Wondering exactly what today’s strip is all about? Me too. So I Googled “Superman walk across America” and read about “Superman: Grounded“, a story arc in the Superman comic series. ComicsAlliance.com put “Superman: Grounded” at the top of its list of the 5 Worst Comics of 2010:
It’s the Superman story that J. Michael Straczynski abandoned to write a different Superman story, one that’s more lucrative and targeted to a wider audience. Straczynski ended up managing four – #701, #702, #703, and #705 – and then called it a day.
One wonders why Tom Batiuk would relate to such a despised series in the Superman canon…
I have no idea what Straczynski ultimately intended to say with “Grounded,” and since he isn’t finishing the story, I’ll never know. But Superman #701 reads like a mini-thesis of its own, and it has a very clear message: Anyone who criticizes this comic is stupid and shallow and should shut the hell up…
The comic is crazy defensive from the get-go, obsessed with boxing out its inevitable critics by devoting four full pages and parts of three others to condescending to belittling or humiliating reader stand-ins who dare to question the wisdom of the story Straczynski has chosen to write. Reporters ask Superman questions and get disdainful, witheringly minimal non-answers in return.
OK, now I think I see.
John
For a guy with buddies in the industry, Tom continues to show a marked ignorance for something he purports to love so very much.
That ignorance would extend to the comics industry’s retail arm as well. Last month we saw John taking a pass on Pete’s sizeable and no doubt profitable comics collection. Today we have a comic book seller talking a kid out of buying a comic book.
Son of Stuck Funky 