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25 comments:
They're probably going away thanks to the feeling that no one has any privacy anymore. In an interconnected world like ours where we all can know (what we think is) everything instantly, there's little that suggests that secrets like that can be held on for so long.
A few years ago, there was a one-panel by an artist whose name I forgot; it shows Lois Lane looking at a picture of herself in Superman's arms that she was posting to a social network. We get a close-up of the pic, which has a yellow screen around Superman's face with a text generated by the service, asking her, "Tag Clark Kent in this photo?" So you can imagine what Lois' expression was as she read that...
It's an over-simplification, probably, but the way that was shared online, you can tell that there are a lot of folk for whom his loss of his secret ID would be pretty well taken as a given nowadays...
When I saw that Bendis would be writing Superman, I immediately knew he would take this approach. It's his go-to storyline. Along the way, he'll kill a well-liked character too. Needless to say, I'm not a Bendis fan.
The only way that I can see to put this genie back into the bottle, other than your speculation, Ross, would be for it to be revealed to be a dream. Many of you may remember this stunt in the TV show Dallas, in which Bobby Ewing's death was depicted and later revealed to be a dream. I speculate that right now this is not Bendis' intent, and probably never will be. I agree that the revelation of Superman's identity so that he will be publicly known is nuts. I understand that, if all of these stories had been real, the revelation of some of the secret identities would be inevitable. The Fantastic Four is a good example of that. Moreover, in today's times, someone would get "caught" changing, and I would not be shocked to see Congress mandate a revelation as was the case in Marvel Civil War. The idea before was to conceal the identity for the protection of that hero's loved ones. How does that not go away?
Aren't the spies black, and white?
Ross, not forgetting dental & medical insurance, civil law suits against Clark Supes, friends being replaced or threatened, fear of talking to Lois, bombs planted in a general location near where they'll be, food delivered or any supplies, .... a good story? NO. It's been done and NEVER has a good long term ending.
As to the spies, Ross added a little color to a black & white situation. (Especially after Superman's splits in the past..)
Love this cover! I've been binging old MAD Magazines recently so this is a nice little surprise.
I'd love to see a Spy vs Spy vs Secret Squirrel book
Maybe the Red & Blue Spies could return someday for Spy vs Spy vs Spider-Man :D
I can understand Superman revealing his identity to those close to him: Lois, Jimmy, Perry, et al. But a press conference to deliberately reveal it to everyone? That's too much. The reasons for his keeping it secret for all these years should come to a head quite quickly; his perennial concerns about his enemies trying to get to him through his friends have been very warranted. I can't think of any version of Lex Luthor (at least, from the comics) who wouldn't do that.
But secret identities do more than just protect a hero's loved ones. They also protect the hero's privacy. In many areas in the real-world United States (and probably other countries too), police working in vice, narcotics, and other divisions where they contact organized crime keep their faces masked when assisting with arrests because certain criminals like to eliminate witnesses, including arresting police.
Keeping a hero's identity secret, or at least private, also means that what the hero does is not about himself, but about what he represents. Wearing an iconic costume with a symbol also supports this approach. When Superman saves a busload of children from going off a bridge, or stops a gang of bank robbers, or prevents Brainiac from shrinking Metropolis, his anonymity means that he's not doing it for the accolades or attention. He's not Clark Kent, reporter, who might be just wanting adulation and recognition. He's just a symbol of hope, showing that there are people with great power who use that power only (or at least primarily) for others' benefit. When he's not Superman, he could be anybody, and in a way he becomes not just anybody but everybody.
Turning to our two Spy friends, I always get a kick out of any character recoloring you do, Ross -- that's a big part of why I love Iron Beetle so much, and I'm not forgetting Matt Murdock with a GL ring, or what you did a while back with Hellcat joining the Phantom. I'm wonder what would happen if these two guys got their hands on a pair of Power Rings (and vice versa). But what colors? Green and yellow? White and black? Pink and umber? Maybe get several Spy images and represent the entire spectrum?
And while we've seen Iron Beetle and "Green Devil" (my name for him) in a team-up, I'd also love to see one where "HellPhantom" joins them! (Ideally, with the Spider-Signal in the sky, and maybe someone in Marvel could take up the colors of the original Mr. Terrific....)
