Superman Through the Ages! Forum

Here's another tale for the history books:

Tell the Truth! (http://superman.nu/tales2/truth/)

(http://superman.nu/tales2/truth/superman.jpg) (http://superman.nu/tales2/truth/)

:s:

I just read the "about" page.  All I can say is

 :shock: WHAAA?

When did DC start thinking that Mike Carlin knows more about SUPERMAN than Elliot Maggin does???

Someone over there must have been smoking something! :crossed:

That Superman was much too intelligent, noble, compassionate, and heroic to be anything other than the pre-crisis Superman! The post crisis Superman would never had said those things and would have never acted that way, so Maggin gets fired for giving us the real deal. :(

I always have felt that Elliott S! Maggin was the best Superman writer.  He had an understanding of the character, his ablilities, his humanity, his emotional weakness and the way he saw the world and his role in the world.  He wrote Superman stories which stand up today among the best Superman stories of all time.  I also am torn because I honestly like both the pre and post crisis Superman.  I care for the character and I remember too many times when the character was handled without care or understanding.  

The one thing DC did after Crisis was to get a better grip on the overall continuity of their characters including Superman.  Mike Carlin was given more control over the character and his role in the new DC continuity and literally the buck stopped with him.  

That is when DC started thinking Carlin knew more about Superman than Maggin.  I personally wish he could come back and write a Superman series for a year or so and show just how great a writer he still is.

I think Maggin did the right thing with the Challengers story.  It seems to me that Carlin was just upset because he went behind his back.  He might have also thought too that he knew more about Superman than Maggin.  Which is absurd.

So do I, but it's too bad that he lost his job.  Imagine if he was still an editor!


I think Carlin got upset like that a lot.  Mark Waid also used to be an editor at DC Comics, but then he let Kara Zor-El make an appearance in a post-crisis Christmas special.  (It was a fantastic appearance in a great story, and as far as I know it's the only post-crisis Kara appearance other than the recent Peter David story.)  Waid was fired faster than you can blink.

It was years before he did anything at DC again.

If they can fire Mark Waid but then eventually give him a twelve issue Superman series, maybe they'll do the same for Elliot S! Maggin!

That would be incredible! 8)  Then there'd be two must-read books!

Maggin has said that he has no interest in writing comics anymore.  Now if he were to become the editor of the Superman titles that would be fantastic!  
Maybe DC could publish a TPB reprinting Elliot S! Maggin's best Superman stories.    :)  :s:

you are a very very smart person and i agree with you fully!!

What special  was that?

1989's Christmas with the Super Heroes #2:

"We don't do it for the glory. We don't do it for the recognition... We do it because it needs to be done. Because, if we don't, no one else will. And we do it even if no one knows what we've done. Even if no one knows we exist. Even if no one remembers we ever existed."

"I... I don't even know your name..."

"My name is Kara. Though I doubt that'll mean anything to you."

"Merry Christmas, Kara. Whoever you are."

Dedicated to Otto Binder and Jim Mooney. We still remember.

from http://www.supermanhomepage.com/comics/special-reports/christmas2.html

As good as these stories are, the gem of the issue is the last one, a Deadman story titled, "Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot" written by Alan Brennert with art by Dick Giordano. It's a poignant tale, as Deadman inhabits other bodies to send presents to friends he can't bring himself to visit. He decides to experience the holiday through a young man's eyes (and body), until he realizes he is stealing his host's Christmas.

Deadman flees, angry and full of self-loathing, until a lovely, blond woman starts talking to him. Since Deadman can't ordinarily be seen by humans, he tries to find out who she is. She turns the conversation around and asks if the reason he is angry is that no one knows what he has done on their behalf. She then removes Deadman's mask to speak to the man behind it, Boston Brand.

She tells him, "We don't do it for the glory. We don't do it for the recognition. We do it because it needs to be done. Because if we don't, no one else will. And we do it even if no one knows what we've done. Even if no one knows we exist. Even if no one remembers that we ever existed."

Boston apologizes for how he has acted and the woman tells him not to because, "you're only human. You are still human, Boston. Don't be ashamed of it. Rejoice in it. Because it means your spirit -- as flawed or selfish as our spirits can sometimes be -- is still alive." As she turns to leave, Boston asks her name. She tells him and says, "though I doubt that'll mean anything to you." Boston replies, "Merry Christmas, Kara. Whoever you are." The story is dedicated to Supergirl scribes, Otto Binder and Jim Mooney, with the inscription, "We still remember".


I found it on ebay here

(http://ebay3.ipixmedia.com/abc/M28/_EBAY_74bbbac7881af91054ffdd996f302195/i-1.JPG)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2171592834&category=35764