Friday, April 3, 2015

Review: Superman/Wonder Woman #17


Superman/Wonder Woman #17 came out this week and I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this issue. Because, in some ways, this was the strongest issue of the run ... until an utterly ridiculous ending complete undoes any good will that happened.

This title has always teetered on being dropped by me. Part of the problem has been my complete lack of comprehension about the romance between the characters. It just has never been presented in a way that makes me understand what these two would see in each other romantically. And, on top of that, Diana has never really been shown in a positive manner either. In particular, under current writer Peter Tomasi, she has been a weird mix of shrew and Stepford wife.  But people told me that Tomasi often takes some time to warm up to characters and I should be patient.

Finally, in this issue, we get a smart, strong Diana who is shown in a very positive light. This is Diana's story, not Superman's. And, as I was reading this, the riff of Etta James' 'At last' was going through my brain. At last ... at last ... a Wonder Woman I could read!

But then, just as I was about the belt out 'You are miiiinnnnneeee ... at last!', this terrible ending was tacked on, an ending that reminded me of one of my issues with this New DC, it's complete lack of Lois. And suddenly, the mood of the book was broken. And I was back to thinking "is this the issue that makes me finally drop this book".

The art on the issue is very good this issue. Ed Benes and Doug Mahnke split duties but the whole book looks sharp especially the action sequences.


Last issue, Superman and Wonder Woman were whisked away to Circe's stronghold. There Diana was set upon by Circe's ani-men. Superman was then bewitched by Circe, becoming her slave and changing the game.

But things aren't completely settled on Earth. Magog, who had been depowered last issue, is being taken to an ARGUS lab to be vivisected. This new DCU is so grim.

So in some ways, I was happy to see him repowered. At least he isn't carved up! But that does mean he is on the loose running amok again.


All of this is a set-up by Circe to force Diana to make a difficult choice.

If she truly cares for the people of Earth, Diana should fly through an open portal back to Earth to stop Magog from trashing a city and killing people.

If she truly loves Superman, Diana will stay here and fight Circe before her control over Superman becomes complete.

Remember, Circe holds a grudge against the Amazons for a slight by Hippolyta. Maybe Circe feels that making Diana make this difficult choice will force her to compromise her Amazon ideals and ethics, showing that Hippolyta and the Amazons aren't superior? But this seems a bit cerebral.


And yet, this decision leads to a great Diana moment!

Wonder Woman doesn't delay a second in deciding. There is nothing difficult. She knows that her duty lies in protecting the people of Earth. Without delay, she flies to Earth to battle Magog.

Given prior missteps with Diana, I worried that there would be some weird inner dialogue about how her love for Superman is so powerful that she can't bear to leave him. I wondered if Diana might even beg Circe to stop this plan. I worried ...

So to see this play out in this manner was fantastic. Perfect.


Now I know this is going to sound silly. But I love the image of super-heroes battering supervillains using a bus as a bludgeoning weapon. It is absolutely one of my favorite image motifs in comics.

So to see Diana force feed this tourist bus to Magog, it made me smile.

Is it weird that I like this visual so much?


It turns out that Diana didn't just abandon Superman. In prior continuity, holding on to Diana's lasso has helped Superman focus. We saw this in the Doomed storyline.

So before she left Circe's realm, she dropped her lasso onto the ground. Superman is doing his best to fight off Circe's spell. And luckily, during the time Circe is trying to completely entrance him, Superman's fingers touch the lasso. It's magic allows him to break the spell and get control of himself.

Now this is a comic book, so you have to take this with a grain of salt. Superman might not ever touch it. Circe might have noticed Diana dropping it. There are all sorts of ways this plan wouldn't work. But you can't think too hard about these things.

I focused on the simple fact that Diana used the wisdom of Athena to solve an insolvable problem, helping both the people of Earth and the man she loves.


Free of her control, Superman begins to fight Circe's forces and then flies through the portal to head back to Earth.

