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Superman: Earth One
Superman: Tierra Uno, Parte 2
Contiene:
Tierra uno, parte 2
Publicado originalmente en Superman: Earth One vol. 2, diciembre de 2012. Mientras el joven Clark Kent continúa con su aprendizaje para convertirse en el mejor superhéroe del mundo, se da cuenta de que lidiar con la humanidad es un desafío más grande de lo que imaginaba. En esta ocasión las cosas no serán tan fáciles para el Hombre de Acero, pues se tendrá que enfrentar a un dictador sin escrúpulos y al nacimiento de un nuevo amor. Pero lo peor aún está por llegar, con la aparición de un monstruo humano con un apetito insaciable, Parásito, que tratará de saciar su hambre con el último hijo de Krypton.
Action Comics núm. 1
Publicado originalmente en junio de 1938. La primera aparición y el origen de Superman en Superman el campeón de los oprimidos.
Tierra uno, parte 2
Publicado originalmente en Superman: Earth One vol. 2, diciembre de 2012. Mientras el joven Clark Kent continúa con su aprendizaje para convertirse en el mejor superhéroe del mundo, se da cuenta de que lidiar con la humanidad es un desafío más grande de lo que imaginaba. En esta ocasión las cosas no serán tan fáciles para el Hombre de Acero, pues se tendrá que enfrentar a un dictador sin escrúpulos y al nacimiento de un nuevo amor. Pero lo peor aún está por llegar, con la aparición de un monstruo humano con un apetito insaciable, Parásito, que tratará de saciar su hambre con el último hijo de Krypton.
Action Comics núm. 1
Publicado originalmente en junio de 1938. La primera aparición y el origen de Superman en Superman el campeón de los oprimidos.
Hardcover
First published November 6, 2012
66 people are currently reading
2364 people want to read
About the author
J. Michael Straczynski
1,371 books1,277 followersJoseph Michael Straczynski is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 (1993–1998) and its spinoff Crusade (1999), as well as the series Jeremiah (2002–2004) and Sense8 (2015–2018). He is the executor of the estate of Harlan Ellison.
Straczynski wrote the psychological drama film Changeling (2008) and was co-writer on the martial arts thriller Ninja Assassin (2009), was one of the key writers for (and had a cameo in) Marvel's Thor (2011), as well as the horror film Underworld: Awakening (2012), and the apocalyptic horror film World War Z (2013). From 2001 to 2007, Straczynski wrote Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, followed by runs on Thor and Fantastic Four. He is the author of the Superman: Earth One trilogy of graphic novels, and he has written Superman, Wonder Woman, and Before Watchmen for DC Comics. Straczynski is the creator and writer of several original comic book series such as Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, Dream Police, and Ten Grand through Joe's Comics.
A prolific writer across a variety of media and former journalist, Straczynski is the author of the autobiography Becoming Superman (2019) for HarperVoyager, the novel Together We Will Go (2021) for Simon & Schuster, and Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer (2021) for Benbella Books. In 2020 he was named Head of the Creative Council for the comics publishing company Artists, Writers and Artisans.
Straczynski is a long-time participant in Usenet and other early computer networks, interacting with fans through various online forums (including GEnie, CompuServe, and America Online) since 1984. He is credited as being the first TV producer to directly engage with fans on the Internet and to allow viewer viewpoints to influence the look and feel of his show. Two prominent areas where he had a presence were GEnie and the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated.
Straczynski wrote the psychological drama film Changeling (2008) and was co-writer on the martial arts thriller Ninja Assassin (2009), was one of the key writers for (and had a cameo in) Marvel's Thor (2011), as well as the horror film Underworld: Awakening (2012), and the apocalyptic horror film World War Z (2013). From 2001 to 2007, Straczynski wrote Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, followed by runs on Thor and Fantastic Four. He is the author of the Superman: Earth One trilogy of graphic novels, and he has written Superman, Wonder Woman, and Before Watchmen for DC Comics. Straczynski is the creator and writer of several original comic book series such as Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, Dream Police, and Ten Grand through Joe's Comics.
A prolific writer across a variety of media and former journalist, Straczynski is the author of the autobiography Becoming Superman (2019) for HarperVoyager, the novel Together We Will Go (2021) for Simon & Schuster, and Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer (2021) for Benbella Books. In 2020 he was named Head of the Creative Council for the comics publishing company Artists, Writers and Artisans.
Straczynski is a long-time participant in Usenet and other early computer networks, interacting with fans through various online forums (including GEnie, CompuServe, and America Online) since 1984. He is credited as being the first TV producer to directly engage with fans on the Internet and to allow viewer viewpoints to influence the look and feel of his show. Two prominent areas where he had a presence were GEnie and the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 431 reviews
July 17, 2023
In this 2nd volume of Straczynski's Superman you see more personal changes.
In the last volume, he struggled with the choice to use his powers, and in this one, he struggles to find his place with the humans he occupies space with in his regular life.
And while this isn't our Clark, it is an interesting take on Clark.
Parasite is the baddie this time around. Or a version of Parasite anyway. He's a serial killer with a weakness for his little sister, who ends up getting "powers" through a freak accident as he's running from security guards. As always, he's a hard one for Superman to put down because of his ability to absorb his powers, and that made for some great fight scenes.
All of this was a really good setup for the climax in Volume 3 and I quite enjoyed it this time around.
Recommended.
In the last volume, he struggled with the choice to use his powers, and in this one, he struggles to find his place with the humans he occupies space with in his regular life.
And while this isn't our Clark, it is an interesting take on Clark.
Parasite is the baddie this time around. Or a version of Parasite anyway. He's a serial killer with a weakness for his little sister, who ends up getting "powers" through a freak accident as he's running from security guards. As always, he's a hard one for Superman to put down because of his ability to absorb his powers, and that made for some great fight scenes.
All of this was a really good setup for the climax in Volume 3 and I quite enjoyed it this time around.
Recommended.