Maybe this is too on the nose but maybe Spy Vs Spy with Black Widow? Nick Fury? HYDRA vs SHIELD?
A few of the themes that permeate the Arrowverse shows are that nobody (including no hero) can succeed alone -- some kind of teamwork is always needed. Also that you have to trust your team and your loved ones, which means no secrets. And actions and choices have consequences -- what the hero does also affects his family and team.
Add in the no privacy / surveillance society considerations and the fact that no major government in today's world would allow any vigilante / hero to operate without some indication of who they were and what they are really about. Even if its only "We trust Superman and if he vouches for you, we won't hassle you.
Its a more mature vision of where heroes fit into society, and one the comics have shied away from for years, except a few graphic novels or independent titles (I count Astro City as a independent).
And while the older readers may not like it because it is non-traditional, the folks coming into comics from the Arrowverse and MCEU don't care about Silver Age tropes.
Its worth experimenting with, and Bendis is a decent choice to try and pull it off. If it fails miserably, then they can retcon that all his stories happened on Earth-Bendis in the Arrowverse that was wiped out in their Crisis and good riddance.
I love this one!!!!!!!!
:-D
P.S. @ Anonymous 833: ...and red-and-blue all over.
The reverse is equally true, Jay. Those of us who do care about the Silver Age tropes have grown sick and tired of the Arrowverse melodrama.
Personally, I'll have to agree with the above anonymous. The last time I watched one of the "Arrow-verse" shows, it was so full of maudlin tragedy, it made the first five minutes of the 6PM News look like comedy relief!
What they said.
---Painindeass1million.
Nice... but I think you missed a chance. You could have gone with TWO Supermen - Superman Blue and Superman Red. I'm thinking of the Silver Age Imaginary story version but I understand there is a more recent iteration.
@Jay: Absolutely! Look at any episode since Ollie had his id id'd. Prison, attacks on his family where the bad guys get around all the safe guards, new IDs. This is the easy stuff that the good guys NEVER have to think twice about. New moves, sure, why not?
But if Lois showed who Superman is in Rebirth, to give him help and he wound up living in a cheap motel, what's going to be the new storyline? Live in the Fortress?
Suicide bombers line up on the right in an orderly line. Thanks. Lois will be as famous as Wonder Woman. Watched even more. Ah fame. :)
@Davejonz: yeah! One that made the Super-clones look like Electro had been one-third of a set of triplets!
There are some superheroes to whom the secret identity is both a classic and more importantly absolutely necessary part of their characters and lore. Batman is one. Spider-Man is another. Superman is definitely one that needs one. Without the Clark Kent identity, he has no tether to humanity. Revealing it was a huge mistake and DC should never have let Bendis get away with it.
Mickey, what you're describing there about "all a dream" stories, ironically, is a pretty good summation of just about every Superman story in the 1950s.
The creative team, unable to come up with reasonable stories about a character that got way too powerful as the decade went on, would resort to a lot of "dream stories" where Superman would marry Lois, or Lex Luthor would kill Superman, or some other wild if-this-we're-canon-we'd-all-be-out-of-work stories, call it a dream by issue's end, and hope no one would hold them to what happened. Which, because these comics were distributed by news stands and drug stores as opposed to comic shops, they could manage.
Not that that impulse was a bod one, mind you, as these stories would form the foundation of the ELSEWORLDS line of tales years later on...
It's probably their way of setting their Millenial readers up for another Dubious Crisis.
Don't get me wrong, I'm an early Silver Ager and I'm fine with the tropes. But I'm from Valdemar -- there is no One True Way. I try to evolve with the times, and I'd rather understand today's kids than complain about them. Just because we sang "Your old world is rapidly aging. Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand, for the times..." doesn't mean they can't sing it now.
By that logic...
"Macavity! Macavity! Ian McKellen should be playing the Master of Depravity.
Why, his magnetic personality even lets him defy gravity!"
@Carycomic: "Able was Idris, e'er he saw Elba."
The few people in my hometown who've gone to see CATS THE MOVIE have had nothing good to say about it. So, I'd say the likes of Ian McKellen and Idris Elba have wasted their talents on that flick!
BAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-Hah! jokes Within Jokes a spiral like a cosmic Escher drawing.
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