#Birthrightverse

[birthrightversemain]

GDFGSDFHGFHDGFH Everyone look at this art, I will die for it 😭 God chapter 16 was such a rollercoaster, really fun to write though, thank you sm for this ❤️ Tumblr didn't even tag me for it, how dare they. My fav broken webbed site hfgdhgfh

GRR ARF ARF POSTING MY FANART for Birthright by Arinawi / @birthrightversemain. SPOILERS AHEAD FOR CHAPTER 16 ARF ARF

Thanks so much for giving me permission to expand your cult mr arinawi >:)

posting this at 1 am in my country but ill literally rather live cringe than die hiding who i am.

[birthrightversemain]

Ey guess who got the flu or whatever

I'm fine now thankfully lol anyway, have this meme made by my awesome wife Kat <3 I love her so much she is precious to me. Speaking of which, guess the special guest that'll be making an appearance in chapter 19! This meme totally isn't a hint ;)

The tweet that inspired this meme:

[thevindicativevordan]

You got any thoughts on Superman Birthright?

Probably my second or third favorite Superman origin, and the one that has my favorite Clark/Lex interactions.

Real pity it didn't get to stick as the "canon" origin because I like it a lot more than the Byrne origin that preceded it and the Johns Secret Origin that succeeded it. Smallville's influence is undeniable, but not a detriment, I like the Kents as flawed younger parents rather than wizened flawless mentors (if they have to be alive still when Clark becomes Superman that is). Pa Kent struggling with feelings of alienation with regards to Clark growing up and taking more of an interest in his heritage is still one of my favorite Pa/Clark moments in Superman's history. Ma Kent being a UFO buff is a great idea, apparently Waid had a story about that he never got to tell. I wonder what it was? Would probably make for a nice Annual or fill in story now that he's back at DC.

Lois is great of course, for all the reasons she usually is, as is Perry who gets way more panel space here than he usually does. Lois and Perry's relationship here is hilarious, love the gag where he writes out two lists of reasons to fire or keep her respectively. "No good place to hide the body" had me cackling. Jimmy though is just kind of there, he's the pal who has Supes back as always, but he's heavily overshadowed by the rest of the cast. Only real disappointment for me in terms of the core cast members.

There's a lot to like here in it's handling of Clark Kent as well. Love that Waid actually shows us Clark has travelled the world to gain some perspective, that he's not naïve or clueless, simply idealistic. He's seen the cruelty of the world up close, and he's also seen the way people react when they realize they're dealing with someone who has "gifts" (whether that's himself or Lex).

Showing us some of Clark's pre-Daily Planet journalist career is also a big pro for me, that's an area of Clark's life I wish got fleshed out more. Waid manages to establish a divide between the Clark and Superman identities that still makes the two feel different without it being a repeat of Pre-Crisis. It's a return to Superman being more "real" while Clark is more of a disguise, but "Clark" isn't bumbling so much as overlooked and ignored (which if you've lived in a big city is pretty much exactly how you get treated as a newcomer). His co-workers barely acknowledge his existence, Lois isn't giving him the time of day, Perry tears him a new one for not having a story to turn in about the ongoing alien invasion on time, Clark has to suffer in the trenches over the course of the story to prove himself.

Like Morrison's Action Comics run, this origin tries to fold a lot of the original Golden Age attitude back into Superman. This incarnation is a man with a temper, him shooting a gun then catching the bullet before it hits the guy who sold guns to a school shooter is literally a recreation of a Golden Age panel. Yet this isn't a "retro" take at all, despite being from Christopher Reeve's biggest fan. Waid writes Clark as someone who makes mistakes, fucks up in ways you don't typically see Superman do, and has a lot of doubts about whether or not he can live up to the task he's set before himself. Doesn't help that Metropolis doesn't welcome him any more easily as Superman than it does as Clark.

Public opinion about him is divided at first, then swings heavily to negative as Lex frames him for a false flag Kryptonian invasion, only to finally recover after he saves the day and exposes Lex. Personally I like Superman to have to work for that glowing reputation he usually enjoys, and if Lex is involved in trying to turn the public against him, so much the better. The anger and contempt towards Lex he demonstrates in particular sets the tone for the relationship between the two in the modern day.

Speaking of Lex, my God, this has got to be one of my favorite takes on him, and on his relationship with Clark, both pre and post Superman.