Circe ultimately has to admit defeat. This psychological attack against the combined Diana/Clark duo won't work. She has underestimated them.

I don't know if I understand why Circe would plot in this way to gain her revenge. But I do like that she has to admit that Diana is made of stronger stuff.

Now throughout the issue we see Diana beating the snot out of Magog. It really is a beautifully drawn and choreographed fight. I really would have loved for her to defeat him on her own.

Still, I suppose that part of this arc was to show that Superman and Wonder Woman are stronger together than they are individually. That their love is powerful. So this synchronized finishing blow is a nice panel.

Now I will say again that I don't understand the attraction between these two. And this action-heavy issue doesn't have the time to show us why.

But at least ... at least ... we got to see them working together. And we got a Diana who was written in a decent way. At this point of the issue, I was actually happy. I wondered if maybe this was some turning point for the book. That maybe finally Tomasi felt comfortable enough with Diana to write her properly.

Maybe I wouldn't drop the book ...


But then we get the end scene.

Diana has decided to become a writer ... a reporter ... to better connect to people.

After all, it makes sense for Superman to be in love with a dark-haired reporter. Right??

I have tried to tolerate the whole 'Lois in the background' aspect of Superman comics these days. I have tried. But this seems silly. It seems like a kick to the gut for Lois fans. It's like DC is trying to force people to accept this romance so they are shoving into a form people are more comfortable with. And Diana becoming a sort of Lois is too obvious. It even undermines this relationship. If they want this Kal/Diana relationship to be the new norm, they should try to make it feel fresh.

By the way, I don't know if her schedule as Amazon, hero, and God of War can accommodate even a freelance job.

And so this tacked on 2 page scene just undid everything that happened before it. The good will I was feeling about Diana and the title evaporated. I'll say it again, this seems silly.

Maybe Convergence is the perfect 'jump-off point'.

Overall grade:C- (but it could have been a B+/A)

25 comments:

Unknown said...

She didn't exactly state that she wanted to be a reporter. Let's not forget that Clark has spent time as a blogger.

Writing about something doesn't mean you're always reporting.

Whether she's blogging, reporting or just starting a journal the point is that she wants to find some way of honoring the fallen innocent. This isn't at all a suggestion that Clark needs to love a dark haired reporter.

This is more of a progression in Diana's character to show us the love she has for the mortals she protects is growing.

I really enjoyed the last panel. Looking forward to seeing where the couple goes next after Convergence.

Anonymous said...

@Stephen, I'm sorry but I don't agree with the justifications you are making here.

First off, yes, Clark worked as a blogger. But he was working as a blogger within the capacity of journalism. It was online journalism. He wasn't simply keeping a journal for personal purposes.

Two, Diana says here that she did several days of research at a library and that she believes it will "make a difference." It seems clear here that she's writing an article or some kind that she intends to be seen. This was a deeply insensitive thing to do to the fans (most of whom are female) who still really miss Lois Lane and are uncomfortable with the way she's been used in the new 52. Lois Lane has a long history of being that figure that uses the written word to affect positive change and "make a difference." This was an important role and an important way that she connected to Superman and as a voice for the people. Using the power of the written word to "make a difference" was, essentially, Lois Lane's superpower and deeply iconic to her character. Having Wonder Woman choose to replicate this behavior--particularly in a comics landscape where Lois had been so terribly sidelined due to this relationship---is really troublesome and really insensitive. Put yourself in the shoes of the women who truly view Lois Lane as their hero and imagine how this made them FEEL.

Three, why does Wonder Woman need to be taught to love the people by mimicking her boyfriend's behavior? Why is Diana put in the position of having to learn that kind of compassion to start with? If she wanted to honor the innocent, there were other ways that this could have been achieved within the construct of the narrative besides having her mimick Clark and without this unfortunate parallel to Lois Lane. It's just too close for comfort and it's deeply insensitive. I agree with Anj that this was a very poor choice.

--Shades

Jay said...

