Superman: For Tomorrow, Vol. 2

Superman: For Tomorrow #2

by Brian Azzarello, Jim Lee (Illustrator), Scott Williams (Illustrator)

In For Tomorrow volume 1,we learned how a million people had seemingly vanished without a trace-including someone very near and dear to Superman...his beloved Lois.

In volume 2,the Man of Steel is closer to discovering the mystery of the Vanishing,and comes face-to-face with the evil entity behind it all.

But what desperate measures will our hero take to make things right again?And does Wonder Woman have the power to stop him?

Just how far is Superman willing to go "For Tomorrow"?

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Superman, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book, Bande Dessinée

160 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2005

About the author

Brian Azzarello (born in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American comic book writer. He came to prominence with 100 Bullets, published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo. He and Argentine artist Eduardo Risso, with whom Azzarello first worked on Jonny Double, won the 2001 Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story for 100 Bullets #15–18: "Hang Up on the Hang Low".

Azzarello has written for Batman ("Broken City", art by Risso; "Batman/Deathblow: After the Fire", art by Lee Bermejo, Tim Bradstreet, & Mick Gray) and Superman ("For Tomorrow", art by Jim Lee).

In 2005, Azzarello began a new creator-owned series, the western Loveless, with artist Marcelo Frusin.

As of 2007, Azzarello is married to fellow comic-book writer and illustrator Jill Thompson.

information taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Az...

Reviews

[James DeSantis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ah man I really loved the first volume. Well, love is a strong word, but I found it very very interesting. This volume is a bit different. We are thrown into Superman's jounry into the "other" world. The one he created. Heavy on metaphors and trying to contrast hell/heaven and what we create/destroy.

What I liked: still loved all the stuff with the priest. Was kind of sad where it ended up not impacting the overall story but I did like that character. Also Wonder Woman/Batman parts were good/entertaining.

What I didn't like: The vanishing area was a bit over the top and silly for me. The final fight was drawn out and boring. The whole ending felt rushed and not well told. I understood it, but it didn't connect with me.

I have to go with a 2.5 or 2 with this one. It was a big letdown compared to volume 1 which I enjoyed a lot throughout. Owell, this story arc in total still solid and worth reading for a different Superman story.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILERS

This is a pretty ambitious storyline for Superman as it tells you that he created an entire dimension and that that was responsible for the mass vanishing that took place in Book 1. Brian Azzarello posits the theory that if Kal-El's father Jor-El created the Phantom Zone, that Kal-El should be able to do something similar except making it a utopia for emergencies, say if the planet is on the brink of destruction.

It's a great idea actually and gets to the heart of who Superman is and I can't fault Azzarello for basing these two books around it. But it takes some going back and re-reading and looking on the internet to find out that Superman is (indirectly) responsible for the vanishing - it's not really gone into in the book itself which is frustrating.

Then Zod shows up (looking awesome) but it's unclear how he came into the Utopia. Does it exist side by side with the Phantom Zone (which was created to house Zod as a prison)?

Then Wonder Woman and Superman fight, pointlessly - as if she could take him! And Batman puts in an appearance (pointlessly too). And while others have critiqued the catholic priest character, I found him to be a decent character and what they ended up doing to him was a bit crappy.

Who were the men in suits Halcyon were working for and were so intent on creating super soldiers like Equus and Superman's Orb? Because they're in suits they're instantly evil and/or governmental? And the mystic in the end turning out to be irrelevant.

The storyline eventually becomes Superman fighting Zod and all other plotholes are left unexplained which was disappointing. Jim Lee in an afterword tries to spin this as a positive, that it was always intended to be impressionistic, but I felt that Azzarello lost control of his various threads and never regained control again.

The artwork though is incredible, it's Jim Lee after all, though I felt he went a bit overboard in his depiction of Lois Lane - his version of her oozes sex appeal in every panel, rather than emphasising her intellect and character. His Zod though is perfect, I wouldn't be surprised to see it used as the template for next year's "Man of Steel" picture for Michael Shannon's role.

While the story went off the cliff and never recovered, there was enough left to make a decent book and the artwork helped keep the pages turning. Ultimately though I was expecting better and felt that the denouement doesn't live up to the first part of the series. Superman fans will still enjoy it though as there are plenty of good moments with the character and some interesting insight into his psyche.

