Superman: Why Comic Fans Are So Desperate For A Change

In September, DC Comics announced that Brian Michael Bendis will be stepping down as head writer of Action Comics and Superman. The DC December solicitations revealed that the long-time Superman scribe will vacate his coveted position after the current story arcs wrap up at the end of the year.

Upon his arrival in 2017, Bendis set to work altering the mythos of arguably the greatest superhero of all-time with some changes celebrated and others condemned. Similarly, news of his imminent exit has elicited reactions ranging from excitement to chagrin. Looking back at Bendis’ bold moves, the question that requires asking is: Why are fans so desperate for a change?

Superman fans were initially optimistic about Bendis’ tenure. His first few issues revealed a strong grasp of Clark’s character and personality. Bendis’ Superman is decisive but wise, strong but humble, just but merciful—the ultimate contradiction. Carefully paced storylines blossomed into giant splash pages featuring epic battles. The stakes were high and the consequences real. Perhaps just as important as Bendis’ representation of Superman was his depiction of the supporting cast. Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson became so compelling as to merit their own titles. Ironically, one of his most celebrated decisions, reviving the Legion of Super-heroes, precipitated several divisive ones.

Bendis’ time with DC has elicited as much criticism as it has acclaim. Revisionist turns such as abandoning Krypton’s ecological destruction, or the public revelation of Superman’s secret identity have not sat well with long-time readers. Similarly, the introductions of forgettable villains such as Rogol Zaar or the Invisible Mafia have further alienated Bendis from a passionate fan base. But perhaps his most egregious error was aging the eleven-year-old Jon Kent roughly six years in six months so that the dysfunctional Legion of Super-Heroes could be reimagined. These and other uninspired developments have caused Superman acolytes to applaud the upcoming artistic change.

Brian Michael Bendis established himself as a top-tier talent when he co-created and wrote the Eisner Award-winning police procedural Powers in 2000. Later the same year, Bendis was hired by Marvel to pen Ultimate Spider-Man, which was met with universal critical acclaim. By 2001, he had been assigned Daredevil and the Jessica Jones adaptation Alias. He won Eisner Awards for all four of the aforementioned titles. In November of 2017, Bendis announced he would be leaving Marvel to work exclusively for DC Comics as the new head writer of the Superman line of titles. By most accounts, his time with DC is viewed as less successful than his Marvel period.

Superman is arguably the most difficult comic book hero to write. A fine line must be tread between reinvention and nostalgia. The character must live simultaneously in 1938 and the present, without ever feeling dated or unduly modern. Something as simple as revealing that Clark is Superman can blur the boundaries between the mortal and the deity, and diminish both personas. While Bendis’ slant on Superman may ripen with age, fans are looking to the New Year for a creative team that can bring the sentiment of the past to the Man of Tomorrow.

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