The Four Color Media Monitor: Overrated Superman writers get the fluff-coated coverage

Fandom Wire wrote a list of the top 10 most influential Superman writers, and wow, what a shock they're gushing all over the most overrated of the past 2-3 decades. For example:

Having joined DC Comics in 2018, Brian Michael Bendis took on the monumental task of writing Superman titles. His fresh perspective injected new ideas into the character’s mythos. Bendis introduced new storylines, such as The Unity Saga, where The Man of Steel faced cosmic threats and expanded his family with the introduction of his son, Jon Kent. Bendis explored the challenges of being a superhero and a parent, adding depth and relatability to the character. His writing emphasized The Man of Steel’s unwavering optimism, his dedication to justice, and his role as a symbol of hope in a complex world.

He also removed Supes' secret identity for no good reason, and in a most laughable move, he even succumbed to SJWs who took offense at the use of the word "autistic", even if it was seen in use by villains. Bendis' work is crude and overrated, and these hack writers act oblivious to all that, just as they did when he turned Scarlet Witch into a crazed cliche in Avengers: Disassembled. And then, next on the list is Dan Jurgens, who may not be the worst, but does have an appalling storyline to his writers' credits all the same:

Best known for his work on The Death of Superman storyline (1992-1993), which garnered significant attention and became a cultural phenomenon. Jurgens’ writing depicted an epic battle against the unstoppable Doomsday, culminating in the hero’s apparent demise. The storyline explored the legacy of the character and the impact of his absence, showcasing the world’s mourning and the rise of new heroes. Jurgens’ work on The Death of Superman had a profound impact on the character’s mythos, leading to his eventual resurrection and reaffirming the enduring legacy of The Man of Steel.

With awful writers like the aforementioned Bendis, I'm not sure you can say the legacy's still "enduring", any more than Star Wars has been under Kathleen Kennedy at Disney. They conveniently obscure the Toyman's murder of Cat Grant's son, and that's a serious disappointment in this article. "Cultural phenomenon"? My foot. Yet another fluff-coated take on the Death & Return of Superman have we here too, and this gushy article is no improvement. Next:

Known for his talent in revitalizing characters and tapping into their rich mythologies, Geoff Johns made his mark on Superman with Superman: Secret Origin (2009-2010). This story reintroduced Kal-El’s origin to a new generation of readers, emphasizing his role as a symbol of hope. Johns delved into Clark Kent’s early days as a hero, his interactions with key characters like Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, and his struggle to find his place in the world. Johns’ writing often explored the character’s iconic rogues’ gallery, providing fresh perspectives on classic villains and adding depth to their relationships with the Man of Steel.

He also "made his mark" on titles like the Flash and Green Lantern in a very crude, atrocious way that did no favors for their reputations, since he laced them with nasty, dark ingredients that certainly weren't healthy for the former, and not even the latter. "Talent", my foot. The emphasis on villains alluded to here is another reason I'd rather have nothing to do with Johns' work, since that's a big problem in his scriptwriting resume. Also on the list is Grant Morrison.

All-Star Superman (2005-2008) is widely regarded as a modern classic that celebrates the enduring legacy of the character. Morrison’s writing explored Superman’s iconic status as a symbol of hope and inspiration. The series showcased our hero’s compassion, intelligence, and moral strength as he faced his own mortality. Morrison’s imaginative storytelling and ability to blend grand cosmic adventures with intimate character moments resonated with readers. They successfully captured the essence of the character while injecting fresh and imaginative ideas into his mythos.

If memory serves, when DC "rebooted" their universe with the "New 52", Morrison depicted Superman in a way that was meant to pay tribute to socialism. That aside, his work is no more "imaginative" than any other writer who lets their leftism color their writing in the worst of ways.

And the way they make it sound like all these overrated writers have truly the "freshest visions" is head-shakingly laughable to boot. It's sad how the Big Blue Boy Scout was turned into a neglected stepchild while more energy was put into emphasizing Batman at Superman's expense, and even Batman's experienced quite a few overrated writers in the past 2 decades as well.

Labels: dc comics, dreadful writers, golden calf of death, golden calf of villainy, history, moonbat writers, msm propaganda, Superman

"And the way they make it sound like all these overrated writers have truly the "freshest visions" is head-shakingly laughable to boot. It's sad how the Big Blue Boy Scout was turned into a neglected stepchild while more energy was put into emphasizing Batman at Superman's expense, and even Batman's experienced quite a few overrated writers in the past 2 decades as well."

In all fairness, Superman's status as a neglected stepchild's actually a hidden blessing in hindsight since I suspect that if the situation was reversed and Superman still retained a lot of focus especially with the sorry writers and executives currently helming DC Comics and Superman in particular, they'd probably exploit Superman's wholesome image to force in radical left-wing agendas at the character's expense. The left has been known to do that, such as Hideo Kojima and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (especially in Japan, where yellow was deliberately chosen as a theme color for the game due to it being the color associated with school children, and that's the game most notorious for being an infomercial singing praises for Che Guevara), George Lucas and the Return of the Jedi (the Ewoks in particular being teddy bears and an explicit Vietcong analogue, even more of one than the Rebels) and Phantom Menace, heck, the upcoming Barbie movie as well especially when the cast and crew are literally mouthing off their radical politics despite even Mattel, themselves no stranger to woke politics, trying to tell them to shut up. Made worse in that all three of these were marketed as being specifically for children to consume. I think Disney's Beauty and the Beast might have also been that as well. It's certainly the first Disney movie to be very overtly political no thanks to Linda Woolverton, predating even Bob Iger's notorious handling of Disney currently that's likely to just kill the company (why the board hasn't fired him yet, I don't know). In fact, we don't even need to imagine that outcome. Just look at what they did with his cousin Supergirl once she moved to the CW.

That bit about Barbie reminds me, you might want to do an article on Barbie when that releases as well as its troubled production (especially how the cast and crew, DESPITE Mattel's attempts to avoid marketing politics, basically making it obvious it's political). While you're at it, you might want to also have a reference in there to Lisa vs. Malibu Stacey from the Simpsons in there due to Lisa basically trying to do something similar to the cast and crew for Barbie's movie.

Posted by eotness | 2:03 AM