Man of Steel

[thecolorsblend]

I haven't actually, but I will do now you've recommended it. At the moment I'm reading Showcase Presents: The Trial of the Flash (it's almost 600 pages long, and I'm barely 200 pages into it!), but sometime soon I'm going to start reading Superman comics nonstop in the run-up to Man of Steel's release date. Up, Up & Away is now at the top my reading list.

Forgot to mention it but "Back In Action" takes place immediately after UU&A and is also well worth checking out.

Incidentally, what are your favourite Superman comics, colors? You must have read more of them than anyone else on the site. Are there any that really stick out in your mind as being special?

Generally I'm more into "eras". The Bronze Age, for example, has a lot of awesome stories and a lot of kinda weird ones. But one story I'm in love with is Superman #246/Danger- Monster At Work. It all takes place in one night. Just another night on the job if you're Superman. You see a mad scientist, his creation escapes, a little bit of Clark's private life (including a really preachy B-plot), Superman taking down the mad scientist's creation, Swanderson art, the whole burrito. I seriously doubt this is in anybody's top five greatest Superman stories ever but it's just a solid little done-in-one tale. Stuff like this isn't easily collected into a trade but is still awesome stuff.

But as far as more trade-friendly stories, there's obviously Kryptonite Nevermore, which kicked off in Superman #233 and, for my money, marks Superman's real entry into the Bronze Age. There's a DC Library Edition of this story that I DO NOT recommend picking up. It's a swanky hardcover with an intro by Denny O'Neil and high quality, thick paper. The problem is that the art looks like complete crapola. It's as if someone took the original crappy masters from the 70's and just slapped onto the hardcover pages. All this for something like $30. Freaking ripoff! If the art didn't look so horrible (by modern standards) I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this son of a son. But if you can find the individual issues, it's definitely worth it. But now that I think about it, I believe you're already well familiar with this story.

The Byrne Age is another example of stuff that isn't really trade-friendly (Doomsday stuff notwithstanding) but is still full of great stories. Yeah, there's stuff like Panic in the Sky but that kind of thing is fairly common place nowadays even though it was pretty special at the time. The Brainiac trilogy from, oh, maybe 1989 or 1990 is another winner. As I recall, it all takes place in Action Comics. The issues of Superman and Adventures of Superman that were published in between are meant to be part of the "filler" between chapters of the trilogy... otherwise the pacing of the Action Comics stories are shot straight to hell. It's the kind of storytelling you could probably only have gotten away with back in the earlyearlyearly 90's. But it basically transforms Brainiac from the Milton Fine incarnation into the then modern green skinned version.

Exile is another solid story from that era. You need to read starting from the lead up to the Supergirl Saga, the Supergirl Saga itself (where Superman whacks the Zoners from the Pocket Universe), his subsequent nervous breakdown and then his exile from Earth. People who think Superman is too flawed and perfect really need to read this story because it shows that Superman's perfection is in a way an imperfection. Superman doesn't kill. Ever. Period. But when he's faced with circumstances where there is no other choice against foes who are too dangerous to be left alive, he does what he has to do... but it so violates his nature that he simply can't handle it. So he (arguably) made the wrong choice (if for all the right reasons), suffers the consequences and then makes another wrong choice in exiling himself rather than, oh I dunno, seeing a shrink. Superman is undone (however temporarily) by his virtue and morality. Lex Luthor never stood a chance of defeating Superman because he could never imagine how to use Superman's own morality against him. This story is groundbreaking for a lot of reasons.

Dark Knight Over Metropolis (coming soon to a trade near you!) is another winner from the Byrne Age. Back before Batman and Superman teaming was a monthly occurrence, it was always special when those two got together. The concept of Superman giving Batman the Kryptonite ring? That's absolute canon these days... and it happened in this story. To me, this story should have been the beginning of the end of the "uneasy" Batman/Superman relationship but writers have had a boner for it for decades and at this point there's no reason to think it'll ever go away (in spite of how freaking illogical it is). But that's neither here nor there. Point is this is another oldie but goldie.

For the lightning round, I'd also mention Eradication, that "War of Doxes" stuff, Day of the Krypton Man, Krisis of the Krimson Kryptonite, Time & Time Again and Return of the Krypton Man (which is more significant because of the art or subplots than it is the main plot but it's still good).

[Silver Nemesis]

I've read the Kryptonite Nevermore story arc and some of that Byrne stuff, but I think most of those comics are new to me. I'd love to read them, but when it comes to the Pre-Crisis comics like Superman #246 (which sounds very intriguing, btw) it's the same old problem – trying to find a decent quality edition that's still in print and available at a reasonable price. But I'll be sure to add Dark Knight Over Metropolis to my reading list. I've read most of the Superman/Batman team-ups, but somehow that one's slipped me by until now.

Speaking of Superman #233, I've got to post this awesome scene.



