I have talked in the past about how the New 52 is a dark, grim universe.
I have talked in the past about how Superman and Lois Lane have not been treated well in this universe. Superman has become somehow more distant, less inspirational, and aloof. Lois has been pushed to the side.
I searched for maybe a brighter place in DC Comics and I was hoping that Earth 2 would be that title. Sure, it starts out with a massive tragedy, the Trinity ... the Wonders ... were killed in the attempted conquest of Earth by Darkseid. But Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman were all treated as heroes in that brief peek into the world. They worked with the military to defend their world. They were regarded as heroes. And they sacrificed themselves for the greater good. Even Supergirl and Robin (now Power Girl and Huntress) had a sort of Silver Age patina ... the 'young hero trying to impress their mentor'.
Well as time went on, it became clear that Earth 2 was just as dingy as Earth 1. So I stopped buying. And I am glad I did. Because it seems that the default darkness and, in particular, the dismemberment of Superman and Lois, continues there.
First I heard that the Earth-2 Superman wasn't killed but instead brainwashed and perverted by Darkseid into someone called Brutal.
And then this page was released on the usual comic news sites, from Earth 2 #17 which came out this week. Lois Lane, dead before the Earth 2 #1 came out, is now 'alive', downloaded into Red Tornado.
Now some might think this is good news for Lois fans. She is back ... and has powers!
But that is missing the point.
The whole power around Lois as a character is that she is such a strong person, a 'regular' person so tenacious and strong and wonderful that Superman fell in love with her.
This 'downloaded' version is just another example of DC not understanding the core of their characters. It is another chip off the solid block of the Lois/Superman relationship. It has shock value for sure. But those shock feelings don't last long do they? In the end you will have a robot Lois who is supposed to be the real Lois.
It is strange for me to say this ... but I would rather that Lois have remained dead because that would be a better fate than this.
I suppose there can be some sort of 'Jocasta' origin here, that the robot has the template of Lois but isn't *the* Lois like Jocasta was with the Wasp. But I don't know.
I suppose in some way it doesn't matter. I wasn't reading Earth 2 anyways.
12 comments:
I didn't want to like the INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US comic because it represents the kind of superhero stories I find cheap and lazy, but Tom Taylor made it very fun to read: shocking, like an addictive television show!
I dropped EARTH 2 because in spite of James Robinson's brilliant ideas and concepts, I cannot stand his scripts. I hoped Taylor could bring me back to the fold, but when I found out this story is now an evil "brutal" Superman vs. a not-really Batman, I rolled my eyes and opted to skip it.
I also agree with you that cramming Lois Lane's consciousness into Red Tornado's body ruins two characters. I can't fathom why somebody would think this is a good idea.
I've said during my Justice League fan-casting blog posts that the reason Superman fell in love with Lois Lane isn't because she's the most beautiful woman in the world--she isn't, Wonder Woman is--it's because Lois Lane is fearless. If Lois had a super power, she'd have a Green Lantern ring. But she doesn't have powers, and she still throws herself into dangerous situations to get the truth.
No Anj, it's not weird that you feel that Lois was better off dead for the simply that she was in fact better off dead. I'm not a Lois fan but even I know that pulling her from her peacefull afterlife and shoving her in a robot body is messed up. I fine is very disturding and tragic and like i said I'm not even a fan.
Eeesh I would rather see Lois as "Ma Hunkle" with the bucket over her head than this nasty fanservice.
DC just seems hell bent for self destruction, I see the move to SoCal as big step in the wrong direction.
JF
When I saw that Earth 2 Lois is still alive somehow, at first I was glad because now
she has a chance to stop the "Brutaal" perversion of her husband.
But then, I realized: why on Earth 2 would you put Lois's in the Red Tornado robot?
Now THAT doesn't make sense to me, at least in Superman's mythos.
Why not put her in a Lois-bot that Luthor or Toyman could probably make?
Why not a "Metallo" robot with a kryptonite heart?
Putting her in a female Red Tornado is about as random as putting her in
Platinum or Copper from the Metal Men or a female AMAZO.
DC could probably be making it's equivalent to Marvel's Ultimate female Vision,
but whatever...
Read, reviewed and I don't want to think about this anymore.
