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Superman (2011)
Superman, Volume 1: What Price Tomorrow?
As a part of the acclaimed DC Comics—The New 52 event of September 2011, comics legend George Perez and artist Jesus Merino present the new adventures of the Man of Steel!
Metropolis fears him. The Daily Planet agrees. This new volume of SUPERMAN finds our hero with a startling new status quo. As Superman finds ways to dodge the scrutiny placed upon him by the public and media, he must stop a monstrous threat to Metropolis - one that he somehow is the cause of! The next chapter in the legendary history of the Man of Steel is built here!
Metropolis fears him. The Daily Planet agrees. This new volume of SUPERMAN finds our hero with a startling new status quo. As Superman finds ways to dodge the scrutiny placed upon him by the public and media, he must stop a monstrous threat to Metropolis - one that he somehow is the cause of! The next chapter in the legendary history of the Man of Steel is built here!
142 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 20, 2012
56 people are currently reading
1385 people want to read
About the author
George Pérez
1,497 books209 followersGeorge Pérez (June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic books artist and writer, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews
August 21, 2022
(B-) 71% | Satisfactory
Notes: Superman gets trapped in the Friend Zone, and mopes around like Charlie Brown between city-wrecking kaiju fights.
Notes: Superman gets trapped in the Friend Zone, and mopes around like Charlie Brown between city-wrecking kaiju fights.
May 7, 2017
Superman is so boring. And WHINY.
Oh my god, boohoo your job is moving buildings. And you're an all-powerful alien but you don't fit in and can't go home because your home planet was destroyed. Oh, and Lois is boinking some other dude and thinks you're a weird loner nerd.
Why don't you build a bridge and get over it.
Update - I finally got around to finishing this. I liked rogue murderous Superman so much more, so it figures
Boooo.
Oh my god, boohoo your job is moving buildings. And you're an all-powerful alien but you don't fit in and can't go home because your home planet was destroyed. Oh, and Lois is boinking some other dude and thinks you're a weird loner nerd.
Why don't you build a bridge and get over it.
Update - I finally got around to finishing this. I liked rogue murderous Superman so much more, so it figures
Boooo.
April 22, 2018
This starts Superman's story over, but not from the beginning. Here Lois and Clark are not even really close at all. I'm like why? Why do that? We know they are together, so just start with them together. I didn't like that.
I didn't really like this nano villain thing. It was something, but... I don't really feel this has captured the best spirit of Superman. It's better than Zac Snyder's movie which should have been called something since it wasn't Superman. So, it's better than that. I don't really feel strongly for this or against it. It was a quick read with good art.
I didn't really like this nano villain thing. It was something, but... I don't really feel this has captured the best spirit of Superman. It's better than Zac Snyder's movie which should have been called something since it wasn't Superman. So, it's better than that. I don't really feel strongly for this or against it. It was a quick read with good art.
May 22, 2015
Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths Reviews
I know the Man of Steel is a character lots of people are ambivalent towards. Truth be told, Superman comics have always been hit-or-miss with me. There are just so few writers who can find the right balance between Superman’s powers and his enemies without going overboard with apocalyptic crisis after apocalyptic crisis or settling for ridiculous villains to test him. But, in this collection, I thought George Perez did a decent job finding and maintaining that correct balance.
Since this is The New 52 Volume 1 (Yeah, I’ve come late to the party. And, yes, I have heard it’s ending soon.), I expected lots of backstory. Thankfully, Perez skipped all of that, throwing me directly into the action, and filling in the past with brief flashbacks. All of which worked perfectly for me.
As for the plot, it is basically random attacks on Metropolis by elemental creatures. These beings appear to be alien in origin but might actually be speaking Kryptonian!
Naturally, Superman has to fight off these ever escalating disruptions of metropolitan life; all the while being captured in action by hordes of news reporters – both type and television. Lots of fighting ensues. Some of it is exciting, while some of it becomes a bit repetitive. However, interspersed between these mandatory fisticuffs are more than a few scenes about the interesting stuff: Clark Kent’s life.
Yeah, I did say Clark Kent was the interesting part of this collection. And I actually meant it too.
Now, before I explain, I have to admit it: I like Clark Kent. The guy is so damn nice. How could you not like him? I mean, he has god-like powers, but he has decided that he wants to help those weaker than himself instead of lording over them. He does this not only by being Superman but also by the types of causes he champions in his normal job. And even when people look down on him or portray him as weird or weak, the guy has the intestinal fortitude to control his anger and keep walking the path his conscious tells him he should. Sure, he isn’t messed up in a cool, dangerous way like other superheroes, but for me that is what actually makes him uniquely interesting.
So, anyway, I went into this read already liking Clark, and Perez’s deft handling of Clark’s personal challenges pulled me in.
First, I loved the whole “nice guys finish last” aspect of the story. Clark is a nice guy. He tries to live by the morals and ethics he has chosen for himself. Unfortunately, not everyone else abides by those same values. Thus, Clark doesn’t get ahead perhaps as much as his more driven, less scrupulous counterparts. Maybe, even his infatuation for Lois Lane is doomed for failure, because he acts too much like a modern gentleman. And the interesting part is seeing how Clark handles all this when he knows that he is Superman and that revealing this fact could improve his life on so many levels.
The other thing I loved was how Perez handled Clark trying to keep his identity secret in a modern world with zero privacy. I mean, it is something I’ve thought about for decades now. Sure, fifty years ago I could see Superman jumping in a phone booth and being able to escape notice, but in the Twenty-first Century, it doesn’t seem practical. And here the creative team actually addresses that issue more realistically. We see G.P.S. tracking; the pinging of Clark’s location via his cellphone connection; video (surveillance and cellphone) capturing Supes travels; and the instantaneous accessing of all this by computer. While Perez didn’t resolve it completely, I really like how he tried to handle that aspect of the Superman mythos.
Now, I always try to mention artwork in my reviews, because without them this wouldn’t be a comic, right? So if you were wondering, the art in this collection is first class, as you’d expect it to be if Perez is even slightly involved in it.
Overall, the New 52 Superman Volume 1: What Price Tomorrow? was an enjoyable read. It didn’t make me leap over a tall building in excitement, but it did make me want to read the next volume. Who knows I might even have caught up on all the New 52 Superman action by the time the next reboot happens in a few months.
I know the Man of Steel is a character lots of people are ambivalent towards. Truth be told, Superman comics have always been hit-or-miss with me. There are just so few writers who can find the right balance between Superman’s powers and his enemies without going overboard with apocalyptic crisis after apocalyptic crisis or settling for ridiculous villains to test him. But, in this collection, I thought George Perez did a decent job finding and maintaining that correct balance.
