Just picked up the latest issue of Superman, and I have to wonder who this imposter is wearing Superman's uniform (costume, outfit, whatever)?

The "Call me Kal-el" scene with Batman - well, it wasn't Superman.

I just thought the same thing when I read it this morning...

after 5 issues of no really Superman worthy action, i dropped the book...seemed like a waste of Jim Lee...

has the book picked up any in the months i've not read?

I like the Aquaman costume Jim Lee designed last issue...

The story is rubbish - BA seems to have no grip on who those characters are - the Batman/Superman encounter was awful.

Yep. And what's with Batman throwing a punch? Stupid. Particularly when Jeph has the relationship so right over at Superman/Batman.

I know DC doesn't have any messageboard mods, have they also dispensed with editors?

Batman should know better than to hit Superman. And even if that wasn't true, he should have learned from when he did that last time (back in the "Death In The Family" storyline, iirc).

My point is that they're friends. It should have been a squint of the eyes, a cock of the head and a "Ok, so what's wrong with you?" scene. Batman's not an impulsive character. Look at the Terminus scene in JLA/Avengers. Or vs Cap. He considers stuff and acts wisely.

Why anyone thought Brian Azarello would ever be able to write a good Superman is beyond me.

Gawd I hate that kind of "out of nowhere" character stuff like that. You'd think writers would have a fairly decent template for these characters by now.

I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't like the writing on that first Jim Lee Superman, but I kept getting it anyway because I like the art (which I think of as kinda like son of Byrne/Austin). They've stacked up on me now, so I need to read them if I can get the steam up to do it, which is hard because I hear they aren't too good. What a wasted opportunity.

I think that editors are fairly spinelss these days as far as keeping characters "on track". After that horrible "Hush" debacle, no way I was going to waste my time or money on any Jim Lee product ever again. I'm sorry but the guy is putting out the same stuff he did a decade ago (with the same inker to boot!) and these days, I get the feeling if a Jim Lee wants to screw with a character redesign or personality, no one stops him and whoever the writer is on this, I'm guessing that Lee's got the control in that relationship as well. Seriously, can someone hurry up and clone Geoff Johns so we can have him write EVERY DC book? Please?

It's entirely possible that he could accomplish that now.

I doubt anybody really thought he could, but they knew lots of people would buy it because Azarello is "hot". Not a slam on him, because from what I've heard he's a good writer on his own stuff, but hot talent and characters are interchangeable these days. If it was 1992, it would be Rob Liefeld.

For ME please (and you can do it on email if you don't want to bog this thread down), can you clue me in on what the "horrible 'Hush' debacle" was. I didn't read the entire story but I did pick up the first 3 or 4 issues and I thought they were decent art and story. I never kept up with what happened after that. Where did it go wrong and spiral into a debacle?

Well, the first thing that happened in "Hush" is that all the characters lost their necks ....

Well, that happened the first issue. I think Jim Lee was out sick on "Neck Day" in Figure-Drawing Class.

Coincidentally, it seems that Jim Lee's Superman has lost his spine....

Wouldn't the neck be part of the spine?

I don't think it was a debacle, I liked it. Some people really hated it though, so they call it such.

I liked all but the ending of Hush. I didn't like that Hush got away to become some re-occuring schmo, I felt that the story was of a magnitude and twisty enough that it should have been fully and entirely resolved at the end and then left alone.

Be careful what you wish for ....

We've been Miked.