She didn't decide to become a reporter. She just decided to write something. She never says she has any intention of getting a job or make it a career. Its also worth noting that Wonder Woman does have a history of writing. She wrote a book in Rucka's run, so its not something out of left-field at all. I think the Lois comparisons are being exaggerated big time, personally.

Jay said...

Furthermore Superman doesn't teach Wonder Woman to love or care or be compassionate. She has those traits completely independent of him. For good or bad, what was established is that Wonder Woman didn't have the connection with human society that Clark did, and that's what's changed. She always cared though. There's a difference between caring for the people and a strong connection. The former is something she developed on her own, way before she became romantically involved with Clark. The latter is what she wants more of, and that's what her experiences with Superman have helped with. If one doesn't care for even that much, fair enough, I won't try to change anyone's mind on that, its a perfectly respectable stance. But its a misrepresentation of the story to claim that Superman taught her to outright care. That's untrue.

Anj said...

Thanks for all the comments.

This relationship is a polarizing one in comics. Lois being pushed out of the spotlight is painful to many.

So whether blogging or writing creatively or reporting, DC had to realize that this would look pretty bad to those Lois fans out there. They must have known ... and that makes it that much worse.

Now I know that DC can't just give people the stories they want. And creators should give us the stories we need. But this just felt wrong.

And here is the thing. I was ready to give this book a second chance. I liked this issue ... Up to the end.

I think this is it for me.

Anonymous said...

Since when Diana cannot write her experiences in battle? Diana will not be working for the Daily Planet or be a reporter whatsoever. It's absolutely mind blowing how many misinterpreted that scene! There was no indication that Diana has any desire to become reporter at all. Lois was hardly pushed out of the spotlight. She had a 75th anniversary book published. Last year she was given a one shot. Dan Didio himself stated that if the oneshot sold well, Lois would have her own series again but the one shot did not sold well. Lois fans were given an opportunity to make that happen. She was also a supporting character in the Superman: Doomed event and even helped him in the end.

There was also Superman:Unchained where even Wonder Woman took a back seat and it was practically all Lois. Then of course there is the Smallville comic as well. DC Collectibles will be releasing a Lois Lane Bombshell statue sometime in this summer.

Anonymous said...

I also wanted to add that if Lois had her series, there would have many stories told and could have been fun and entertaining for Lois fans. The reason why Harley Quinn has her own series again because Harley fans made it happen.

With Lois bombshell statue, it will set one back $100-125 dollars, but if you are a Lois fan, it shouldn't matter at all. Always speak with your wallet.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps if they minimize Lois lane's role in Clark's life, they should perhaps expand her role elsewhere give her important things to do. So she will be known more than Superman's girlfriend. Lois Lane has so much potencial and very popular to be sideline like this

Anj said...

I'm not saying that Diana can't write about things. I am just saying that making that part of her character now, in the context of many Superman fans wondering where Lois is, can be construed as a big misstep.

If you want Superman to have a significant other who is a writer ... why not Lois.

As for cries for a Lois book or a bigger role in the DCU elsewhere, it would be welcomed.

I am just a bit baffled by all this.

Anonymous said...

Honestly I'm baffled with how Jay and other SM/WW fans are trying to justify this blatant pastiche of Lois in Wonder Woman's personality. Literally a core piece of Lois' character, reporting on events and defending the truthfulness journalism once had, has been ripped from Lois and put onto Wonder Woman. It's as if Tomasi is subtly agreeing with the relationship's detractors that the only way it can work is if Clark and Diana act like Clark and Lois.

There's been no misinterpretation, no poor contextualising of this event, it's more or less been shrugged over by most readers IMO. And for lack of a better word, the story presents the change as if Superman's secret identity made Wonder Woman want to copy the same identity just to get in with her boyfriend.

And this is coming from someone who's beginning to find Clois fans almost as annoying and bad mannered as Cliana fans.

Louis

Jay said...

