A Comics Odyssey - Issue #8 Superman controversy

By Wayne Hall Apr 29, 2011, 4:57 GMT

This is quite a change for Superman. I’m actually torn about it. Part of me thinks that the Man of Steel should have a global focus. On the other hand, America is what made him who he is. Many stories have been written about Superman as if he’d been raised in other places around the world, and they never seem to work out well.

A Comics Odyssey - Issue #8

A big controversy erupted in a major anniversary comic this week! But before we get to that, let’s check out the latest news from the scifipulse.net website:

$9 Million Dollars Added To ‘Green Lantern’ For Additional FX Work

Warner Bros. has recently taken the decision to add a further $9 million dollars to their movie adaptation of ‘Green Lantern,’ which stars Ryan Reynolds in the role of Hal Jordan, Earth’s first member of the intergalactic Green Lantern Corps.

According to Variety, the additional budget is to improve upon the already fairly impressive visual effects on the movie, which is due for release on June 17. In their report, Variety claims that this sort of last minute rush to improve upon a movie is the new normal and added:

" ... the kind of sturm and drang that's swirled around ‘Green Lantern’ is actually par for the course on most visual effects-heavy tentpoles these days—and the problem's growing."

Neal Adams To Pencil ‘New Avengers’ Comic

Neal Adams will bring his unmistakeable art to a special Point One issue of New Avengers for Marvel Comics, according to digitalspy.com.

"Here's a real announcement: New Avengers #16.1 me and LEGEND Neal Adams," Brian Michael Bendis tweeted recently. "The return of Osborn!"

"Although New Avengers #16.1 will mark the first full collaboration between the two creators, Adams previously penciled the cover art to Bendis's Avengers Finale in 2005 before the series relaunched as New Avengers," the site reported.

Mike Grell Returns To DC Comics Drawing Iron Maiden In ‘T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents’

Mike Grell has long been one of the most dynamic artists in comics. He's been involved in some powerful and classic stories, including Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters, Jon Sable: Freelance, The Warlord, and Starslayer. He was one of the creative forces behind Superboy And The Legion Of Super-Heroes as well.

Now he's coming back to DC Comics to draw a segment in T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #7, which is written by Nick Spencer and will be on sale in May.

Recently on The Source, the company's comics blog, he'll be providing art for a flashback on the origin of the Iron Maiden. Check out his pencils above.

Editor Wil Moss said, "We’re thrilled to have an artist as legendary and as talented as Mike Grell on board to help us kick off the second arc of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents with May’s #7, joining writer Nick Spencer and the regular art team of CAFU & Bit. Mike will be drawing a sequence starting in #7 that dives into the backstory of the classic TA foe The Iron Maiden, revealing the crucial role she played in the current team’s formation. Also starting in #7 is a sequence set even further in the past by the über-talented Nick Dragotta, channeling his inner Wally Wood. The secrets revealed in these two timelines will have shocking — that’s right, shocking! — consequences for the team in the present. So don’t miss it!"

Picking this week’s book of the week is a no-brainer since very few comics actually reach a milestone like 900 issues.

Action Comics #900 features a star-studded line-up that helps celebrate this amazing accomplishment.

Here’s the book’s description: “Superman returns to Action Comics just in time for the title's historic 900th issue, which clocks in at 100 pages! Everything Paul Cornell and Pete Woods have been building to over the last year culminates here in the ultimate Superman vs. Lex Luthor battle! But that's not all--this story will lay the grounds for an insanely epic story coming out this summer in the pages of Action!

“Plus, an incredible roster of guest talent help us celebrate this landmark issue, including the screenwriter of The Dark Knight, David Goyer; famed Superman: The Movie director Richard Donner; the co-creator of Lost, Damon Lindelof; and the creative team behind the hit DC Universe Online game!”

This issue marks the first time an American-made comic has reached the milestone of 900 issues. I think it’s very appropriate that the book is about Superman, who really started the longjohns trend way back when.

The comic is divided into two halves—the front part concludes the Lex Luthor storyline that’s been running in previous issues. And it’s a great story as Cornell makes Superman face his limitations and the fact that not everyone views him in a positive light. It also includes Doomsday and is part of the current event featuring that character, which is something of a terrific juggling act, in my opinion.

The book concludes with a series of shorter stories. First, Damon Lindelof and Ryan Sook examine Jor-El’s struggle over the end of Krypton. Then Paul Dini and RB Silva write a great three-page tale of the impact one person can have on the world. Geoff Johns and Gary Frank examine how Clark Kent and Lois Lane live their daily lives. David Goyer and Miguel Sepulveda focus on how the Man of Steel functions in a constantly shrinking world. And the final story written by Richard Donner and Derek Hoffman (storyboarded by Matt Camp) shows what happens when someone attempts to create a costume that gives its wearer the powers of Superman. Let’s just say that it doesn’t end well for that person.

It’s definitely worth the money and reading time. I’m sorry to see Lex Luthor lose his title to Superman, but the “Black Ring” storyline may go down in history as the best Luthor story ever. It’ll be fun to see what Cornell has in mind for the Man of Steel, so I’ll continue to buy the book, of course!

The big controversy that’s grabbed hold of comics fans around the world takes place in “The Incident,” written by David Goyer. The Man of Steel says he is renouncing his U.S. citizenship after the America government objects to his participation in a nonviolent protest against the Iranian leaders in Tehran.

“I intend to speak before the United Nations tomorrow and inform them that I am renouncing my U.S. citizenship,” Superman tells the President’s National Security Advisor at Camp David. “I’m tired of having my actions construed as instruments of U.S. policy. ‘Truth, justice, and the American way’ -- it’s not enough anymore.”

This is quite a change for Superman. I’m actually torn about it. Part of me thinks that the Man of Steel should have a global focus. On the other hand, America is what made him who he is. Many stories have been written about Superman as if he’d been raised in other places around the world, and they never seem to work out well.

Will this story remain part of Superman comics canon? Or will DC simply ignore it? Stay tuned!

Wayne Hall is co-editor and a news writer for SciFiPulse.Net. He also serves as a host for the SFP-Now podcast and also the Wayne’s Comics podcast. You can check both of them out at http://www.sfp-now.com.