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the follow up to the phenomenal first volume, Brian Azzarello finishes this truly amazing and wonderfully written tale of Superman. To pick up from Vol 1, Superman has gotten ahold of the machine that caused the vanishing. He finds out that it was HE himself who built it. If you want to know why, then well read this excellent 2 volume tale. I It begs questions such as "what exactly is heaven?" and "what makes a man good?" or even "Is Superman a man at all?". All these questions are asked and the answers many times are left to the reader, which is brilliant.

The artwork is uniformly phenomenal throughout the two volumes. The fight between Wonder Woman and Superman was excellently done and shows that while certainly outclassed by Superman, Wonder Woman is absolutely nothing to take lightly. I also enjoyed the Zod fight, and really liked the super-spook Mr "Orr". Great character, hope to see him again. Rare indeed is a comic that will make you pause for a moment and actually think. This story does precisely that. Hats off to Mr. Azarello for crafting one of the best Superman tales in a long time. HIGHLY recommend.

[Jesse A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptional story. Beautiful art. Very well done!

[Tony Laplume · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where Jim Lee and Jeph Loeb’s Batman: Hush became a lasting touchstone, Lee and Brian Azzarello’s Superman: For Tomorrow was instantly an afterthought. Which is a real shame. I will have more thoughts later when I read the complete story, but in this second volume it’s clearly something special, a real work of superhero philosophy, usually something attempted in the movies and equally unpopular in that medium. Ours is not a subtle culture, alas. We prefer our ideas clear and simple, even when we yearn for something greater. Sometimes we got it yesterday. But we might understand it, tomorrow.

[Seth Grindstaff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the idea of Superman (spoiler) creating the main problem, trying to do good by creating paradise.

But I am confused about (spoiler) Zod's role in the whole thing.

It falls short because of it's lack of exposition.

I also sometimes had trouble figuring out who is speaking, which was done on purpose. Superman's bubbles are yellow, but sometimes I would be reading a blue narration bubble and think that Superman was thinking something crazy when it was another character that was revealed upon the page turn.

I would not recommend this story. If you like Jim Lee's art, just read "Hush." If you want a Superman story just read Tom King's "Up in the Sky."

[Tamas Nagy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were lots of good things going on in For Tomorrow - I thought Azzarello really did a good job slowing down the internal moments, focusing intensely on Superman's feelings and the things that drive him to do what he does. I enjoyed the origin of the Vanishing (except the clunky part about how Clark erased the memory from his own mind ). As I've stated other times, I'm a big believer in Superman being the LAST son of Krypton and I appreciate when a writer shows the impact that the loss of his entire world has on Clark. To me, Krypton should sometimes cast this sort of shadow over Superman. It's his birthworld; his entire life was born in unthinkable tragedy. I loved to see him struggle with feelings that he had to do more, had to be able to save everyone when his father could not. I LOVE this aspect of Superman, and big points to Azzarello for really focusing on it.

I like seeing a more proactive Superman. Rucka's Superman has been tighter in story, but he still suffers from the annoying problem of always going to the JLA for advice. How many other JLA-caliber heroes go to the JLA for Batman to solve their mysteries for them? I HATE when the Superman creators do that! So I appreciated seeing Azzarello's Superman go to the JLA and say, "I'm handling this, and if you don't like how I'm doing it, I'll just ask you to trust me and to stay out of my way." Batman's reaction, "I'm glad that you're taking this personally" was good as well. I think that of all the League members, Batman (to me anyway) may not see eye to eye with Superman on methods, but he'll be the first person to trust Superman to handle the problem and handle it correctly.

There were several unfulfilling moments - the villains were not terribly memorable. Zod never really had any clear motivation, beyond a nebulous "Your father did this to me" concept which was not defined clearly. Equus was two-dimensional. The priest's plot sort of petered out. He was a very effective sounding board in the early chapters, but then he is grabbed (by, I assume, the OMAC people), turns into a big monster, and then fights Equus for eternity apparently. It was a strange and fairly pointless direction for his character's arc to take. I'm not sure that I understood why the elemental forces were attacking Superman or why the girl who controlled them convinced Wonder Woman to go after Superman. She didn't seem to have much point.

On the art-front, Jim Lee's art was good. I'm not a huge Jim Lee fan, but I must admit that he is an effective action-adventure artist. Some of his panels hit extremely hard, and Azzarello really gave him some great visual tapestries to cut loose on. Outer space, the ocean floor (pointless scene though it was), the Fortress, the Phantom Zone paradise, Metropolis, the Middle East - Lee made it all look dynamite.

