Travels with Kal-El, in search of America (spoiler thread)

[Doc Beechler (mod-MD)]

 

 

So, it begins this week...JMS is taking Kal on a hard-travelin' hero journey across the country to reconnect after losing...again!...his people.  Will it be awesome or cringe-y...or both?  Let's take the trip together!

[Jeff of Earth-J]

SUPERMAN #705: In a tale harkening back to the social activist Superman of the ‘30s, Superman defends a woman and her son from their abusive husband/father.

[The Baron]

"You're not fighting a woman now!"

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Oh, very good! In this one, he gives the boy a telephone number to call every day just to leave a message. He tells the boy, "If there's ever a day when I don't hear from you [glares pointedly at the father] there will be consequences."

[The Baron]

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

I thought the moral was don't hit a cartoon character. Or is that just on Facebook?

[Doc Beechler (mod-MD)]

Wow...you went there...

[Dagwan]

Another Half-Assed comic strip relevant to this story: http://www.half-assed.com/strips/72.html

(Spoiler Warning for the end of Shadowland. That's right, SHADOWLAND.)

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Check out the Secret Headquarters (my store) website! Comics and Games for Everyone!

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[Alan M.]

Dagwan said:

Another Half-Assed comic strip relevant to this story: http://www.half-assed.com/strips/72.html

(Spoiler Warning for the end of Shadowland. That's right, SHADOWLAND.)

Heh.

[Doc Beechler (mod-MD)]

Yeah...the rest of you have a good journey with Kal...I think I'm done.

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

I'm done, too. And by the way, this next issue is another fill-in from Wilson, so buyer beware.

[Philip Portelli]

 These type of morality or relevance stories work better when the hero actually learns something. "Illegal" aliens and domestic abuse are not exactly unknown to our Cross-Country Kryptonian. I'm still not clear on why he's doing this. What does he hope to gain? Insight? Would walking across America make up for the woman whose husband died while sacrificing the others he could be helping by flying to the rescue?

BTW, this woman's confrontation of Superman reminded me too much of the Marvel grieving woman who confronted Tony Stark after Stamford.

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

What does he hope to gain? Insight? 

 

According to new writer Chris Roberson, yes. Here's an exerpt from his interview at Newsarama:

 

At this point in the “Grounded” storyline, Superman has pretty much completely lost faith in the things he’s always stood for: Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Physically, he’s just as powerful as he’s always been, but after the death of his adoptive father and the destruction of New Krypton, he’s an emotional wreck.

The way I see it, what he’s really doing in this walk across America is revisiting the kinds of places where he had his earliest formative experiences, and trying to answer one crucial question: “Must there be a Superman?”