As adults Waid nails the Post-Crisis status quo of Lex being a selfish piece of shit who hides his nature behind a façade of philanthropy. For all his attempts at projecting an aura of power and intelligence, both of which he has in spades, Lex is so clearly defined by the lack of love and understanding he was shown as a youth. It's Superman "disrespecting" him, by not being happy to pose for photos with Lex after seeing him commit an act of sabotage, that pisses Lex off. For this "crime" Lex does everything he can to smear Superman to the public, and entertains holographic fantasies of dissecting Supes to copy his powers. He quips that killing Kal is "genocide" since he's the last of his people, something he demonstrates no empathy for at all given he laughs in Clark's face when he realizes Superman doesn't know he's the last.

Waid's Lex is probably one of the most monstrous incarnations, yet one of the most sympathetic as well. For my money, Waid is the one who convinced me that Clark and Lex being friends back in Smallville is a good thing.

One reason is that Clark gets to see how people react to "gifted" individuals. By observing the way Lex is treated for being unlike the rest, Clark gets a taste of what's to come if his own abilities were ever exposed. This has the dual benefit of establishing why Clark puts so much effort into making people feel at ease, and also establishing Lex as sympathetic for being unable to hide like Clark can.

The second big reason is that it shows why Clark thinks there's a chance Lex can be redeemed. Birthright Lex wasn't a monster from the start. At first he tried to help, but it always backfired. Doubling the efficiency of the milking machine scared/hurt the cows and upset Pa Kent, his ideas for how to improve the local government got rejected, and of course his experiment with Kryptonite. Sad twist of fate that Lex mistaking Clark's look of pain for the fear/disgust he sees everywhere else is what causes Clark to eventually give him that look of disgust for real when they reunite as adults. But having their first interactions be friendly instead of hostile makes Clark's hope that Lex can become a force for good feel grounded in reality instead of hopelessly naïve.

Can't gush enough about Yu's art either, he can make Superman look bright and inspiring, or scary as hell. His take on Metropolis makes it look and feel like a "City of Tomorrow", someplace exciting and dangerous, a city that needs Superman to protect it. Yu's Krypton is also one of my favorite incarnations, love that he gave Lara the S-curl! That's one idea from the DCAU I wish had become sacrosanct for all future origin retellings. Lara doesn't get to have enough influence on Kal to my tastes, so any little bit counts.

Sadly overlooked as it was coming out due to Azzarello and Lee doing For Tomorrow, it seems like it's risen in status after the fact. The S-shield being a symbol of hope on Krypton in addition to the El family crest has carried forward thanks to the DCEU (which is hilarious given Waid's feelings on that franchise).

Waid has another Superman project coming up next year with Brian Hitch that appears to be a "Year 2" follow up to Birthright. No clue if it will actually take place in strict continuity with Birthright, honestly it feels weird to have anyone but Yu do a direct followup to that, but Waid has said that a Superman run from him would basically be an issue 13 that continues from this story. I'm excited to see Waid take another big swing at Superman, I think he still has it in him to put out a great story, and Birthright being out of continuity may end up being to everyone's benefit. If this ends up being Waid's last Superman story, I hope he gets to do whatever he wants with the Birthrightverse. Kill off the Kents if that's his desire, I know he prefers them dead (as do I). Fingers crossed whatever he comes up with is good.

[birthrightversemain]

How do you guys think this man, like, sees stuff

Look at this dude. Look how majestic he is. What shampoo do you think he uses.

Another amazing drawing from Kat! I love her so much, you guys have no idea. JJ is from my fic Overlord Heirs Anonymous, and since Tumblr is fully functioning as always I cannot find a way to embed a link, so here you go:

[cryingalexanders]

And relatedly, try as I might I just can’t bring myself to like post-crisis/dcau/etc clex that much. They just don’t have the spark. Like yeah, DCEU Lex was weird and gay for Clark but that's not enough. They're just two guys that hate each other and Clark dgaf about him (like what people who don't like clex think clex is...) IDC how much face caressing goes on, if the basis for their dynamic isn’t there + is one-sided on Lex’s part it bores me.

Maggin!clex & Birthrightverse!clex & SV!clex tho 💗

I think one reason I like both smallville clex and pre-crisis clex so much despite their very different vibes is because they’re both made up of honourable villain vs asshole hero. "they deserve each other <3" kinda deal

[birthrightversemain]

Deer, you say?

THE GIRL

And her forum icon, of course :3

Faun is from my fic Overlord Heirs Anonymous

This drawing was made by my beautiful wife Kat!!! I love her so much. Ffaauunn is our daughter btw. We've adopted her uwu I chose to save this drawing for when we had a brand new chapter so enjoy lmao

[thevindicativevordan]

Any thoughts on the Waid/Mora World's Finest announcement?