October 27, 2025
Good comic. It's almost as good as the first book. Great artwork, good story. The only falling for this is that it felt rushed. There were some great ideas in this book. Superman lost his powers for the first time, but I think he should have spent more time being "human," not getting his powers back in a couple of panels. Unfortunately, this happened in all the fights in this book. I never liked the Parasite as a top villein, but when he is powered up, he looks like Superman's deadliest opponent.
The strongest thing about his is the psychological story. Now that Clark is "human," what does he do next? He has reported his biggest article, stopped an alien threat, and life seems pretty good. Now, he has to face the backlash of paranoia from the public for having a god-like character among them. What are his motives? What does he want? Superman runs against a dictator should he just kill him and be done with it? What then should he take over the world next?
The rest of the book sets up stuff for later, including major Superman villeins. That is the problem with this book felt rushed and more of a filler than a stand-alone story, which the Earth One line should be. As sequels go a good attempt.
The strongest thing about his is the psychological story. Now that Clark is "human," what does he do next? He has reported his biggest article, stopped an alien threat, and life seems pretty good. Now, he has to face the backlash of paranoia from the public for having a god-like character among them. What are his motives? What does he want? Superman runs against a dictator should he just kill him and be done with it? What then should he take over the world next?
The rest of the book sets up stuff for later, including major Superman villeins. That is the problem with this book felt rushed and more of a filler than a stand-alone story, which the Earth One line should be. As sequels go a good attempt.
December 20, 2015
I'm really enjoying this series. This was better in some ways than the first volume.
In this volume we see more ideas on superman's life and I really like what's being done with him. We get to see the creation of parasite (not my favourite bad guy) and again I like what they've done with him.
I'd say the reason I like this story is that they've made his story more realistic and they've given it more feeling.
My favourite part in this story was very moving. He talks about his first pet, how it died and where he buried it. Beautifully written.
I'm off to read the next volume now. Great so far.
In this volume we see more ideas on superman's life and I really like what's being done with him. We get to see the creation of parasite (not my favourite bad guy) and again I like what they've done with him.
I'd say the reason I like this story is that they've made his story more realistic and they've given it more feeling.
My favourite part in this story was very moving. He talks about his first pet, how it died and where he buried it. Beautifully written.
I'm off to read the next volume now. Great so far.
November 13, 2012
Bad guy gets caught in a weird machine which zaps him and rather than killing him, warps him into a monster called Parasite. Superman worries about getting involved in developing nations’ politics and having sex with a human woman. Then Superman and Parasite fight – guess who wins? That’s pretty much the whole book.
There is a super-ton of stuff I didn’t like about this book. Probably the worst by far is the dialogue. J. Michael Stracynzski has a tin ear for how people, especially young people, speak. On the first page Perry is talking to Clark who immediately sounds like an annoying dweeb, punctuating Perry’s “wise words” soliloquy with feeble attempts at humour. Jimmy Olson thinks a haircut, putting his feet up on his desk and a blog make him cool and utterly fails to convince, while a new character, Clark’s sexy neighbour, doesn’t sound at all like a semi-real, semi-intelligent woman and more like a nearly 60 year old man trying awkwardly to write dialogue for a twentysomething woman.
And then there’s Lois. On a night in, Lois and her boyfriend (unnamed) are sat in front of the TV, Lois is bristling, and they fight. Lois ends the brief argument, dismissing the man with “the only thing you’re supposed to do is smile, look good on the couch, don’t talk and then leave”. Why does she sound like a ‘20s gangster talking to his moll? Her depiction in the book is devoid of charm – new readers coming to this book will wonder why anyone gave a damn about such an angry, irritating character.
Enter the arbitrary bad guy for this book, Parasite. He’s an evil geezer, murdering people left and right, before he even manages to wind up in a government lab, trapping himself in a test chamber, and accidentally blasting himself with experimental stuff, turning him into a monster that looks like he’s trying to break the world record for most tennis balls crammed into his mouth. Everything about this guy is uninspired from the lab/test chamber trope instantly turning the guy into a monstrous villain, to his ridiculous appearance, to the motivations behind everything he does, yelling on every page he's on: “power, more power, unlimited power!!!”. It would have been just as effective if he’d been saying “villain motivation!” over and over. You still don’t care. Also their final battle reads like a Street Fighter 2 fight with a dialogue box in the bottom of each panel indicating how much “power” both combatants have, their power bars decreasing as they trade punches.
The myriad storylines in the book are there to show how Superman becomes the morally upright character he's famous for. At least that’s how I think it was supposed to be. Stracynzski muddies the water with his ham-fisted handling of the story strands. Clark moves into a low-rent building filled with low-lives to meet a charming and beautiful young woman, so we get a flashback to Smallville where an embarrassed young Clark winces as Jonathan Kent talks about intimate relations between men and women and how it’s going to be very different for him because of who he is. I only mention this because I re-watched it recently but “Mallrats” has a scene where Brodie talks about Superman hypothetically having sex with a human woman, saying the only way would be with a Kryptonite condom. I wondered if Stracynzski would explain this conundrum but instead he just tapers off, leaving the reader uncertain whether Clark would ever be able to have sex with a human woman (or man if he swung that way - hey, this is a re-imagining right?). So why bring up this flashback in the first place if not to resolve it? And why is Jonathan Kent referring to his teenage son as the "Man of Steel"?
There’s a limp side story about a junkie that’s just crassly sentimental and shoe-horned in for no reason except to make you feel something the writer hasn’t earned through his writing, and a weird non-romantic story with his sexy neighbour. Then later he has Superman rather questionably impose himself upon a developing nation’s political system, thus altering that country’s destiny (for the better – maybe, the liberators still hang onto the guns – but I still think it’s not up to Superman to decide these things).
