DCeased and Batman: Last Knight on Earth (DC)

 

DCeased

Writer: Tom Taylor

Artist: Trevor Hairsine

Batman: The Last Knight on Earth

Writer: Scott Snyder

Artist: Greg Capullo

Well, DC Fandome finished last week. We got teasers/trailers for The Suicide Squad and The Batman. Just on the side, is this what DC intend to do with their properties? Put "the" at the start of the title and hope people forget what came before? I'm surprised at this stage they aren't calling it The Wonder Woman 84, the trailer for which was good, but not surprising. We got Gotham Knights- better known as The Batfamily can't have anything for themselves without neckbeards throwing a tantrum. Oh- there was also that Suicide Squad video game trailer- the squad seems to be taking on Superman again, because that seems to be how DC promotes characters; forget writing engaging stories, just have them fight Superman and-- wait a minute: Why are all these characters carrying guns. I get Harley Quinn and Deadshot carrying them, but King Shark? If I play as King Shark, I want to tear mooks apart with my mighty jaws, not wave a target over them and hold down R2. And why does Captain Boomerang have a gun? Can we notice no other long-range weapon that he might use? One that's his name for example?

You know what was conspicuously absent? Announcements about DC's comic line. The Milestone Universe is coming back, but that's outside the mainline DC imprint. On the back of constant layoffs, one can't help but think that DC stands about as much chance as American schoolchild on a weekday. With that in mind, let's review a couple of books that, appropriately are about the end of the DC universe. Let's call it The AT&T Double Bill.

First up, DCeased. This story falls in the "zombie apocalypse" school of the end of the world and to be fair, writer Tom Taylor does an admirable job working this into the DC universe. The thing that turns people into zombies is a corrupted version of the Anti-Life Equation, and it's even carried to Earth by Cyborg. My problem though is that I'm well and truly uninterested in zombies. I don't care for hordes of brainless creatures desperate to feed- I teach middle schoolers and such things always feel too much like my job. So I started reading ready to be bored to death, but by late that same night, I was still reading, which is like a vegan discovering their favourite sandwich had ham in it. So what was it, then? 

Well, firstly, the story doesn't bother with the whole "humans are the real monster" schtick, and instead sticks to saying that "actually, the real monsters are the ones mistaking your face for a violet crumble". It's nice to see a zombie story not pretend it's commenting on any moral complexity. It leaves the story to focus on the tragedy of loss. Characters have to kill their best friends, they lose their parents, they grapple with the constant realisation that they're just not going to win. It's an oddly refreshing tragedy, one that avoids one of the commen pitfalls of this kind of story. Right from the get-go, it's clear that things are completely... can we say "American-2016-election'ed"? When we know that this is going to end badly, we therefore don't end up with our hopes dashed when that's exactly what happens. Rather, what little hope remains in the story ends up all the more sweet, and that's exactly what DCeased does, so it gets four out of five violet crumble faces.

And since there's really no way to segway into this, let's move on to Batman: Last Knight on Earth. This is a slightly more complex story that DCeased: A cloned Batman wakes up to find that the entire world has gone to hell... actually it's not that much more complex, really. This is a Scott Snyder book, so expect a lot of Scott Snyder tropes to make an appearance here. There's an evil version of Batman, a new take on a fight with Superman, and Joker's here. Actually, it's just Joker's head, but Snyder's voice for him this time around is so different to his previous work, that it actually makes him the best person in the book. I haven't been made to laugh by the Joker for a long time, but here I was, chuckling every time he asked if he could be Robin, or making some pun about whatever danger Batman found himself in. Then I remembered that I'm not supposed to enjoy the Joker, because that makes me an incel or something- NO, I'M NOT EXPLAINING THAT!

Of course, the other thing that seems to happen in Scott Snyder books is that the setting becomes a character of it's own. In Batman, it was Gotham, in Dark Nights: Metal, it was the dark multiverse and here, it's the whole damn world. Snyder makes full use of this setting, letting us explore not every inch of it, but enough that it can be enjoyed. I'm reminded of Old Man Logan in many ways, and that's not really a bad thing. Both books employed a "What if we did Mad Max, but used our most popular heroes with the pointiest ears" approach, and the results have been just distinct enough to make me want to see more of it. It's been heaps of fun and, like the book before, also earns four out of five Joker incels.

What? That's not good enough? Fine. I suppose I'd better declare a winner in this double-bill. At the end of the day, I think I have to give it to Last Knight on Earth- if for no other reason than that it manages to give us all the suspense of an end of the world story without resorting to that thing that every bit of pop culture seems to be going to, but if you want one that better represents the state of DC, best go DCeased. A plague brought on the world by means of social media? Sounds like the Snyder Cut to me! Gfaw Gfaw!

