Originally posted by bobbart:
Hi, Randi,
WRT Clark and Lex growing up friends, I am completely comfortable with that idea. As Ken points out, not only did that happen (sort of) in Smallville, it has been done in the comics and was also covered in Superman: Last Son of Krypton . I believe that this idea alone doesn’t make this a Smallville story. We have had many stories here that are at least as far from LnC canon. We simply call them Alt-universe stories.
What I think is missing is the story itself. Your concept – both in part 1 and part 2, is presented almost entirely in exposition. As a reader, I would be ready to accept the story of Clark and Lex – pretty much as they are in LnC canon (except for Lex being younger) - growing up as friends and then suffering an irreconcilable falling out due to Clark’s apparent friendship with Superman.
One of the problems in omitting the whole back story is that we – as readers – are left only with the image of Lex as the incarnation of evil that we know in LnC canon. Even if that person had grown up being Clark’s friend, I would not shed any tears for him. I would need a much more fully developed picture of a Lex with some redeeming qualities to shed those tears.
So, I think that your idea is fascinating, and the taste you’ve given us has a lot of promise as an alt-universe story, but I would really like to see the whole story that serves as the backdrop for this short.
Bob Thanks for commenting.
See my reply above about the exposition.
As to Lois shedding tears there are many reasons but to give a tidbit - Lex explains to Lois the "Wedding" and what was going on besides just trying to trap and kill Superman. What he tells her touches Lois to her core.
The backstory is the "real" Lex obituary. More on that will start with the next chapter which is titled "Bruce's Guilt".