I like the potential that the “Earth One” series has. Geoff Johns’ “Batman Earth One” was definitely one of the best comic books I read all year but Stracynzski’s a far less talented writer and whose version of “Superman Earth One” is noticeably poorer and uninspired. An alternate take on a familiar character should shed new light and reveal something about that character we didn’t know before but this reboot doesn’t have anything to distinguish itself from the range of Superman books already out there. It’s so bland and pointless, I don’t know why DC bothered with this at all. Compared to a superior Superman title like Grant Morrison’s “Action Comics”, both volumes of “Earth One” are shown up as the weaker efforts they are. And why does Clark look Chinese, Shane Davis?
There is a super-ton of stuff I didn’t like about this book. Probably the worst by far is the dialogue. J. Michael Stracynzski has a tin ear for how people, especially young people, speak. On the first page Perry is talking to Clark who immediately sounds like an annoying dweeb, punctuating Perry’s “wise words” soliloquy with feeble attempts at humour. Jimmy Olson thinks a haircut, putting his feet up on his desk and a blog make him cool and utterly fails to convince, while a new character, Clark’s sexy neighbour, doesn’t sound at all like a semi-real, semi-intelligent woman and more like a nearly 60 year old man trying awkwardly to write dialogue for a twentysomething woman.
And then there’s Lois. On a night in, Lois and her boyfriend (unnamed) are sat in front of the TV, Lois is bristling, and they fight. Lois ends the brief argument, dismissing the man with “the only thing you’re supposed to do is smile, look good on the couch, don’t talk and then leave”. Why does she sound like a ‘20s gangster talking to his moll? Her depiction in the book is devoid of charm – new readers coming to this book will wonder why anyone gave a damn about such an angry, irritating character.
Enter the arbitrary bad guy for this book, Parasite. He’s an evil geezer, murdering people left and right, before he even manages to wind up in a government lab, trapping himself in a test chamber, and accidentally blasting himself with experimental stuff, turning him into a monster that looks like he’s trying to break the world record for most tennis balls crammed into his mouth. Everything about this guy is uninspired from the lab/test chamber trope instantly turning the guy into a monstrous villain, to his ridiculous appearance, to the motivations behind everything he does, yelling on every page he's on: “power, more power, unlimited power!!!”. It would have been just as effective if he’d been saying “villain motivation!” over and over. You still don’t care. Also their final battle reads like a Street Fighter 2 fight with a dialogue box in the bottom of each panel indicating how much “power” both combatants have, their power bars decreasing as they trade punches.
The myriad storylines in the book are there to show how Superman becomes the morally upright character he's famous for. At least that’s how I think it was supposed to be. Stracynzski muddies the water with his ham-fisted handling of the story strands. Clark moves into a low-rent building filled with low-lives to meet a charming and beautiful young woman, so we get a flashback to Smallville where an embarrassed young Clark winces as Jonathan Kent talks about intimate relations between men and women and how it’s going to be very different for him because of who he is. I only mention this because I re-watched it recently but “Mallrats” has a scene where Brodie talks about Superman hypothetically having sex with a human woman, saying the only way would be with a Kryptonite condom. I wondered if Stracynzski would explain this conundrum but instead he just tapers off, leaving the reader uncertain whether Clark would ever be able to have sex with a human woman (or man if he swung that way - hey, this is a re-imagining right?). So why bring up this flashback in the first place if not to resolve it? And why is Jonathan Kent referring to his teenage son as the "Man of Steel"?
There’s a limp side story about a junkie that’s just crassly sentimental and shoe-horned in for no reason except to make you feel something the writer hasn’t earned through his writing, and a weird non-romantic story with his sexy neighbour. Then later he has Superman rather questionably impose himself upon a developing nation’s political system, thus altering that country’s destiny (for the better – maybe, the liberators still hang onto the guns – but I still think it’s not up to Superman to decide these things).
I like the potential that the “Earth One” series has. Geoff Johns’ “Batman Earth One” was definitely one of the best comic books I read all year but Stracynzski’s a far less talented writer and whose version of “Superman Earth One” is noticeably poorer and uninspired. An alternate take on a familiar character should shed new light and reveal something about that character we didn’t know before but this reboot doesn’t have anything to distinguish itself from the range of Superman books already out there. It’s so bland and pointless, I don’t know why DC bothered with this at all. Compared to a superior Superman title like Grant Morrison’s “Action Comics”, both volumes of “Earth One” are shown up as the weaker efforts they are. And why does Clark look Chinese, Shane Davis?
June 20, 2021
This was a pretty interesting read.
Now that Clark is Superman he has to deal with different problems and one such is the problem of a Dictator in a foreign country and then he has a romance with Lisa Lasalle his new neighbor and whatever is going on with this new enemy Parasite and why is Lois investigating him? This volume answers all that like his big fight with Parasite, his ideologue battle with the dictator and what he does with it and then the thing with Lisa and how by the end he saves her and gains a friend and things get spicy and the realization with Lois was cool.
Future plot twists with a certain well known arch enemy is set up and its a good twist too.
I like how this volume took the time to have philosophical and moral questions, made us question a profession of certain people, giving us hint about the kind of reporter Clark is and his compassion and then add the big twist with the villains and the ending was gorgeous. One of the best volumes of Superman and definitely hints at big things to come. This is what Superman is and JMS digs into it wonderfully plus the art as always is amazing and its a worthy sequel too!
Now that Clark is Superman he has to deal with different problems and one such is the problem of a Dictator in a foreign country and then he has a romance with Lisa Lasalle his new neighbor and whatever is going on with this new enemy Parasite and why is Lois investigating him? This volume answers all that like his big fight with Parasite, his ideologue battle with the dictator and what he does with it and then the thing with Lisa and how by the end he saves her and gains a friend and things get spicy and the realization with Lois was cool.
Future plot twists with a certain well known arch enemy is set up and its a good twist too.
I like how this volume took the time to have philosophical and moral questions, made us question a profession of certain people, giving us hint about the kind of reporter Clark is and his compassion and then add the big twist with the villains and the ending was gorgeous. One of the best volumes of Superman and definitely hints at big things to come. This is what Superman is and JMS digs into it wonderfully plus the art as always is amazing and its a worthy sequel too!
