Sunday, November 11, at 5:00pmET/4pmCT, G2Factor will discuss Action #14. Grant Morrison goes Doctor Who and then things get biblical. That actually sounds better than it was. Sholly Fisch’s backup story features real life astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson. This was promoted by DC Comics this week. Krypton’s sun has been found in fiction and real life.
Hank Kanalz released digital sales information this week regarding Justice League #12, the quickest to reach 10,000 downloads. Since Smallville Season 11 eventually beat Justice League 12, does that mean it reached 40,000 downloads since it has a 99 cent price point and JL is $3.99? (Did we have to see that ripped off Clois kiss cover again?) You remember Smallville Season 11, it’s the one with Clark and Lois together working the triangle for two.
Last week DC Blog told us the 5.2 reasons why it was good to be a Superman fan. 1 reason was Supergirl. Another was the fauxmance complete with shoving the cover at us once again. That thing is giving us bulimia. The real hyperbolic moment was when the blog said DC has more than 9,000 stories to tell about the bullship. So let’s do the math, kiddies:
If they published a power couple story EVERY DAY including Sunday, it would take 24.65 years to get those all told. OR if you had their story in every new 52 book each month, it would take 8 years. Uh, yea. Good luck with that. People, especially those with many other distractions, have better things to do.
Between that bit of news and Hank’s interviewer adding “rather than Lois Lane” when it came to Superman’s partner, fans of the Superman mythos are getting sucker punched right and left. DC Comics doesn’t seem to care since they don’t garner any control over the perceptions. More bad news/publicity for people who have continued to wait for the REAL Superman story. This new and edgy stuff is putting people off. No one knows who the new Superman is . . . including him! (according to Matt Idelson).
The US elections should be a lesson on demographics for DC Comics. Women are 51% and non-whites are 28% of the population. Women buy 51% of the movie tickets in the US. Now let me dispel some notion the boy’s club at DC seems to allow to trickle down to their local comic book shops. Just because a female likes superhero comics doesn’t mean they want to buy female heroes. In other words, shoving Wonder Woman into Superman’s story and usurping Lois Lane’s 75 year place in that mythos could be perceived as an intrusion of the worst kind. It’s a cat fight. Women don’t like those. It’s a misconception that it sells with the majority of the population (which would be female).
I’m not a fan of Wonder Woman, and that may be partly due to the fact that DC Comics in Post Crisis on Infinite Earths, had Diana’s deepest secret desire to be married to Clark and have his baby despite the fact that he was married to Lois Lane. Then in Justice League they hooked her up with Batman. Basically DC passed her around the Justice League. Now in the new 52, there are a lot more bachelors, Diana is still the only female. So if the previous mindset hasn’t changed, she could be with Superman, Batman, Flash (since he’s not married to Iris), Baz, Hal, Cyborg, but not Aquaman (who’s married to Mera – and Mera would kick her ass).
With the introduction of Steve Trevor, I thought Diana would be spared that, but apparently not. Not only does she have her own book that doesn’t involve the bullship or Steve Trevor (but will include Orion), but she now is Superman’s “love interest” and confidant — roles belonging to Lois Lane. But this makes the new 52 Superman, “new and edgy”, because they got rid of the marital detail — and apparently Clark’s heart as well.
Superman is an alien and can’t relate to humanity despite the fact he was raised by the Kents, humans, who gave him a good moral compass. He’s also a man who isn’t brave enough to follow his heart. And even though he morally can’t report on Superman’s exploits (himself), he has to keep secrets from his friends. Why he’s known Lois Lane for five years and never made a move towards his heart’s desire is a mystery? And may never be answered, especially with the fauxmance going on. Lois Lane is a non-entity. She is toxic in the eyes of DC Comics management, none of which have had one good thing to say about her since the launch of the new 52 (or the announcement of the reboot). Then why have Lois in the Superman books at all? Because it’s the dangling carrot — ‘it’s the anyone-but-Lois-show’ all over again. DC thinks fans haven’t experienced this before — we have — and we’re sick of it.
Idelson said they wanted fans to pine for the Super Couple of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, the true power couple, so the writers would start scripting those stories. He also said if they keep Clark and Lois apart there are more stories to tell and they wouldn’t repeat what they did in the past. Clark and Lois haven’t truly been together as a couple since 2008. Kal-El lived on another planet for a year and didn’t think of his wife — he wasn’t relating to humans then. Clark Kent and Lois Lane weren’t in Superman or Action for a year or more. We got a cyborg Lois in Action for a year, but no Superman or Clark. So how much longer do fans have to wait for what they want? Do we have to beg? If so, to whom or where do we have to prostrate ourselves? Give us a name and an address (email or otherwise). Cause this is getting ridiculous.
Fans should show there distaste for this new and edgy tease of a Superman story by not buying Action, Superman, Justice League, etc. It’s just not worth it, watching your heroes (which includes Lois) looking like emotional cowards or douches. Superman is supposed to inspire hope, not douchery. Lois inspires him, but since she’s been pushed to the background especially in his heart — we may never see the Man of Steel manifest in the new 52. Life is short. Don’t make us wait. Give us hope!
Join us Sunday for a lively discussion. Live chat room and streaming during show. Downloads on iTunes and talkshoe after the show.
