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JMS Quits Superman & Wonder Woman

About the comic move....

I hate to say it but I am relieved. I still think the "Grounded" concept is a good one, but it should've lasted about 5-6 issues, not a whole year. I thought it had the potential to get Superman back down to Earth, interacting with regular people, being 'super' in a different way. That it could lead to some interesting social commentary. I don't think it achieved that. That being said, I'm still interested in reading Earth One.

As for Wonder Woman, I think JMS has a better grasp on Superman. His Wonder Woman idea just showed how little he got the character. I know its been tough for many writers to 'get' her, but JMS just seemed to destroy WW's world just do to do it, without giving us any new insights into Diana's character or a fresh intrepretation of her world to replace the one he destroyed.

I liked JMS's Supreme Power and was hoping he could work similar magic with Superman and Wonder Woman. It's a shame he couldn't, but I am glad that either he or DC decided to shift him to the Earth One sequel instead of keeping him on both books.
 
I too originally think that "Grounded" should have been one short opening arc and and then get on with the business of Superman protecting the world. I think JMS likes to bring too much politics and issues into his work sometimes when it just needs to be what it is. "Wonder Woman" lost me after the first issue. Morrison didn't even use her new costume in Return of Bruce Wayne #6 which I found hilarious.
 
JMS really isnt really that good of a writer, in my opinion. Some of the dialog in B5 would have sounded bad even in a comic book. The show was often unwatchable ( listenable?) because of this. It might have been better off if other writers had polished his scripts and built on his ideas. I'm not sure he's a sophisticated enough writer to deal with "politics and issues" either.
 
Nerys Myk said:
JMS really isnt really that good of a writer, in my opinion.
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In terms of structuring a complex story arc over five seasons, over a hundred episodes and dozens of characters, I'd say he's a great writer.

In terms of character dialogue, well... er... STRAIGHT TO HELL WITH NUTS ON!

:D
 
Admiral_Young said:
I too originally think that "Grounded" should have been one short opening arc and and then get on with the business of Superman protecting the world. I think JMS likes to bring too much politics and issues into his work sometimes when it just needs to be what it is. "Wonder Woman" lost me after the first issue. Morrison didn't even use her new costume in Return of Bruce Wayne #6 which I found hilarious.
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One thing that bothered me about the new direction of Wonder Woman was that it didn't seem to affect the rest of the DCU. I mean, Wonder Woman is a tentpole character and if Themyscira (sp) gets destroyed, the Amazons almost all wiped out, and Wonder Woman disappears, I would think it would get a major reaction from the Justice League or the world. Perhaps since it was supposed to be an alternate reality, parallel universe or whatever, that Wonder Woman's memory had been erased from the 'real' DCU, but I think that was left too vague and I wish more had been done to actually show how heroes would react to her not being around. I think that's a great story device sometimes to show a character's impact through others' reactions. I think Kristin Beyer used it to great effect in the Full Circle novel for example. I really didn't like or get Janeway until I read that book.
 
The only Grounded issue I read was #703, because it took place in Cincinnati, and that's my hometown, but I thought it was dumb. Basically Superman has a pointless argument with Batman, there's some really bad dialogue where a bunch of kids find a crystal, and then Superman beats up a drunk, and the story is all "DO SUPERHEROES CAUSE MORE HARM THAN GOOD!!!?" like it is original, when it is completely not. So I can't say I'm upset by this move.
 
The only issues of "Grounded" that I thought were good were the first and the issue where Batman shows him and calls Clark crazy.
 
Reverend said:
As for those not liking his new storylines; you did read the part where those stories will be finished as he intended? The only thing he's not going to be doing is writing the actual scripts. The stories will still be his.
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Personally, I kinda hope the first issue of Chris Roberson's Superman begins with Superman saying, "Fuck this walking shit. I could be home in Metropolis having some nookie with my wife." Whereupon he flies back to Metropolis and this "Grounded" nonsense comes to an end.
 
I will go with the thought that this may be a "face saving" measure due to JMS being unable to meet schedules. It's not just personal to him, it seems to be something that happens more in the comic industry now than before. I'm sure there's an industry based explanation for it, but I seem to recall this being less prevalent in the 80's.

I haven't followed his run on Superman, but I'll put myself in the minority here and say I have been enjoying the Wonder Woman story as an "Elseworlds" style tale (though I am confused as to how it meshes with the main DC continuity right now).
 
Okay but it does also have something to do with Earth One being a success and DC wanting a second one out sooner. Having him leave both titles to do a second volume ensures that this will come out sooner than it would have had he just been working on it on the side. They obviously want another one out quick as possible.
 
Admiral_Young said:
Okay but it does also have something to do with Earth One being a success and DC wanting a second one out sooner. Having him leave both titles to do a second volume ensures that this will come out sooner than it would have had he just been working on it on the side. They obviously want another one out quick as possible.
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I hope a second volume fares better than the first, but if they're rushing it out I probably won't even bother. Easily the worst take on Superman's origin that I've read. I liked some of the concepts he introduces, but otherwise it was just plain poorly written. Artwork was decent, though.
 
My only concerns with Earth One had to do with wondering how Superman could possibly keep his identity secret in a universe in which Clark Kent has proven so superhumanly strong/smart in so many Metropolis professions. I also wonder about Clark's abiity to solve that scientific problem prior to his access to Kryptonian educational technologies (unless the ship has been shooting some info. into his subconscious).

Count me as one of the few who enjoyed Grounded, by the way.
 
Unless JMS was hinting at some kind of super-intelligence power that this Clark has, I too wondered about that equation. As for the other professions, my guess it that his tenure in those jobs was so short that people would forget? Maybe JMS will address the repercussions of those public attempts in future volumes.
 
Admiral_Young said:
Unless JMS was hinting at some kind of super-intelligence power that this Clark has, I too wondered about that equation. As for the other professions, my guess it that his tenure in those jobs was so short that people would forget? Maybe JMS will address the repercussions of those public attempts in future volumes.
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The football incident, in particular, should be a major tip-off to anybody looking for a Superman alter-ego...not to mention the fact that he only starts wearing glasses at the end of the storyline...

Regarding the equation: it's hard to see how innate intelligence would have been enough to solve the equation. It was a scientific question that involved some very specific background information.
 
Admiral_Young said:
I looked at that panel as JMS saying that this Clark was smart :)
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True. Though, I think the concept made more sense when JMS was talking (pre-story execution) about how Clark would have to make a decision whether to use his Kryptonian knowledge to become a famous scientist. The idea that he could solve that scientific problem so quickly without Kryptonian knowledge just doesn't strike me as as realistic. Of course, that's assuming the ship hasn't helped along Clark's education without his knowledge.
 
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