Special Issue #1: Superman: Grounded - Early Thoughts

After about three years of great Superman stories I was looking forward to reading J. Michael Straczynski's new storyline. But after reading some of the releases from DC Comics, it's not clicking with me at the moment. I'm not one to blog in a negative tone. That's no fun for me to read or to write. And I'm not saying that this new story, Superman: Grounded, will be terrible before even reading it. I hope it will be better than it feels right now. I just want to share my thoughts on this storyline going in.

Earlier this afternoon I picked up my copy of Superman #701 from my local comic book shop, Acme Comics in Longwood, Florida http://acme-superstore.com/. On the first Saturday of this month I bought issue #700 and read the preview of this new storyline. It didn't do much to make me more enthused about this story. I haven't read #701 yet, I'm purposely waiting until after I post this blog.

My first impression was that this storyline might be another plot about Superman doubting himself for a year's worth of issues, like the Brian Azzarello and Jim Lee storyline in Superman from a few years ago. That past storyline wasn't terrible, it was just too little story stretched over too many issues.

After reading the preview, I couldn't buy Superman's reaction to the widow who blamed him for not using his vision powers to cure her late husband from a brain tumor. This seemed like a situation that Superman would have resoved early in his career. Even if Superman had been on Earth there is no guarantee that the widow would have gotten in touch with him in time to deal with his tumor. Even Superman would have had no guarantee that he could have destroyed the tumor safely, depending on the diagnosis.

If the husband's death had been as a result of the recent war against New Krypton, Superman's reaction would have made more sense. Superman left Earth in an atempt to train the Kandorians in the best use of their new superpowers. They rejected him to follow General Zod. Granted, this is an oversimplification of the plot of the New Krypton story, but that's the basic result of the plot. Superman dealing with the grief of the loss of his home planet for a second time, and the destruction on Earth, would have made a more compelling story to follow New Krypton. And dealing with the man's death as one of the casualties of the just concluded war would have made a compelling story.

Another problem I have is that Superman, having just returned to Earth, and to his life as Clark Kent, husband to Lois Lane, now leaves her again to go on a cross-country trip. Lois has her own grief to deal with, over the suicide of her father and what her sister Lucy has become. Superman has ignored the person who could most probably give him the answers he needs, his own wife.

Not only that, it looks like we are in for another year without Clark Kent. Maybe I'm showing my age, but superhero stories are more compelling to me when they include their secret identities. The Kent's friends, family and aquaintances must be wondering what's going on with Clark, and why he has been absent so long from his wife. With the widespread destruction from the recent war, maybe they wonder if he is one of the casualties or wounded. That was used when Superman returned after the Doomsday story. Clark was found in a basement, buried under the debris, but with non-perishable food to survive on.

Over in Action Comics, Lex Luthor will star as the main character. So Action will go a second year without Superman appearing in the title. After having been an Orange Lantern in the Blackest Night storyline, Luthor begins a quest for ultimate power. This story seems the stronger of the two Superman titles. My only problem with it is that we have a strong villain and a weak hero with an internal conflict. It seems that DC is celebrating the villain over the superhero.

I'm not declaring that this story is going to be terrible. It's possible that I might like the next issue. JMS might tell some compelling stories. He's a great writer. I enjoyed his TV show Babylon 5 and his work on The Amazing Spider-Man. Right now, on Superman, I'm not so sure. I hope I'm wrong.

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