Comments | mithen: 2000-2010: Best Friends Again

mithen

2000-2010: Best Friends Again

Jan 02, 2010 09:59

(Links to scans will be added to this summary over time!)

1999-2000 is a pretty clear watershed in Clark and Bruce's friendship. There are probably a variety of reasons for this--one key is that the people writing several important titles were clearly fans from the age when Superman and Batman were buddies. This is another interesting thing about ( Read more... )

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Comments 36

bradygirl_12 March 29 2010, 02:30:36 UTC

Nice rundown of these events, Mithen! :)

I agree with DC dicking around with the readers in the L'il Leaguers story.

I'll consider it a major bummer if Bruce's return means he and Clark take several steps backwards again. Let's hope DC finally does something right for a change and keep that basis of their friendship!

mithen March 29 2010, 12:03:49 UTC

This was a tough decade to summarize! There was really too much going on to fit a nice neat arc, but at least it was mostly positive! Heck, overwhelmingly positive in terms of Clark and Bruce's friendship.

We'll see about the return! It really all depends on which individual writer or writers get to show them interacting right after they get back. If it's Johns, they probably won't get along too well. Morrison and it'll be a comradely reunion in mid-battle, most likely. I have no idea how some of the other potential writers--Robinson, for example--would do. Though Greg Rucka wrote the really cute story where Bruce steals the Kryptonite ring back for Clark. Too bad Loeb isn't around it to get it. :)

ranger_girl0301 March 29 2010, 13:03:07 UTC

I love Rucka. Just had to throw that in. No Man's Land wins.

mithen March 30 2010, 00:46:19 UTC

I have a lot of faith in Rucka! Though even good storytellers sometimes don't show Clark and Bruce as I'd like (Johns is a good example, I think the man tells an awesome story, but if Batman is in it he's determined to make him look bad compared to Green Lantern). Still, Rucka seems to write them as I like, so I am cautiously optimistic if he were to get the reunion!

Thread 6

snake_easing March 29 2010, 05:43:35 UTC

Wait, ok, I know this is off-topic, but...

Why did Supes give the ring back to Lex? Was Lex reformed or something?

mithen March 29 2010, 14:43:56 UTC

It seems the ring was needed as evidence in a trial of Luthor (I think he was arguing it affected his brain?) Superman handed it over and Luthor managed to replace it with a fake. You'd think Bruce would have run some more extensive tests on it when he got it back... though Superman is his electric form at that point and the K has no effect on him then, so maybe they let down their guard a bit?

snake_easing March 30 2010, 05:06:18 UTC

Ha ha ha! Oh God, I needed that. Poor Supes, betrayed again by his faith in the necessity of a fair trial...

Although, to be fair, I guess the ring was stolen property...

mithen March 30 2010, 09:47:50 UTC

There's a scene where he goes to get it from Batman and Batman just rolls his eyes and sighs. :) "I'm just going to have to steal it back from Luthor later, I guess..."

Thread 5

ranger_girl0301 March 29 2010, 13:02:05 UTC

Amazing work. I must admit, I stopped following DC series after...uh...I think it was Hush, did that follow Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive? I still cherish my old ones but I didn't really like the direction DC was taking Batman in. I especially got all bent out of shape when I heard they took Bruce out for that damn long :p/ From what you've heard, do you think "Return" would be worth exploring for a lost daughter like me? I still have all my old comics and I enjoyed them, but somewhere along the way DC lost me.

mithen March 29 2010, 15:05:51 UTC

Hm, whether you should read "Return" probably depends a lot on how you like Grant Morrison's take on Batman, since it's all his baby. Generally you can count on Morrison's Batman to be...generally unemotional, unsentimental, focused on kicking ass and solving mysteries. You usually don't get a lot of looks into his thoughts with Morrison, he's like the opposite of Loeb that way. So probably not much brooding/moping but not much tender reunioning either? It's kind of a tradeoff, lol...

starsandsea March 29 2010, 18:34:10 UTC

I just want to say I can't wait to see all the scans for this decade! :D

mithen March 30 2010, 03:58:45 UTC

I know! They are the bestest! I'm really hoping to get to them soon...planning to just slowly work my way through the decade. :)

schala_kid March 29 2010, 23:11:25 UTC

Well in "For Tomorrow" was a very unique ocassion, Clark was being extremely angsty about not being on earth when the vanishing happened and Lois being possibly dead, he was also taking the whole "I'm Superman and Clark is a lie" thing to an extreme ( ... )

mithen March 30 2010, 05:50:04 UTC

Ah HA! Thank you! I had only ever seen the two pages or so where they're both acting so odd (and yet SO PRETTY), so I'm happy to finally get some context! Okay, I need to read this one...I think I have it somewhere I just need to get my butt in a chair and read it. :)