Actually, that looked pretty good...

Superman Volume 1: Son of Superman (Rebirth) Review

Supes, you gotta turn of the flash
on your camera, dude.

Writer: Peter J Tomasi
Artist: Jimmy Palmiotti
Collects: Superman: Rebirth #1, Superman #1-6

Background Information

Superman's past few years in the New 52 was... rocky. I maintain that Grant Morrison's Action Comics was a great Superman story, but it's hard to pretend that it caught on with general readers. The following issues were an absolute train wreck. Lois and Clark were broken up, Clark was de-aged so that he looked ultimately naïve and the stories themselves were great in concept, but poor in execution. The way they fixed this was very long winded, but long story short, DC brought back the old Superman with the old Lois Lane and got rid of the New 52 versions of each. I do something similar with my children all the time!

Review:

By this stage, I think we can safely say that DC Rebirth is good. It's sold well enough and rarely do we hear a word against it. Most of that, I'm convinced, is due to books like Son of Superman.

So the old Superman is in the main universe again with a wife and now a ten year old son. A "Son of Superman", if you will. This son, Jonathan Kent, is developing big boy powers of his own, so the old Clark Kent now has to teach his son not to kill people by accident. You know how it is; your child hits puberty and suddenly there's a lot of awkward conversations about girls.

I hope every Spider-Man writer sees this.

I get the feeling that the Rebirth initiative as a whole was designed to troll All-New-All-Different-All-Weather-All-The-Time Marvel. This is probably most relevant in Rebirth's Superman. Peter J Tomasi's Superman seems to point at Dan Slott's Spider-Man and say "See? Having a superhero married with a kid is a GOOD thing because it allows characters to grow and mature  and maybe one day you can get a movie where Peter isn't defined by high school!"


He then turns  Tom King's Batman and says "Hey, kid's develop best with two parents at home, too!"

To which, Tom King responds "Okay" (with his fingers crossed behind his back).

This book really sells itself on the positive family dynamic. There's a weird habit that a lot of shows have of portraying married characters as being on the brink of divorce. Son of Superman bucks that trend by giving us a Lois and Clark that are happily married. The drama, instead, comes from the Superhero action which is accentuated by Clark's efforts as a father. It helps that Jon's character is probably just as well-written as everyone else's. Many comic writers try to portray children as snottier adults, but Tomasi's gives us a son of Superman who is more wide-eyed and in awe of those around him. As a result, we actually like this character as opposed to, say, Damien Wayne, which needed a pretty long adjustment period and even then people cheered when he died because they thought Tim was going to be Robin again.

The actual events of the story, the "what exactly happens here?" are a bit of a letdown, though. Superman takes Jonathan back to the fortress of solitude, where a Kryptonian robot that's hell-bent on ethnic cleansing gets activated and decides that  Jonathan must be killed for not being a purebred. Was this thing programmed in Auschwitz? I thought Krypton was meant to be more progressive than this! The whole thing completely fails to be engaging. The whole is fixed by... wait for it...

...getting Batman involved.

The bad guy is the one with the S on his chest.

Hang on, DC, are you trying to tell me that a man capable of moving the earth out of its orbit needs the help of a grown man who depends on his butler? Why is Batman even here? I know he's had the more popular movies but it's not like you need to introduce him to anyone! You could live your entire life in a cave and I bet you know who drives the Batmobile! Why not include Blue Beetle? Booster Gold? John Constantine? You could build your universe this way, but no; you need to lend credibility to the claim that Batman is all DC has!

This is an unashamedly pretty book, as well. Every character is designed to be highly expressive, which adds to their relatability. The way Johnathon is drawn hits home how (literally) wide-eyed and optimistic the lad is. Superman looks his age without looking past his prime. The book is big, colourful and bombastic in the way it communicates its action, like a gang war during Mardi Gras.

There are some who are going to claim that Son of Superman is a return to hope and optimism that "SOUPAMAHN WAS ALWAYZ MENT 2 B!" I don't know if I would say that, but it's certainly Superman starting on an era that he was always meant to reach eventually. Time will tell if Bendis has an inch of respect for what happened in this run... Dammit.

Four out of five Mardi Gras gangsters.

Superman/Wonder Woman Vol.1: Power Couple (The New 52) Review

Superman/Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Power Couple (The New 52)

Ewww... kissing!