Since this is The New 52 Volume 1 (Yeah, I’ve come late to the party. And, yes, I have heard it’s ending soon.), I expected lots of backstory. Thankfully, Perez skipped all of that, throwing me directly into the action, and filling in the past with brief flashbacks. All of which worked perfectly for me.
As for the plot, it is basically random attacks on Metropolis by elemental creatures. These beings appear to be alien in origin but might actually be speaking Kryptonian!
Naturally, Superman has to fight off these ever escalating disruptions of metropolitan life; all the while being captured in action by hordes of news reporters – both type and television. Lots of fighting ensues. Some of it is exciting, while some of it becomes a bit repetitive. However, interspersed between these mandatory fisticuffs are more than a few scenes about the interesting stuff: Clark Kent’s life.
Yeah, I did say Clark Kent was the interesting part of this collection. And I actually meant it too.
Now, before I explain, I have to admit it: I like Clark Kent. The guy is so damn nice. How could you not like him? I mean, he has god-like powers, but he has decided that he wants to help those weaker than himself instead of lording over them. He does this not only by being Superman but also by the types of causes he champions in his normal job. And even when people look down on him or portray him as weird or weak, the guy has the intestinal fortitude to control his anger and keep walking the path his conscious tells him he should. Sure, he isn’t messed up in a cool, dangerous way like other superheroes, but for me that is what actually makes him uniquely interesting.
So, anyway, I went into this read already liking Clark, and Perez’s deft handling of Clark’s personal challenges pulled me in.
First, I loved the whole “nice guys finish last” aspect of the story. Clark is a nice guy. He tries to live by the morals and ethics he has chosen for himself. Unfortunately, not everyone else abides by those same values. Thus, Clark doesn’t get ahead perhaps as much as his more driven, less scrupulous counterparts. Maybe, even his infatuation for Lois Lane is doomed for failure, because he acts too much like a modern gentleman. And the interesting part is seeing how Clark handles all this when he knows that he is Superman and that revealing this fact could improve his life on so many levels.
The other thing I loved was how Perez handled Clark trying to keep his identity secret in a modern world with zero privacy. I mean, it is something I’ve thought about for decades now. Sure, fifty years ago I could see Superman jumping in a phone booth and being able to escape notice, but in the Twenty-first Century, it doesn’t seem practical. And here the creative team actually addresses that issue more realistically. We see G.P.S. tracking; the pinging of Clark’s location via his cellphone connection; video (surveillance and cellphone) capturing Supes travels; and the instantaneous accessing of all this by computer. While Perez didn’t resolve it completely, I really like how he tried to handle that aspect of the Superman mythos.
Now, I always try to mention artwork in my reviews, because without them this wouldn’t be a comic, right? So if you were wondering, the art in this collection is first class, as you’d expect it to be if Perez is even slightly involved in it.
Overall, the New 52 Superman Volume 1: What Price Tomorrow? was an enjoyable read. It didn’t make me leap over a tall building in excitement, but it did make me want to read the next volume. Who knows I might even have caught up on all the New 52 Superman action by the time the next reboot happens in a few months.
October 22, 2013
If I had read this along side Action Comics, Vol. 1: Superman and the Men of Steel, I would have hated it, because Action Comics vol 1 was just so damn cool.
Yep.
But see I didn't read it then. Mainly 'cause the reviews for this were so low. Why bother?
Then I read Action Comics, Vol. 2: Bulletproof.
Oh. God. The horror!
Disillusioned by Morrison's confusing mess, I finally decided to give Perez and his take on Superman a try.
It's really not that bad.
I wouldn't go out of my way to point anyone towards this comic, but if you've run out of stuff to read...well, you could do a lot worse than this one.
Yep.
But see I didn't read it then. Mainly 'cause the reviews for this were so low. Why bother?
Then I read Action Comics, Vol. 2: Bulletproof.
Oh. God. The horror!
Disillusioned by Morrison's confusing mess, I finally decided to give Perez and his take on Superman a try.
It's really not that bad.
I wouldn't go out of my way to point anyone towards this comic, but if you've run out of stuff to read...well, you could do a lot worse than this one.
July 31, 2022
This was a fun read I guess.
We see Superman in present day fighting different elementals like fire, ice and one whose invisible and finally when one of Superman's friends is taken and ultimately he sort of gets overtaken by these aliens and learn of who they are and their plans and where they are from, it becomes a fight to protect the integrity of who Superman is/was and all that and its an epic battle and yeah a fun story and showcasing the angle from all sides of the price if Superman went evil and yeah its a bit darker this new world but still makes for a fun read overall and has some nice moments! A good read overall with solid art, and the tension between Lois and Clark <3!
We see Superman in present day fighting different elementals like fire, ice and one whose invisible and finally when one of Superman's friends is taken and ultimately he sort of gets overtaken by these aliens and learn of who they are and their plans and where they are from, it becomes a fight to protect the integrity of who Superman is/was and all that and its an epic battle and yeah a fun story and showcasing the angle from all sides of the price if Superman went evil and yeah its a bit darker this new world but still makes for a fun read overall and has some nice moments! A good read overall with solid art, and the tension between Lois and Clark <3!
July 3, 2014
This was much better than I anticipated it would be, especially considering how much I disliked all of the other titles in the New 52 Superman family, and doubly after reading so many negative reviews for this volume on Goodreads.
The main Goodreaders' complaint for "What Price Tomorrow" seems to be that the writing is too wordy, that there was not enough action and too much talky-talky. I for one LOVE exposition in comic books, ans so I was very pleased with this collection. I thought the writing was excellent! It reminded me of how Alan Moore was telling his stories in the '80's and '90's-- he wrote dialogue, actual conversations between characters in which they discussed more than the action they were performing at that very second, and with subtext beneath all of that! Especially in the first issue of this collection, the narrative is layered four and five levels deep, so not only do we see what is going on in Superman's mind, we also have the story of Lois Lane being told as she pieces together a news broadcast; we have the story of Jimmy and Miko as they pick up clues; we have the story that Clark is writing in the future, after all of the action is said and done; and we also have the villains story, albeit laid out over all six issues of the collection. So I don't agree with the criticism that this collection is too wordy, I just think it is written at a reading level that we are unaccustomed to in comic books, especially the New 52.
I also felt the artwork did an excellent job at keeping all those narratives clear and cohesive. The action flowed from panel to panel quite easily, even dramatically, also moving back and forth through time through flashback sequences (thank god for the flashbacks, because t helped shed a lot of light on the Grant Morrison Action Comic's volume 1 fiasco). It is solid artwork that works WITH the script instead of for it.
But what stole the show for me was Lois Lane. I LOVE this new Lois Lane. She is under pressure and 110% in control. She is independent of Clark and Superman. And more than ever, she is what binds the story together. Kudos to Perez for breathing new life into a character that has long been only seen as "Superman's Love Interest". Clearly he is imagining a different, more contemporary Lois, and I for one look forward to where that character is heading.
