Superman '78 (2021)

[The Dark Knight]

Issue #2 is a fine addition and very authentic, but I can't help thinking these issues needed to be longer. I think the material thus far should have been covered in a double length first issue. Having said that, I was very pleased with Luthor's first appearance, and I'm glad that the humor hasn't been done away with. So far so good.

I'm really liking this. A lot. Feels like this could be giving more explanation to Superman's decision to depower himself and attempt to settle down with Lois, as Brainaic argues a Kryptonian shouldn't be allowed to remain on Earth and breed. Perhaps after this ordeal he feels like he should contradict this assertion rather than being a lone survivor who could be wiped from existence. Made me smile to see the cellophane S make a comeback. Good on the writers for embracing these things, and making the Theatrical cut (the better version) canon.

[Silver Nemesis]

Hackman's Luthor steals the show in the second issue. I like the glimpse we're given of his secret lab and the Easter eggs teasing Bizarro and Lex's battle armour. Since Billy Dee Williams posted a picture of the Batman '89 comic on social media, I'm hopeful that Hackman has been sent a copy of this as well.

The central storyline is shaping up to be a solid retelling of the familiar Brainiac plot, rendered in a way that's visually and tonally consistent with the films. The scene where the people of Metropolis side with Superman against Brainiac reminded me of the scene in Superman II where the mob tries to confront the Phantom Zone criminals after they think Superman's been killed. The return of the cellophane S-shield was a nice touch.

Bring on issue 3.

[Kamdan]

The return of the cellophane S-shield was a nice touch.

The sucked me right out of it. Thought the whole point of this comic was to give us a Donner vision of what Superman III could have been. Lifting this Lester nonsense goes against that claim.

[The Dark Knight]

To me it's a question of canonicity. The Burtonverse comic is being sold as pure continuity, taking place after Batman Returns. So what is pure Reeveverse continuity? I see the Donner cut on shelves, but not the Theatrical. Does that make it the one and only? For sales purposes, yes. But otherwise I'm not convinced it replaces Lester. Nor would I want it to.

[Kamdan]

The way I understood this project was to envision a continuity past Donner's version of Superman I and II. It has now become a popular opinion that Donner was fired after the first movie and we were deprived of his vision of the series when Lester took over and made it too campy. That's largely an overstatement but it seems to be everyone's belief in n this manner. This comic already had enough problems with the blatant tracing of screen captures and stills, but lifting an often criticized Lester moment in what's supposed to be a Donner influenced product seems rather peculiar to me.

[Gotham Knight]

To me it's a question of canonicity. The Burtonverse comic is being sold as pure continuity, taking place after Batman Returns. So what is pure Reeveverse continuity? I see the Donner cut on shelves, but not the Theatrical. Does that make it the one and only? For sales purposes, yes. But otherwise I'm not convinced it replaces Lester. Nor would I want it to.

My take on it is this:

I'm a Donner guy, but as much as I prefer the Donner Cut, as a piece of canon it doesn't work. The reality is that it is a glorified assembly that unfortunately ends up being a slave to the circumstances IE the turn the world back ending which was rendered not canon when they lifted the already shot ending and used the gimmick for the first movie. To make it work, you would have to prep the audience by focusing heavily on making selective parts of the Donner Cut canon. The Donner Cut is the lore right up until...when? The balcony? Seems logical, but then you have to deal with Lois' knowledge of Clark's identity. Do you start your story there the next day? Do you make your story the courtship of Lois? How far out of the box for this heavily nostalgic property do you go? Batman 89 pulled the trigger on that, but it is clear that this team is much more concerned with fitting in. Do you say the Donner Cut is canon, but the Lester ending happens? It's too much confusion. You'd need an entire issue to act as a primer.

The fact is that the theatrical version of II is a very popular entry (considered the best by some) and while the cellophane S does bug me, if used sparingly, some of Lester's sensibilities are okay for specific fan service nods so long as Donner's verisimilitude dominates, which thus far it has. It is simply easier to say that the release versions of Superman I and II happened (or maybe will happen in II's case). Now here comes the next story. Direct and simple. Superman II is not as a big a point of conjecture everywhere. Typically it is liked very much. It's III and IV when audiences start to really grumble.