Outside the simple fact she's writing something in Clark's home, which, considering the fact that Lois and Clark lived together for about two decades its only natural to draw that comparison, I'm not seeing a pastiche. The only way its a pastiche is if Lois is the direct owner of certain character traits, and if what Diana is doing herself is wildly out of character and new for her. And neither of those statements are true. So I'll just have to agree to disagree with the majority of you guys here on this one.

Anj said...

Imagine if the Wonder Woman fandom is really up in arms that Steve Trevor isn't more involved with her stories. And the lack of Trevor is like a raw nerve to a portion of her fans.

Then imagine the Finch's have Superman join the Air Force to be near Diana.

Don't you think there would be some raised eyebrows?

I'm not saying Diana can't write. I'm not saying Lois is the only character that can be a reporter.

What I'm saying is that DC and others shouldn't be surprised that people saw a Lois feel to this. And that Lois fans might be very put off by that.

Jay said...

The thing is though, again, that Diana isn't becoming a reporter. She's not getting a job at the Daily Planet or the Star or WGBS. Now if that were to happen, then okay, that would change everything for me. But thus far there's nothing to suggest that much.

Anonymous said...

"The only way its a pastiche is if Lois is the direct owner of certain character traits, and if what Diana is doing herself is wildly out of character and new for her."

Jay, it is wildly out of character for Diana to have to learn a lesson from a man's example on how to be compassionate. I believe Wonder Woman's creator designed Wonder Woman to embody a range of admirable and heroic qualities, and one of them was she had strength that was tempered with compassion. For Wonder Woman to require not only a model of compassion in the form of her boyfriend, but also to illustrate her lesson learned via the same method her boyfriend uses (as well as his former love interest), robs Diana of her own unique strengths while robbing others of theirs. It doesn't matter if Diana's writing is a one time deal, Tomasi's intentions were clear with this arc: Diana was lacking and she had to become more like Clark (and Lois) to fix her flaws.

Anonymous said...

On point number one Jay, I think it's safe to say that Diana learning how to write and investigate ordinary people's lives just to understand them better is basically a note for note rip off of Lois' role in Superman stories. Which IMO can be defined as Lois finding out the facts and truth with determination and passion for her journalistic role. If Tomasi writes Diana like this, that meets your first point.

On the second claim, this one is even more valid than the first one thus far. It's wildly out of character and new for New 52 Wonder Woman. I recall Rucka's WW writing a book but we all know New 52 versions of our favourite characters are totally different from their Pre New 52 versions. Moreover, how does Diana fit writing into her role as Queen of the Amazons, God of War and superhero member of the Justice League? How on Earth can anyone find the time to meet all these roles?

Louis

Anonymous said...

maybe Diana doesnt need sleep like Clark and Kara ;)

Anonymous said...

Diana wants to do what Clark does. Clark is a reporter last I checked. She wants to make a difference via writing. There is already a female character that has been doing this for 77 years. Her name is Lois Lane. This is a complete punch to the gut of Lois Lane fans. This is the replacement of Lois Lane. It's saying to Lois Lane fans "You and Lois don't matter, we can just give this power to Wonder Woman." In the words of Dan Didio this relationship between Diana and Clark was not to be at the expense of Lois Lane, yet we have Diana in a very Lois like pose, pony tail, pink-purple outfit (a color associated with Lois as much as the double W is with Wonder Woman) typing, doing research, and writing or documenting the lives of the lost souls in the Darkseid battle.
Why is Diana doing this now? 5 years later. If she had compassion and remorse for what she did in the Darkseid battle wouldn't she have done this years ago? No. This is Diana trying to connect with Clark because they have nothing in common aside from power. It seams to me Diana is being made into a Lois Lite. Women are not interchangeable. You can't replace Lois with Diana. As is Wonder Woman is at her "breaking point" with being a God, a Queen, A girlfriend and a JL member. Adding writing to her activities seems uncalled for.