Undoubtedly, this is not a light read. There is a lot of information communicated through this story, a lot of the history of Superman in Metropolis, a lot of the political tapestry of the Daily Planet, the city and the country, and a lot of new relationships that break away from the pre-New 52 universe. It may not be a comic book of action, but it is a comic book of substance..... I personally prefer substance over action.
4/5
The main Goodreaders' complaint for "What Price Tomorrow" seems to be that the writing is too wordy, that there was not enough action and too much talky-talky. I for one LOVE exposition in comic books, ans so I was very pleased with this collection. I thought the writing was excellent! It reminded me of how Alan Moore was telling his stories in the '80's and '90's-- he wrote dialogue, actual conversations between characters in which they discussed more than the action they were performing at that very second, and with subtext beneath all of that! Especially in the first issue of this collection, the narrative is layered four and five levels deep, so not only do we see what is going on in Superman's mind, we also have the story of Lois Lane being told as she pieces together a news broadcast; we have the story of Jimmy and Miko as they pick up clues; we have the story that Clark is writing in the future, after all of the action is said and done; and we also have the villains story, albeit laid out over all six issues of the collection. So I don't agree with the criticism that this collection is too wordy, I just think it is written at a reading level that we are unaccustomed to in comic books, especially the New 52.
I also felt the artwork did an excellent job at keeping all those narratives clear and cohesive. The action flowed from panel to panel quite easily, even dramatically, also moving back and forth through time through flashback sequences (thank god for the flashbacks, because t helped shed a lot of light on the Grant Morrison Action Comic's volume 1 fiasco). It is solid artwork that works WITH the script instead of for it.
But what stole the show for me was Lois Lane. I LOVE this new Lois Lane. She is under pressure and 110% in control. She is independent of Clark and Superman. And more than ever, she is what binds the story together. Kudos to Perez for breathing new life into a character that has long been only seen as "Superman's Love Interest". Clearly he is imagining a different, more contemporary Lois, and I for one look forward to where that character is heading.
Undoubtedly, this is not a light read. There is a lot of information communicated through this story, a lot of the history of Superman in Metropolis, a lot of the political tapestry of the Daily Planet, the city and the country, and a lot of new relationships that break away from the pre-New 52 universe. It may not be a comic book of action, but it is a comic book of substance..... I personally prefer substance over action.
4/5
August 30, 2016
Another alien invasion? This story is deceptively simple. Clark Kent doesn't mumble or trip over himself. He's confident, bitter, even angry. Jealous of Lois. Resentful of General Lane's hatred. Forgetful of his obligations. Clark is not himself and everyone knows it. And it's not just Clark. The Daily Planet has been bought out by its competitor, The Globe. Lois is their new executive television producer. And Billy McCoy, an investigative journalist, is hell bent on denigrating Superman. Metropolis is changing into something very alien, and its citizens fear for their lives.
Distracted by terrorists hijacking a tanker truck, Superman is unaware of the mysterious fire engulfing the sports arena. But the fire spreads and is revealed to be caused by an alien fire being which Superman attempts to fight and subdue. Thus begins the mystery of the three supernatural monsters. Part smash 'em up, part mystery, the narrative unfolds with grace and tension.
What really strikes me about Perez's writing is the characterization and alternative world building. This is a very different Metropolis and yet one that is as rich and interesting as any other. This is New 52, a reboot, new takes on old characters. And while this is new, it still has that classic larger-than-life quality that Superman fans will appreciate it: brawls, alien foes, camp humor, drama, psychology, and artwork that pops off the page. Much like Morrison's All Star Superman. The only flaw I would say is Perez sometimes waxes prosaic with exposition. Not that I blame him. This story could have easily been spread over 250 pages. And yet his approach fits the classic style, so I'm okay with it. If you're into Superman and New 52 you should definitely check this out.
December 15, 2022
Hey i loved it.
i was so surprised that this was so good because of all the mess over at action comics with grant morrison and then the writer after him they just make action comics so messy and so puzzling
but over here 1 volume 1 storyline Great buildup for the stories Great art pacing Great everything really.
i just hope this series continues like this and doesn't get messed up as well.
i was so surprised that this was so good because of all the mess over at action comics with grant morrison and then the writer after him they just make action comics so messy and so puzzling
but over here 1 volume 1 storyline Great buildup for the stories Great art pacing Great everything really.
i just hope this series continues like this and doesn't get messed up as well.
February 17, 2020
First of the New 52 Superman collections. I will admit, I do not hold enough Superman lore in my head to tell what is continuation of past events, what is retroactive continuity, what is a stitch-up following Final Crisis, and what is new material. (Brainiac if definitely rewritten, and a little two cavalierly for my taste. Clark appears to have risen, in roughly six years, from new-in-Metropolis, through the Daily Star, to top reporter for the Daily Planet, now bought out by Morgan Edge.) This has, more than once, made the continuity difficult and sucked the fun out of Supes saving the day.
January 21, 2013
It appears that instead of actually WRITING the latest Superman comic, author George Perez was instead creating an elaborate machine that turns FARTS into PROSE. I can only assume that’s the case here, for how else could one produce such turgid nonsense as I experienced as part of this generic display of empty spectacle?
Two examples of George’s word wizardry to fill you up with nauseous delight:
“…its alien language was a Tower of Babel of incomprehensibility.”
“…the conflagration continued to rage unabated.”
And yes, both of these lines appear ON THE SAME PAGE.
This is rubbish. Even worse is how boring and generic the storyline is. Superman beats up a bad guy! The bad guy teases something about Krypton… but what could it all mean?! Oh wait… Superman has to bash up someone else! No wait, he’s getting bashed up! For half the issue! Again!
Even WORSE is how the comic focuses on developing everyone else BUT Superman. What do we get? Superman is lonely. Clark is cut off. And…? And…? Is that it, Perez? Seriously? Wow. Did you strain yourself building that whole one dimension to the character? Don’t worry, it only says Superman in the title, you F*%^!!!!
And the art. Oh, poor Jesus Merino. There’s not much a guy can do when Perez has saddled him with the unenviable task of FOURTEEN PANELS ON A PAGE. Seriously, how is the guy supposed to tell a visual story when each panel is crammed with boxes of that turgid word-faeces, flat dialogue, and detailed descriptions of the action? You know, for an artist himself, you’d think Perez would know enough to put trust in the art. But no. Merino is hamstrung, and can do nothing to save this work. (There are 204 panels in 25 pages in the first issue alone. Yuh, I know.)
And yes, I’m aware that Perez had a terrible experience writing this – it would be hard not to with his whining to the press that the editors interfered with his work, and he didn’t even know there was another Superman title being written (if someone can explain how this is possible, that would be great). Well… I must say that the editors DO deserve scorn, but I would suggest it’s for NOT INTERFERING ENOUGH, in the largest part. It’s piss pathetic when an editor lets 14 panels a page ruin the visual experience. It’s unprofessional crap when an editor can’t elevate the writer past the god-awful fart-prose mentioned above. It’s disgusting how… ah, I could go on all day.
