Superman '78 (2021)

[The Laughing Fish]

Issue five came out a few days ago, and I read it just now. Once again, spoilers in white below.

It's an entertaining to read, although predictable. Superman's freedom from the bottle city of Kandor and battle with Brainiac will continue into the sixth and last issue, while Lex appears to attempt to enter Brainiac's ship via a hot air balloon. Quite fitting for this universe's Lex.

I noticed a number of Easter eggs in this issue:

-Lex appears in a purple jumper as he wore in the Pre-Crisis comics while travelling in the hot air balloon.
-The robot Kelex from John Byrne's MOS mini-series appears, and it observes Jor-El preparing the scientific calculations to resize and free his son from Kandor.
-Gus Gorman from Superman III looks on with terror, as the entire city of Metropolis is getting extracted by Brainiac.
-A man who looks like Shaggy from Scooby-Doo appears in a crowd looking as Metropolis is under attack. Don't know if this was intentional, but the similarity to that character is definitely there.
-Superman screaming in pain as his body is getting resized back to normal size and escaping captivity is very identical to his grief over Lois' death in the Donner movie. I suspect these images must've been traced from the movie scene.
-Superman steps into the portal with the Spinning Rings as we saw in S78 and Superman II to undergo his escape from Kandor.

Superman's fight with the Brainiac bots is pretty decent, and the scene where he uses super speed to catch all the prison bottles, including Kandor, is a nice touch.

So now we're up to the last issue, it should be action-packed. But we still haven't seen anything about Nuclear Man or the Phantom Zone villains as of yet. We should see these characters make their cameos next, though how they will fit in remains to be seen.

[Silver Nemesis]

I just read the final issue. SPOILERS ahoy.

The quality of Superman '78 has been consistent throughout, and this last chapter didn't disappoint me. Most of the action concerns the final battle between Superman and Brainiac, but there's also a tense sequence where Superman saves Metropolis that visually evokes a scene from Superman Returns. There's a nice final exchange between Clark and his parents in which Kal-El's status as a symbol of hope is touchingly emphasised, and several promising plot strands are left open ended for a possible sequel. I'd actually really like to see a continuation of this series to find out where some of those strands lead. Will Superman restore his parents and the other occupants of the bottled cities to their original state, and how will he track down and apprehend the fugitive Lex? Did Brainiac's consciousness survive the destruction of his ship? There are also some amusing Easter egg references to the movies, such as Lex's hot air balloon from Superman II and the Jingo machine in Perry's office from Superman III. The Goonies cameo was a bit weird, but I guess it was intended as a tribute to Donner. All in all, a satisfying denouement.

On the whole, I view the Superman '78 series as a success. There's nothing groundbreaking about it, and certain aspects are incongruous with the continuity of the Donnerverse sequels (or the Singerverse timeline for that matter), but I enjoyed it. It told an engaging and straightforward story that balanced humour, action and drama, maintained a strong sense of pacing and ended each issue with a hook that made me want to read the next one. The art work captured the look of the films and the likenesses of the actors, and the general feel was one of nostalgic familiarity mixed with an exciting expansion of the mythology. There were some twists I didn't see coming (especially the reveal that Lara and Jor-El are still alive), and the whole thing ended on an upbeat note that left me wanting more.

Again, nothing groundbreaking. But a fun and satisfying addition to the Donnerverse.

[The Laughing Fish]

I was a bit let down by this final chapter, if this series is one and done and will not continue. Some questions were left unanswered, and the other Donnerverse villains that were teased on social media didn't appear at all. With that all said, I still think Superman 78 was entertaining to read, and I enjoyed it better than Batman 89.

[The Dark Knight]

There were some twists I didn't see coming (especially the reveal that Lara and Jor-El are still alive), and the whole thing ended on an upbeat note that left me wanting more.

Gotta be honest and say I'm disappointed that Jor-El and Lara are the real deal and alive at the end of the story. Unless there's a continuation of this comic I'd prefer to have seen that plot point closed. It's a huge development to introduce into this continuity with zero reference to it in subsequent films. I personally don't think they have any place existing this far into the story and should meet their demise with Krypton. But that aside, this comic was a success. Especially for Lex.

[thecolorsblend]

There were some twists I didn't see coming (especially the reveal that Lara and Jor-El are still alive), and the whole thing ended on an upbeat note that left me wanting more.

There are certain character deaths that rly should be inviolable. Apparently, I've lost the argument when it comes to Jason Todd and Bucky. So be it.