I'm disappointed that DC has reverted their stance of not involving anyone from Earth 1 into Earth 2. But they seem to be falling into the Trinity trap. If its not Batman, Superman, or Justice League then they find a way to cancel a title or to bring them into other titles to increase sales.
In many ways, and this is just a personal opinion, Zach Snyder's Man of Steel" did better justice to Loïs and the Kents than DC reboot. Replacing more or less all of them (especcially Clark's earthan parents) in their right role.
Anyway, industry of comics is an industry. They own the characters, thay can do what they want, they look for the buzz doing things that are totally nosense for us (old fans), but regarding the sales, it seems that it works, no ? Comics are a kind of art, but they also are an industrial product that is... how could I say... a no-to-last product, you know, something ephemeral.
Even more, a lot of artists who make comics, and are very talented and famous, don't like comics and don't read them in reality. This to proove it is a job, an industry, and from their side, the vision is different from our side. It is a market. It is sad, but it is just like that.
The best to do if you disagree with their vision is to stop buying and reading their books, in my opinion. That's what I did when I saw the reboot that wasn't of my taste. I'm glad for them if sales are good, and if it maintains comics existence, but in those conditions, it is not of my interest any more. They killed the Kents, they erased the marriage, they erased Wally, they erased Donna,.... hey, hey, hey... guys.... !?!
I invite you to have a look at my review for Man of Steel, if you want. It might be of your interest, whatever you share or not my analysis of the movie.
http://thelittleartofmanu.blogspot.fr/2013/07/man-of-steel-part-iii-my-review-in.html
Thanks for all the comments.
It just seems odd that this Earth which should have embraced the new generation of Wonders is apparently as dark as any other place in the DCU and now getting darker.
Now maybe this is the dark before the storm. But I don't want to read this waiting for the turnaround.
Lastly, how much you want to be that somehow Lois has to kill Brutaal ... because that would be sooooo cool.
what do you think abouth the news of supergirl as a red lantern?
GREEN LANTERN/RED LANTERNS #28 Written by ROBERT VENDITTI and CHARLES SOULE Art by BILLY TAN and ALESSANDRO VITTI GREEN LANTERN Cover by BILLY TAN RED LANTERNS Cover by STEPHEN SEGOVIA On sale FEBRUARY 5 ? 48 pg, FC, $2.99 US ? RATED T Combo pack edition: $3.99 US Don?t miss this amazing flip-issue with two covers at a special price of just $2.99! This DOUBLE ISSUE contains both GREEN LANTERN #28 and RED LANTERNS #28! With dozens of sectors in open rebellion against the Green Lantern Corps, Hal Jordan is faced with a crisis in the sector most important to him: 2814, home of Earth?as well as Ysmault, home of the Red Lanterns. Hal made a dangerous bargain with Guy Gardner, and now it?s time to pay up! Plus: Guy and the Red Lanterns take over policing Sector 2814! And you?ll want to keep reading RED LANTERNS next month to see what happens to their newest member: SUPERGIRL!
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KS6ZfmGSOOk/Un1W56tH9XI/AAAAAAAAAME/REo4zeh8Sa4/s1600/GL_Cv28.jpg
Anj what makes you think Earth-2 was as bleak a place as Earth-1 I have no idea. I can assure you it wasn't. Until Now.
Robinson was very faithful to the idea of a world coming to terms with surviving a major war and the loss of its heroes, these experiences left the world scarred but as a result hungry for new 'wonders'. This wasn't a world with an undue suspicion of anyone in a cape doing good.
With the arrival of Tom Taylor and the new direction all of that is void now, this is Superman and Batman ala' Injustice:Gods Among Us, and as optimistic as I am there is just no way for me to find anything to commend about it. One of DCs top selling books with a stable average of 40'000 sales does not need these cheap tactics employed, as quite clearly those 40'000 readers don't read the book for this sort of mindless drivel!
If any book shows the shockingly inept mismanagement and culture now in charge at DC it is Earth-2. The book that simply didn't need 'fixing'...
Thanks Dave,
It is true that I didn't give Earth 2 all of my attention. I picked up an issue here and there. Perhaps I rushed to judgment about it being dark.
I did hear the lamentation when Robinson was pushed out and wondered if I was missing something special.
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