Writer: Charles Soule

Artist: Tony S. Daniel

Collects: Superman/Wonder Woman #1-7

Background Information:

For years Superman and Wonder Woman had their own love interests; Superman pined for, kissed and even married Lois Lane, while Wonder Woman and Colonel Steve Trevor have been a pairing ever since she appeared in Sensation Comics. 

Then the New 52 started. Lois and Supes left each other over creative differences at the Daily Planet and Wonder Woman decided she wasn't interested in Steve after all. The second Justice League volume featured the two sharing a passionate kiss at the end, and they've been a "thing" ever since.

Review:

So, for better or for worse, that's the status quo. Although I can credit Justice League writer Geoff Johns for trying to make this relationship work, it always came off as forced, and Trinity War did nothing to make the paring believable.

That's where Charles Soule comes in. His work in  Power Couple becomes a legitimising tool for the Wondersupes relationship, and ends up being a great tribute to everything there is to like about the New 52 versions of both characters.

Phew... they do superhero stuff, too.

So, Superman and Wonder Woman's relationship is now public. People are freaking out that the two
most powerful in the world are together and what this might mean for everyone else, and that's getting Wonder Woman and Superman concerned. In the meantime, Zod has appeared in the New 52 universe for the first time along with his beloved Faora. It's a great choice of villain for the new couple; as it shows just destructive this kind of couple can be, and that's one of the driving themes in this book.

Whereas Marvel is about average Joes in non-average situations (science nerd get spider powers, weakling gets the super serum, total narcissist wears armour to become hero), DC has always been about, to borrow from Injustice, gods among us. Larger than life characters and the real world's reaction to them has always been the crux of DCs line. Power Couple catches that crux perfectly; Wonder Woman and Superman are the subject of celebrity. We regularly see people referring two Wondersupes as attractive, their relationship trumps any hoopla created by any Hollywood scoop, and there's a certain level of secrecy to the whole thing.

That said, this is less of a love story and more of a relationship story. Superman and Wonder Woman are already together, and this story becomes more about what happens after the kiss at the end of every rom-com you have ever seen. The question, thankfully, isn't one of "will they/won't they", but "how will they make it work now that they have?" The result is a great humanising of both characters; the kind that we haven't seen in most of their books.

I know, far be it for Superman to wear makeup, still...

I've stopped commenting on art in DC. I'm suspicious that Jim Lee is drawing everything under
different names. That said, Tony S. Daniel's art deserves some mention. It won't stand out to anyone as particularly diverse, but if you're familiar with his work, then you know you're in for a book that is going to feature some pretty brutal panels. It near-perfectly balances the romance with hard-hitting action scenes and reminds you that this is, in fact, a superhero comic.

Somehow, even though I have nothing bad to say, I didn't love this book. Something, I don't know what, felt missing- maybe it was that love is meant to feel fun. I would have loved to see Wonder Woman and Superman tease each other good-naturedly, or laugh at an awkward situation, but it just wasn't there. Power Couple, therefore, gets only a four and a half out of five rom-coms.

**** 1/4

+ Works as a relationship story.
+ Plays on the "gods among us" theme.
+ Brutal, entertaining art.
- Wondersupes' love didn't feel too serious.

Alternate Option: Justice League: Villains' Journey

Wonder Woman and Superman are together? When did that happen? Find out here.

Superman Action Comics Vol. 3: At the End of Days (The New 52) Review

Superman Action Comics Vol. 3: At the End of Days (The New 52)

Man, what do we do with all these cut-up
Superman pictures... hey, I got an idea!

Writer: Grant Morrison

Artists: Rags Morales, Brad Walker, Travel Foreman, Chris Sprouse, Andre Hennesy, Mark Propst, Karl Story and Cam Smith

Collects: Superman Action Comics #13-18

Background information:

So far, Gran Morrison’s run on Action Comics has followed a younger Superman- one who is slowly finding out what he can do and learning how powerful he really is. This Superman currently has no idea that he can breathe in space or even fly. It’s one more akin to the first appearance of the character in Action Comics #1. Clark Kent rents an apartment from the earth-form of Mr Mxyzptlk’s wife, which becomes a major part of this book’s plot. In each major story arc, a small, demon-like man has appeared, making deals with each villain Clark has faced. It’s all been leading to this, and Morrison has spent two volumes leading up to a story that tears at the fabric of reality in a way only Morrison knows how.

Review:

The last two volumes of Action Comics were fun, but hardly what you would call real Morrison books. Morrison, to me, always means stories that jump back and forth in time, a Morrison story usually requires a second reading to fully appreciate, and has a real flair for Meta-storytelling.