This is a career low for everyone involved, and a dark time for Superman fans everywhere. How much more bad writing do we have to endure from these hacks? It seems only big names like Geoff Johns and JMS and Brian Azzarello can bring anything to the table these days, with stories that—heaven forbid!—are actually ABOUT Superman (and that are well formed and told, at that!). I’d include Morrison among that group for his stunning work on All Star Superman, but he disqualifies himself for preaching “taking Superman back to his roots” with the New 52 reboot, before unleashing on us 4 issues later “the Mothermatician”, time-travelling super squads and increasingly ridiculous flights of fancy that remove Superman from the sphere of social crusader to just being another punching bag for brawny, pointless aliens. It’s deeply sad.
But possibly the saddest fact is that Superman really did need a refresh with the New 52, and there was a golden opportunity here to start something special. But even gifted all the freedom of being released from continuity, this is apparently the best they could come up with? It’s pathetic. No character development worth mentioning, nothing new or interesting, nothing special. I would call it milquetoast if it wasn’t so offensively bad. An opportunity has been squandered.
Let’s hope Scott Snyder and Jim Lee will save the Man of Steel from a fate worse than mediocrity, and that George Perez never writes Superman again.
Two examples of George’s word wizardry to fill you up with nauseous delight:
“…its alien language was a Tower of Babel of incomprehensibility.”
“…the conflagration continued to rage unabated.”
And yes, both of these lines appear ON THE SAME PAGE.
This is rubbish. Even worse is how boring and generic the storyline is. Superman beats up a bad guy! The bad guy teases something about Krypton… but what could it all mean?! Oh wait… Superman has to bash up someone else! No wait, he’s getting bashed up! For half the issue! Again!
Even WORSE is how the comic focuses on developing everyone else BUT Superman. What do we get? Superman is lonely. Clark is cut off. And…? And…? Is that it, Perez? Seriously? Wow. Did you strain yourself building that whole one dimension to the character? Don’t worry, it only says Superman in the title, you F*%^!!!!
And the art. Oh, poor Jesus Merino. There’s not much a guy can do when Perez has saddled him with the unenviable task of FOURTEEN PANELS ON A PAGE. Seriously, how is the guy supposed to tell a visual story when each panel is crammed with boxes of that turgid word-faeces, flat dialogue, and detailed descriptions of the action? You know, for an artist himself, you’d think Perez would know enough to put trust in the art. But no. Merino is hamstrung, and can do nothing to save this work. (There are 204 panels in 25 pages in the first issue alone. Yuh, I know.)
And yes, I’m aware that Perez had a terrible experience writing this – it would be hard not to with his whining to the press that the editors interfered with his work, and he didn’t even know there was another Superman title being written (if someone can explain how this is possible, that would be great). Well… I must say that the editors DO deserve scorn, but I would suggest it’s for NOT INTERFERING ENOUGH, in the largest part. It’s piss pathetic when an editor lets 14 panels a page ruin the visual experience. It’s unprofessional crap when an editor can’t elevate the writer past the god-awful fart-prose mentioned above. It’s disgusting how… ah, I could go on all day.
This is a career low for everyone involved, and a dark time for Superman fans everywhere. How much more bad writing do we have to endure from these hacks? It seems only big names like Geoff Johns and JMS and Brian Azzarello can bring anything to the table these days, with stories that—heaven forbid!—are actually ABOUT Superman (and that are well formed and told, at that!). I’d include Morrison among that group for his stunning work on All Star Superman, but he disqualifies himself for preaching “taking Superman back to his roots” with the New 52 reboot, before unleashing on us 4 issues later “the Mothermatician”, time-travelling super squads and increasingly ridiculous flights of fancy that remove Superman from the sphere of social crusader to just being another punching bag for brawny, pointless aliens. It’s deeply sad.
But possibly the saddest fact is that Superman really did need a refresh with the New 52, and there was a golden opportunity here to start something special. But even gifted all the freedom of being released from continuity, this is apparently the best they could come up with? It’s pathetic. No character development worth mentioning, nothing new or interesting, nothing special. I would call it milquetoast if it wasn’t so offensively bad. An opportunity has been squandered.
Let’s hope Scott Snyder and Jim Lee will save the Man of Steel from a fate worse than mediocrity, and that George Perez never writes Superman again.
November 20, 2014
This one is barely three stars from me. I didn't like the storyline and I thought it was confusing the way it was written. The explanation of what was going on barely made sense. Also, Superman and Clark Kent just don't have any standout character. The tendency is to see Supes as a boring Boy Scout. I admit I did feel a bit like that about him, compared to Batman, who I totally adore (faults and all). However, when Superman's character is explored with the depth and the insight that he deserves, you can see why he is such an enduring icon of comic books and superherodom. This book doesn't add to the story of Superman for me at all. His inner life is not delved into, and one merely sees him going from calamity to calamity and not what his instincts, head and heart tell him about those experiences. What drives him to do what he does, as apposed to lip service to "Truth, Justice, and The American Way." The artwork is okay. It's not profound, but neither is it poorly drawn and inked.
I'm not a huge fan of Lois Lane, and I certainly didn't like her in this either. At this point, if I wasn't shipping Batman and Wonder Woman so hard, I'd totally want Superman to get with Wonder Woman based on this book.
I feel like I am bashing this pretty hard. I think it's disappointment. I had finally worked myself up to reading a Superman title and to find myself wanting more is a crushing experience. Will I keep trying? I think so, but right now, I'm not a big fan of the New 52 Superman run thus far.
I'm not a huge fan of Lois Lane, and I certainly didn't like her in this either. At this point, if I wasn't shipping Batman and Wonder Woman so hard, I'd totally want Superman to get with Wonder Woman based on this book.
I feel like I am bashing this pretty hard. I think it's disappointment. I had finally worked myself up to reading a Superman title and to find myself wanting more is a crushing experience. Will I keep trying? I think so, but right now, I'm not a big fan of the New 52 Superman run thus far.
September 13, 2016
Superman.
Shame. I was expecting it to be at least solid enough of a story. But it wasn't. More than half of this book has to do with Daily Planet and Lois than Superman himself.
I don't need to read about Daily Planet's whereabouts and reconstruction, achievements and whatnot. with 10+ pages full of reporters and news about it from radio and tv and whatever, complete crap to fill the pages with nonsense.
The whole book had that feeling that you're reading a comic from the 80s-90s and NOT in a good way.
Superman fights elemental aliens, and that's all there is to the villains for the most part, and it's just... not.. good. At all. Boring stuff all the way till the end. I won't spoil it to say what happens at the end, but it's not interesting and it's not surprising.