July 24, 2018
Now THIS is more like it.
After being underwhelmed by Vol. 1 weeks ago I wondered if I should bother with the subsequent edition. But sometimes when you start a series you just want to 'see it through,' so to speak.
Vol. 2 was a better book, or at least the story was faster-paced and more interesting this time. The Lisa LaSalle neighbor character was sort of intriguing - of course she'd have 'LL' initials - and the humor was effective (the flashback to Pa Kent's well-meaning 'birds & bees' talk with an agonized teen Clark) along with the pathos (again, flashback scenes of teen Clark intentionally fading into the background to safeguard his secret). Then it all wraps up with a sly epilogue - featuring a certain character's first appearance in this series - that has me looking forward to the next volume.
After being underwhelmed by Vol. 1 weeks ago I wondered if I should bother with the subsequent edition. But sometimes when you start a series you just want to 'see it through,' so to speak.
Vol. 2 was a better book, or at least the story was faster-paced and more interesting this time. The Lisa LaSalle neighbor character was sort of intriguing - of course she'd have 'LL' initials - and the humor was effective (the flashback to Pa Kent's well-meaning 'birds & bees' talk with an agonized teen Clark) along with the pathos (again, flashback scenes of teen Clark intentionally fading into the background to safeguard his secret). Then it all wraps up with a sly epilogue - featuring a certain character's first appearance in this series - that has me looking forward to the next volume.
March 15, 2016
Eye rolls abound. He's perfectly average, "right down the middle." Enter Metropolis, the world of hipsters. Mumbling Jimmy Olsen. Bob Dylan singing stoop kid. Angsty paranoid Lois Lane. Clark's neighbor Lisa walked right out of Hot Topic, onto Clark's couch, singing Rocky Horror Picture Show, and finds writers (cough, Straczynski) very very sexy. I really wanted to give this series another shot after slogging through Volume 1 but I just couldn't do it. The dialog is absolutely terrible and off-putting.
April 24, 2021
It is more of a 3.7 stars. I'm still not a fan of the angst-outsider Snyder-style Superman, still I do like the problems he had, how he was afraid of hurting people with his power and how the general public and the governments react to Superman, plus Lex showed up too (or rather, Lex and his equally super-smart wife). Although I'm startled that What is that!? I mean, the people have every reason to be pissed with the dictator, but Superman getting involved in that way still hardly sits well with me.
Will read the next volume ASAP.
Will read the next volume ASAP.
January 28, 2019
And interesting take on Parasite, and I like Lisa Lasalle (I really love her character and it only makes the Superman/Jesus parallels stronger). Not exactly my favorite of the Earth One books, but it was a good story. Also liked Clark telling Lisa about his cat Fuzzball. Really sweet story.
October 17, 2013
When I read the first volume, I liked it but I wasn't so hooked. However once I read this second volume I hardly can wait to read the third volume!!! Superman comics are good but they haven't a support gallery of characters so big as in Batman books and here they hit big including new characters. On the first book, you have Major Sandra Lee and here you see good development of her. But they hit the jackpot creating Lisa Lasalle! She is great since she is totally living in the personal life of Clark. Lois is great but since she works in the same place as Clark, their relationship always is very much about work and Superman, but with Lisa, Clark can be Clark and they talked about their personal thoughts and it's absolutely priceless. Also they added a new element with the Lex Luthor of this Earth One universe promising great action for the next volume. I love this second volume. I highly recommended!
December 25, 2017
4 out of 5. This one was much better, more entertaining and more focused than the previous one. Loved the interactions between Clark and Lisa (new flame?), and Clark and his sentient spaceship (Ba-da-da-dummm! LOL). Really liked the cliffhanger ending with 'Lex Squared' too. Looking forward to the final one.
October 23, 2021
Read it in one quick go. An improvement over Volume 1.
April 1, 2023
In the second installment of "Superman:Earth One" by J. Michael Straczynski, we find Clark settling into his new life in Metropolis. He finds a new apartment, meets an incredibly outgoing neighbour and potential love interest (Lisa Lasalle) and has an encounter with a despot on the fictional island of Borada. Lois is obsessed with finding out this "nobody" managed to get the Superman interview (Vol 1), and starts looking into Clark's past. Meanwhile, the U.S. Government is actively researching/developing ways to kill the benevolent alien. We also get a re-imagined origin story for the classic Superman villain Parasite, who happens to be the Superman's punching bag in this story.
The artwork by Shane Davis and Barbara Ciardo is fantastic, but at times over sexualized (especially the depictions of Lisa Lasalle and even more so, Alexandra Luthor). It's distracting and unnecessary to the plot
Like its predecessor, "Superman: Earth One, Vol 2," was good, but not great. 3-Stars.
The artwork by Shane Davis and Barbara Ciardo is fantastic, but at times over sexualized (especially the depictions of Lisa Lasalle and even more so, Alexandra Luthor). It's distracting and unnecessary to the plot
Like its predecessor, "Superman: Earth One, Vol 2," was good, but not great. 3-Stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2022
This middle volume focuses on Superman battling the increasingly dangerous villain Parasite. Clark’s character is still pretty dull, including his relationship with his next-door neighbor, but I appreciate the continued look at Clark’s lessons from his parents growing up.
March 27, 2015
Superman Earth One has been an unexpected success for DC the past couple years.
The concept behind the Earth One series of graphic novels is fairly straightforward. Top creators are turned loose to create timeless versions of DC’s best known heroes, unencumbered by decades of continuity. Because the Earth One stories take place outside of the main DC universe, creators can make changes and take chances that wouldn’t fly in the flagship line. It’s similar to the original concept behind Marvel’s Ultimate line. Except the scarcity (one or two OGNs in the line appear per year) gives Earth One more of a high end feel.