PUPPY!!!

At the End of Days is, in every way, a real Morrison story.

After the last couple of volumes, Vyndktvx, the little imp man that we’ve seen so often is finally coming for Superman, attacking him at all stages of his life. That’s about as simple as I can go with the story without writing something akin to a novel. That said, this is a volume that brings together Morrison’s various story arcs together quite nicely. Almost every character from the last two volumes makes their appearance. Surprisingly, this happens without feeling forced- something that you think would happen in a book that has covered so much ground. And on top of that; Krypto!!!

Like I said, this is very much a Morrison book. It jumps around in time, deals with an extra-dimensional threat and resolves it with much meta-storytelling. I was worried that it would bother me (it did in Batman Inc. and Batman and Son), but found myself totally engrossed in it.

That said, a word of warning: this is the kind of book that requires a second reading to really “get” it. The whole story pays off, don’t get me wrong, but I wouldn’t call this a light read in the same way that, say, Nightwing is. There’s a good story here, but you need to be dedicated to really work it out.

My one gripe with this book story-wise, though, has to do with that dedication. I’ve read this volume about three times and I’m still trying to figure out what actually happened and what didn’t. See, like I said, this book jumps around in time. And that, supposedly, means that some things happen in the story, some didn’t. It’s hard to make a decision on that, and that does make my brain hurt a little.

I believe Superman is thinking: "Fancy that! This feels most
unpleasant"... probably not in those words, though.

Artwise- FINALLY, this book has gotten its house in order! There are still lots of artists on here, but there seems to be at least a little consistency that I must admit, was missing in previous volumes. The colours, though, are what really stand out to me. The pages look rich and vibrant and conveys action very well. I will admit, that sometimes the art style does change as the narration moves between dimensions, but that actually enhances the experience rather than diminishing it. After, all if you’re going to draw little imps- best they don’t look grim and gritty.

Overall, At the End of Days is a pretty satisfying conclusion to a Morrison one, if not a little confusing (naturally). It gets four out of five grim and gritty imps.

****

+ Art finally consistent.

+ KRYPTO!!!

+ Wraps up the Morrison’s run excellently.

+ Very much a Morrison book…

- … Which can get confusing.

Alternate Option: Superman Action Comics: Superman and the Men of Steel

Art issues aside, it’s still my favourite of the lot.

An Open Letter to DC

Some great stuff here, but improvements are needed.

Dear DC,

I don’t hate you guys; in fact, I really don’t hate you guys. In fact, you’re my favourite publisher. The New 52 has been great for me in ways that Marvel NOW! hasn’t. It’s been, in my opinion, a pretty fun ride from Green Lantern, Superman Action Comics, Batman, Aquaman, The Flash, Talon, Nightwing and even Justice League have very much entertained me.

I’ve also loved, I repeat, LOVED Arrow. It’s been a great series with a thoroughly entertaining take on the characters. I even loved Man of Steel. I realise that will lose me my seat at the cool kids’ table, but I did.

There are, however, certain things I really REALLY want you to do with 2015. Below is my… well… wish list for this year. I hope that most of these things will happen, if not all.



I'm not satisfied by Greyson
in the place of this.

Bring back Nightwing



Look, I know there are artistic reasons for it, but cancelling Higgins’ Nightwing felt like the ultimate betrayal to someone who got into DC precisely because of this title. And yes, I’m sure Greyson is great, but be honest- it’s not like having a Nightwing book. I’m sure he will return, but make it soon!

There are more than one way of doing this; I wrote an article a while back on how Nightwing could still be Nightwing post-Forever Evil. Any one of those ideas could be fine, or you could come out and do something totally unexpected (I’m hoping Convergence will allow for Nightwing to return), but please, I need a Nightwing series!

Diversify Superman

This would be MUCH better
that Supergirl's current design

This year saw you do some truly amazing things with Batman, Batgirl, Gotham by Midnight and Gotham Academy saw the Bat-books become something amazing- there was some stylistic diversity that reinvigorated the title. Batgirl’s look was fresh and contemporary without making her look like what some perverts hope girls will cosplay as; and Gotham Academy, by all reports, is more-or-less superhero-free.

There’s no other way of saying this; apply this thinking to the Superman family of books. There’s no reason not to revamp Supergirl’s costume, or to bring back Superboy with a bold new direction. You can even bring other Super-characters into the mix. I would pay to read a Krypto book, or even a Mon-El ongoing.

