Times-Record fawns over Bendis' abandonment of Superman's secret ID
The Fort-Smith Times-Record wrote up a puff piece about a few DC-related items, such as the TV adaptation of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the finale to Doomsday Clock, and even Brian Bendis' Superman mishmash. First, let's see what they say about the Crisis adaptation:
Let's see next what they say about Doomsday Clock:
Interesting that, unless Jor-El turns out to be an imposter, there's no complaints about how one of the few decently written deaths in comics history was undone for the sake of Bendis' pretentious directions.
Say, now that I think of it, even before facial recognition programs, it was always possible for a police sketch artist to draw up something close, and in the 2nd issue of the sans-adjective Superman from 1987, Lex Luthor's staff came close to determining Clark Kent was the Man of Steel, but Luthor wouldn't buy it and told them to just throw out the computer's findings. In any case, it's worth considering that computers aren't inherently perfect.
It's truly disgraceful how the press gives their full backing to to Bendis and Dan DiDio with no objectivity offered, much like it was the case when Bendis worked for Marvel, and insists you cannot use your imagination and creativity to retain the concept of secret identities. That's how famous creations and franchises collapse.
Let’s begin with “Crisis,” whose first three episodes Dec. 8-10 left Super-fans with a happy grin. The five-episode crossover between The CW’s six superhero shows (the last two episodes air Jan. 14) gave us the regular Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) from Earth-38, where “Supergirl” used to take place. (Spoiler: It was kinda destroyed. Don’t worry, I suspect its demise isn’t permanent.) He was joined by Superman of Earth-96 (Brandon Routh), who appeared to be, kinda-sorta, the Man of Steel from the four movies starring Christopher Reeve, and also “Superman Returns,” but at a time when the whole Daily Planet staff has been killed by The Joker, which also happened to an entirely different Superman in a graphic novel called “Kingdom Come.” Naturally, being Supermen, 38 and 96 get along famously.I'm as huge a Super-fan as the next one, but I don't see why I should be happy and grinning about something containing these kind of lurid elements with the Joker in live action. Honestly, this is decidedly another example of overusing Batman elements to the max. It's bad enough Supergirl was ruined by rabid leftism, and now we have this littering up the TV set.
Let's see next what they say about Doomsday Clock:
Meanwhile, the new comics that arrived Dec. 18 included “Doomsday Clock” #12, the last issue of a sequel to “Watchmen” that integrates the characters into the regular DC Universe. It took a lot of guts for writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank to try to fill the boots of “Watchmen’s” Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, but it served its purpose — not only giving us the spectacle of Lex Luthor meeting Ozymandias, but returning the Legion of Super-Heroes and Justice Society of America to DC’s history. They had been erased by a previous revamp ...I think it's shameful Johns gets to restore any of these characters to the DCU proper, not unlike how Bendis got to restore Superman's red tights, and it's also idiotic to put the Watchmen into continuity proper. IMO, there's something wrong when the most favored-by-the-establishment writers get the opportunity to take steps seemingly favoring what the audience would appreciate, even though these same writers continue to wallow in elements that otherwise harm the products they're working on. Now, let's turn to what they're gushing about Bendis' takes on Superman:
... which “Doomsday Clock” established as being the work of Dr. Manhattan! And that’s not all — “Clock” established that all the revamps that have taken place in DC Universe, going all the way back to the establishment of a second Flash in 1956, are not only part of the in-story universe’s history (Dr. Manhattan is aware of them all), but that they happened for a reason.
Finally, we come to “Superman” #18, which arrived Dec. 11. And yes, Supes revealed to the world that he has always been disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet.Because under Bendis, he just has to feel some kind of forced guilt, huh? And this is another example, much like this one, of a politically correct declaration secret identities are so dated, suspension of disbelief is virtually impossible. Besides, tracking equipment that could locate the Fortress of Solitude has surely been around in the world of science fiction for decades on end now, and if the writers/editors decided, they could have an otherworldly alien armada be the ones to track Superman's tranquil laboratory and disrupt his peace and quiet while doing research. Or, has it ever occurred that, with a little imagination, you could establish Superman developed cloaking technology to prevent discovery of his fortress at ease, among other elaborate security devices? Come to think of it, in the world of sci-fi, you could conceive stories where the heroes with secret IDs came up with technology to fool facial recognition and fingerprint software. All that's required is a little imagination, creativity and suspension of disbelief, and you'll have an enjoyable tale. One that's not bound to make the list of must-reads from these awful journalists.
That’s not as shocking as it could be, because his identity has been revealed before. In the “New 52” version of the universe created in 2011, Lois Lane discovered the secret and revealed it to the world. (That was undone by the “Rebirth” revamp of 2016.) And prior to that, decades of “what if” stories played around with the concept.