Overall, despite its flaws, I enjoyed it. It could've been tighter and better (trim out the elementals and give more room to Zod and his reason for having such a powerful affect on the Phantom Zone), but I had a fun time. Perhaps the critical hating that this arc took may have also lowered my expectations as well. ;)

[Michael Emond · Rating 1 out of 5]

I considered rating it more because of Jim Lee's beautiful art, but you know what, even that could not make up for a story that misses the mark both in terms of the character of Superman and the plot that has any drama or logic. And I have to point out, as well constructed as Jim's art always is - it has always lacked heart and emotion for me. Give me a Perez or an early Byrne or even a simplistic Darwyn Cooke, Lee's art leaves me unaffected. What can I say about this horrible idea and horrible execution of the idea. First, Superman confesses to a priest..why? Who knows. Same priest gets horribly transformed into a monster in the last two issues. Why? Who knows. The only cool character, Mr. Orr is all flash but it is not clear who or why he is (100 Bullets anyone?). Wonder Woman is mad at Superman about something with her friend Halcyon...I have no idea why. Worst of all we jump into this story after a "vanishing" of one million people happened...but is no exploration of how that affected humanity other than a montage of a few make shift memorials. A incomprehensible story by an author who is fast shooting the top of me "overrated" list.

[Sketching Girl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read this book before, but it was a few years ago and I had forgotten it. I think it is trying to tell you a moral story, but for my liking there is a bit too much voiceover captions, and not quite enough evolving story. I feel sorry for the Preacher/Father character in it, I liked him, and would have liked to see more of his character in here. I also foudn this story a little confusing, as you don't see what led up to Superman creating what he did here, and it doesn't quite make sense to me why he started doing this. (Trying not to give away any spoilers here!). So not a great read for me, sorry!

[Dexter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I entered this without a lot of context. I enjoyed it, but had a very hard time getting into it. However, it actually was ABOUT the things that I disliked -- Superman kept coming across as a meddling, imposing jerk, which is the very thing he was trying to come to terms with and understand. Despite that, he still felt very condescending about it all. "You can't save people who don't want to be saved" seemed to be the lesson Superman was getting from the experience, whereas I understood it more as something like, "We don't want YOU to save us YOUR way. We want to stand up for ourselves, because if we don't then we will never feel truly independent and control over our lives."

Nevertheless, there were a lot of things I did like about it. I enjoyed the format of Superman confessing to the priest and the slow unveiling of past and current events as well as Superman's inner turmoil over his decisions.

I am looking forward to one day going back to this two-part story arc with more context of characters and plots.

[Jana P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tedy, už ani ten první díl tohoto příběhu mne příliš nenadchl a tento svazek to bohužel příliš nevylepšil.
Líbí se mi ta kresba, ta je vynikající, ale za mne prostě hapruje zpracování toho příběhu po scénáristické stránce. Superman se pořád utápí v sebelítosti a za mne je to už za určitou hranou snesitelnosti, je to hrozně ukňourané. A Lois Laneová, která se tu konečně objevuje, už není ta úžasná badass hrdinka od rány a s prořízlou pusou, která mne tak moc bavila v Utajeném počátku. Většinu knihy v tomto případě působí jako ustrašená křehotinka, což mi k ní prostě děsně nesedí.
Jinak zápletka samotná příliš nepřichází s odpověďmi na otázky z předchozí knihy, spíš se to děsně točí v kruhu a je to děsně zamotané. Kniha jako celek působí hrozně nekompaktně. Na mne to dělalo dojem, že ten příběh byl spíchnutý horkou jehlou - jako že tam autor do toho chtěl namontovat co nejvíc, ale nějak to neukočíroval. Vznikl tak z toho neuvěřitelný chaos, aspoň pro mne. A je to škoda, protože Supermana jako postavu mám jinak docela ráda.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story overall.

The art is detailed and cinematic. The alternate world is interesting, and the people who Superman tries to rescue from it tend to find the new one more to their liking. The reveals about the villian and the explanation for the vanishings is surprising and interesting. Some readers may find the truth less intriguing than the mystery, of course.

The fights are rather goofy, though. Superman randomly has the ability to wipe parts of his own memory for some reason. He’s also rather whiny here. The story is a bit confusing. The dialogue is often interrupted by other characters, or trails off into nowhere, which can get annoying. Or it’ll feature gems like “What does it mean when a man whose life is built on faith sacrifices it by saving his own life?” The long conversations with the priest are more boring than they were in the last volume. Some parts are never explained, like the people in suits that Halcyon seemed to be working for.

