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21st Century Superman #5
Superman, Vol. 5: President Lex
A massive trade paperback collecting the tale of Metropolis' most powerful man making his way to the White House! The stories, reprinted from ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #581, PRESIDENT LUTHOR SECRET FILES, SUPERMAN: LEX 2000, SUPERMAN #162-165, SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL #108-110, and ACTION COMICS #773, also include guest appearances by Aquaman, Tempest, Batman and the JLA!
240 pages, Paperback
First published June 18, 2003
1 person is currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
Jeph Loeb
1,589 books1,376 followersJoseph "Jeph" Loeb III is an Emmy and WGA nominated American film and television writer, producer and award-winning comic book writer. Loeb was a Co-Executive Producer on the NBC hit show Heroes, and formerly a producer/writer on the TV series Smallville and Lost.
A four-time Eisner Award winner and five-time Wizard Fan Awards winner (see below), Loeb's comic book career includes work on many major characters, including Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, Hulk, Captain America, Cable, Iron Man, Daredevil, Supergirl, the Avengers, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, much of which he has produced in collaboration with artist Tim Sale, who provides the comic art seen on Heroes.
A four-time Eisner Award winner and five-time Wizard Fan Awards winner (see below), Loeb's comic book career includes work on many major characters, including Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, Hulk, Captain America, Cable, Iron Man, Daredevil, Supergirl, the Avengers, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, much of which he has produced in collaboration with artist Tim Sale, who provides the comic art seen on Heroes.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 9, 2023
Looking around at Metropolis and a world that almost worships Superman, Lex Luthor decides to run for President! Great concept, but only average in the way the stories are told. 6 out of 12, Three Stars.
2012 read
2012 read
November 4, 2017
No sé porqué he visto un paralelismo demasiado claro entre la carrera política de Lex Luthor y Donald Trump, pero este cómic me ha parecido visionario.
February 23, 2023
Almost iconic for concept alone, it's a choppy, unorganised collection that fails to deliver a coherent story. Moments of quality can be found in individual stories and panels, but as an overall experience, it misses the mark. However, despite its many flaws, it gets Lex Luthor right, and it's worth a read if you're interested in learning more about Superman's most iconic nemesis.
June 13, 2012
If I had to summarize this story arc in a single word, that word would be: lolwhat.
Definitely whenever you are doing a serious story like an AU of the 2000 presidential election, you should be sure to include an interlude where Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen (things have been published under that title this century? Seriously?) is plagued by Bizarro Superman #1 (how many of them are there, FFS?). That is totally tonally appropriate and not at all WTF.
Every artist who contributed to this arc has their own completely bizarre and off-the-wall way of drawing faces, although of course none of them can hold a candle to the horrors perpetuated by Rob Liefeld under the names Superman and Aquaman.
Superman isn't very good at Christmas shopping, BTW.
Definitely whenever you are doing a serious story like an AU of the 2000 presidential election, you should be sure to include an interlude where Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen (things have been published under that title this century? Seriously?) is plagued by Bizarro Superman #1 (how many of them are there, FFS?). That is totally tonally appropriate and not at all WTF.
Every artist who contributed to this arc has their own completely bizarre and off-the-wall way of drawing faces, although of course none of them can hold a candle to the horrors perpetuated by Rob Liefeld under the names Superman and Aquaman.
Superman isn't very good at Christmas shopping, BTW.
August 17, 2017
This was a solid collection. Not my favorite, but it was certainly entertaining and worth reading. The obvious political themes of this comic are very timely and relative, but I like how the overarching theme is one of optimism and ultimate faith in the American system.