Never let it be said that Superman lacks a sense of humour. Especially when trolling his enemies.

[thecolorsblend]

I've read the Kryptonite Nevermore story arc and some of that Byrne stuff, but I think most of those comics are new to me. I'd love to read them, but when it comes to the Pre-Crisis comics like Superman #246 (which sounds very intriguing, btw) it's the same old problem – trying to find a decent quality edition that's still in print and available at a reasonable price. But I'll be sure to add Dark Knight Over Metropolis to my reading list. I've read most of the Superman/Batman team-ups, but somehow that one's slipped me by until now.

That might be partly because DC, in their infinite wisdom, never reprinted the story. The Kryptonite ring deal was a huge part of their relationship for years, it even showed up in Batman Beyond if I recall, but the issues in which the handover was made... nada. But the trade is coming soon so I've been encouraging as many people as possible to pre-order it since DC is skittish about reprinting that son of a buck even now.

Speaking of Superman #233, I've got to post this awesome scene.



Never let it be said that Superman lacks a sense of humour. Especially when trolling his enemies.

Yep. O'Neil's Superman was not just a posing boy scout. He freely mixed it up with his enemies. I'd argue Cary Bates and Elliot Maggin continued that but O'Neil really reinvigorated that aspect of the character.

[BatmAngelus]

Speaking of, did you ever read One Year Later/Up, Up & Away? It's out there in trade. It's pretty good too. Nobody is going to tell me that it isn't DC Comics giving Bryan Singer the middle finger though. What, a very similar storyline comes out in the comics at about the same time as Singerman and I'm supposed to assume one has nothing to do with the other? Please. For sheer cojones if nothing else, the UU&A trade is worth checking out.

I've heard of this one but haven't read it.  Based on your comments, shall I assume this is "The story of Superman Returns done better"?

[thecolorsblend]

Precisely. There are too many parallels for me to ever believe it's a coincidence. My firm belief is Geoff Johns and co. saw the script for Singerman, had the same puke-reflex the rest of us did and then decided to do their own version. And to be honest, it takes a lot of balls to take the other guy's move and say "no you moron, THIS is how you do it".

[Silver Nemesis]

Last Son tackled some ideas from Superman Returns too. Mainly the storyline about the kid. But I thought Donner and Johns did a better job of it than Singer. Now I'm looking forward to seeing which aspects of the movie Johns tackled in Up, Up & Away.

On the subject of Man of Steel, has anyone else heard anything about those Jenny Olson rumours? I hope it isn't true, but some people are saying Jimmy's going to be a girl in the new movie. I know the Jimmy in the comics has a penchant for transvestism, but he's never undergone a full blown sex change before now.

[thecolorsblend]

Last Son tackled some ideas from Superman Returns too. Mainly the storyline about the kid. But I thought Donner and Johns did a better job of it than Singer. Now I'm looking forward to seeing which aspects of the movie Johns tackled in Up, Up & Away.

I sort of derailed the thread a bit already or else I would've mentioned how that part Last Son matched up with Singerman... and, again, does a better job of giving Superman a "son" than Singerman did.

[BatmAngelus]

On the subject of Man of Steel, has anyone else heard anything about those Jenny Olson rumours? I hope it isn't true, but some people are saying Jimmy's going to be a girl in the new movie. I know the Jimmy in the comics has a penchant for transvestism, but he's never undergone a full blown sex change before now.

Only source for this seems to be the IMDB listing, which is notoriously unreliable when it comes to cast lists for upcoming movies.  Most notorious example is how, one time, it listed Rosemary Harris (Aunt May) as playing Carnage in Spider-Man 3.  (Though that would have been interesting...)

Even then, Comic Book Movie.com (not the most reliable site, either) says that supposedly Jenny is Jimmy's sister and not literally a female Jimmy Olsen:
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/JakeLester/news/?a=75581
For now, I wouldn't believe anything until we get confirmation from legit sources. 

What is true is that the actress listed for "Jenny," Rebecca Buller, looks like the woman who's running with Laurence Fishburne's Perry White in the second trailer.  There's another shot of her in the latest trailer, too, that could be from the same scene since there are people running.  So she may be Perry White's Assistant or Daily Planet Intern #2 for all we know.

It's very much possible someone matched up Rebecca as the woman running with Fishburne, decided to play a joke, and edited IMDB to say she was "Jenny Olsen."  Commence fan freakout.

[ElCuervoMuerto]

I really wouldn't care if Jimmy was changed to Jenny honestly. I think this movie is going to deal with Superman's reveal to the world and how Clark (the farm-boy Clark from Kansas) comes to turns with this. I'm willing to bet that Clark Kent the reporter/disguise is being saved for a sequel. I can even see the film ending with him putting on the glasses. 

[Silver Nemesis]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=565614883483718&set=pb.221774371201106.-2207520000.1368625177.&type=3&theater

"Jenny Olsen"