I wouldn't recommend this at all. Sadness.
Shame. I was expecting it to be at least solid enough of a story. But it wasn't. More than half of this book has to do with Daily Planet and Lois than Superman himself.
I don't need to read about Daily Planet's whereabouts and reconstruction, achievements and whatnot. with 10+ pages full of reporters and news about it from radio and tv and whatever, complete crap to fill the pages with nonsense.
The whole book had that feeling that you're reading a comic from the 80s-90s and NOT in a good way.
Superman fights elemental aliens, and that's all there is to the villains for the most part, and it's just... not.. good. At all. Boring stuff all the way till the end. I won't spoil it to say what happens at the end, but it's not interesting and it's not surprising.
I wouldn't recommend this at all. Sadness.
July 26, 2015
39th book read in 2015.
Number 225 out of 467 on my all time book list.
Follow the link below to see my video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRAE9...
Number 225 out of 467 on my all time book list.
Follow the link below to see my video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRAE9...
July 22, 2013
Many of my friend reviewers seem to have disliked this particular volume of Superman and to an extent I understand why. At first I found this a slow, mediocre and dull version of Superman. At least for the first 20 or so pages. Then I caught on to where the story was headed, what it was doing and why it was performing that way. I was drawn into the story and as a result ended up appreciating it enough to grant it my typical decent superhero score: 4 stars.
As part of the New 52 range the way in which Superman - such an iconic character - was relaunched, appealed to me. Compared to Batman, Green Lantern, Aquaman or Flash; Superman never fully caught me as a younger reader. It was cool that he had all the powers he had but he was too powerful. Then there was the fact that his Clark Kent alter ego was so easy to pick up that you had to wonder what game Lois Lane was always playing. Fortunately for me, recent graphic novels and movies have addressed these issues and Superman has leapt up the tall building of my favourite superhero characters.
I once tried watching some of the Smallville television series. I'm sorry to say to any fans of the show that it didn't draw me in unlike other shows I've been and have watched. But I do believe the show got something incredibly right about the Superman character. They showed to the viewers that Clark Kent and Superman are one and the same. In the past writers and artists have always focused on the fact that Clark Kent was the other personality of Superman but I believe now that to do so is an error. And I believe that showing both characters as the same individual is something done very well here by Perez and his team.
The new costume for Superman to usher in the new age of DC is a beautifully designed thing. Gone are the 'campy' elements of the suit - the um...famed 'undies on the outside' design. Instead Superman now has a onesie to wear. Okay, it's really a unitard or a skin-tight body suit but whatever... The important thing is that it looks solid and modern, a suit designed for action and combat.
Speaking of action the artwork in this volume is amazing, especially when action scenes are happening. I particularly loved the images like this:
You have to admire the way the artists made his cape swirl dramatically in the picture and how he seems to stand upon the very air. It is...godlike, it is superhuman and it is very much the image of Superman.
The plot of this story all centres around Superman and what it is for him to be an alien among men. Superman really is the symbol and representation of all who feel uniquely talented among humanity and yet at the same time are bound by being a Clark Kent type of person. At the same time the plot also follows Lois Lane and the Daily Planet staff as they adjust to living and moving into the new age of a more digital news medium. Superman comes under attack from three unique alien menaces. A being of fire that turns anything into fire, a being that Superman cannot sense and a being that turns everything into ice. There are therefore three battles, culminating in a final battle which focuses around the idea that Superman could potentially be a weapon of mass destruction feared by those he is bound to save.
On the whole a solid and beautiful comic volume that starts slowly and awkwardly but finishes well enough. I'm looking forward to reading the next volume of this tale when I can find it. Although Action Comics, Vol. 1: Superman and the Men of Steel appeals to me more at the moment...
April 3, 2013
Look at how pissed and almost evil Superman looks on the cover of this thing. That about sums up the New 52 Superman - a glum, angry and angsty young man that never smiles. Well, OK, that's not true...I just flipped through the book and he smiles ONCE - though even that is a creepy smile used to add fuel to the debate of whether Superman is "messiah or menace?" Obviously, it's only personal opinion, but I just don't enjoy this new direction for the Superman books. In my opinion, he, like Catwoman and numerous others, has greatly suffered from the New 52 relaunch. Superman used to feel really special in the DCU - he was the gold-standard of the heroes, the one that all the others looked up to. I used to love the scenes where a new hero would meet Superman for the first time and be completely awestruck (and I also loved that Superman usually seemed just as honored to meet them). By de-aging Superman and placing his origin at around the same time as everyone else's, the New 52 has made him feel more like just another one of the guys. He doesn't seem particularly unique anymore. Add to that his new gritty attitude - I suppose they're trying to appeal to those hip, "younger readers" and all, but it's a bummer. Personally, I tend to prefer darker stories, but Superman has always been the best exception to that. Oh, sure, you can tell dark stories with Superman, but the character himself always seemed like the beacon of light in those stories - the noble, shining example of what a hero should be. Call me cheesy, but that's what I loved about Superman. Now, he has morphed into "Somberman" - heck, he's even morose and pissed-off all his time as Clark in this collection, too. As for the story itself, it's fairly standard stuff with a somewhat interesting idea for the villain, but nothing about it really feels compelling enough to be the kick-off for a new flagship Superman title, and the way Superman himself is written is just too damn distracting for me to ignore. Quite the disappointment, this, especially coming from George Perez - though I assume he's just doing what the bosses are telling him to.
July 5, 2017
I didn't like this at all really. So with Rebirth Superman being so good I decided why not go back once more. I mean I read all of Action Comics leading up to rebirth (which was pretty terrible for 80% of it) but never did read "Superman". So I picked this up to try out. I mean how bad could it be? Well if you see my rating it's pretty obvious.
This story focuses on Clark being upset that the Daily Planet sold out. Well they're going more digital, doing more "easy news" stories. You know, so that people can survive, and Clark doesn't like that. On top of that we get generic villains popping up who are made of fire, ice, and super strong punch alien. After supes beats each one they combine and create a SUPERMAN CLONE! DUM DUM DUM! Oh and Supergirl shows up for like 5 minutes.
What I liked: Some of the art was good?
What I didn't like: The action was messy. The fights were boring. The dialog was...realllllllly bad. I mean Clark was cheesy X 100000000. The villains were generic as they come except their backstory was awful and the ending was anticlimatic as can be. Supergirl was a waste. Lois is a bitch in this for no reason. Yeah pretty much everything is terrible.
Skip. Skip. Skipppppp. I'll try one or two more volumes and then stop completely. Superman sure did have it rough during New52 run didn't he? Not many good stories. Shame. 1/5.