Superman: Earth One, Vol. 3 tackles some iconic Man of Steel villains in a way that breathes new life into them. Volume One saw Superman emerging as a public hero to combat an alien invasion, while Volume Two introduced the Parasite. Volume Three brings Kryptonian villain Zod to Earth and sets up a Lex Luthor unlike any prior version of the character.
After the events of the previous volume, Superman: Earth One, Vol. 3 finds the hero at something of a crossroads. His intervention into the political affairs of a brutal dictatorship has world leaders on edge. Military authorities seek ways to neutralize Superman’s powers should he become a threat. Enter married couple Lex and Alexandra Luthor, the two smartest people on Earth. The Luthors are high profile research scientists who have unraveled the fact that the right frequency of red light will render Superman human. Only Lex has the ability to harness that knowledge into a device, but his ambivalence about the project’s morality sits in stark contrast to his wife’s brazen ambition.
While that’s unfolding, Zod arrives from space. Superman Earth One recasts Zod as Superman’s uncle, a Kryptonian rebel who fomented civil war in a quest for power. Exiled to outer space for his crimes, Zod is eager for revenge. He first engages Superman as long lost family, while conspiring with world governments behind his back. The U.N. essentially agrees to “stand down” and not have military or police forces get involved once Zod attacks Superman. With the Luthors’ weapon in play, Superman finds himself powerless in the face of a vengeance-crazed Kryptonian.
Writer J. Michael Straczynski really has developed a strong feel for what Superman Earth One should be. He does a nice job of balancing both the “super” and “man” parts of the iconic hero’s equation. He demonstrates Superman’s learning curve in his heroic exploits quite effectively. But Straczynski doesn’t ignore Clark Kent’s development, giving some room to the evolution of Clark’s professional relationships (especially with Lois Lane) while launching the shy Clark into an unusual romance. The family ties between Superman and Zod add an intriguing new dimension to their conflict and Zod’s connection to events from Volume One bring earlier plot elements from the series full circle.
Straczynski makes Zod appropriately frightening and his genocidal bent is a stark contrast to the character’s traditional “savior complex” motivations. Straczynski also provides what may be the most sympathetic portrayal of Lex Luthor ever. Lex’s choices figure heavily into the story’s climax, with devastating results. It’s not a coincidence that Lex has a similarly named wife. Alexandra ends Volume Three positioned with a strong motivation to become Superman’s nemesis.
The first two volumes of Superman Earth One featured art from Shane Davis. Volume Three brings aboard penciler Ardian Syaf and inker Sandra Hope, a first rate team that produces some truly beautiful work. Syaf has a clean, direct style that works really well for this story. He presents Superman as a bit more imposing and muscular than the reedier version Davis sketched and his character work in general is dynamic. Syaf adds a lot of energy to the action sequences, while balancing them well with the quieter moments. He also brings a strong design sense to the pages; a two-page spread featuring Zod feeling out his Earth-given powers is a standout. Syaf also crafts a couple really iconic images of Superman that impress. Hope is one of the industry’s best inkers and she’s a perfect match for Syaf. She takes a delicate approach, teasing out the power in Syaf’s line work without overwhelming it. It’s a strong example of the often-underappreciated art of comic book inking. Wrapped in the bright, shimmering colors of Barbara Ciardo, Superman Earth One remains a series that sets a high standard for mainstream comic book art.
Superman can be a tricky character to pull off. The Superman Earth One OGNs have shown how vital and relatable the hero can be. Superman: Earth One, Vol. 3 is an excellent addition to the series.
A version of this review originally appeared on www.thunderalleybcp.com
The concept behind the Earth One series of graphic novels is fairly straightforward. Top creators are turned loose to create timeless versions of DC’s best known heroes, unencumbered by decades of continuity. Because the Earth One stories take place outside of the main DC universe, creators can make changes and take chances that wouldn’t fly in the flagship line. It’s similar to the original concept behind Marvel’s Ultimate line. Except the scarcity (one or two OGNs in the line appear per year) gives Earth One more of a high end feel.
Superman: Earth One, Vol. 3 tackles some iconic Man of Steel villains in a way that breathes new life into them. Volume One saw Superman emerging as a public hero to combat an alien invasion, while Volume Two introduced the Parasite. Volume Three brings Kryptonian villain Zod to Earth and sets up a Lex Luthor unlike any prior version of the character.
After the events of the previous volume, Superman: Earth One, Vol. 3 finds the hero at something of a crossroads. His intervention into the political affairs of a brutal dictatorship has world leaders on edge. Military authorities seek ways to neutralize Superman’s powers should he become a threat. Enter married couple Lex and Alexandra Luthor, the two smartest people on Earth. The Luthors are high profile research scientists who have unraveled the fact that the right frequency of red light will render Superman human. Only Lex has the ability to harness that knowledge into a device, but his ambivalence about the project’s morality sits in stark contrast to his wife’s brazen ambition.
While that’s unfolding, Zod arrives from space. Superman Earth One recasts Zod as Superman’s uncle, a Kryptonian rebel who fomented civil war in a quest for power. Exiled to outer space for his crimes, Zod is eager for revenge. He first engages Superman as long lost family, while conspiring with world governments behind his back. The U.N. essentially agrees to “stand down” and not have military or police forces get involved once Zod attacks Superman. With the Luthors’ weapon in play, Superman finds himself powerless in the face of a vengeance-crazed Kryptonian.
Writer J. Michael Straczynski really has developed a strong feel for what Superman Earth One should be. He does a nice job of balancing both the “super” and “man” parts of the iconic hero’s equation. He demonstrates Superman’s learning curve in his heroic exploits quite effectively. But Straczynski doesn’t ignore Clark Kent’s development, giving some room to the evolution of Clark’s professional relationships (especially with Lois Lane) while launching the shy Clark into an unusual romance. The family ties between Superman and Zod add an intriguing new dimension to their conflict and Zod’s connection to events from Volume One bring earlier plot elements from the series full circle.