Put Good Writers on Diverse Titles

This guy deserves better.

When you started the New 52, you had good intentions, books like Blue Beetle, Static Shock and Mr Terrific were all books that you made a show of caring about to make you look like you gave a damn about diversity of characters in comics. Unfortunately, they didn’t last long. Not because these aren’t characters that couldn’t hold audience interest, but because (in Mr. Terrific and Static’s case) they didn’t have that great creative team.

So here’s what I propose; get the most well-loved creators on these books. I defy anyone to tell me that a Grant Morrison-written Mr. Terrific wouldn’t sell. As for Static? What about Tomasi? He’s proven himself with Batman and Robin, give him a shot. As for Blue Beetle, just bring it back!

Give Teen Titans a rest



How many more strikes do
these guys need against them?

So, we can cancel the okay titles, like Batwing but titles that have been terrible, like Teen Titans need to be kept alive? Two series since the New 52 began and they haven’t gotten better. It’s time to put the franchise away for a while. If you really have to have teenage super heroes, considering putting them all together in a Young Justice title.

I’m talking all the teen characters together- the Titans, the Ravagers, Legion Lost, all of them. This would allow you to maintain copyright and might placate the fans reeling over the cancellation of the Young Justice cartoon. Just…



Sadly, this isn't the worst of it.

Stop Sexualising Characters

There’s a reason I’m not buying Greyson, as much as I love the character: I cannot feel comfortable reading a comic near my wife and kids that features a one-page spread of a woman in orgasm. I wish I could say that that was the worst of sexualised characters from you guys, but it isn’t. Catwoman, Starfire, and a swathe of other female characters are dressed I-wish-it-was-only-half-naked with impossible poses bent (no pun intended) on emphasising lady parts. You’ve shown us that Batgirl can be just as, or even more successful when sexed-down, time to apply that logic to other female characters.

And I wish I could say it was just the women, but the men get similar treat (although, yes, not as much). There is NO reason for a lingering shot on Henry Cavil’s abs and Steven Amell can do every one of those cool exercises with his shirt on. See, sexulisation isn’t bad because you shouldn’t do it to women. It’s not bad because you shouldn’t do it to men. Sexualisation is bad because people deserve to be admired for their character, not how they look naked.

So that’s it. I’m still along for the ride, DC, and I’m looking forward to a good one, but if these issues aren’t addressed, I’m may find myself disillusioned.

Superman: Red Son Review

Superman: Red Son

No "in Soviet Russia" jokes... I promise.

Writer: Mark Millar

Artists: Dave Johnson, Killian Plunkett, Andrew Robinson

Collects: Superman: Red Son #1-3

Background Information:

This is usually where I write what you need to know before coming into the book. This time, I want to talk about the perspective I took to reading Red Son, and how my experiences prepared me to read this collection.

I lived about two years in the Baltic nations; the countries of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania- all formerly under control of the Soviet Union. I met people who had very mixed views of the communist era. Coming from a largely capitalist culture, I went to the Baltics thinking that all of the locals would view soviet occupation the same way I do; a terrible regime that destroyed lives for the sake of the state. And to be fair, plenty did. I heard the stories of brainwashing in ways that some erroneously only associate with religion and saw the graves of those killed by the KGB. I also met plenty- some not much older than I- who looked back on the communist era with a sort of fondness- a time when things were simpler. It was surprising to me that people who experienced the exact same government could emerge with such dramatically different views on it.

Review:

And it’s that experience that really coloured my perception of Red Son; more than just a great superhero story, Red Son is a great look at the shades of grey that surrounded both the USSR and the USA during the cold war. It’s also, surprisingly, one of the books that seems to get Superman better than anything else I’ve read.

He's Russian to help people out... hyuk, hyuk, hyuk!

This story takes one thing central to Superman and turns it on its head; namely, Superman’s American heritage. Here, Superman was raised on a farm collective in the Ukraine. Growing up as a communist, Superman spends years working for Stalin before taking over as the new president of the USSR. The role sees him make some pretty disturbing decisions, such as reprogramming rebels into “robots” and ruling with a more or less iron fist.

Writer Mark Millar is also known for writing Marvel’s Civil War, which also dealt with themes of moral ambiguity. Throughout Civil War, it was kinda hard to tell who the good guys and who the bad guys were. Millar amps that up in Red Son. Sure, Superman has his enemy in Lex Luthor, but it’s near impossible to say who you would support. They both come across as people with heroic intentions, but the means by which they achieve these intentions are often so disturbing. It’s a pretty amazing understanding of how the USA and USSR conducted itself- sure, America was right to reject a system that treated its own people more poorly than ever, but did that justify McCarthyism? At the same time, yes, Luthor is right to fight a Superman who effectively brainwashes his enemies, but the extents to which he goes to do so are hard to accept.