This story focuses on Clark being upset that the Daily Planet sold out. Well they're going more digital, doing more "easy news" stories. You know, so that people can survive, and Clark doesn't like that. On top of that we get generic villains popping up who are made of fire, ice, and super strong punch alien. After supes beats each one they combine and create a SUPERMAN CLONE! DUM DUM DUM! Oh and Supergirl shows up for like 5 minutes.
What I liked: Some of the art was good?
What I didn't like: The action was messy. The fights were boring. The dialog was...realllllllly bad. I mean Clark was cheesy X 100000000. The villains were generic as they come except their backstory was awful and the ending was anticlimatic as can be. Supergirl was a waste. Lois is a bitch in this for no reason. Yeah pretty much everything is terrible.
Skip. Skip. Skipppppp. I'll try one or two more volumes and then stop completely. Superman sure did have it rough during New52 run didn't he? Not many good stories. Shame. 1/5.
April 6, 2012
Last August, when the New 52 was right on the horizon, one of the titles I was most excited for was Superman. I'm not sure why I was excited for this one, and not Action Comics, maybe it was the cover to this one was more appealing or something, I don't know. Anyways, it's a decision I came to regret.
This volume starts off with an absolutely fantastic first issue. It worked as a near perfect introduction to the character for new readers, with Superman in an epic fight with this crazy alien demon, then drawing it down into a somewhat depressing conclusion involving Clark Kent and his love for Lois. The first issue is worth checking out, if you can find a back issue, or a digital copy. Everything after that is total shit. It launches into this ridiculous alien possession story that's just all over the place, and doesn't make much sense. To keep Superman up with the times, they added in this really lame side-plot where the Daily Planet is switching from print to digital, which I assume was intended to be a commentary on the print vs. digital debate in comics. Whatever it was, it didn't work, and this work as a whole appears to have been written by a twelve year old boy, or maybe a struggling writer who read Superman's Wikipedia article, and decided that was all the education needed to write a story about the Man of Steel. I read through all six issues, and each one was more of a bore than the one before it. Although the creative team behind this disaster stepped down, and a new story started in issue seven, this just left a bad taste in my mouth, and I have since switched over to Morrison/Morales' far superior Action Comics.
There's one bit of praise I can give this series, and it's something very small. When Jesus Merino was on art duty (I think there was at least one issue in this where he wasn't), they did this cool thing, where everyone with black hair has a tint of blue shading. I've seen that a lot in comics from the 80's, and for some reason I've always loved that uniquely comic book look it gives characters.
So there you go, when the best bit of praise I can give a comic is the character's hair color, you should probably steer clear of it. If you're looking for a cool modern take on Superman, check out Action Comics.
2/5
This volume starts off with an absolutely fantastic first issue. It worked as a near perfect introduction to the character for new readers, with Superman in an epic fight with this crazy alien demon, then drawing it down into a somewhat depressing conclusion involving Clark Kent and his love for Lois. The first issue is worth checking out, if you can find a back issue, or a digital copy. Everything after that is total shit. It launches into this ridiculous alien possession story that's just all over the place, and doesn't make much sense. To keep Superman up with the times, they added in this really lame side-plot where the Daily Planet is switching from print to digital, which I assume was intended to be a commentary on the print vs. digital debate in comics. Whatever it was, it didn't work, and this work as a whole appears to have been written by a twelve year old boy, or maybe a struggling writer who read Superman's Wikipedia article, and decided that was all the education needed to write a story about the Man of Steel. I read through all six issues, and each one was more of a bore than the one before it. Although the creative team behind this disaster stepped down, and a new story started in issue seven, this just left a bad taste in my mouth, and I have since switched over to Morrison/Morales' far superior Action Comics.
There's one bit of praise I can give this series, and it's something very small. When Jesus Merino was on art duty (I think there was at least one issue in this where he wasn't), they did this cool thing, where everyone with black hair has a tint of blue shading. I've seen that a lot in comics from the 80's, and for some reason I've always loved that uniquely comic book look it gives characters.
So there you go, when the best bit of praise I can give a comic is the character's hair color, you should probably steer clear of it. If you're looking for a cool modern take on Superman, check out Action Comics.
2/5
October 4, 2016
Since I have read this New 52 Superman years ago, my review will have a retrospective element in it.
It has then been revealed that there are two Supermen (minus the infinite number of Supermen multiverse, we will not be talking about it), one pre-New52 Supes and the other New52 Superman. This volume establishes who our New52 Superman is: a whiny kid with superpowers who feels empty inside.
What Price Tomorrow is more engrossed in establishing the New52 landscape of Metropolis - a sprawling megacity higly dependent on hi-tech journalism. So engrossed that Superman Volume 1 becomes muddled with real-time reporting, T.V. and all social media technology that persists nowadays. There's even a scene that Superman himself depended on the reports and television to defeat the (boring) enemy. Everything imploded and ultimately failed in effectively conveying to the audience what the New52 playfield has become. Worse, this first volume, which set the boring tone for the other Superman arcs also failed in establishing who Superman is in the modern landscape. No, this is not the Superman we are looking for.
When we imagine Superman, we hear that fanfare, that S crest in the chest, the red and blue, and most importantly, the hope. That is the Superman we are looking up to, a god among humans. This Clark Kent, this new Superman is not that Superman. This Superman is just a fighting machine, uninspiring and boring.
That is so bad, because George Perez has been part of DC's groundbreaking Crisis on Infinite Earths, and have written a couple of Superman issues before (which I admittedly haven't read), so he should know what he's writing.
I'm glad that the Superman series in DC Rebirth brought back the old one.
It has then been revealed that there are two Supermen (minus the infinite number of Supermen multiverse, we will not be talking about it), one pre-New52 Supes and the other New52 Superman. This volume establishes who our New52 Superman is: a whiny kid with superpowers who feels empty inside.
What Price Tomorrow is more engrossed in establishing the New52 landscape of Metropolis - a sprawling megacity higly dependent on hi-tech journalism. So engrossed that Superman Volume 1 becomes muddled with real-time reporting, T.V. and all social media technology that persists nowadays. There's even a scene that Superman himself depended on the reports and television to defeat the (boring) enemy. Everything imploded and ultimately failed in effectively conveying to the audience what the New52 playfield has become. Worse, this first volume, which set the boring tone for the other Superman arcs also failed in establishing who Superman is in the modern landscape. No, this is not the Superman we are looking for.
When we imagine Superman, we hear that fanfare, that S crest in the chest, the red and blue, and most importantly, the hope. That is the Superman we are looking up to, a god among humans. This Clark Kent, this new Superman is not that Superman. This Superman is just a fighting machine, uninspiring and boring.
That is so bad, because George Perez has been part of DC's groundbreaking Crisis on Infinite Earths, and have written a couple of Superman issues before (which I admittedly haven't read), so he should know what he's writing.
I'm glad that the Superman series in DC Rebirth brought back the old one.