As for the Lois Lane one shot, Lois fans did speak, but unfortunately when the book was being released, things happened behind the scenes like it getting pushed up a month, the PR team disappearing, and no PR help from DC. Yes they promised us a book yes, but then doomed the one shot to fail with no promotions what so ever, like the SM/WW got.

Back on track, Lois Lane used to do something very important in the Superman narrative: She inspired him. Lois did everything she did without powers, and to get the truth.

The scene here is taking away from Lois, but also from the SM/WW relationship. I'm really shocked you guys that support this didn't see it. Tomasi basically took a dump on you and said "The only way it's going to work is to make Diana more human, more like Lois."

Diana can never be Lois. Lois can never be Diana. These two women should not be competing. Lois shouldn't be taken out of the narrative where some writers of Superman say "I'm not allowed to use her." In order to make the Sm/WW work. Diana shouldn't be given a trait that is characteristically Lois'. Diana used to make a difference as an ambassador and used to marvel at Lois' articles to the point where she requested Lois Lane to do an interview with her.

If this relationship is so strong and works so well, keep Diana as Diana. Bring Lois into the story. Have Superman's full mythology. Prove us wrong the right way. But DC is too scared of the truth power of Lois Lane... She brings out the Super and The Man. And she's the only one that can do it.

Jay said...

I would agree it would be out of character for Wonder Woman to be learning from anyone (forget a man, anyone) how to be compassionate. But that's not what's happening here. People are confusing compassion with a close personal connection. The latter is what she wants and what she's decided to take a page from Clark's work to try and obtain. Disagree that she should have to reach out for a personal connection with humanity this late in the game? I totally get that. But that's still not the same thing as her being taught compassion.

Anonymous said...

How is the obvious connotation that Wonder Woman is learning from Superman about how to connect with humanity not implicit in Tomasi's story though? Tomasi has written Diana throughout most of the arc as not really getting humanity or why Clark assumes a human identity. Can't exactly blame Tomasi though since that's been a theme throughout the entire SM/WW relationship.

As for being taught compassion, minus the excellent growth of Azzarello's self contained Wonder Woman run, Diana has been written mostly the same outside of Azz's pen and that's not in a good way. She may not need compassion lessons but she could certainly do with some empathy teaching. And if Diana has to rip off from Lois to reach that, I don't see it as very positive.

At the end of the day, we all have our own opinions and can just agree to disagree. But I'm honestly baffled with the defense of this apparent rip off of Wonder Woman and Lois' characterisation respectively.

Louis

Jay said...

It is. I acknowledged it is. My argument is there's a difference between Superman helping her connect on a deeper level with humanity and saying that Superman's teaching her to be compassionate. I stand fast that the latter is just a completely false assessment. You can have compassion and love a planet even while at the same time feeling distanced from them for various reasons. Such is the case with Wonder Woman. And again, I understand and have no reason to try and convince otherwise those who still dont' like the idea of her having to gain a closer connection to humanity via someone else's influence, nor that its taken 5 years comic time for that to take place. All I'm arguing is again, that what she was influenced by Clark to do is not feeling compassion for people. She had that already, the text is very clear.

And as you're baffled with me I'll be honest and say I'm still equally baffled its getting as much attention as it is. The only thing I see reasonably associated with Lois is the fact she's writing something in his apartment. Because well, it was a scene we saw a lot of when the two lived together in the old continuity. I get that. But that's it. I remain of the opinion you have to reach to get the insults some Lois fans are feeling. But in the end to each their own.

Martin Gray said...

Sorry for the delayed comment, I'm so bored with this story that I've only just read it.

And didn't Circe and Magog just go on and on and on, this issue has the feel of a 'stretch to Convregence' filler if ever there was one. Tomasi can do so much better.

I'm with Jay, Tomasi isn't trying to make Diana into Lois. He's trying to make the romance seem more plausible by having Wonder Woman bid to connect with Clark as she connects with the victims. Anj, we don't know that they're making this 'part of her character'. I suspect it'll never be reference again, never mind developed.

