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Author Topic: Superman #38 Doings and SPOILERS  (Read 3693 times)
Jimmy T
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« on: March 09, 2015, 02:35:53 PM »

So, Geoff Johns can certainly write an epitomized, classic hero tale for Superman. This issue also unleashes a new superpower, which I find to be a bit silly. Not in its use, but in what it means it its use.

Superman can unleash a 'superflare'. It's labeled as an extension of his heat vision, as Supes can just blow ALL the suns energy he has stored in his body to lay waste to everything around for miles or so. Essentially, he's a hydrogen bomb.

HOWEVER, he's left powerless, exactly as a human, for 24 hours.

Now, this issue was light on the "Official Handbook" statistics for this event. I think it's utterly silly that his power loss is equal to the idealized notion of a 24 hour day. That's a silly trope that is used over and over again in stories and make believe games. It's OBVIOUSLY there so we can see who Clark Kent will really, truly be sans powers. And that's fine.

However...(nitpicky, I know, but I'm gonna), at the 24:00:01 mark, is he immediately 100% full again? This universe has already shown how nigh-immortal and off the charts his powers are (again!). He's almost pre-COIE level at times. What I liked about our Death of Superman character is that expelling HUGE amounts of energy or force would weaken him and require him to recharge his batteries, so to say.  But if he is near infinite here, and he blows his load; well...how much force IS that?

Nitpick over.

The other big thing, is that Clark reveals his secret to Jimmy Olsen. Sorry, 'Jim' as Clark will always call him.

I don't think this has ever seriously been done in DC ever. I'm curious on the changes that it could entail. I can't help but think that due to the new super power, and this reveal-that none of this could have happened by any regular writer. Some editor would probably kabosh it. However, if you are the Chief Creative Officer, you get to do what you want, I guess. Cool
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Jimmy T since 2001
Perry
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« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2015, 03:15:50 PM »

Now full disclosure, I am NOT a fan of Superman. However, this "new power" does nothing to like him more and in fact does the opposite, if that can be done.

If you want to add a more human aspect or make a more suseptible Supes, why not just have him run into some strange new Kryptonite (speaking of tropes) that causes him to once again lose his powers, for whatever time you want (yes I agree, the dead locked 24 hours is just stupid)? Does the most powerful being in the DC universe need another power? I mean he used to just be invulnerable. Then they added (in no particular order) flight, super-speed, super-hearing, cold breath, heat vision, telescopic vision, microscopic vision, x-ray vision, vocal manipulation (both impressions and full throwing the voice ventriloquism Cheesy), hypnosis, telekinesis and even shape shifting ... plus more. Now of course some of those were during the wonderful Golden Age of comics where everyone was still feeling things out, but seriously, what's next invisibility? Or did he have that too?
 Cheesy

Nope. Do not like this. At all.

Luckily however, I don't care enough about the character to have any true emotions regarding it.  Smiley
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Avatar mash-up is from Ross Pearsall... and of course those that own the original characters Smiley
Jimmy T
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« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2015, 04:05:59 PM »

Now full disclosure, I am NOT a fan of Superman. However, this "new power" does nothing to like him more and in fact does the opposite, if that can be done.

Indeed. I don't see this power as very useful. The enemy he was fighting did not die! He survived! I mean, Superman did win because the other guy was just taken out. I can't see this power having a great use, or Superman going "well, time to SUPERFLARE!!" because, if it's in the air, outerspace-he'll die! ~or anywhere there is human life, Superman will kill and destroy it. He may have unleashed this power 'in the wild' but that habitat, and all of the forest's happy little creatures were atomized! Just done in!!!

Quote
If you want to add a more human aspect or make a more suseptible Supes, why not just have him run into some strange new Kryptonite (speaking of tropes) that causes him to once again lose his powers, for whatever time you want (yes I agree, the dead locked 24 hours is just stupid)?

Why not, right? Have Clark get 'addicted' to a weakened form of kryptonite that temporarily robs him of his powers. Imagine being able to feel life without having to process it through your super senses? Sure, you can smell all the physical waste in the air, all the sweat, all the humans, but how great (as a human) does that stadium loaded hot dog smell all on it's glorious own?

Also, on the kryptonite thing, I'm very irritated with how writers use it and write on it's affects. In the room, Superman is dying. 4 feet away from it behind lead, Superman is already back on his feet ready to fly through time or something. If I was the writer, the K-radiation would be so lethal that Supes would be near petrified, and sick for hours. Immediate recovery is so cheap, that yeah, it makes Superman have no weakness. The fact he can do anything with it near him makes me mad. It should be a horrible experience!

Quote
Does the most powerful being in the DC universe need another power? I mean he used to just be invulnerable. Then they added (in no particular order) flight, super-speed, super-hearing, cold breath, heat vision, telescopic vision, microscopic vision, x-ray vision, vocal manipulation (both impressions and full throwing the voice ventriloquism Cheesy), hypnosis, telekinesis and even shape shifting ... plus more. Now of course some of those were during the wonderful Golden Age of comics where everyone was still feeling things out, but seriously, what's next invisibility? Or did he have that too?
 Cheesy
 Yeah yeah you can leave off those last  5. :p Surprised you didn't include the weird S-shield tarp he threw in Superman II. Cool
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Jimmy T since 2001
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