April 23, 2014
This wasn't as bad as I expected from the general trend of reviews on Goodreads. I don't think I'm really a fan of DC's stuff in general, though. I mean, I remember Superman in bright colours, as wholesome as Marvel's Captain America, but here it's all dark and broody. Maybe part of the problem is that I never read the comics before, but was a devotee of the tv series. No, not Smallville -- Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman!
Anyway, this was... okay. I liked the redesign of Superman's costume which keeps the important aspects of his iconic image and tweaks things we could do without (the underwear on the outside of his costume thing). I didn't feel strongly about the art either way, though I did feel that the criticisms of the number of panels and cluttered pages are pretty valid.
The story is okay, but like I said, there's a lot of dark and broody here, which I thought was more Batman's line. There's some stuff intended to make it relevant and modern, like the Daily Planet's way of dealing with the move to digital media, but all in all, I don't know how that works. In my head, the Daily Planet smells of paper and ink, and Metropolis never really joins the digital age.
So the only New 52 titles I've really been interested in following are Batgirl and Batwoman. Hmm.
Anyway, this was... okay. I liked the redesign of Superman's costume which keeps the important aspects of his iconic image and tweaks things we could do without (the underwear on the outside of his costume thing). I didn't feel strongly about the art either way, though I did feel that the criticisms of the number of panels and cluttered pages are pretty valid.
The story is okay, but like I said, there's a lot of dark and broody here, which I thought was more Batman's line. There's some stuff intended to make it relevant and modern, like the Daily Planet's way of dealing with the move to digital media, but all in all, I don't know how that works. In my head, the Daily Planet smells of paper and ink, and Metropolis never really joins the digital age.
So the only New 52 titles I've really been interested in following are Batgirl and Batwoman. Hmm.
September 26, 2016
Read this review and more on my blog.
Superman Volume 1 collects issues #1 - #6 of the New 52 run of Superman.
I am not going to lie, I am not Superman's greatest fan. For me, my love is anything Gotham based and for me to like anything outside of that means that it must have been outstanding. Unfortunately, Superman Volume 1: What Price Tomorrow did not do anything to make me like Superman anymore than I do.
Lets start with the storyline, Clark Kent has to fight a foe that he somehow created (not that he knows that) while maintaining his anonymity of being Superman in the modern day. A tad confusing until the final pages but for the majority of this graphic novel, I was left confused as to what was actually going on (and not in a good way).
The art was probably the best thing about this volume. It managed to get across the severity of the fighting across without it having to be explained.
For me, the artwork was the saving grace for Superman Volume 1 and I can see why people have said that the New 52 was not the greatest.
Superman Volume 1 collects issues #1 - #6 of the New 52 run of Superman.
I am not going to lie, I am not Superman's greatest fan. For me, my love is anything Gotham based and for me to like anything outside of that means that it must have been outstanding. Unfortunately, Superman Volume 1: What Price Tomorrow did not do anything to make me like Superman anymore than I do.
Lets start with the storyline, Clark Kent has to fight a foe that he somehow created (not that he knows that) while maintaining his anonymity of being Superman in the modern day. A tad confusing until the final pages but for the majority of this graphic novel, I was left confused as to what was actually going on (and not in a good way).
The art was probably the best thing about this volume. It managed to get across the severity of the fighting across without it having to be explained.
For me, the artwork was the saving grace for Superman Volume 1 and I can see why people have said that the New 52 was not the greatest.
March 12, 2015
Instead of going in a fresh new direction, it takes us back to the 80's. If you miss the 80's badly and the wordy exposition, this is the book for you.
I might of gotten lost in the story for a sec so it's not completely horrible. Issue 6 closes up the story with a fight with Supergirl, with great art.
But still.. the whole thing is 5 issues too long.
I might of gotten lost in the story for a sec so it's not completely horrible. Issue 6 closes up the story with a fight with Supergirl, with great art.
But still.. the whole thing is 5 issues too long.
November 13, 2017
. . . and three stars is probably kind of pushing it. Serviceable book that seemed like it was on the verge of getting really good, but then disappointingly never quite got there. Still, it occasionally had its moments, such as when "This looks like a job for Superman!" actually appeared in thought or speech bubble.
March 25, 2019
Took me a few years, but I finally got around to reading the Superman New 52 stories. Just read this volume and then jumped over to the Superman: Action Volume 1. Thanks to my digital library. Shame these 52 stories did not last too long before being replaced by Rebirth. Must be a struggle to stay creative with comic book characters for such a long time as with Superman and Batman.
I caught of the end of the 52 stories and then the first couple of Rebirth issues, dealing with Justice League. Now thanks to my digital library I am getting a chance to catch up. I do sort of like how DC was writing about how the world feels about super powered aliens on earth. Almost has an early 60's/70's Marvel type of feel. The world did not instantly fall in love with Superman. Distrust first nowadays.
I caught of the end of the 52 stories and then the first couple of Rebirth issues, dealing with Justice League. Now thanks to my digital library I am getting a chance to catch up. I do sort of like how DC was writing about how the world feels about super powered aliens on earth. Almost has an early 60's/70's Marvel type of feel. The world did not instantly fall in love with Superman. Distrust first nowadays.
April 20, 2013
It’s a bird - it’s a plane - it’s a…
Um, a less than super debut for the Man of Steel. Along with the rest of the DC universe, Clark Kent got the reboot treatment in 2011 as part of the New 52 event. I thought Grant Morrison’s work on the first Action Comics volume was a little uneven, but it was never boring. Unfortunately, this collection was pretty forgettable. The Daily Planet has been bought by some multinational media conglomerate, and we spend a fair amount of time reading about this in a dull storyline. Louis Lane, bowing to the cruel realities of the modern economy, leaves print journalism to become a TV producer. This isn’t very interesting either, but we get to spend plenty of time on it. Meanwhile, Superman battles a bunch of mystery monsters in a series of fights that make little sense until a complicated reveal in the final issue, which fails to really satisfy .
All things considered this wasn’t a total stinkbomb, but it came awfully close. I thought it was boring and forgettable, which is exactly what you don’t want when you’re trying to launch (or relaunch) a series. After these six issues DC switched up the creative team, so apparently I’m not the only one who was underwhelmed by this collection. The only thing keeping this out of one star territory is the artwork, which I thought was pretty good. 2 stars.
Um, a less than super debut for the Man of Steel. Along with the rest of the DC universe, Clark Kent got the reboot treatment in 2011 as part of the New 52 event. I thought Grant Morrison’s work on the first Action Comics volume was a little uneven, but it was never boring. Unfortunately, this collection was pretty forgettable. The Daily Planet has been bought by some multinational media conglomerate, and we spend a fair amount of time reading about this in a dull storyline. Louis Lane, bowing to the cruel realities of the modern economy, leaves print journalism to become a TV producer. This isn’t very interesting either, but we get to spend plenty of time on it. Meanwhile, Superman battles a bunch of mystery monsters in a series of fights that make little sense until a complicated reveal in the final issue, which fails to really satisfy .