Excited and praying that Waid will knock it out of the park.

DC is absolutely treating this like a big deal, putting Mora on art is huge. Premise of the series is interesting, Waid gets to write Clark in the status quo he prefers with the benefit of his stories also "mattering" in-continuity thanks to the book being set in the past. Batman is a character Waid has had a huge impact on despite never writing a book with him as the star, Tower of Babel was what really cemented "preptime" as Batman's "superpower". Curious to see more of what Waid's take on Bats will be like, seeing Batman in blue again is an encouraging sign.

Big appeal for me personally is getting more of what Waid's takes on Superman Rogues are. Morrison really got me thinking about what Ultra-Humanite has to offer, any luck and Waid will showcase the appeal of Superman Rogues who aren't liable to get much love or attention from PKJ or Taylor like Toyman. Aside from that Black Label Superman book with Hitch set in the Birthrightverse, this is likely Waid's last chance to play in Superman's world. Want to see him hit the bullseye quality wise, that would be a good way to end his career as he approaches his twilight years.

[thevindicativevordan]

Action Comics 1000?

Not the legendary creative lineup you'd hope for from such an issue, but a solid enough group that gave us a very enjoyable anthology.

Sucks that many of the all-time best creators to handle Superman didn't participate for one reason or another: Morrison, Waid, Maggin, Ross, Moore (that was never going to happen I know), Millar, Busiek, Yang, etc. Ones who did were still solid but omitting many definitive Superman creators undeniably left a hole in the lineup. I enjoyed it more than Detective #1000 or Marvel #1000 nonetheless, and the creators who were involved definitely tried to live up to the historical weight.

Jurgens From The City That Has Everything - Probably his best modern Superman story other than Lois & Clark. A major milestone issue like this requires a story that is an ode to how awesome Superman is, and Jurgens delivers that. Love the little wink and nod to how Superman is the first superhero and the inspiration/source for all the rest at the end. This is a much better finale for Jurgens Action Rebirth run than the one shot he wrote and ends his run on a high note after the weak Zod arc.

Tomasi & Gleason Never-Ending Battle - Gorgeous one page splashes drawing across Superman's history as a character from Gleason, sweet and sincere if rambling narration from Tomasi on what Superman means. Issue 45 is the better overall ending to their Superman run, but this is a nice little coda alongside the Dinosaur Island one shot that captures the wholesome vibe of their run which won affection from many.

Wolfman & Swan An Enemy Within - Wolfman does his best with what he's got, trying to cobble together a story about Superman's love for ordinary humans, but there just isn't enough leftover art to make this work. Swan deserved to be included so I appreciate the gesture nonetheless.

Levitz & Adams The Game - "Or would you prefer Monopoly?" is one of my favorite examples of Superman's deadpan humor. Otherwise it was a great short story of Superman and Lex attempting to outmaneuver each other. Supes is trying to reach the human being underneath Lex's pompous exterior by offering to play a game of chess, but for Lex it's just another chance at killing "the alien". Loved that this was a story that reminded everyone how smart Superman is and how he can "preptime" too. Adams best Superman work remains the batshit insanity of The Coming of the Supermen, but we get to have him homage himself via Superman breaking kryptonite chains which is great.

Johns, Donner, & Copiel The Car - Wow this was utterly unlike what I or anyone else would have expected from Johns and Donner. A sequel to the Action Comics #1 story that manages to do a "Superman encourages a former criminal to reform" story with the Golden Age incarnation, who preferred cracking heads over exchanging words, and it still feels in-character? Superman here keeps that simplistic outlook on life he did in his early publication history, but Johns & Donner managed to merge that with the modern incarnation's belief in everyone's inner goodness believably. If Johns were to ever return to the character I'd rather read a story from him continuing the adventures of this Superman over the mainline guy. Shame this is likely going to be the only Copiel Superman story we will ever get because he's just as good a fit for Supes as he is for Thor.

Snyder & Albuquerque The Fifth Season - I choose to view this as set in the Birthrightverse, a sad story about the broken friendship between Lex and Clark. Both of them were so desperate to find an answer to the why of their lives when they were young, yet their similarities weren't enough to overcome their differences. Even then there's a smidge of hope in this story too, that Lex is still good enough, or maybe just human enough, to put revenge aside and take a moment to reflect makes Superman want to believe that maybe they can be friends again one day.

