Superman Quits The News Business, May Take Up Blogging

Clark Kent is looking for a new career:

 (CNN) – Add Superman to the list of reporters leaving the newspaper business behind.

In the comic book series’ latest issue, which went on sale Wednesday, an outraged Clark Kent quits his job at The Daily Planet after his boss berates him.

“I was taught to believe you could use words to change the course of rivers — that even the darkest secrets would fall under the harsh light of the sun,” the superhero’s alter ego says in a newsroom outburst. “But facts have been replaced by opinions. Information has been replaced by entertainment. Reporters have become stenographers. I can’t be the only one who’s sick of what passes for the news today.”

(…)

In an interview with USA Today this week, writer Scott Lobdell said Kent is much more likely to start his own blog than he is to search for new work in the news business.

“I don’t think he’s going to be filling out an application anywhere,” Lobdell said. “He is more likely to start the next Huffington Post or the next Drudge Report than he is to go find someone else to get assignments or draw a paycheck from.”

Great, just what bloggers need. A superhero competing against us.

FILED UNDER: Entertainment, Media, Popular Culture, , , , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. James H says:

    Kent’s left the newspaper business before. Back in the late 70s/early 80s (I think) he was a co-anchor on WGBS. And he also worked at Newstime for a while.

  2. Gustopher says:

    And it’s not even the real Superman. It’s that silly new one they replaced the Superman who replaced the real Superman with. Remember, if he doesn’t have super cake-baking powers, he’s not the real Superman.

    This is just a rehashed version of Superman stumbling through the motions of a story originally written in the 1970s, if not earlier.

  3. Andre Kenji says:

    @Gustopher: No, it´s worse. Now they transformed Superman in a member of the X-Men of the nineties.

  4. @Andre Kenji: Indeed. Clark Kent with stubble, mussed hair and a hoody doesn’t work.

  5. Janis Gore says:

    Just wait a minute. I’m wearing a hoodie, mussed hair and leg stubble, Steven.

  6. Janis Gore says:

    I’ve been blogging longer than you have, and was laid-off from a newspaper.

  7. @Janis Gore: Indeed. But I am guessing that you weren’t sporting the stubble and the hoody in the office at the time 😉

  8. Janis Gore says:

    Do you remember begging Posssumblog for links, hunh, punk?

  9. Janis Gore says:

    And, yeah, I’m doing it in the office — MY office at home, the only one I know anymore. Punk.

  10. He looks like a grad student.

  11. Janis Gore says:

    Yeah, yeah, one of THOSE profs.

  12. Janis Gore says:

    Hell, I even wear glasses.

  13. Janis Gore says:

    Guy’s just trying to get into into my panties. Which won’t happen! Unless maybe he has a really lucrative assignment.

  14. @Janis Gore:

    And, yeah, I’m doing it in the office — MY office at home, the only one I know anymore. Punk.

    Well, there is that. I guess he looks like a blogger.

  15. Janis Gore says:

    Well, news for the newsbuddy, somebody else is gonna have to train him.

    I’ve been really busy the past five months and it’s time for a vacation for this girl.

    You take him on, PROFESSOR.

  16. mattb says:

    @Steven L. Taylor:

    He looks like a grad student.

    Hey, I resemble that!

    Actually, this new look is part of a company wide effort at DC to makes it’s hero’s cooler. As part of that they “de-aged” most of the characters. They still haven’t really explained why they also opted to dress an nigh-indestructable man up in a costume that appears to be a suit of armor… other than suits of armor are cool.*

    * – that said, it’s still slightly better that the 1990’s rage for shoulder pads, tons of pouches that are never used, and chains. Or the 1990’s decision to give Superman a mullet. Or turn him blue. And then red.

  17. @mattb:

    Hey, I resemble that!

    Here’s hoping that you are in as good a shape! 😉

    And yes: the whole 52 thing is interesting and better than some of the previous reboots. The mullet was especially bad.

  18. Andre Kenji says:

    My problem with all this storyline is that I always liked the simplicity of the concept of the Superman. To me, it was nice that if you had superpowers you would not be whining that you do not have a normal life, but that you´d simply use it to fight puny thieves,use them to date that hot coworker while having lunch with your parents in the other side of the country. I liked this emotional simplicity.

    Now, Lobdell is doing to Superman the same thing that he did to the X-Men in the nineties.

  19. mattb says:

    @Steven L. Taylor:

    the whole 52 thing is interesting and better than some of the previous reboots.

    I’m pretty meh about it. The Bat books have largely ignored it (especially Morrison) and that’s been a good thing. That said they’ve been the flagships for quite a while and always gotten the best talent.

    Most of the most interesting series have either already been cancelled or are not long for this earth.

    That said, under Azzarello and company, Wonder Woman has never been better or more interesting. It’s really the book that, in terms of concept and execution, has been the biggest and best surprise.