All things considered this wasn’t a total stinkbomb, but it came awfully close. I thought it was boring and forgettable, which is exactly what you don’t want when you’re trying to launch (or relaunch) a series. After these six issues DC switched up the creative team, so apparently I’m not the only one who was underwhelmed by this collection. The only thing keeping this out of one star territory is the artwork, which I thought was pretty good. 2 stars.
April 22, 2018
Whine...whine...whine...boo-hoo....
That's all I've heard from Superman in the New 52! This new emo Superman is just terrible and I blame the 2013 Man of Steel movie for turning him into this. As a kid I used to look up to Superman because he was everything the other heroes aspired to be. Remember all the pictures where he was teamed up with Batman and Batman would be skulking in the shadows and Superman would be hovering in the air with the sun on him. That's the Superman I'll always love...not this frikkin' guy!
The last story of this trade is just a bunch of confusing rabble and what should've been the high point ended up being the low point and this book did not end well at all unfortunately.
That's all I've heard from Superman in the New 52! This new emo Superman is just terrible and I blame the 2013 Man of Steel movie for turning him into this. As a kid I used to look up to Superman because he was everything the other heroes aspired to be. Remember all the pictures where he was teamed up with Batman and Batman would be skulking in the shadows and Superman would be hovering in the air with the sun on him. That's the Superman I'll always love...not this frikkin' guy!
The last story of this trade is just a bunch of confusing rabble and what should've been the high point ended up being the low point and this book did not end well at all unfortunately.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2023
I grappled with the quality of the prose and lack of character development. The narrative perspective(s) lack coherence and the plot is uninteresting. As someone who prefers the Dark Knight over the Man of Steel, mostly because the latter lacks nuance, I was hoping the New 52 would introduce a fresh and complex character. However, in this volume, he’s portrayed as a whining and dull figure. I prefer his depiction in Justice League, Vol. 1: Origin.
November 1, 2013
Sadly, not Perez's best work. The first issue is flat-out boring, and it improves from there, but the issues nonetheless fall into a dull rhythm. There's some interesting characterization and plot development leading off each issue (well, at least #2-4), then Superman has a dull battle with another faceless villain. The reveal of who's behind the problems at the end of the volume is also very ... uninspiring. And, oh, how wordy this book is!
Overall, this was a read that I did not enjoy.
Overall, this was a read that I did not enjoy.
November 4, 2012
It was a nice classic Superman story, but what was the point of all this "New 52" hoopla, if you're still going to give this character lackadaisical stories that neither advance nor accentuate the character?
January 31, 2013
Believe it or not but, even though I’ve been a comic book fan all my life, I haven’t read that much Superman. I’ve basically read the stuff that every comic fan has read, like All-Star Superman, and the Death of Superman. As a kid I did make an attempt to follow his monthly adventures, but there proved to be too many titles for a kid with no job and no allowance to keep up with. With DC Comics starting its New 52 universe though, it seemed like the perfect time to check out some of his adventures.
I saw a few reviews of this comic on the internet and they had the same thing to say: This comic is too wordy! I’m not sure where this started but for some reason a lot of comic fans feel like they should be able to breeze through a twenty page comic in under 3 minutes. If they can’t, there are just too many words in the book and they will lose interest and stop reading that title! I am the exact opposite of this. My favorite time period of comics is the silver age, and if you want to read some wordy comics, pick up anything written by Stan Lee. That guy knows how to dialogue a comic. With a Superhero collection I can generally sit down and read the whole thing in one sitting with no problems. I don’t think this is a problem for comics, but it is very true. So, when I had to read this collection over several sittings, I was quite surprised and rather enjoyed it. Yes, this comic has tons and tons of dialogue, but if you like comics that don’t breeze buy, it won’t be a problem at all.
The storyline is a somewhat general superhero story. Superman fights a series of villains, with no idea why they are attacking him, and ultimately figures out that the villains are working together, and he has a showdown with all three. There were some interesting parts though, like the monster Superman can’t see and has to defeat by using television screens, which pick up the monster. Or, how the news is tearing Superman apart because these villains are clearly killing people and tearing up their town in an attempt to get at Superman.
The art work is…good. I don’t hate it, but I don’t like it. Again it seems like the look of a general superhero comic. It seems like the artist is doing his best to show what a Superhero comic should look like, and not developing his own style. I will say that the storytelling is very clear. I was never lost. There is also a consistently of the characters faces, which is something that really seems to be lacking in comics these days.
Overall, not a bad collection, but not really mind-blowing either. I’m wondering if it is less my opinion about this book or more a general disinterest in Superman that made the book suffers. I’m not sure if I will continue with this series. The creators change right after this book. I might continue to get it, but I’ll be waiting for the paperback edition, and not paying for the more expensive hardcover. It’s not worth the money to me.
I saw a few reviews of this comic on the internet and they had the same thing to say: This comic is too wordy! I’m not sure where this started but for some reason a lot of comic fans feel like they should be able to breeze through a twenty page comic in under 3 minutes. If they can’t, there are just too many words in the book and they will lose interest and stop reading that title! I am the exact opposite of this. My favorite time period of comics is the silver age, and if you want to read some wordy comics, pick up anything written by Stan Lee. That guy knows how to dialogue a comic. With a Superhero collection I can generally sit down and read the whole thing in one sitting with no problems. I don’t think this is a problem for comics, but it is very true. So, when I had to read this collection over several sittings, I was quite surprised and rather enjoyed it. Yes, this comic has tons and tons of dialogue, but if you like comics that don’t breeze buy, it won’t be a problem at all.
The storyline is a somewhat general superhero story. Superman fights a series of villains, with no idea why they are attacking him, and ultimately figures out that the villains are working together, and he has a showdown with all three. There were some interesting parts though, like the monster Superman can’t see and has to defeat by using television screens, which pick up the monster. Or, how the news is tearing Superman apart because these villains are clearly killing people and tearing up their town in an attempt to get at Superman.
The art work is…good. I don’t hate it, but I don’t like it. Again it seems like the look of a general superhero comic. It seems like the artist is doing his best to show what a Superhero comic should look like, and not developing his own style. I will say that the storytelling is very clear. I was never lost. There is also a consistently of the characters faces, which is something that really seems to be lacking in comics these days.
Overall, not a bad collection, but not really mind-blowing either. I’m wondering if it is less my opinion about this book or more a general disinterest in Superman that made the book suffers. I’m not sure if I will continue with this series. The creators change right after this book. I might continue to get it, but I’ll be waiting for the paperback edition, and not paying for the more expensive hardcover. It’s not worth the money to me.
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