Pa Kent's Death

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

I think Jonathan's metabolism was taxed by all the vacillations of the artists who worked him over. Losing hair, growing hair, decreasing in height, increasing in height, losing muscle, gaining muscle, getting glasses, losing glasses, losing weight, gaining weight, getting older, getting younger. When he looked in a mirror he probably never recognized himself.

[pheveleme]

Nearly all of the things you assert is astonishingly legitimate and that makes me wonder why I hadn't looked at this with this light before. Your piece really did turn the light on for me personally as far as this specific subject matter goes. But at this time there is 1 issue I am not necessarily too cozy with and whilst I make an effort to reconcile that with the central theme of your issue, let me see exactly what all the rest of your readers have to say.Well done.

[dupersuper]

I'm sure I'll kick myself, but I can't place the first pic.

[Auguste Dupin]

I'm sure I'll kick myself, but I can't place the first pic.

Action Comic 6.

[Mat001]

But that's what I mean. The death should be a quiet and powerful thing, not some SFX action extravaganza. The Donner movie handled a heart attack in a very emotionally real and moving way. The comic was like, "LOOK OUT -- MISSILES!!!!" For me, it drastically cheapened the moment. At the point they needed to be the most serious, I thought they instead chose to go super-cheesy.

It was also a callback to the first Donner film, where Clark was distracted with the disasters that he was containing, while Lois was in danger and dying. Hence those last few pages were much like the scene where Clark finally hears Lois and racing to the rescue, only to arrive too late. Donner's own take was influenced by the first episode of the 50's series, where Eben Kent just keeled over.

[lovelikewinter]

In the 1940's Adventures of Superman book, he died of a heart attack after trying to win a strongman contest for money the family needed. Clark won easily.

It's Superman showed Jonathan dying of a heart condition several years after cancer took Martha.

I personally think Jonathan's dying wish that Clark use his powers to help people and the subsequent image of him saying goodbye to his old life over their graves are essential parts of the mythos.

[misslane38]

Donner's own take was influenced by the first episode of the 50's series, where Eben Kent just keeled over.

I knew I must have forgotten one...

[Ironman2978]

In the 1940's Adventures of Superman book, he died of a heart attack after trying to win a strongman contest for money the family needed. Clark won easily.

It's Superman showed Jonathan dying of a heart condition several years after cancer took Martha.

I personally think Jonathan's dying wish that Clark use his powers to help people and the subsequent image of him saying goodbye to his old life over their graves are essential parts of the mythos.

This, I never was the biggest fans of Jonathan(sometimes also Martha) being alive when Clark is Superman (along with Clark being a football jock, Clark using his powers as Superboy in public(much more a fan of Clark saving people in secret like Smallville and Post-Infinite Crisis comics), and Pete not knowing Clark is Superman Post Crisis of Infinite Earths,among many other things) To me there deaths are important to Clark becoming Superman to me.

[stk]

It was also a callback to the first Donner film, where Clark was distracted with the disasters that he was containing, while Lois was in danger and dying. Hence those last few pages were much like the scene where Clark finally hears Lois and racing to the rescue, only to arrive too late.

I just didn't think it was effective at all. In the movie, Clark really blames himself and questions his own worth due to his inability to prevent mundane, normal life from moving on -- coming to grips with the idea he's not omnipotent and will have to face the same inevitabilities in life that everyone else does.

But in the comic, it's almost like Brainiac kills his dad. He attempts to kill them, fires missiles, and Pa Kent dies. It's essentially directly Brainiac's fault. That is a completely different story dynamic, and for me, not an interesting one.

[Auguste Dupin]

I just didn't think it was effective at all. In the movie, Clark really blames himself and questions his own worth due to his inability to prevent mundane, normal life from moving on -- coming to grips with the idea he's not omnipotent and will have to face the same inevitabilities in life that everyone else does.

But in the comic, it's almost like Brainiac kills his dad. He attempts to kill them, fires missiles, and Pa Kent dies. It's essentially directly Brainiac's fault. That is a completely different story dynamic, and for me, not an interesting one.

I kinda agree with this. I will also add that it felt really petty of Brainiac and cheap of the story to kill Pa Kent like that.