JMS on Superman (SPOILERS)

[Jan]

Okay, here's the thread for those of us who either ran to the comic store today or downloaded the DC app and got the JMS segment that way. Or both, like me.

First off, I have no idea what the New Krypton storyline was about except that it took Superman off planet for a time. That's the way I like it. It was a short segment but I liked this taste quite a bit. Superman didn't just make a snap decision, he thought about what the lady said and figured out what he needed to do about it. Not bad for 10 pages.

The art...well, I'm going to leave the jury out for now. medium-to-far looks at Superman are fine but I feel like the closer-up drawings leave much to be desired. I dunno, they're just slightly out of perspective or something. And I don't know what expression he was supposed to have when the kids saw him in the park feeling the earth just before he started walking but I'm afraid it just looked like a raisin to me. I think my favorite panel showing Superman was the one of him and Batman on the new early warning station in space. And this may sound silly but my mental picture of Superman is usually that of the black-and-white TV show where his cape looks like it's held on with two safety pins. I like the way this artist drapes the cape over his shoulders.

I'm going to enjoy seeing Superman walk across America and see what he sees.

So that's my take on this first little taste. Who's next?

Jan

[SmileOfTheShadow]

http://truebelieverreviews.com/wordpress/?p=245

That link has my detailed review of the issue.

I think that the JMS story was solid in providing an exposition, theme and being a tight story. It's hard to judge the overall story of what he's trying to do, because it really just is a quick prologue.

Was this an exciting comic for an issue #700 as a comic fan? Not really, and that includes the JMS story. While I enjoyed it, I feel like anniversary stories should really have more of a hook to bring comic readers in, because that's when you're going to attract a lot of new potential readership.

None of the 3 stories in this book really had that, though I'd almost say Dan Jurgen's middle stand alone story came closest for that.

That said, with such a prologue of JMS' really focused on theme and being a fan of JMS, it excited me as a JMS fan to read the Superman run.

[SmileOfTheShadow]

Acclaimed comic writer Mark Waid says "Superman #700 is out this week. You will believe a man can walk." on his twitter.

Someone's got a little bit of envy going on? I think that's a really petty comment.

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/06/quote-of-the-day-mark-waid-vs-superman-700/

[Jan]

Dunno about bitter but it sure doesn't make any sense.

I guess it's a matter of personal taste but I like it when JMS takes the expected and does something different. Yeah, he had a walkabout in B5 and another in Midnight Nation but I don't know of anybody who'd say the two were at all similar. I'm pretty sure he can do something different again with Superman because Superman isn't anything like the characters who've gone walkabout before.

So what's the deal with this supposed giant spider I keep hearing about. Is it just lame-brains thinking back to a Spidey arc or is there some basis for it?

Jan

[SmileOfTheShadow]

Dunno about bitter but it sure doesn't make any sense.

I guess it's a matter of personal taste but I like it when JMS takes the expected and does something different. Yeah, he had a walkabout in B5 and another in Midnight Nation but I don't know of anybody who'd say the two were at all similar. I'm pretty sure he can do something different again with Superman because Superman isn't anything like the characters who've gone walkabout before.

So what's the deal with this supposed giant spider I keep hearing about. Is it just lame-brains thinking back to a Spidey arc or is there some basis for it?

Jan

It's from "An Evening with Kevin Smith." Kevin Smith was contracted to write a superman movie and he went to the producer who had "comments" for him. He had a really funny bit in there where he talked about it.

I paraphrase:

The producer said, "So, a couple of things. First, I don't want to see Superman flying."

Kevin replied, "Okay..." though he thought that was very strange, since that kind of defines superman.

"Second," the producer said, "I don't want to see him in that costume. It looks cheesy."

At this point Kevin was getting a little concerned now that Superman was not allowed to be flying and not allowed to be in costume, but he wanted the big contract for writing the superman movie, so of course he agreed.

"Finally," the producer said, "in the third act, I want him to fight a giant spider in the third act. Spiders are the natural predators of the animal kingdom."

"I...think I can do that," Kevin said.

So since then, everyone fears 1. Superman not flying 2. Superman not in costume and 3. Superman fighting a giant spider.

[Jan]

Thanks. I can see why that would be a teensy bit surreal. I'd kind of like it if there were a giant spider someplace in this arc.

Jan

[SmileOfTheShadow]

Thanks. I can see why that would be a teensy bit surreal. I'd kind of like it if there were a giant spider someplace in this arc.

Jan

Interestingly enough, Mark Waid who made the snide comment about JMS' contribution to 700, in his redoing of Superman's origin in a 12 part story "Superman: Birthright" had him fighting a giant spider.

[Jan]

I've seen a number of reactions to the idea of "Grounded" now, positive and negative, but there's one that sets my teeth on edge. A number of the negative reactions are because Green Lantern apparently walked across the US 40 or so years ago. Uh-huh. And the United States is so small that two heroes walking across it 4o years apart are sure to tell the same story, right?

40 years, people! If any other genre used a plot device only twice (though I'm sure there really are more) in 40 freaking years, it'd be a miracle but comic fans *must* find something to rag on, don't they?

sigh...
Jan

[SmileOfTheShadow]

I've seen a number of reactions to the idea of "Grounded" now, positive and negative, but there's one that sets my teeth on edge. A number of the negative reactions are because Green Lantern apparently walked across the US 40 or so years ago. Uh-huh. And the United States is so small that two heroes walking across it 4o years apart are sure to tell the same story, right?

40 years, people! If any other genre used a plot device only twice (though I'm sure there really are more) in 40 freaking years, it'd be a miracle but comic fans *must* find something to rag on, don't they?

sigh...
Jan

The ones I'm finding on forums the most is accusing JMS of ripping himself off from Midnight Nation.

[Jan]

The ones I'm finding on forums the most is accusing JMS of ripping himself off from Midnight Nation.

<sarcasm> Oh, yeah...SO many similarites there! Superman has so much in common with an ordinary human cop, doesn't he? </sarcasm> Can't genre fans ever stop trying to make every new story into an old one and, oh I dunno, maybe just *enjoy* it?

Jan

[sftv]

Mechanical spider

Interestingly enough, Mark Waid who made the snide comment about JMS' contribution to 700, in his redoing of Superman's origin in a 12 part story "Superman: Birthright" had him fighting a giant spider.

It was probably the same producer who thought that the Sandman should be fighting a giant mechanical spider in the movie being developed at the time that Neil Gaiman has talked about. He finally did get his giant mechanical spider in the Wild Wild West movie...

IAnd the other thing is Hollywood executives really love the smell of their own urine and what they really like doing is urinating on things. And then going, "Hmm, now this smells really good" and being really puzzled when the rest of the world goes "No, actually it smells like pee." A gorgeous example of that, Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio, who wrote "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Shrek" and some lovely movies, were brought in by Jon Peters to write the first draft of the Sandman movie. He hadn't actually read any "Sandman" because he had people to do that kind of stuff for him, but he had figured out that what the movie needed to be successful was a giant mechanical spider. He wanted a giant mechanical spider because that would make any film a hit. Elliot and Rossio, who had read "Sandman," who went in with their pitch and looking forward to it and going, "But there's no room for a giant mechanical spider."

"I know it, I'm Jon Peters, and I want my giant mechanical spider!"

I was thrilled on going to see "Wild Wild West" to see that he had finally put this giant mechanical spider that I'd been hearing about from Elliot and Rossio for five years into a film with no ideas of any kind. I really think a lot of it is [executives] are wedded to their giant mechanical spiders and they're also convinced they know best, because obviously they're Hollywood executives.

From http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=5661