Superman Is, In Fact, a Dick

Newsarama’s got a five-page preview of the new Action Comics #1 that’s dropping next Wednesday in the second salvo of DC’s New 52 reboot. Go take a look and then come back. And bring a six-pack.

You might find yourself confused that Superman’s costume seems to be little more than a Superman t-shirt, but don’t be alarmed: the initial storyline in Action Comics is supposed to correspond to Superman’s first year as the world’s first superhero. Which doesn’t explain how he found the Superman t-shirt; it’s not like he could just go to a comic store like I do for Superman t-shirts… maybe he had it made for him at one of those novelty t-shirt places at the mall… actually, that doesn’t hold up because it’s not fucking 1987… and even if it was, those places were staffed by high school kids who fucked up making me a simple block-lettered “Medicate Me” shirt to wear to prom, so I doubt they were silk screening, and even if they were they were probably huffing the dye.

But I digress.

You might also wonder why the Big Blue Boy Scout appears to be kind of a mouthy dick. Well, Newsarama asked Grant Morrison (In nicer words than the obvious “What the fuck?”):

“I think right now, we’re all feeling that way,” said Grant Morrison, the writer behind the new Superman in “Action Comics.” “Nobody has much faith in their elected leaders in the same way that they did. We all have a lot more cynicism and a lot more doubt about the people who are running our lives than we did when Superman was a ‘Boy Scout.'”

Yes. Of course, Grant. More cynicism and doubt than when Superman was created. During the great fucking depression.

I’m being sarcastic, but realistically, I can see where Grant’s coming from. In the earliest stories, Superman fought slumlords and corrupt politicians… but that was because nobody had invented Brainiac yet.

So let’s recap: the first two things we’ve seen Superman do in the DCnU are:

1. Attack Green Lantern in an unprovoked manner in Justice League 1, and:
2. Psychologically torture an old man and mouth off to cops

I’m a little nervous here… but I was also nervous when Morrison said he was gonna do Silver Age style Superman, and that turned out okay. One way or the other I’ll buy it; like most comics collectors, I’ve waited my whole life to get my hands on Action Comics #1.

Action Comics #1 goes on sale September 7th. (via Newsarama)