And I agree with Jay again, much as I dislike New 52 Diana, she's not without compassion of her own.

'Pink/purple' is associated with Lois? That's just untrue. Lana, maybe, but take a look at the array of covers at the Grand Comics Database, Shades - our girl is wearing every colour under the sun.

And Louis, I see no rip-off of Lois' characterisation, it's not like Diana is being madly reckless to get a scoop, which was Lois's schtick for decades. She's just trying to understand Clark, it's kinda pathetic but I rather liked it. It reminds me how unsuited these two truly are, and that Lois will prevail. I truly wish people would have more faith in Lois, believe that we'll get beyond this stupid stunt romance. Because we will.

The true sour note for me, which has been ignored amid all the Lois vs Diana talk, is that after Circe wreaked massive devastation, and people got killed, Superman and Wonder Woman wrote her off as a problem for another day. Doesn't that bother anyone?

Anonymous said...

"I'm with Jay, Tomasi isn't trying to make Diana into Lois. [...] I suspect it'll never be reference again, never mind developed."

Doesn't the fact that it would be an ephemeral development make it that much more contrived? Regardless, my issue isn't with the similarity to Lois, but the need to write Diana as in need of a lesson in how to care about individual human life in the first place.

"And I agree with Jay again, much as I dislike New 52 Diana, she's not without compassion of her own."

If that's true, why did Tomasi write her as if she needed to learn to be compassionate from Clark? He begins his arc showing us that Diana doesn't care about human collateral damage in battle. He continues it by having her resent Clark spending time honoring the dead in writing or helping people through a storm on their date night. At every turn, Tomasi wanted to emphasize a flaw in Diana that he intended for Clark to fix with his example. The problem is, Wonder Woman as designed by Marston, would never need such a lesson. It's anathema to her character. So even if, generally speaking, the New 52 Wonder Woman has some compassion, Tomasi did not highlight it or acknowledge it. Instead, his arc relied on playing that aspect of her character down to the point of a deficit on her part that required her boyfriend to model not only caring for people but also a method in which to show that caring.

"'Pink/purple' is associated with Lois? That's just untrue."

Wrong again, Martin. Lois Lane is famously associated with purple based on it being the most consistent color she wears in animated versions of her character. Want more proof? In the comic arc "Immortal Beloved" (Action Comics #761), Clark says, "There's only Mrs. Clark Kent...remember her? Yea, high, headstrong, looks great in purple?" Lois fans are likely to be more obsessive and observant fans of her entire canon appearances than you are, and it astonishes me that you would dismiss their perception as untrue instead of considering that they might be aware of more than you.

"And Louis, I see no rip-off of Lois' characterisation"

I agree that it's not a one for one parallel in terms of characterization, but then I believe the criticism of Diana here isn't that she's exactly like Lois, but similar enough to something that is generally associated with her, or is iconic, about her to understandably evoke her presence in the scene. Lois Lane doesn't have any superpowers or mythic origin. What most people associate with her is (a) Superman's girlfriend, and (b) Journalist. Therefore, seeing Diana engage in the same activity Clark was shown doing earlier in the arc, which was presented as journalism, will echo Lois enough that it will raise red flags that, I feel, don't warrant dismissal as non-existent from those such as yourself.

I truly wish people would have more faith in Lois, believe that we'll get beyond this stupid stunt romance.

What does this have to do with having faith in Lois? She's not in control of how she's treated. You're not asking for people to have faith in Lois, but in DC and its powers that be. They've not done much to inspire faith, so why should Lois fans give it to them blindly? Plus, I do believe that Lois and Clark will end up together. That doesn't stop, and shouldn't stop, anyone from raising concerns about the writing of this relationship because we want better for other beloved characters like Superman and Wonder Woman as individuals, and we want better for Lois to be treated as an afterthought.

Anj said...

I am fascinated by this discussion and really appreciate everyone's comments.