Straczynski makes Zod appropriately frightening and his genocidal bent is a stark contrast to the character’s traditional “savior complex” motivations. Straczynski also provides what may be the most sympathetic portrayal of Lex Luthor ever. Lex’s choices figure heavily into the story’s climax, with devastating results. It’s not a coincidence that Lex has a similarly named wife. Alexandra ends Volume Three positioned with a strong motivation to become Superman’s nemesis.
The first two volumes of Superman Earth One featured art from Shane Davis. Volume Three brings aboard penciler Ardian Syaf and inker Sandra Hope, a first rate team that produces some truly beautiful work. Syaf has a clean, direct style that works really well for this story. He presents Superman as a bit more imposing and muscular than the reedier version Davis sketched and his character work in general is dynamic. Syaf adds a lot of energy to the action sequences, while balancing them well with the quieter moments. He also brings a strong design sense to the pages; a two-page spread featuring Zod feeling out his Earth-given powers is a standout. Syaf also crafts a couple really iconic images of Superman that impress. Hope is one of the industry’s best inkers and she’s a perfect match for Syaf. She takes a delicate approach, teasing out the power in Syaf’s line work without overwhelming it. It’s a strong example of the often-underappreciated art of comic book inking. Wrapped in the bright, shimmering colors of Barbara Ciardo, Superman Earth One remains a series that sets a high standard for mainstream comic book art.
Superman can be a tricky character to pull off. The Superman Earth One OGNs have shown how vital and relatable the hero can be. Superman: Earth One, Vol. 3 is an excellent addition to the series.
A version of this review originally appeared on www.thunderalleybcp.com
October 21, 2020
İyi bir Superman hikâyesi yazmanın zorluğunu bütün çizgi roman okurları az çok tahmin ediyordur. Bu kadar kudretli bir kahramanı zorlayacak bir hikâye yazmak, ona kafa tutabilecek bir rakip bulmak kolay iş değil.
Straczynski, Superman'i psikolojik olarak inceleyerek en büyük rakibinin kendisi olduğunu vurgulamaya çalışıyor ki kendisi bu psikolojik detayları Amazing Spider-Man serisinde de çok başarılı bir şekilde kaleme alan bir yazardı.
Açık konuşmak gerekirse serinin ilk kitabını pek sevmemiştim ama bu, beklediğimden iyi çıktı.
Straczynski, Superman'i psikolojik olarak inceleyerek en büyük rakibinin kendisi olduğunu vurgulamaya çalışıyor ki kendisi bu psikolojik detayları Amazing Spider-Man serisinde de çok başarılı bir şekilde kaleme alan bir yazardı.
Açık konuşmak gerekirse serinin ilk kitabını pek sevmemiştim ama bu, beklediğimden iyi çıktı.
June 8, 2018
The fight scenes were done quite well, the characters were consistent and the story was really good. I am enjoying Earth One a lot!
November 10, 2019
I really enjoy this series. It’s not the best but it’s still fun. I like the different take on the hero we all know and love. I wasn’t a fan of the villain Parasite but the story was good overall.
November 27, 2019
I'm digging Shane Davis's art. I like his young-looking Clark, he's clearly in his twenties and helps expand upon his vulnerability and inexperience.
This story addressed something that's usually ignored or left to crude jokes and that's "Does Superman have sex?" In this story it's a no, due to a hilariously awkward birds-and-the-bees talk he had with his father. Obviously he figures it out in the post-crisis universe considering he has a half-human son, but at this point the Earth One universe he's mainly focusing on cold showers.
So as usual it's the character focused stuff I'm interested in. Parasite and his storyline kept the action going but for me it wasn't as fascinating as Clark and his developing relationship with Lois.
There's also an establishing scene early on that shows the dangers of trying to worldshape, even if you are a superhuman.
This story addressed something that's usually ignored or left to crude jokes and that's "Does Superman have sex?" In this story it's a no, due to a hilariously awkward birds-and-the-bees talk he had with his father. Obviously he figures it out in the post-crisis universe considering he has a half-human son, but at this point the Earth One universe he's mainly focusing on cold showers.
So as usual it's the character focused stuff I'm interested in. Parasite and his storyline kept the action going but for me it wasn't as fascinating as Clark and his developing relationship with Lois.
There's also an establishing scene early on that shows the dangers of trying to worldshape, even if you are a superhuman.
September 28, 2020
Salvat debió hacer que sus tomos fueran consecutivos, después de tanto tiempo de leer la primera parte, tuve que retomarla para volver a contextualizar lo que estaba leyendo.
Dicho lo anterior, una historia madura. Quizá demasiado sómbria con respecto a quien es Superman y como se va a relacionar con los humanos, estar permanentemente ajeno termina por pasar la cuenta.
Me llamó la atención el trabajo de tintas, muy bueno. Desconozco si ya se hacía por ordenador pero hay hartas horas de trabajo a conciencia en las viñetas.
Dicho lo anterior, una historia madura. Quizá demasiado sómbria con respecto a quien es Superman y como se va a relacionar con los humanos, estar permanentemente ajeno termina por pasar la cuenta.
Me llamó la atención el trabajo de tintas, muy bueno. Desconozco si ya se hacía por ordenador pero hay hartas horas de trabajo a conciencia en las viñetas.
August 21, 2018
If anyone told me that someday I would read a Superman graphic novel and actually enjoy it I would have laughed hysterically...!
But yes, that's what happened. After reading Vol.1 of this, I decided to read the rest.
Why? First of all, because I like the artwork. Then, the story. It made me realise that Superman is quite a nice dude who struggles a lot, despite his amazing powers.
And I HATE his powers. I hate every super hero who can do almost anything without getting a scratch!
But this guy tries his best to be and act like a human. He admires humans and that makes me think about a lot in my head.
The second volume, as the first one, follows the same story, introducing us to a villain and more...crazy protagonists. It has that "overlapping" of dialogue which I adore, and the artwork is still great.
I'll keep reading this series, that's for sure!
But yes, that's what happened. After reading Vol.1 of this, I decided to read the rest.