Superman fans who constantly get annoyed by Batman fans when they refer to The Dark Knight Rises as proof why Batman would always beat Superman need look no further than Red Son. This is not the best part of the book, by far (that award goes to the way that Luthor eventually stops Superman- but I shan’t spoil that), but it’s worth mention that even with prep time, Batman is not guaranteed a victory. Red sun lamps, ultimately, aren’t enough to keep Superman down when there are plenty of people around who would leap to help the Man of Steel- as shown in the middle chapter of this collection.

The best thing about this collection, though, is that Millar shows that he understands what Superman is meant to be. It’s ironic that in the last decade, the book to be the most representative of what it means to be Superman is one where Superman is the opposite of what he normally is. Even without the mark of ‘murica, Millar seems to fully understand Superman’s greatest struggles; his otherness to people that he considers his own, his constraining ties to his adopted nation, his compulsion to save everyone even though he can’t- and possibly shouldn’t. These are all things that I feel make an excellent Superman story- it’s the overcoming of these obstacles that inspires hope; not fights against Zod or flying so fast that you turn back time.

He's a powerful man, and that's Putin
it lightly. Missing those "In Soviet
Russia..." jokes yet?

There’s a separate artist for each issue of Red Son. Normally, that would be a bad thing, but here, it looks great- a clear indicator that each issue is a different stage of Superman’s life. What’s more, each issue makes Russia look like Russia- the architecture (not just the Kremlin) and character costumes (which thankfully don’t limit themselves to furry hats and headscalves) look very soviet. Even Batman’s equipment looks very soviet-era; less about form, more about function. Then there are the small things (the eagle design on Wonder Womans chest, for example, that resembles the two-headed bird of the Russian coat of arms) that help to solidify that you aren’t just seeing these characters visit a different location; these are Russian heroes in every sense of the word.

There’s really nothing bad I can say about Red Son which is why it gets a perfect five out of five marks of ‘murica.

*****

+ Amazing job of moral ambiguity.

+ Understands Superman better than any other book from the last ten years.

+ Superman beats Batman

+ Art gives that real “soviet” feel

Alternate Option: All-Star Superman

It’s still the second-best Superman that I’ve read, but nowhere near the worst.

Real Relevance: Superman

He means a lot more than punches and flight.

“Relevant” is a word that gets thrown a lot around comic fandom. Indeed, to become relevant is usually the highest honour a character can have. In comic circles, the word means that characters have received, or are worthy of, a fair amount of recognition.

It’s a weird term, really, because that’s not what the word really means; at least not to me. See, to me, something has to be important to be relevant. It has to be necessary to a people, to societies or, dare I say it, to global communities.

It sounds like I’m asking a bit much; we’re talking about comics, after all; a medium not well-known for world-changing narratives (at least not in the same way that novels like Animal Farm or To Kill a Mockingbird can be called world-changing). But that doesn’t mean that Superhero characters don’t have relevance. So I’m starting a series of articles on various heroes from Marvel and DC.

So today we’re going to start with Superman. It feels like I definitely started with the hardest one; it’s difficult to say that Superman’s popularity is at an all-time high, but “popular” is different to “relevant”. Whether some nay-sayers will admit it or not; there’s a few reasons that we still need Superman stories. What follows are those reasons.

We Need Hope

Let there be Superman!

For a while now, we’ve been bombarded with the message that Superman is a symbol of hope. It’s not something that the public has really caught on to.

Sure, you could blame Man of Steel for this; while visually spectacular, it wasn’t the message of hope that director Zack Snyder thought it was. But I think Superman’s lack of popularity has more to do with the society that the Man of Steel now finds himself in.

See, we live in an age of scepticism. Hope isn’t a popular notion. If you want proof of this; look at the opposition to Barack Obama during his first campaign for presidency- he was criticised for talking about hope. And people jumped on the opportunity to make Obama look naïve.

It’s little wonder that, when compared with the dark, jaded, cynical Batman, Superman seems to play second fiddle. But the fact that this apparently “goody-goody” character is championing an attitude that now seems outdated is exactly the reason we need Superman. We need icons that fill us with hope. We need ones who encourage us to do better. Superman, by his nature does this.

We need role models

We need people to look up to. Superman does that.

One of the other reasons Superman seems less popular is that he’s “too goody-goody”.