A good story overall, but it does have its issues.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite Superman story. I mean... Superman creating a Utopian safe haven in the Phantom Zone for when and if he fails to protect the world.... Um... that's paranoia on a Batman-level. And that's not really Supes' style. And then that contingency plan being turned against him when it falls into the wrong hands. I mean... yeah... weird for a Superman story. Batman, sure. But Supes... It was just odd. For what the story was, it was okay. It was a pretty decent take on Superman doubting himself--I liked how he wondered about his humanity, about how he truly fit into the world, about whether he hurts more than helps, etc. On top of that, the story was also confusing at times--especially the Phantom Zone Utopia explanation. So yeah... not my favorite.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book! After just finishing volume 1, I dived into Volume 2 and it’s great! It is once again well-written with incredible pencils by Jim Lee (as always).
This volume concludes the story and answers the questions left in volume 1.
There’s a couple surprises and reveals in here that really keep you interested. In fact, I read this entire book start to finish in one sitting!
Overall this was a great story and I am glad I gave it a go. Would recommend to any Superman fan!

[Michal Puchovský · Rating 3 out of 5]

Čiastočné sklamanie. Ľahký noir nádych prvej polky ustúpil masívnej akcii. Samotné rozuzlenie príbehu sa mi páčilo a z psychologickej perspektívy dávalo zmysel. Superman: Za zajtrajšok bol pre mňa zbytočne dlhý - 6 zošitov na celý pribeh by stačilo viac než bohato.

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Halcyon- don’t know who the hell she is. Sups beat WW ass. Still more weird, stupid dialogue. Sups changes the vanishing orb and makes it his paradise with zod in it? Confusing and stupid, fuck Brian aARELLO

[Devero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Una storia vagamente interessante, ma onestamente si vedono tutti i limiti di Jim Lee come disegnatore, e sono limiti notevoli che certo mi sfuggivano ad inizi anni 90.
Nel complesso si legge, ma non viene certo voglia di rileggere.
2 stelle

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not really happy with where he took the story and the ending felt rushed.I’m very sad about what happened to the priest and the way Zod was incorporated into the story was underdeveloped.

The first part of the series was better.

[jason_not_derulo]

Was honestly really nervous for this cuz the premise was promising but it seems like a difficult plane to land. But they pulled it off!! Really interesting unraveling and solving of the mystery, love the characterization of Superman, and just a solid story all around.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, fakt som necakal taketo rozuzlenie. Odporucam ak ste este necitali, spoznate Supermana aj z jeho temnejsej stranky.

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reader understands it all here! Still gorgeous illustrations, and I loved the ending. But, there was a hint of sexims with Wonder Woman!

[Javi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Para mí, de más a menos. Está bien el transfondo que dan del origen del superhéroe, pero pierde fuerza la historia.

[Jesi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, felt it fell flat a little but the artwork was excellent. Love the coloring and the style.

[Paweł · Rating 2 out of 5]

I z całego tego filozofowania wszystko sprowadza się do prania po pyskach na tle wybuchów.

[Dion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Artwork is as great as ever.

Plot is still so convoluted, I could not say I unreservedly enjoyed it. Still worth a look.

[Scott Rees · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great conclusion to a powerful story. This story has great insight into the interpersonal relationships between some of the most powerful characters in the DC universe.

[Faze · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amazing art, mediocre story.

[Amanda T · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is just strange: Vol 1 was better with a real mystery which Vol 2 solves... sort of. I found the ending frustrating and confusing.

[Michael Church · Rating 2 out of 5]

What the heck did I just read? The story gets wrapped up here in a way that closes most of the holes in the plot, but still makes no sense. Stuff about the Phantom Zone being repurposed and then someone coming back from an imprint and there's forced memory loss and all this other stuff that's ridiculous.

Worse, it's still such a pompous and self-involved plot that I didn't relate to it at all. The dialogue is forced and vague and contrived. There's an afterward from Jim Lee saying they did that on purpose for the reader to fill in the blanks and have some of the story happen "off the page." To me it just came across as lazy. The story was poorly executed at best and ill advised at worst.

It's a gorgeous book, but honestly the look wears off a bit when you're sick of picking through and deciphering dialogue. Also a certain villain's costume is, in my opinion, stupid and impractical.

Which brings up the supporting cast. They just don't add anything. They're random. The priest is there for an excuse to narrate the past events and the others...? I don't know. Don't get me started on the Justice League. They don't add anything and they just seem like forced conflict for the sake of conflict. Also, what's the deal with this whole "Call me Kal" thing? Just another part of the book that keeps me from connecting with it.