[Silver Nemesis]

Some thoughts on issue three.

The revelation that Lara and Jor-El are still alive is going to take some time to digest. My initial gut reaction is that it's too big a revision, but for now I'm willing to wait and see how it plays out. I wonder if they really are Superman's parents, or if they're just clone/robot simulations. Without his super powers, Clark wouldn't necessarily be able to tell the difference. I'll have to read the rest of the series before passing judgement on this particular plot point.

Lex continues to be the MVP, and it's not hard to imagine his vainglorious dialogue being spoken in Hackman's voice. It makes sense for him to pit his mind against Brainiac, whom he likely perceives as a greater and more immediate extraterrestrial threat than Superman. It's going to be fun seeing how he helps Superman escape from Kandor, though I'm sure he'll eventually try to double-cross him.

Issue three expands on the Donnervsere mythology in a number of ways. Firstly, we see Thanagarians inside one of Brainiac's bottled cities. Later there's a panel of a newspaper stand displaying a magazine with a Keaton-esque Bruce Wayne on the cover. The adjacent panel is a close-up of a newspaper on which a 'Mysterious Bat-Man Terrorizes Gotham' headline can be seen. There was a similar headline in the Batman '89 comic teasing Superman's existence. This makes me wonder if they're building up to a World's Finest comic starring Reeve and Keaton. That would be interesting.

Overall, another solid issue. Nothing groundbreaking, but entertaining enough not to disappoint.

[The Dark Knight]

I feel the same way about the twist. I won't give my final opinion until it becomes clear what actually happened. It really depends on how they handle the landing, but nonetheless, I'm impressed with the way they've remained true to the Reeve spirit while also blowing up the balloon. And how they've shown that despite all the threats Superman faces, Lex remains his true nemesis.

[The Laughing Fish]

I caught up with the last couple of issues lately. I appreciate how the series so far continues to capture the tone and dialogue of the Reeve era, but that twist of *** spoilers***Jor-El, Lara and the entire city of Kandor being kept prisoner by Brainiac, *** end spoilers*** is a bold move. I can understand why the writers did this, because this Superman '78 limited series would've been otherwise predictable, but now this twist needs to pay off. They better have a good idea to conclude the story to justify this twist.

[SPOILERS]
Unless there is another twist to Jor-El and Lara being alive, it will be very interesting to see how Clark will adapt to becoming the new leader of whatever is left of Krypton. It wouldn't surprise me if he has a dilemma in figuring out whether he should return to Earth as its guardian once the Brainiac crisis ends, or if he should rebuild what's left of his birth world. Of course, Superman will eventually return to Earth, but I can imagine this dramatic turn of events coming later in this story. But then again, we'll see what Lex has in mind now that he is tracking Brainiac's activity in outer space.
[/END SPOILERS]

I do agree with the criticism of Superman reusing the cellophane S shield in issue two. It reminds me of how muddled the continuity of this entire run is. Do the events of Superman '78 take place after S78, SII, or in between? I can't call it Donnerverse, because while Donner may have had his own quirks, the cellophane S shield is not his style.

[The Laughing Fish]

I read issue four today. Spoilers below.


I like how Lex's ego comes at the expense of Metropolis' safety while it gives Superman the hope to free himself from the bottled city of Kandor. It's a double-edge sword, to say the least. If these comics end with Superman defeating Brainiac without any assistance from Lex, I can see his madness growing and dislike of Superman turn into pure hatred, should he get "robbed" of the chance to challenge Brainiac as the superior intellect in the universe. Should Jor-El encounter Lex and admit not even he could've found a way to bypass Brainiac's technology and imprisonment, Lex's self-importance will be amusingly inflated, much to Superman's chagrin.

I thought Superman's desire to return to Earth and recognising as it his home was spot on, even more so showing Jor-El and Lara's understanding. Despite being in the company of his parents and what's left of his birthplace, this issue shows Superman's frustration and homesickness quite well.


It's a solid issue. So far, I reckon this six-part Superman '78 comic run is better than Batman '89. Although its artwork isn't as good as Joe Quinones, Superman '78 has a much better plot structure. Now I hope the last remaining issues pay off.