I have to say that I saw nothing but 'they are trying to make Diana into Lois' when I read the ending. So to read so many people saying that they didn't see it at all is really eye opening.

I don't think I can read it any other way. But I am so glad everyone shared. Interesting.

Craig said...

Superman and (a real) Wonder Woman were shown way back (ugh, I have to say "way back") in Wonder Woman # 300 why they wouldn't work as a couple. Dream or vision of a multiverse, the marriage ends in divorce as they both have missions and responsibilities that take them apart too often. (Of note, Supergirl was seen in the wedding party on the cover but I don't think she was there in the actual comic.) In the infamous Mongul crashing Kal's birthday party, Supes and Diana kiss. "Why don't we do this more often?" he asks. Her reply, "Too obvious." In Wonder Woman's final issue of her second series, we saw how Clark and Diana are best friends, two powerful heroes, male and female, whose strength lied not in romantic love but friendship.

For more than half of one century Superman and Lois have been a couple. Their marriage was progressive as it took these icons of pop culture in a new direction. Lois Lane proved herself to be a strong woman who can have a husband too, and not dissimilar to spouses have to deal with their partner coming back from their jobs as firefighter, soldier, police officer, and so on. Superman and Lois' love for one another was beautifully shown during the whole "Death of" storyline.

With the New52 coupling of Clark and Di, it's just so forced. Whether poor writing or great writing of the past, despite Lois Lane being written as part of Superman's world, she broke past those figurative barriers and showed she was a strong woman, and a strong character outside of that label. I think that it's more easy to view Lois as NOT just being Superman's girlfriend than it is to see Wonder Woman in that role. To me, having Superman's name above hers in the title showcases what's wrong about this pairing. It feels like Diana is just Superman's girlfriend and not so much "Wonder Woman's boyfriend, Superman!"

Furthermore, the characters personalities, at least in this new grimdark universe don't seem to mesh well. Part of the appeal of "Clois" is that there are differences in the personalities. Lois grounds Kal, and allow him to be Clark. While he has the compassion to begin with, Lois helps him see things from a non-powered person's perspective.

Seeing how Lois Lane, a comic book icon and female pop culture icon, who can stand beside Kara and Diana anytime, being treated as so much dirt under Clark's nails, so to speak, really upsets me.

If the writing was different, or just set in a multiverse/ Elseworlds story Supers/ WW may work, but overall it doesn't.

Anj, if you don't like this comic, and you don't like how they are treating Lois then drop the book. If it was free fanfiction, would you read it? I know I wouldn't, so why pay for it. A lot of DC these days is just that. Bad fan fiction that a person has to pay for. Furthermore, you're telling DC with your wallet that what they're doing is just swell, and they'll continue to shovel this stuff out because they're counting on people acting as fans and not the customers that they are.

We are customers not just fans. True, companies/ businesses can treat their customers like garbage, but generally they don't insult and put down their customers as what comic book companies do. If McDonald's started saying that their cheeseburgers were crap and started putting out McChicken burgers with lots of cheese calling them cheeseburgers started to receive a lot of negative comments about them, they wouldn't vocally comment that "you cheeseburger fans can shove it up your a$$" and still expect a lot of customers. Yet, that's what DC is doing right now. But I'll shut up now. :)

Anonymous said...

I didn't like this issue at all. At all. The reporter business at the end was, I thought, abysmal and with everything that has been done to sideline Lois, I also interpreted it as trying to write Diana in that Lois role. Anj: I like the Steve Trevor comparison.

With regards this from Anon:

"Wrong again, Martin. Lois Lane is famously associated with purple based on it being the most consistent color she wears in animated versions of her character. "

I have to disagree. I don't think she is associated with any particular color. Yes, in S:TAS this was her uniform if you will however I don't think this then means she's "famously" associated with it outside that series and in the main comic book universe. Not the way Lex is which goes a long way back before S:TAS.

That is my opinion of course.