successfully quit... but evidently lost the will to stick with it and started up again.


...and the kid has practically disappeared since the Superman books reshuffled over to Eddie Berganza's stable.
Well, the books took a big downhill turn then in a lot of ways, IMHO. We haven't seen Perry's wife in years, either. Should we therefore also assume she's been erased from history and he's single? :rolleyes:

[lawman]

Yeah, but Johns has basically stripped away the last twenty years for all of the supporting characters, minus Cat Grant's son being murdered. Why does Perry White's lung cancer hurt him as a character today? Because we like to see him chomp down on cigars, because it's so iconic? Or why does Keith White detract from anything? Because it shows Perry is more than just a hotheaded grump? Why does Ron and Lucy being a couple hurt either of them? Because that's too much development for supporting characters in the Superman universe?

The "de-characterization" of the Planet staff is the biggest stickling point I have with the Johns run and the reason I keep finding myself critical of it rather than lavishing it with praise for the well-crafted plots.
I completely agree. I reject the idea that all of that has been officially retconned, though, as opposed to just "ignored"; it makes Johns' one-note characterizations at least marginally more tolerable. (The comparison with the subtle and insightful handling of these characters in Kurt Busiek's simultaneous run was particularly glaring, IMHO.)