Yep, we don’t want heroes who are good, it seems. May as well base the next superhero off Adolf Hitler.

Except we shouldn’t. When did we as a global society stop aspiring to something better, or even the best? We also need Superman stories because we can’t continue to worship anti-heroes who only serve to make us feel better about our own twisted, bitter, spiteful selves.

Superman as the “boring flawless” character holds that up as a standard to us. The fact that he is flawless may not make him particularly gritty, but does make him a role model. Written in the right way (and I should also say; read in the right way), Superman is evidence of the kind of person a human being can become. Not super-strong or able to fly, but enthusiastic in his ability to good, self-sacrificing and honest.

In short, Superman is highly relevant. Not because of any film or video game appearances have made him mainstream popular, but because of who he encourages us to be.

Superman- Action Comics Vol. 2: Bulletproof (The New 52) Review

Superman Action Comics Vol.2: Bulletproof

It must be so hard to be a white dude
facing all that prejudice... yeah...

Writer: Grant Morrison

Artist: Rags Morales

Collects: Superman – Action Comics #9-12, 0 and Action Comics Annual #1

Background information:

Grant Morrison has a reputation. Whether that reputation is good or bad remains to be seen. To some, he is the man responsible for great stories like All-Star Superman and New X-Men. To others, he is the man behind the pure weirdness of a long Batman runs and Superman singing away evil in Final Crisis. Most recently, he has been writing Superman Action Comics for the New 52, focussing on the early career of the Man of Steel. It’s a Superman who hasn’t yet learned to fly, but has already saved Metropolis and taken on Brainiac.

Review:

Second volumes in the New 52 haven’t gone wonderfully really. Generally, they’ve all been just that little bit less good than the first ones. Grant Morrison’s Superman Action Comics has been part of this trend- not, in any way bad, but rather pale in comparison to the first volume.

Superman has a thing with trains, doesn't he?

 

Bulletproof deals with a number of stories, really. Nimrod the Hunter, Captain Comet and Kryptonite Man make their own New 52 debuts in this book, as well as another universe featuring what I’m going to call “Superobama” (an African-American presidential Superman who is really fun to read). What Bulletproof is really about, though, is the disappearance of Kal-El’s identity as Clark Kent; who gets caught in an explosion. The question of the necessity of Clark Kent is raised here; not only as a way for Superman to live a normal life, but as a way for him to continue his mission.

See, Clark in this volume isn’t just a way to throw suspicious people off the scent; Morrison actually writes him as part of the Superman mission. After Clark’s “Death”, he’s remembered most for helping others who are in trouble. In a way, Action Comics has been presenting a more inspiring Clark Kent than it has a Superman, and I’m surprisingly okay with that.

If you saw the villain list and rolled your eyes, don’t. Nimrod, Captain Comet and Kryptonite Man are only used as much as they are necessary to use and no more. When we stopped seeing Nimrod, I wasn’t too bummed. I’d had my fill of the character and was more interested in what was coming next. It was the same for every other villain in the trade and it’s a credit to Morrison that he’s able to handle the fairly large cast without making any of them feel pointless.

One of my only real problems with Bulletproof’s story is the rather dragged-out section in the middle where a collection of side-stories are given front and centre. As well as Morrison writes Superman’s supporting cast, I don’t really care to see things that happen outside of Clark’s story. The side stories aren’t bad, but they’re incredibly jarring and I’m pretty convinced they should have been left for the end of the trade.

Also, if you’re new to Grant Morrison, I wouldn’t really suggest this one just yet. I actually read Bulletproof before the previous volume; Superman and the Men of Steel. When I did, I found it jarring and difficult to follow. That’s partially due to Morrison’s style; he likes to jump forward and back in time and explore some of the weirder elements of a character’s mythos. If, however, you’d like a steadier introduction into Morrison’s work, you’d best check out the first volume before this one.

Important point: X-Rays do not allow people to see people
naked. Superman isn't a pervert... at least not in this sense.

Art is this collection, unfortunately, bears the same problems as the first. It’s handled *moderately* better here, but not much. You can still expect to see a different artist in every issue (sometimes after only a few pages) and that becomes very off-putting. I like Morrison’s Superman generally, but he needs to have ONE ARTIST PER ONGOING. Seriously, this is getting annoying.

Bulletproof is good, don’t worry about that, but like Batman’s plan to beat Supes, you’re gonna need prep time. It gets a three and a half out of five Superobamas.

 

*** ½

+ Clark Kent is inspiring.

