A year later, the reboot seems to have been successful for the publishing company. At least, I think it has been. I don't really pay attention to sales figures and what not. I can say, without reservation, that the whole thing has been pretty confusing.
There were a lot of things I didn't like about the whole thing. There are still a lot of things I don't like about it. I'll get to something in particular I'm still not happy about in a moment. But I do want to say that I still find these comic books entertaining.
Even as an adult, I find these super hero stories to be fun and, at times, inspiring. It's just not something I'm ready to let go of yet.
Of all the heroes flying around the DC Universe, whether it's the old or the new, Superman has remained my favorite. I really think the guy gets a bum rap most of the time these days. And I really think the stories seen in his titles leave something to be desired. They don't touch the stories I read as a kid. And Superman's one of those characters that saw plenty of changes when that reboot hit last year.
Some characters didn't see any changes at all. Batman and Green Lantern have both continued with stories that were being told before the renumbering happened. For the most part. And that's because their titles were selling great anyway. Superman, not so much. So he went under the knife. They rethought a lot of his history.
The Kent's aren't around anymore. They died at some point in the past, before Clark moved to Metropolis and became Superman. The artists decided to get rid of the red underwear on the outside of the blue suit. Okay, that might have been a decent move. But another big one... Superman and Lois have never been married. They've never even had a relationship outside of sharing a byline or two at the Daily Planet.
Ask most people who have a clue who Superman is. They'll tell you that his significant other is Lois Lane. For decades, she was Superman's girlfriend. For a long time, she had her own comic title, Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane. Since the mid-90s, she's been his wife. At least until September of 2011.
That's not to say that Lois Lane isn't a great character standing on her own. She's not just some damsel in distress that's constantly relying on the Man of Steel to save her life. She's a tough investigative reporter who really doesn't take any crap off of anyone. She takes a lot of risks that are probably unnecessary, but she was doing that long before Superman hit the scene.
But part of the beauty of the classic Superman story is the relationship between Clark and Lois and Superman. It's the world's most recognizable love triangle that consists of only two people. And it's a story that's been told over and over in any number of media. Movies, TV, cartoons, books... so many multiple times.
And now it's over.
I thought I might be okay with it at first. I went into the reboot with a mostly open mind. I love a good story. And Lois and Clark meeting and falling in love is a good story. Maybe I'd get to see it all from the beginning again. But according to the powers that be over at DC Comics, exploring that relationship all over again is not even on the table.
Because here's the new status quo:
Superman and Wonder Woman? I'm sure there are plenty of fanboys out there who have imagined that scenario more than a few times over the years. After all, he's the most recognizable super guy in the world. She's the most recognizable super gal in the world. Makes sense, right?
But she's not Lois. I want to be optimistic. I want to see where the story will go. But more than that, I want Lois and Clark back together. Their love is supposed to be written in the stars. They're the kind of people who are supposed to just look at each other and, on some level, just know that they're supposed to end up together. I know, they don't really exist. But this is 70 years of history here. Gone
No comments:
Post a Comment