But Thomas and Martha Wayne, Uncle Ben, Jor-El and Lara ought to stay dead.

[Silver Nemesis]

Gotta be honest and say I'm disappointed that Jor-El and Lara are the real deal and alive at the end of the story. Unless there's a continuation of this comic I'd prefer to have seen that plot point closed. It's a huge development to introduce into this continuity with zero reference to it in subsequent films. I personally don't think they have any place existing this far into the story and should meet their demise with Krypton. But that aside, this comic was a success. Especially for Lex.

There are certain character deaths that rly should be inviolable. Apparently, I've lost the argument when it comes to Jason Todd and Bucky. So be it.

But Thomas and Martha Wayne, Uncle Ben, Jor-El and Lara ought to stay dead.

The survival of Lara and Jor-El is certainly the single biggest discrepency between the comic and the movies. I'm assuming that Venditti has something planned for this particular subplot should the series be extended – that he'll reveal Lara and Jor-El are actually clones or doppelgangers from another universe, or that he'll kill them off in such a way that restores the earlier status quo. If not, and if these six issues represent the entirety of the series, then I don't see how the comic can be reconciled with Superman II-IV. Not unless it erases the events of those movies and begins a new timeline. But dubious canonicity notwithstanding, I still enjoyed Superman '78 for what it is.

Regarding Jason Todd, I've always felt that he should have remained dead and his heroic status been left untarnished. There's a modern perception of Jason as the rebellious 'failed' Robin who flaunted a bad attitude and was always talking back to Batman, but he only really behaved like that during the Death in the Family arc. Earlier comics, and especially those of the Pre-Crisis era, had portrayed Jason as a funny and dependable ally for Batman, much like his predecessor Dick Grayson had been. The Post-Crisis Jason was also depicted positively in The Cult, which ranks alongside A Death in the Family as the best Modern Age Todd-Robin story. It was just that final arc that made him out to be a bad tempered liability, and unfortunately that's coloured how posterity has regarded him ever since. His villainous resurrection only cemented that negative reputation further.

I do like some of the stories that take place after his resurrection – especially Hush, Under the Hood and Battle for the Cowl – but I would have preferred it if the villainous Jason had been a clone. That way the real Jason could have been left to rest in peace.

[The Dark Knight]

Characters that provide the hero with foundational angst need to stay dead. They're the bedrock of their crusade and provide constant grounding. They are a story and an idea that remains at the back of their mind every day. Resurrecting them changes the dynamic way too much. I don't have a problem with resurrecting certain characters during the course of a career, though. But it's a rare exception. And Jason Todd is that exception for me. I fell in love with Under The Red Hood as a piece of epic drama. I like the theme of Batman having to confront a past failure head on, clinging on to the memory of the boy he once knew, rather than the bitter and twisted man he now sees in front of him.

[The Laughing Fish]

There are certain character deaths that rly should be inviolable. Apparently, I've lost the argument when it comes to Jason Todd and Bucky. So be it.

But Thomas and Martha Wayne, Uncle Ben, Jor-El and Lara ought to stay dead.

As much as I enjoyed the Superman 78 comics, l did find them to be derivative. The story had to do something different to be somewhat memorable, so I didn't mind that Jor-El and Lara were alive and imprisoned by Brainiac. I do think Superman's relationship with his parents could've been much deeper, but as far as glorified fan fiction is concerned, I can accept it. Look on the bright side, at least they didn't copy JJ Abrams' Superman Reborn idea of making Lex Luthor a Kryptonian.

[The Dark Knight]

Unless there's a continuation of this comic

There's going to be, and I'm happy about that. With this and the potential Cavill appearance at Comic Con, things might be looking up. In an ideal world that black Superman project has been scrapped and reworked into a Cavill project. Which would be an insane head trip given I've long thought his era to be dead and buried.

[The Laughing Fish]

Following the news the Batman '89 comics is getting another volume, Superman '78 is getting a sequel too, subtitled The Metal Curtain.

First issue is coming out on November 7th. It appears Reeve's Superman will endure another Cold War story.

When the planet Krypton exploded, its last son was rocketed across the cosmos and came to settle in a small town in Kansas. But what else came with him, and what if a piece of his home landed somewhere we never knew about? As Superman has become a symbol of strength and pride for America, the Soviet Union looks to crush that image with a creation of their own, built by their own might and forged by their own power! Robert Venditti returns to the Man of Steel with new artist Gavin Guidry!

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