Some of the comics seemed a bit more... juvenile (especially in the art style), but then there were others that would ask some very mature questions (particularly the one that Lois Lane narrated). In that comic, Lois wondered about "justifying" an article--which, in reality, just means making it fit in the space allocated to it. But, to do that, a journalist has to decide what to write and what not write. So what is the truth? That's a good point, particularly in this very political story. Lex Luthor has done many terrible things...but he's also done many good things. He is both villain and philanthropist. To be honest, that's a great symbol of not just real-world politicians, but human nature in general.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the short comics that featured Superman visiting other members of the Justice League to deliver their (gag) Christmas gifts--and to also get their reaction to Luthor's victory. Those were also great parallels to real-world reactions. Their replies kind of ran the gamut of the public's views on politics. Plus, it was nice to see some other JL characters, particularly ones that you don't get the chance to see very often (*cough* Plastic Man *cough*).
Over all, this is one I would definitely recommend. It's an important moment not only in the characterization of a great villain, but also in the characterization of one of comics' most iconic heroes. Despite his feelings towards Luthor, Superman is still able to view him as the President of the United States. He may not respect the man, but he respects the system that elected him. So, yes, this not only provided some solid comic book storytelling, but it also provided for some great insight into one of the greatest foils in all pop culture: Lex Luthor and Superman.
Some of the comics seemed a bit more... juvenile (especially in the art style), but then there were others that would ask some very mature questions (particularly the one that Lois Lane narrated). In that comic, Lois wondered about "justifying" an article--which, in reality, just means making it fit in the space allocated to it. But, to do that, a journalist has to decide what to write and what not write. So what is the truth? That's a good point, particularly in this very political story. Lex Luthor has done many terrible things...but he's also done many good things. He is both villain and philanthropist. To be honest, that's a great symbol of not just real-world politicians, but human nature in general.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the short comics that featured Superman visiting other members of the Justice League to deliver their (gag) Christmas gifts--and to also get their reaction to Luthor's victory. Those were also great parallels to real-world reactions. Their replies kind of ran the gamut of the public's views on politics. Plus, it was nice to see some other JL characters, particularly ones that you don't get the chance to see very often (*cough* Plastic Man *cough*).
Over all, this is one I would definitely recommend. It's an important moment not only in the characterization of a great villain, but also in the characterization of one of comics' most iconic heroes. Despite his feelings towards Luthor, Superman is still able to view him as the President of the United States. He may not respect the man, but he respects the system that elected him. So, yes, this not only provided some solid comic book storytelling, but it also provided for some great insight into one of the greatest foils in all pop culture: Lex Luthor and Superman.
March 29, 2015
I need to re-read this one sometimes. Lex decides to run for president after being hounded by images of how much the city loves Superman. The story and artwork are good but there is a little bit lacking.
November 23, 2023
Probably the most consequential story of this era in Superman comics.
Ah, yes, this era. In the wake of John Byrne’s relaunch of Superman, the creative team evolved to the “triangle era” best known for “Death of Superman,” and later the endless series of events that bogged down its reputation, to the point where the bestselling era became known as anathema, which was why the Jeph Loeb era happened, the era that was essentially its complete opposite, emphasizing big action and dynamic art. Loeb himself would later become best known for some of his last comics at Marvel, which ruined his reputation, even though to that point he had built a career circumventing expectations by producing some of the most grounded stories in superhero comics.
So, make sense of all that…
This collection captures the era in all its unwashed glory, clearly under different editorial guidance (probably the real reason everyone found it easy to move on from Berganza when Carlin had been a thankless saint, to say nothing of scandals, once again the best way to end careers in public life), as it jumps about its story beats but everything floating around the radical idea sitting right there in the title.
If this had been the previous era, Final Night would have made the whole thing far less laborious on the face of it, but here it’s a brief mention in the résumé. Instead we get a fairly flat and obvious Luthor, even though the concept ends up having legs that end on no note introduced (at least obviously so) here.
What we have instead is the Loeb material at the heart of it, and Luthor at his apex. Just without any of the finesse truly owed it. Nice little time capsule, though.