Further, the secret identity as a concept seems to be another one of those long-standing superhero traditions, like the boy sidekick, that might have made a grudging sort of sense in the 1940s, but is slowly disappearing among today’s capes and cowls. For one thing, we have facial recognition software that won’t be fooled by a pair of glasses. We have infra-red satellites that will find the Fortress of Solitude in a heartbeat. The world has changed, and for the most part, secret identities are passé.
Of course, that’s the metaverse reason — Superman gives an entirely different explanation at his worldwide press conference on the steps of the Daily Planet building. It’s been a slow burn since the return of Kal’s father Jor-El (yes, he used to be dead), who’s been hiding some dirty secrets. And now Superman is thinking hard about his own secrets, and feeling pretty badly about them.
Interesting that, unless Jor-El turns out to be an imposter, there's no complaints about how one of the few decently written deaths in comics history was undone for the sake of Bendis' pretentious directions.
Say, now that I think of it, even before facial recognition programs, it was always possible for a police sketch artist to draw up something close, and in the 2nd issue of the sans-adjective Superman from 1987, Lex Luthor's staff came close to determining Clark Kent was the Man of Steel, but Luthor wouldn't buy it and told them to just throw out the computer's findings. In any case, it's worth considering that computers aren't inherently perfect.
Why did he have the secret identity? “Well, originally it was so ... I could be with people,” he tells Adam Strange. “Learn. Adapt. Be part of the conversation.” But keeping his life as Clark a secret, he says at the press conference, “today that feels false. Almost dishonest.”No kidding. Consider all the secret agents for the FBI who have to go undercover in real life to infiltrate criminal rackets. Does that feel dishonest? And in regards to whom? If to be with other people though, would the propagandist be willing to admit Geoff Johns' ridding the open knowledge Wally West was the Flash in 2004 was a most insulting mistake, right down to how previously, Johns was making all the folks around Wally suffer?
And while I have mixed feelings about this development — not the least of which is knowing it won’t survive the next revamp — there’s no “almost” about it. As a journalist, the one part I couldn’t swallow with Clark keeping his Super-secret is that he was violating the ethics of my profession. You can’t tell your editor you just interviewed Superman when you are Superman. It’s a well-meaning lie, but it’s a lie all the same. And a conflict of interest. Plus, how can a guy profess to fight the never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way when he’s been dishonest to the people closest to him ever since he put on a pair of glasses he didn’t need?Obviously, he believes Peter Parker couldn't tell J. Jonah Jameson and Robbie Robertson he'd photographed Spider-Man when he is Spider-Man. And speaking of lies, what about all the anti-conservative lies spewed by rock bottom papers like the New York Times, and TV channels like CNN? It's pretty clear the columnist doesn't think Supes should take measures to protect himself from the most dangerous criminals if he feels it necessary. Some superheroes of the past would keep secret IDs also because they didn't want to risk the chance said criminal entities would go after their paramours like Lois Lane if they knew the girlfriends/wives were aware of all this. Though I will say it's irritating when anybody has to pay the price for knowing a hero's secret identity, or even just being best pals with them.
Aside from honesty, there are some other pluses to this development. For one, maybe we’ve seen the last of the cliched, plot-driven story of Superman struggling to keep his civilian identity secret. For another he can smooch openly with Lois — who is married to Clark Kent publicly, and has a son by him — without anyone thinking she’s cheating.Again, suspension of disbelief is considered impossible, let alone the suggestion maybe Lois and Clark should try to relegate their lovemaking to times when the latter is out of costume, rather than in it.
I’m still not 100% a fan, though, because it’s hard to see how Clark Kent can continue as a character, and I’ll miss him. I’ll reserve judgment, though, to see how “Superman” and “Action Comics” writer Brian Michael Bendis handles it.He also depicted Scarlet Witch as one-dimensionally insane, and turned Iceman homosexual for the sake of it. I don't think it's a matter of confidence so much as it is a matter of somebody acting as apologist for overrated atrocities. If that's what the columnist thinks, why be so otherwise welcoming of abandoning secret identities for the sake of a direction that could just as well result in Superman being forced to scrap his job at the Daily Planet, and along with Lois, all but live in isolation? If he abandons his Clark Kent identity, are we really supposed to consider that a good thing? I'd say no.
I have a lot of confidence, though, because it’s not his first rodeo. He outed Daredevil too!
It's truly disgraceful how the press gives their full backing to to Bendis and Dan DiDio with no objectivity offered, much like it was the case when Bendis worked for Marvel, and insists you cannot use your imagination and creativity to retain the concept of secret identities. That's how famous creations and franchises collapse.
Labels: dc comics, dreadful writers, Justice Society of America, moonbat writers, msm propaganda, Superman, violence
