DC's Super Tuesday!

DC exploded with the Superman news today on their blog the Source.

But we needed a little exploding after a pretty ho-hum year for the character in 2010. I enjoyed the quickie wrap-up minis that resolved the “New Krypton” storyline (War of the Supermen and Last Stand of New Krypton). Superman had been away for over a year and it was time for him to get back to business saving the people of Metropolis. Heck, the whole planet.

It's Superman vs. his greatest enemy
in Action Comics #900.

Then he got slapped. J. Michael Straczynski introduced the “Grounded” storyline in which Superman realizes, after a slap and verbal thrashing by an angry widow, that he has been disconnected from the people of his adopted planet. He remedies this by walking across the country and helping out real folks by getting down to their level and doing what Superman does best: moralizing, answering questions with questions, quoting Thoreau, and all the things that Superman must have done in between everything else we’ve ever read about him because this Superman was virtually unrecognizable. Okay, that’s my last word on Straczynski’s run on Superman (I hope).

Onto the good news. First, look at that damn fine teaser image (above) that DC released featuring hundreds of different Supermen flying around. This is what I would like to see—something fantastic. The artist isn’t credited, but it looks like current Superman artist Eddy Barrows.

Superman and the Flash will cross paths in
the pages of Chris Roberson's Superman.

Superman’s walk may not be ending, but it’s going to be guided by Chris Roberson (iZombie and last week’s Superman/Batman #79). While Roberson is not going to end the “Grounded” storyline immediately, it sounds like he’s going to spice things up with visits by some of Superman’s pals: Flash and Batman will make appearances in two of the eight stories that Roberson plans to right for “Grounded.” I wonder if this means that the much maligned (well, by me) G. Willow Wilson “Grounded” interludes will not be featured in the eventual trades?

I am eager to read what Roberson has in mind for the character.  I liked the Bronze Age charm of his Superman/Batman story; it will be interesting to see what path he takes Superman down with “Grounded.” He’s working from Straczynski’s original story notes, but he’s said he’s planning to put his own spin on the book.

In other news, Superman will be returning to the pages of Action Comics in time for its upcoming issue #900. Superman will go head to head with the book’s current protagonist, Lex Luthor. Paul Cornell has been doing a sensational job on Action with his take on Lex and really giving fans an off-kilter super villain team-up book. However, I’ve been questioning whether or not Cornell is too unconventional to write a Superman book. Cornell has done enough really fun stuff on the book to trust that he will take Superman to some very interesting places.

The WB released their poster for the final season of Smallville (below, a show I still find myself referring to as Superboy). Now, this is a cool ad. Clark Kent standing in front of the famous chest plate—in a brilliant silver that is reminiscent of the original 1978 Superman film but shaped like the 2006 film version.

With previews of tomorrow’s Steel and Superboy previews, DC promised a day of cool Superman news and they weren’t kidding.

The WB teases the final season of Smallville.