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Chloe Sullivan Should Be Introduced in Superman Secret Orign

Admiral_Young

Admiral_Young

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Yes...I know this is like my third or fourth thread on Chloe being included in the DCU but I'm a little pissed that it hasn't happened. I know of two previous attempts (half hearted on DC's part IMO) to include Chloe, the first was prior to Infinite Crisis and the other was during Kurt Busiek's run on Action Comics. Chloe was going to be Lois's younger cousin visiting from Smallville and who didn't know Clark growing up, a change for the comics that I wouldn't mind if it had happened. Busiek had an interview saying that story demands or something like that made it difficult for it to happen so she was scrapped again.

Now a few years later we have Geoff Johns Superman Secret Origin, another attempt at rebooting or retconning Superman's past and a perfect opportunity to include Chloe. I think since the series is suppossed to focus on a young Clark Kent and his time in Smallville (wait, I think I've heard that line somewhere else before....can't quite recall) and Johns seems to have done wonders at smoothing all the kinks out of Clark's past including putting him back with the Legion of Superheroes I just don't see why Chloe can't be included in this. It doesn't have to be TV Chloe, I'm fine with the concept that was proposed by Busiek...does anyone know why DC has failed to include her in the comics or do they think there isn't a demand for her? She's one of the best things about Smallville...I believe that they retconned Lionel Luthor in as Lex's father.
 
I think it was said before that it had to do with the rights to Allison Mack's image (ie, they'd have to come to some arrangement with her over designing the character to look like her, which would cost them money).
 
It must've been a significant amount then if they were willing to drop the concept on two separate occasions. I'd never heard about that. Sounds silly if that was the only thing that was holding it up.
 
Alison doesn't own the "Likeness" of Chloe.

Alough, as I understand it, they do have to consult her if they wish to express her likeness through a new medium.

But really?

Do they consult Ingrid Oliu about all the changes they've made to Montoya over the years from cop to dyke cop to PI to the Question?

Animation just don't get no respect.

It's like how the Spimspons voice actors are barred from using their work voices outside the office without permission.
 
The real question is this: how many times do I need to read the origin of Superman? I used to be a huge Superman fan, so much so that I have a Superman tattoo (based on the 80's Superman: Man of Steel re-launch with, I feel, the best version of Luthor), and now I don't read the book at all. Primarily, it's because every 2 or 3 years, they re-launch him. Originally, version 1 lasted about 20 years, then was re-done in the 50's with Superboy and the comics code and all of that, and then re-done another 30 years later with the 80's rewrite, and now it's literally every 2 or 3 years that they change around his story, from Birthright to whatever the last one was to this new one. That was 90% of the frustration with Superman (and DC in general), the remaining 10% was Crisis after Crisis after Crisis.
 
I can understand if they make Chloe look like Allison Mack then they need to pay her for it. So why not change what she looks like? DC owns the rights to Chloe as a character. They should be able to do whatever they want with the character.
 
Guy Gardener said:
Alison doesn't own the "Likeness" of Chloe.
Click to expand...

Technically, she does. Since she originated the role in live-action, if they started to draw her character as it looked like the actress, she is entitled to royalties.

Do they consult Ingrid Oliu about all the changes they've made to Montoya over the years from cop to dyke cop to PI to the Question?

Animation just don't get no respect.
Click to expand...

This is a completely difference situation. Did they use her likeness for the animated character? No, they didn't. Therefore, she doesn't need to be consulted.

And, you're right. Animation, particularly the DCAU, gets lots of respect. ;)
 
^^^
One wonders. Plenty of Superman characters who debuted in other media have been introduced into the comics continuity over the years (Jimmy Olsen first appeared in the radio series, as I recall, for instance, and Livewire made the jump from TAS to the comics). But very few originated in live-action film or TV. The only ones I can think of, really, are Zod's sidekicks Ursa and Non.

As depicted in the comics, those two bear a passing resemblance to their live-action counterparts--Non is a hulking brute with a beard, and Ursa is a tall, slim woman with short dark hair--but they don't seem to be what you would call likenesses of Jack O'Halloran and Sarah Douglas.

(Indeed, Non is usually portrayed as bald these days, though he's been shown with hair in the past.)

So drawing Chloe Sullivan as a cute, petite blonde with short hair without overtly resembling Allison Mack seems like it should work. But who knows what legalities might be involved?

Me, I wonder if there's much chance of seeing Chloe in the comics at all. If we did, I suspect it would be along the lines of the plan previously mentioned--she might be Lois' younger cousin, but probably not a friend of Clark's from his Smallville days. It seems like Johns' Secret Origin will probably be akin to much of his recent Superman work: strongly influenced by the Silver Age mythos, with a dash of the Donner films thrown in for good measure. If she turned up at all as someone from Clark's teen years, I'd expect little more than a name-check as one of his classmates.

I'm not saying I wouldn't enjoy seeing Chloe inserted into Clark's past, mind you; I just don't feel like it fits with Johns' direction on this.

--g
 
The comics don't need Chloe. Chloe in Smallville, filled the role that Lana played in the comic books, the she spent some time in Lois' role, and now she is playing Oracle. There is no original character of Chloe Sullivan as her personality is simply derived from pre-existing ones. All this is nothing against Allison Mack, of course.
 
I'm not too familiar, but are there any characters in current comics continuity that fill Lois' previous role of good reporter trying to figure out Superman's secret identity? Lois, of course, figured it all out and married the guy. Having Chloe come in and fill that role is why I liked the younger cousin idea, especially if she brought along her wall of weird.
 
Secret Origin isn't a Superman origin story it's restoring some of Clark Kent's origins that have been retconned over the last few years.
 
AviTrek said:
DC owns the rights to Chloe as a character. They should be able to do whatever they want with the character.
Click to expand...


I'm not sure that's the case. Just because a character appears on SMALLVILLE doesn't necessarily mean DC owns him or her. It all depends on the contracts involved, Warner's current contract with the screenwriters' union, etc. I don't know for certain that this is the case, but it's entirely possible that that the screenwriter who created Chloe would have to be compensated for any comic book appearances.

In which case, there might be significant legal hurdles involved.
 
As much as I'd like to see this as well, I seriously doubt that it will happen. I agree with Greg, there are likely to be a lot of legal hurdles that need to be overcome first.
 
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Lois didn't find out about Clark and Superman until Clark revealed his secret to her in the issue that he proposed as well...can't remember what book it was in.
 
theenglish said:
The comics don't need Chloe. Chloe in Smallville, filled the role that Lana played in the comic books, the she spent some time in Lois' role, and now she is playing Oracle. There is no original character of Chloe Sullivan as her personality is simply derived from pre-existing ones. All this is nothing against Allison Mack, of course.
Click to expand...
I'm sorry to say this is pretty much true.
 
Oh I know that the comics don't need Chloe...it's just that with all the recent retconning that Geoff has been up to during his run I thought it would be the perfect time to introduce Chloe in Secret Origin and then have her in the main books when he comes back to Action Comics after Blackest Night is finished next year. I have to agree that aspects of her character are borrowed from others in the books but that doesn't mean that they can't fit her in anyways at some point.
 
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