Why? First of all, because I like the artwork. Then, the story. It made me realise that Superman is quite a nice dude who struggles a lot, despite his amazing powers.
And I HATE his powers. I hate every super hero who can do almost anything without getting a scratch!
But this guy tries his best to be and act like a human. He admires humans and that makes me think about a lot in my head.
The second volume, as the first one, follows the same story, introducing us to a villain and more...crazy protagonists. It has that "overlapping" of dialogue which I adore, and the artwork is still great.
I'll keep reading this series, that's for sure!
July 22, 2025
ABYSMAL DOGSHIT
October 18, 2025
Not as good as volume one but still good. Really looking forward to volume three.
• Core ideas work perfectly as a sequel to volume one. Where two’s predecessor delves into the idea of a Clark Kent disconnected from humanity realising he must take up the mantle of Superman, two is all about such a Superman having to also live as Clark Kent. The responsibilities of great power and the cost of living with such burdens make for interesting moments throughout the plot. But man, it’s so rushed! Way too much going on at once 😭
• Boring antagonist. Shane Davis’ art is magnificent as usual, and he makes Parasite look menacing and genuinely threatening to Superman. But the character has fuck-all to do. Generic backstory. But man, the action with Parasite is bombastic, gritty and simply excellent.
• Doesn’t spend enough time expanding on its ideas, too surface level.
• JMS can’t write women at all 😭 Lisa Lasalle is such a bad character 😭
• Good amount of unnecessary dialogue which could’ve been stripped out.
• Lex^2 is the dumbest shit I have ever heard.
• Core ideas work perfectly as a sequel to volume one. Where two’s predecessor delves into the idea of a Clark Kent disconnected from humanity realising he must take up the mantle of Superman, two is all about such a Superman having to also live as Clark Kent. The responsibilities of great power and the cost of living with such burdens make for interesting moments throughout the plot. But man, it’s so rushed! Way too much going on at once 😭
• Boring antagonist. Shane Davis’ art is magnificent as usual, and he makes Parasite look menacing and genuinely threatening to Superman. But the character has fuck-all to do. Generic backstory. But man, the action with Parasite is bombastic, gritty and simply excellent.
• Doesn’t spend enough time expanding on its ideas, too surface level.
• JMS can’t write women at all 😭 Lisa Lasalle is such a bad character 😭
• Good amount of unnecessary dialogue which could’ve been stripped out.
• Lex^2 is the dumbest shit I have ever heard.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2021
Superman: Earth One, Volume 2 is a graphic novel penned by J. Michael Straczynski and penciled by Shane Davis. It is a modernized re-imagining of the Superman origin series outside the main universe.
Perry White promotes Clark Kent to write articles to help rebuild the Daily Planet's reputation. Lois Lane is suspicious of the authenticity of his Superman article, so she decides to investigate his past. Elsewhere, Major Sandra Lee becomes distrustful of Superman and proposes that the United States should develop countermeasures should Superman goes rouge.
Meanwhile, Raymond Maxwell Jensen infiltrates the S.T.A.R. Labs research facility to destroy evidence of his crimes kept by an accomplice. However, Jensen is discovered by guards and while escaping he is accidentally exposed to a high-energy neutrino that transforms him into an energy-absorbing super-villain called Parasite. His insatiable hunger would not satiate and he thinks that draining Superman might satisfy his hunger.
Superman: Earth One, Volume 2 is written and constructed rather well. Straczynski finds interesting angles to explore in terms of the reality of Superman's appearance – most notably how he'll affect global affairs and what conflicts he should and shouldn’t get involved in. It builds a world in which Superman isn't generally seen as a heroic figure quite yet and is portrayed in the media as a time bomb waiting to go off.
Surprisingly, it is the Clark Kent sections that are far interesting, than the Superman counterparts. While some of Stracyznski's ideas for Clark as Superman sometimes waiver from iconic or even appropriate – he totally nails the Clark Kent persona extremely well. Unfortunately, the actual Superman portions of the book pale in comparison to the poignancy of Clark's personal moments. Parasite is an interesting villain, but rather unsympathetic, despite the many attempts to make him so. However, he is still better than the villain of the first installment.
Davis' penciling is done equally well. He excels in the aforementioned character moments, particularly in the facial work. The awkward pauses, the uncomfortable stares, and the heartbroken looks all bleed off the page thanks to his expressive work. However, just as in the writing, the Superman moments are less successful. Oftentimes the action can seem unclear, particularly in the Parasite sequences, which only works to secure those scenes as the anchor that really weighs this book down.
All in all, Superman: Earth One, Volume 2 is a wonderful follow-up graphic novel of a tale about the modernization of the Superman mythos.
Perry White promotes Clark Kent to write articles to help rebuild the Daily Planet's reputation. Lois Lane is suspicious of the authenticity of his Superman article, so she decides to investigate his past. Elsewhere, Major Sandra Lee becomes distrustful of Superman and proposes that the United States should develop countermeasures should Superman goes rouge.
Meanwhile, Raymond Maxwell Jensen infiltrates the S.T.A.R. Labs research facility to destroy evidence of his crimes kept by an accomplice. However, Jensen is discovered by guards and while escaping he is accidentally exposed to a high-energy neutrino that transforms him into an energy-absorbing super-villain called Parasite. His insatiable hunger would not satiate and he thinks that draining Superman might satisfy his hunger.
Superman: Earth One, Volume 2 is written and constructed rather well. Straczynski finds interesting angles to explore in terms of the reality of Superman's appearance – most notably how he'll affect global affairs and what conflicts he should and shouldn’t get involved in. It builds a world in which Superman isn't generally seen as a heroic figure quite yet and is portrayed in the media as a time bomb waiting to go off.
Surprisingly, it is the Clark Kent sections that are far interesting, than the Superman counterparts. While some of Stracyznski's ideas for Clark as Superman sometimes waiver from iconic or even appropriate – he totally nails the Clark Kent persona extremely well. Unfortunately, the actual Superman portions of the book pale in comparison to the poignancy of Clark's personal moments. Parasite is an interesting villain, but rather unsympathetic, despite the many attempts to make him so. However, he is still better than the villain of the first installment.