+ Villains are evenly spread out.

- Art is uneven.

- Some sections feel unnecessary.

 

Alternate Option: Superman Action Comics: Superman and the Men of Steel

If you haven’t read it, do so before reading this one. It’ll enhance the experience.

Superman Action Comics Vol. 1: Superman and the Men of Steel (The New 52) Review

Superman Action Comics Vol. 1: Superman and the Men of Steel (The New 52)

What is he lifting, anyway?

Writer: Grant Morrison

Artists: Rags Morales, Andy Kubert, Brent Anderson, Gene Ha and Brad Walker

Collects: Superman Action Comics #1-8

Background information:

Action Comics is really DC’s flagship title. If you want evidence of that, look no further than the fact that it’s the series that introduced Superman. Say what you like about Batman, DC is really Superman’s playground. Action Comics has featured some of Superman’s greatest and most controversial stories such as Superman declaring his intention to renounce his US citizenship (resulting in some comments that made me truly weep for the species).

If you don’t know who Superman is... really? He’s the most iconic superhero of all time (Dear Kanye West; Sorry for stealing your act). His “S” symbol is one of the most recognised symbols in the world.

Review:

Luckily, on the off chance you haven’t heard of Superman until now, Action Comics give you a good insight into the origin of the world’s most famous hero. Superman and the Men of Steel is a brilliant first story for Superman, but the first Action Comics volume leaves much to be desired in terms of art.

Twirling is now a superpower.

So Superman has really just begun his career, here. Not yet wearing the blue tights, a much younger Clark Kent sports a t-shirt, jeans and worker’s boots as he fights injustice in Metropolis. Unfortunately, Clark is still a more or less unpolished version of his future self. He’s aggressive, defiant and nothing like the kind-natured Boy Scout that most of us envision when we think of the Man of Steel. Because of this, the government is naturally afraid of him and have set up numerous projects to subdue the last son of Krypton; including seeking the help of one Lex Luthor.

Okay, so the whole story is written by Grant Morrison who has written possibly the greatest Superman story of all time in All-Star Superman. He’s also responsible for a couple of year’s worth of Batman and Justice League stories. His style is... let’s say it’s a little weird. Morrison loves to delve into the more obscure parts of DC lore to write his stories and depending on who you ask, it’s the best thing ever, or the thing that kills franchises.

That said, Superman and the Men of Steel is surprisingly light on the weirdness for a Morrsion title. There’s some obscurity that rears its head here; references to the Legion of Superheroes, Superman’s dog, Astro, and at least one interdimensional creature shows up in this trade. All the same, this book feels as though Morrison is holding back. It’s a good thing that he does, though, because the result is a Superman story that feels amazingly grounded and pretty realistic for a guy who can leap tall buildings in a single bound.

On that note, those who feel put off Superman by the mistaken belief that he is overpowered should feel very comfortable reading this volume. Superman’s powers are scaled back, here. He’s still super-strong and insanely fast. He’s still bulletproof and can shoot radiation from his eyes. He still has X-Ray vision (which doesn’t help him see through Lois’ clothes; it allows him to see people as skeletons. Y’know, like actual x-rays do). But he can be beaten. He’s bulletproof, but a speeding train will still beat him around something critical. He can’t fly yet, and I haven’t seen him use his heat breath. It’s great to see a toned-down Superman in this volume; it allows us to see Superman as a real person, not the idol he eventually becomes.

Someone mentioned Superman IV: Quest for Peace.

Although the story here is fantastic, the art is what really drags this book down. This one volume boasts five different artists across its eight issues, and they aren’t guest artists. I should point out that none of these guys produce bad art. Rags Morales and crew are all accomplished artists in their own right, but with multiple artists working on the same issue there is a total lack of artistic consistency. One minute, Clark is a awkward-looking kid in a baggy shirt (the way he hides his muscles from the public), the next moment he looks like Harry Potter, the next, he looks Asian. He’s not the only character to appear to undergo a race change in one issue. Doctor John Irons, who we will come to know as Steel, actually looks like a white dude in one panel. I actually thought it was Lex Luthor talking to himself at one stage. Again, these artists aren’t bad, but you know that proverb about too many cooks? We’ve been served the art version of poo soup.

Superman and the Men of Steel is a great story, but the inconsistent art is a major letdown. It get’s three out of five bowels of poo soup.

***

+ Story is great.

- Art is all over the place.

Alternate Option: Superman: What Price Tomorrow?

I’ll be honest; it’s an inferior story to Morrsion’s volume, but readable. The art here is generally more reliable.