It's Superman! by Tom De Haven

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


It's Superman follows the lives of Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor as they're getting started in Depression era America. Rather than happening in the fictional city of Metrpolis, the story is moved to New York City and has them interacting with that real world and its characters. The story is coming of age story for them all as Clark and Lois find their places and Lex Luthor rises from political hack with underworld connections to a predominant force of crime in the Country.

What I have to say for this book is that it's wonderfully researched as the period references role off one by one. It's writing is very pretty and often poetic with some very snappy dialogue. Lex Luthor is very well-written as the sociopathic villain.

What hurts the book? First of all, DeHaven is very indulgent as an author. He can go into great details on every side character....so therefore he does and by so doing slows down the main narrative. My main problem with the book is that this is just not a Superman story I really want. Throughout the book, Clark is shaky and unsure of himself or what he's going to do. His moral compass is often often off. He rarely seems heroic and why he made the decision to fight crime (somewhat) full remains unclear. Most of the main characters are not particularly likable either. Some of the side characters were interesting, but since they weren't in the story for long, it's hard to hold on to that.

If you're looking for a more post-modern unsure Superman than this the book for you. Those who expect Superman to live up to your expectations will be disappointed.



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