SXSW 2018: Journalism Is A Central Theme In Brian Bendis’ Upcoming Superman Run

While past reboots of Superman have put a greater focus on the Man of Steel’s life as reporter Clark Kent, newly hired DC Comics writer Brian Michael Bendisâ€™ take on the character will be closely tied to the ideals of good journalism, the scribe explained during a panel at this yearâ€™s SXSW.

â€œI actually spent the day shadowing an Oregonian [journalist], just to show you how important the daily planet is to the stories weâ€™ll be telling,â€ Bendis told Geeks Of Doom in response to a question about how the current climate of â€œfake newsâ€ and misinformation currently plaguing society might impact the storytelling. â€œOn top of that, Journalism [is] under siege in my lifetime like itâ€™s never been before.â€

Bendis went on to explain that heâ€™s also really fascinated by that aspect of the characterâ€™s life, largely because so much of whatâ€™s happened to Clark Kent wasnâ€™t really something he chose — e.g., being sent to Earth in a spaceship as a child, having super powers that set him apart from others, etc.

He continued:

â€œHe was sent here, choices were made for him. The biggest choice he made for himself was to be a reporter. He doesnâ€™t have to do anything, so of all the jobs he could have he thinks he needs this one. Why? Because truth. There are parts of truth and justice that Superman canâ€™t punch his way through, but Clark can reveal through journalism and storytelling. As a writer, and I have a lot of friends that are journalists, I deeply understand that connection of having that perfect day of telling the truth today — or telling a story that people needed to hear, and being the only one who could have done it. Training yourself to do that on top of everything elseâ€¦ [we] will be diving into that head-first.â€

Long-time Bendis fans may recall that the writer is no stranger to providing commentary about the importance of good journalism via his run on Ultimate Spider-Man. But in my mind, Peter Parker doesnâ€™t embody the ideals of journalism in quite the same way Clark Kent does. Thus, Iâ€™m pretty excited to see how the story unfolds.

The writer also said those in the DC Comics office were surprised to hear that the character he most wanted to tackle wasnâ€™t Batman, a natural fit given Bendisâ€™ epic work doing pulp crime stories with a naturally gritty vibe that seems to work perfectly for heroes like Daredevil.

â€œIâ€™m a little Jewish boy from Cleveland, and all youâ€™re told is Superman and rock and roll came from here,â€ Bendis told the panel. Soon after that initial conversation with DC, he found out that heâ€™d be the one to reconnect Superman with his iconic red trunks, which disappeared in the last two reboots of the character in an effort to line up with Supermanâ€™s costume in the recent big budget films. â€œAll over the world I had people tweeting me about other peopleâ€™s underwear,â€ he joked.

But even more than fulfilling a childhood dream, Bendis cited the need for what Superman stands for in todayâ€™s society as another big motivation: â€œItâ€™s time for Superman, and writing a character that exudes hope to everyone around him, and the burden that it carries. Weâ€™ve seen it with public figures before that represent an idea thatâ€™s larger than themselves, itâ€™s difficult. Weâ€™re going to experience what that feels like, and what itâ€™s like for him personally.â€

Bendis will make his debut in Action Comics #1000 with a beautiful 12-page story illustrated by DC co-publisher Jim Lee. The story will serve as a jumping-off point for the forthcoming Man of Steel 6-issue miniseries that will feature art from an iconic DC artist for each issue.

â€œIt teases everything youâ€™re going to need to know ahead of Man of Steel,â€ Bendis said. â€œWe drop a bomb on the very last page about the Superman mythology that will have people talking, hopefully, more about that than his underpants.â€