Ah, yes, this era. In the wake of John Byrne’s relaunch of Superman, the creative team evolved to the “triangle era” best known for “Death of Superman,” and later the endless series of events that bogged down its reputation, to the point where the bestselling era became known as anathema, which was why the Jeph Loeb era happened, the era that was essentially its complete opposite, emphasizing big action and dynamic art. Loeb himself would later become best known for some of his last comics at Marvel, which ruined his reputation, even though to that point he had built a career circumventing expectations by producing some of the most grounded stories in superhero comics.
So, make sense of all that…
This collection captures the era in all its unwashed glory, clearly under different editorial guidance (probably the real reason everyone found it easy to move on from Berganza when Carlin had been a thankless saint, to say nothing of scandals, once again the best way to end careers in public life), as it jumps about its story beats but everything floating around the radical idea sitting right there in the title.
If this had been the previous era, Final Night would have made the whole thing far less laborious on the face of it, but here it’s a brief mention in the résumé. Instead we get a fairly flat and obvious Luthor, even though the concept ends up having legs that end on no note introduced (at least obviously so) here.
What we have instead is the Loeb material at the heart of it, and Luthor at his apex. Just without any of the finesse truly owed it. Nice little time capsule, though.
June 16, 2020
Lex Luthor ( Smallville 😍) has always been one of my favourite DC COMICS villains and when I started reading the Superman/Batman comic it is said at the start that it was a sequel to the events of President Lex Luthor.
.
So I have in my great obsession to read things in their chronological order brought this comic and I must say that I was disappointed.
.
Already it is not a story strictly speaking but a collection of moments where we see Lex Luthor in his quest to become president. I found that the story does not focused enough on him but on a whole bunch of others characters who apart from Superman are not interesting.
.
On the other hand the parallel between the comic the current president of the USA is obvious (except that Lex has a brain)
.
This comic is a therefore a disappointment, he had a lot of potential with a character as interesting as Lex Luthor.
.
.
.
Lex Luthor (Smallville 😍) a toujours été un de mes méchants DC COMIS préféré et quand j'ai commencé à lire le comic Superman/Batman il est dit au début que c'est une suite aux événements de Président Lex Luthor.
.
J'ai donc dans ma grande obsession de lire les choses dans leur ordre chronologique acheté ce comic et je dois dire avoir été déçu.
.
Déjà ce n'est pas une histoire à proprement parler mais un recueil de moment où l'on voit Lex Luthor dans sa quête pour devenir président. J'ai trouvé que le récit ne ce concentré pas assez sur lui mais sur tout un tas d'autres personnages qui à part pour Superman ne sont pas intéressant.
.
Par contre le parallèle entre ce comic et l'actuel président des USA est flagrant (sauf que Lex lui à un cerveau) .
Une déception donc pour ce comic qui avaient pourtant beaucoup de potentiel avec un personnage aussi intéressant que Lex Luthor.
.
So I have in my great obsession to read things in their chronological order brought this comic and I must say that I was disappointed.
.
Already it is not a story strictly speaking but a collection of moments where we see Lex Luthor in his quest to become president. I found that the story does not focused enough on him but on a whole bunch of others characters who apart from Superman are not interesting.
.
On the other hand the parallel between the comic the current president of the USA is obvious (except that Lex has a brain)
.
This comic is a therefore a disappointment, he had a lot of potential with a character as interesting as Lex Luthor.
.
.
.
Lex Luthor (Smallville 😍) a toujours été un de mes méchants DC COMIS préféré et quand j'ai commencé à lire le comic Superman/Batman il est dit au début que c'est une suite aux événements de Président Lex Luthor.
.
J'ai donc dans ma grande obsession de lire les choses dans leur ordre chronologique acheté ce comic et je dois dire avoir été déçu.
.
Déjà ce n'est pas une histoire à proprement parler mais un recueil de moment où l'on voit Lex Luthor dans sa quête pour devenir président. J'ai trouvé que le récit ne ce concentré pas assez sur lui mais sur tout un tas d'autres personnages qui à part pour Superman ne sont pas intéressant.
.
Par contre le parallèle entre ce comic et l'actuel président des USA est flagrant (sauf que Lex lui à un cerveau) .