King & Mann Of Tomorrow - Oh my God King needs to do another longform Superman project, even just a 12 issue maxi since he loves that format immensely. He's just name-dropping concepts here that are begging to be fleshed out into proper stories: The Black Hole Wars, the Eternity Formula, Lois apparently alive four billion years in the future and running the Universal Info Network. Give me those stories King! Of all the stories in this issue, this is the one that is the best at conveying the sheer grandeur and spectacle of Superman's existence. Crushing dirt into diamonds, crafting the diamond into a little statue, fully powered despite the sun becoming a red giant like Krypton's star to signify how much he has changed, and casually talking about pushing the entire Earth far enough away to escape the Sun's expansion. But even accounting for all that Superman continues to be Clark Kent, stumbling over his words when he gushes over his wife and son, or wants to express how much he loves and misses his Pa and Ma. King nails the spectrum of relatable human and awe-inspiring superhero that the character encompasses. For 1000 issues and 80 years Superman has entertained us and he may damn well entertain us for another 1000 issues and 80 years more if he keeps getting stories like this.

Simonson & Ordway Five Minutes - Solid story about the way Clark's secret and superhero identities overlap in function with great art. Simonson remains an underrated Superman creator, and honestly you could maybe say the same for Ordway. Those two know how to walk the line between grounded and fantastical.

Dini & Garcia-Lopez Actionland - Was this a homage to the Superman theme park that never happened? Garcia-Lopez on art was a welcome sight - his art looked even better here than usual somehow thanks to the inks and colors - and Dini turned in a decent story about the way one of Superman's longest standing Rogues views their relationship. Dini had already explored something similar with Mxy in a backup story during Superman Reborn and I rate that story higher however.

Meltzer & Cassaday Faster Than A Speeding Bullet - Last line between Superman and Lila will be a turn off for some, but it's still overall a good story that pulls off a "Superman is inspired by normal people" in a genuine way and letting Superman look cool with a speed feat to boot. Superman has limits but he's not alone in his fight, and ordinary people can step up to contribute in ways he needs them to at times. Cassaday's art is a great fit for such a "mundane" story too.

Bendis & Lee The Truth - Ahhh this really was the perfect prologue to Bendis' time on the Superbooks. Great characterization for Clark, good art, funny integration of regular citizens reacting to the insanity of Metropolis life, and including the oft-neglected Superfamily with Kara participating in the fight. Superman stopping himself in mid-air from crashing through a store signaled that Bendis had put thought into ways to demonstrate Superman's control over his powers, and he would continue to do so over the course of his run. Then you get Rogal looking like a Doomsday knockoff and spouting cliches we've seen a million times. All the good and all the bad of Bendis in one short story, nice work for a man known for his decompression.

A better showing than I would have hoped for from DC for a massive Superman event like this. You get a couple all-time stories, and those that aren't vary from ok to good. Many times I've let myself been hyped up for a big Superman event only to be let down, but thankfully Action Comics #1000 was not one of those times.

[thevindicativevordan]

It’s truly glorious that people are slowly realizing that mark waid was never that good of a Superman writer

World’s finest looks about as bland as I suspected it will be

Let’s hope he never gets the main Superman line

Rest assured

If mark waid ever gets control of the Superman office…he’ll becoming another Geoff johns

A silver age fanboy that will sink the franchise even further into the abyss

Heh well I should say that I do know some of the people you're referring to, and while they may not be impressed with the preview of Batman/Superman they very much love Waid's previous work with Birthright and Kingdom Come. Even if Waid whiffs it with his two upcoming Superman projects, I will always enjoy his previous Superman work (yes I saw that Kingdom Come ask from someone else, I'm organizing my thoughts on it but it will be a while, apologies).

Waid would definitely radically change mainline Superman up if he had total control, but honestly I think given he's going to keep playing in the Birthrightverse, he's probably ok with doing his ideal take on the franchise over there. No way would he ever get permission to erase Jon or the marriage at this stage, so it's not worth worrying about. Must say that I don't think Waid is the same as Johns however, his Birthright origin was the opposite of "retro", it was very much geared towards modernizing Superman. Waid likes a lot of Silver Age ideas, but same as Morrison it's not about bringing them back as they were so much as it is about revamping them for the modern world. Even then Waid has a reputation for being ruthless when it comes to old stuff, a carryover from his editor days, if there's an old idea he liked from back then but he doesn't think it works now, he'll reject it.