Davis' penciling is done equally well. He excels in the aforementioned character moments, particularly in the facial work. The awkward pauses, the uncomfortable stares, and the heartbroken looks all bleed off the page thanks to his expressive work. However, just as in the writing, the Superman moments are less successful. Oftentimes the action can seem unclear, particularly in the Parasite sequences, which only works to secure those scenes as the anchor that really weighs this book down.
All in all, Superman: Earth One, Volume 2 is a wonderful follow-up graphic novel of a tale about the modernization of the Superman mythos.
April 28, 2016
So many things to hate about this book, I almost can't even.
I'll just mention a couple details that bugged me aside from the horrible storyline.
1. At the end of Vol. 1 of Earth One, Superman explains that his suit and cape Martha made, with the help of some Metropolis graphic designer ad man for the signature S, is the only thing he can wear, because naturally any other clothes would tear apart when he's flying at speed. Then we see him flying to the moon and around the planet and back in this volume, in various street clothes AND while carrying an abusive random dude that he takes his chivalrous righteous rage out on. None of their clothes disintegrate.
On the other hand...
2. The woman he was rescuing, his neighbor Lisa, whose name is mentioned once, serves throughout the book only as a fantasy sex object/seductress and as a fantasy maternal/wife material nurse aid for Clark. Her whole role throughout the book is one of the more disgusting characterizations I've seen of a woman in a straight-male-gaze-catered superhero comic.
But the rest of the book is just really bad too. Despite my claim to being a completist, I will not be subjecting myself to Vol. 3 of JMS's garbage.
I'll just mention a couple details that bugged me aside from the horrible storyline.
1. At the end of Vol. 1 of Earth One, Superman explains that his suit and cape Martha made, with the help of some Metropolis graphic designer ad man for the signature S, is the only thing he can wear, because naturally any other clothes would tear apart when he's flying at speed. Then we see him flying to the moon and around the planet and back in this volume, in various street clothes AND while carrying an abusive random dude that he takes his chivalrous righteous rage out on. None of their clothes disintegrate.
On the other hand...
2. The woman he was rescuing, his neighbor Lisa, whose name is mentioned once, serves throughout the book only as a fantasy sex object/seductress and as a fantasy maternal/wife material nurse aid for Clark. Her whole role throughout the book is one of the more disgusting characterizations I've seen of a woman in a straight-male-gaze-catered superhero comic.
But the rest of the book is just really bad too. Despite my claim to being a completist, I will not be subjecting myself to Vol. 3 of JMS's garbage.
December 23, 2015
I strongly advise if you got this far you have to remember this is not the Superman you know or love. This is a different take. I see a lot of people comparing, which I think is wrong to do.
However, is this a good take? That's 50/50 for me. It's not horrible by any means but it does play by the books. I like the idea of it more than the execution. I feel like we should go deeper into him dealing with everyday issues over fighting a big bad every issue which sums up with a big battle in the city and destroying half of it (probably killing thousands) so overall I don't know why they keep doing this.
I also hate the pacing. It's either too fast, or too much talking about something that isn't very interesting. There's moments of greatness in here (losing powers/cat story) but so much gets in the way of fully loving it. For the great art and stunning moments I'd give this a 2.5 so we'll go with a 3.
However, is this a good take? That's 50/50 for me. It's not horrible by any means but it does play by the books. I like the idea of it more than the execution. I feel like we should go deeper into him dealing with everyday issues over fighting a big bad every issue which sums up with a big battle in the city and destroying half of it (probably killing thousands) so overall I don't know why they keep doing this.
I also hate the pacing. It's either too fast, or too much talking about something that isn't very interesting. There's moments of greatness in here (losing powers/cat story) but so much gets in the way of fully loving it. For the great art and stunning moments I'd give this a 2.5 so we'll go with a 3.
July 19, 2017
A hard-hitting, and apparently well-selling, alt-take on the Superman origin story. Clark Kent is still new in town to Metropolis, and struggling to reconcile his incredible abilities with all the evils and problems his powers just can't fix, from drug addiction to abusive relationships to despotic governments.
A real high point is the treatment given to the primary villain, a truly loathsome version of the Parasite, who presents the classic superhero conundrum of an adversary who only becomes stronger the more powerful the opponent. His fate is ultimately deserved, but still deeply tragic.
Oh, and Clark's recollections of his childhood pet and Pa Kent giving him "the talk (yes, THAT one)" were priceless.
A real high point is the treatment given to the primary villain, a truly loathsome version of the Parasite, who presents the classic superhero conundrum of an adversary who only becomes stronger the more powerful the opponent. His fate is ultimately deserved, but still deeply tragic.
Oh, and Clark's recollections of his childhood pet and Pa Kent giving him "the talk (yes, THAT one)" were priceless.
September 3, 2014
WOW AGAIN! This sequel does not disappoint as most sequels do. This book continues Clark Kent's journey to being a superhero. Superman's love interest is pretty awesome too, and its not Lana Lang, Wonder Woman or Lois Lane, its an entirely new character! This book does delve a little deeper to Clark's past before Metropolis, and has some heart felt moments. Fight scenes are top notch!
As for the Villain, its Parasite which was pretty cool because i haven't seen much of him in The New 52. They do Parasites Origin story pretty well! Overall its an amazing story!
As for the Villain, its Parasite which was pretty cool because i haven't seen much of him in The New 52. They do Parasites Origin story pretty well! Overall its an amazing story!
November 16, 2012
I was expecting much more from a hardcover graphic novel from a writer such as JMS. But I never once got that iconic feeling of "Superman will save the day" from reading this book. Volume one was an ok setup, but this volume disappointed me. If you want a great "alternate" Superman saga, read Grant Morrison's All-Star Superman.
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