Une déception donc pour ce comic qui avaient pourtant beaucoup de potentiel avec un personnage aussi intéressant que Lex Luthor.
July 5, 2023
A pivotal moment in DC Comics history is presented here as Lex Luthor is elected President Of The United States. A handful of writers do a great job showing just how unnerved this makes Clark and how helpless and lost he felt, even betrayed by American voters. Luthor's machinations are top-notch as he proves he's the most brilliant person in the DCU. I wished the story was more prolonged and we got more of the actual campaign and the story was collected in a somewhat odd order. There were a ton of artists here and for the most part they all did very well especially Ed McGuiness and Tony Harris. Overall, an iconic collection with a few flaws.
September 2, 2018
Casi todo lo que podía ir mal sale mal. Una idea magnifica como es la de que Luthor se convierta en presidente es desaprovechada completamente dentro de la continuidad en una de las peores etapas de los comics de Superman. Un recopilatorio que amalgama las referencias a la campaña y elección de Luthor a lo largo de los distintos números regulares, cada uno con sus propios arcos argumentales que no es posible abarcar fuera de contexto. Quizá en alguno de los reboots que hace DC cada 10 años decidan llamar a un autor competente para sacar provecho a una idea con mucho potencial.
December 31, 2024
L'intrigue de l'élection est un peu rendue indigeste par plusieurs très courtes histoires aux styles différents mais surtout éphémères. Les différents récits ouvrent des portes qu'ils ne referment jamais créant ainsi une multitude de questionnements qui font que la mention finale (no spoil) de "fin?" sonne comme un faux suspens. En dehors de ça, c'est une mise en abîme d'une réalité historique assez récente.. certains passages sont très parlants à ce sujet.
July 14, 2025
An uneven but FASCINATING concept with mostly great execution. Superman represents American optimism, someone who truly believes America can be a genuinely great and kind nation. So watching him wrestle with American choosing someone so transparently awful as the president is dramatically intriguing.
And...relatable.
It is unfortunately one of those superhero stories where some of the action sequences and supervillains feel contrived.
And...relatable.
It is unfortunately one of those superhero stories where some of the action sequences and supervillains feel contrived.
July 25, 2025
Lire un évent de séries ongoing n’est pas toujours facile, ce récit en est l’exemple. L’idée de base est très intéressante, mais déployée sur les différentes séries, elle se dilue. Il en reste un récit par certaines aspects toujours d’actualité (un chef d’entreprise richissime qui atteint le pouvoir et favorise ses intérêts et ceux de ses proches), mais pas aussi palpitant qu’il aurait pu l’être…
December 22, 2017
The best part of this for me was Lex seeing all the sandwiches and food named after Superman on a menu and then seeing The Lex being liver or tongue your choice and being like welp Mercy gonna run for President.
June 14, 2017
This is a rare one in that *everything* about it sucks. The story, the writing, the characterization (especially of Superman), the art (it's pretty bad). Hell, even the *lettering* sucks. I don't know how this ever got past the editors.
September 5, 2025
3.5*
des moments trop cool mais parfois c'est un peu trop le bazar à mon goût 🙈 trop cool de découvrir un peu plus lex et clark cutie patootie comme d'hab bravo (+jimmy un cœur je l'adore)
des moments trop cool mais parfois c'est un peu trop le bazar à mon goût 🙈 trop cool de découvrir un peu plus lex et clark cutie patootie comme d'hab bravo (+jimmy un cœur je l'adore)
January 9, 2019
Pretty good story.
With the United States presidential election coming around the year 2000, and with Lex Luthor's involvement in the events after No Man's Land that DC Comics creates an angle so unthinkable that it proves to be an amazing story. Alexander Joseph 'Lex' Luthor runs for the Presidency of the United States of America.
Wow. I've heard that Presidential elections are the lesser of two evils but this was just unbelievable. I know that most of Lex's criminal behavior can be successfully defended particularly at times when he was genuinely not himself or another was setting him up. But he's done some bad stuff before and Superman has been close to putting him away before so it just seems impossible.
But Lex in his wickedness, wealth, power and massive ego pulls off an amazing chain of events that leads him to the White House. A great angle with some great story-telling, albeit a little choppy. I understand that Superman has to deal with constant threats while reporting on Lex as objectively as he can but he's a reporter. I would assume with every reporter in the Planet seeing themselves as the next Woodward & Bernstein that Clark, Lois, Jimmy, Perry would do their absolute best to stop Lex. But there are some reasons and not many of them are strong.
But still, there are next to no attempts to discredit Lex. We don't even get to meet his opponent. Last I checked the election for the President of the United States requires two opponents. But at least we know Lex's VP candidate is Pete Ross.
So the events happen as Superman deals with it as best as he can, as a citizen of the country that he was raised in and most importantly fighting for the rights of all men... even if the man is the villain of the story. Pretty good morality lesson. B+
With the United States presidential election coming around the year 2000, and with Lex Luthor's involvement in the events after No Man's Land that DC Comics creates an angle so unthinkable that it proves to be an amazing story. Alexander Joseph 'Lex' Luthor runs for the Presidency of the United States of America.
Wow. I've heard that Presidential elections are the lesser of two evils but this was just unbelievable. I know that most of Lex's criminal behavior can be successfully defended particularly at times when he was genuinely not himself or another was setting him up. But he's done some bad stuff before and Superman has been close to putting him away before so it just seems impossible.
But Lex in his wickedness, wealth, power and massive ego pulls off an amazing chain of events that leads him to the White House. A great angle with some great story-telling, albeit a little choppy. I understand that Superman has to deal with constant threats while reporting on Lex as objectively as he can but he's a reporter. I would assume with every reporter in the Planet seeing themselves as the next Woodward & Bernstein that Clark, Lois, Jimmy, Perry would do their absolute best to stop Lex. But there are some reasons and not many of them are strong.
But still, there are next to no attempts to discredit Lex. We don't even get to meet his opponent. Last I checked the election for the President of the United States requires two opponents. But at least we know Lex's VP candidate is Pete Ross.
So the events happen as Superman deals with it as best as he can, as a citizen of the country that he was raised in and most importantly fighting for the rights of all men... even if the man is the villain of the story. Pretty good morality lesson. B+
October 25, 2009
Hey! Here's a really good idea for a comic story, let's have one of the most evil bastards on the planet get elected President!
What's more fun than making every super hero in the country look like complete impotent knuckleheads?
Hated evil, businessman Lex, and thought this was the stupidest idea in comic book history.
What's more fun than making every super hero in the country look like complete impotent knuckleheads?
Hated evil, businessman Lex, and thought this was the stupidest idea in comic book history.
April 6, 2013
What an interesting premise: Lex Luthor decides to run for president and uses his prodigious wealth and power to win. I liked the overall story, but became mired in the hyper-inflated DC Comics soaps-verse. It would be interesting to see a graphic novel re-imagining of this tale as opposed to a collection of disparate "weeklys" thrown together.
April 29, 2012
This was one of the gutsiest moves that I have ever read in a book, as Jeph Loeb took a well established character, Lex Luthor, and changed everything you thought you knew about that character.
January 4, 2012
Fun. Nothing spectacular, and I think all the really good stuff is probably coming in the next book, but it held my interest.
December 29, 2012
It started out interesting and fun and even good... But it got worse and worse and even worse. Skip it.
March 16, 2013
I got bored. Couldn't continue reading it so I just quit.
September 3, 2013
Too much filler having nothing to do with the President Lex storyline.
September 19, 2014
Great concept with some good stuff peppered in, but overall a forgettable, disjointed collection of stories.
January 31, 2015
Haiku Review:
Great premise
but stories printed out of
order; bad error.
Great premise
but stories printed out of
order; bad error.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews