Superman: Earth One vol. 3 (comics)

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artist: Ardian Syaf
Original Graphic Novel

I get the feeling JMS realized he screwed up.

When I reviewed Volume 2 of Superman: Earth One, I mentioned a bunch of story points that, to be blunt, destroyed the work and anything it was trying to do. New supporting character Lisa Lassalle working escort on the side - because of course - was one. Lois Lane going full stalker was another. Even if you could excuse that, Superman incited a full on revolution in a Middle Eastern country, one that was heavily implied to be violent. I know I've taken a sarcastic shot or two at people who have a rigid, immovable idea of Superman in the past, but there are some things you just don't do with him.

Volume 3 feels almost like an apology tour at times. The book goes out of its way to deal with the Lois Lane situation up top, addressing how screwed up her actions were - with Clark himself calling her out - while also attempting to give her some legitimate reasons for her paranoia without throwing her under the bus. I'm not sure it entirely works, but it does a fair job of letting us move on, especially considering Lois feels more like herself for the entire volume. Lisa's time as a hooker on the side is mentioned offhand at only one point and implied to be over, with any future reference relegated to vague mentions of things she regrets doing. Supermans actions in the foreign country are also central to the conflict of the book. I'm not sure that salvages what he did - that ending felt kind of sinister and acknowledged or not it's something that should not be done with the character - but addressing it goes a long way to making it easier to move forward from it, especially when Superman himself admits a couple times that while trying to do what he felt was right, he just wasn't thinking. At the very, very least, it can come off more like an impulsive action by a young adult prone to making mistakes on the way to figuring this out.

I don't think everything landed there, but at least we can try to move on.

Moving on seems like a decent idea anyway, because this book is far easier to enjoy than the last. Make no mistake, this story hits some pretty familiar beats. Zod is the main villain and the Luthors - yes, more than one - come into play. Obviously, we've seen this kind of thing before. I think the same basic Zod story has been told a solid six times now. But it works out fairly well, especially as Zods plan plays heavily into the worlds growing fear of Superman, which rightfully results in a "what the hell" from Superman himself. The odds are pretty believably stacked against Superman - and, as is acknowledged, it's kind of his own fault - but it does so without throwing humanity under the bus or undermining Supermans faith in it.

The big speech to the UN might not work for everyone - I'm sure some won't like that Superman appeals to the worlds sense of self interest rather than its more positive traits to convince them never to pull this kind of crap again - but it works in the context of the series and allows Superman to make some pretty salient points about what happens if he ever loses.

Regarding the Luthors, it's not the most amazingly different spin I've ever seen, but sometimes even the simple tweaks make for the best ones. Here, the usual, male Lex Luthor has a different set of values than we're used to seeing; while cautious regarding Superman, see's himself as purely a scientist and not a man interested in killing another being, even an alien. His wife is the one who is a bit more down with the idea, even if she has nothing against him for ninety percent of the volume. If nothing else, it plays into the climax well, with what I think might be the first time one of Supermans primary villains actually does something for selfless reasons. It didn't rock my world, but I liked it.

Ardian Syaf takes over for Shane Davis as the penciller. I'm not sure why the switch was made - maybe Shane Davis just got busy - but the book is in capable hands. I might even like Syafs work a little bit better than Davis. He's very, very good with character expressions and his sense of comic storytelling is pretty spot on. I also feel like he has a bit more varied a take on some characters and their fashion choices; Lisa Lassalle isn't always wearing form fitting clothing this time, for one. For an extra bonus, I didn't spy any panels or poses with Clark/Superman that felt... off, or sinister, as occasionally happened previously. I liked the art on previous volumes, but if Syaf's going to be the regular going forward, I'm cool with it.

All told, volume three is a marked improvement over the second, even if it doesn't necessarily redeem it, and is worth giving the series a second chance.

My Opinion: Read It

Superman: Earth One vol. 2 (comic)

Writer: J Michael Straczynski
Artist: Shane Davis
Original Graphic Novel

Well, I guess volume one was a fluke, because they already blew it with the second.

To back up for a moment, I thought the first volume of Superman: Earth One was a pretty decent effort. I enjoyed its portrayal of Clark Kent as a confused young man trying to find a place he could feel comfortable while doing the most good. So, a typical young adult. A fair bit of the Comics Internet hated it, but I noticed at the time that most of loudest detractors were often the ones who had strict, rigid ideas about who Superman is and who he should be. Flawed as it was - Tyrell is such a forgettable villain that, two years later, I can't even remember what his deal was - it had merit.

Volume Two doesn't.

Not everything about it is bad. At least this time they go with a recognizable villain in Parasite. The artwork of Shane Davis is still good. But there are some wrongheaded notions at the core of this book and they're serious enough to sink it.

One of which is its odd portrayal of women. Lois Lane has a small role in this book and every page of it concerns a downright unhealthy obsession with finding out whatever it is she thinks Clark Kent is hiding. This is not necessarily news for the franchise, but it hits an uncomfortable note fairly quick. It comes off as obsessive and occasionally downright stalkerish with little justified reason for her skepticism. It reaches a point where she basically kicks her boyfriend out so she can illegally access his information. It's clearly intentional, as Jimmy Olsen comments on it in the four or five panels he's in and all but makes dismissive wanking motions about it.

If it were the only thing going on in here, you could possibly excuse it as taking Ms. Lanes usual behavior in pre-marriage stories a bit too far. I mean, she's done worse, right? Silver Age Lois Lane took obsession to crazed heights. Actually, everyone in that era was kind of a dick, save maybe Olsen. But it's not an isolated incident.

No, new love interest Lisa Lassalle is the one that kind of solidifies it. She's likable enough, but falls into a lot of the same traps you see with most female characters. A fair bit of her behavior is overly flirtatious, which - while sadly stereotypical in most fiction - isn't in itself a bad thing, but late in the book we find out she's also a prostitute, or at least when she needs cash to pay the bills.

Look, I'm usually pretty forgiving - I get in disagreements with a friend of mine semi-regularly because I find at least some merit in things he doesn't - but when that revelation came about, I shook my head. Of course she hooks. No sexually active woman could possibly be anything else, except maybe a slut, right? It feeds right into the sort of double standards we as a society have struggled with over the past few decades. On it's own it might not seem as jarring - especially if it had a few other female characters of different mindsets - but in a book where the only other female character of note feels obsessive to the point of stalkerish, it raises a few alarms.

But this is nothing new, I can hear some say. It's hardly the first comic to have questionable portrayals of women. Nor will it be the last. What matters is whether the rest of the book holds up. How does Superman himself come off?

Well, I'm sad to say that this time I have to side with the detractors. JMS definitely screwed him up. Spoiler warning for the next paragraph.

The point volume two completely lost me came late in the book, but had its roots in an early scene. At the start of the book, we see Superman in action, doing typical Superman things, such as saving people in a foreign country from a natural disaster. His rescue mission ends prematurely when the countries leader - clearly taking cues from real life dictators like Saddam Hussein - basically tells Superman to get out of his country before he starts killing people. Superman has to make a hard choice; clearly, he could stop this mans army from killing everyone, but he can't be in two places at once. Eventually he would have to leave to help someone else.

This is fine. It's a little too close to the real world for my taste - using realistic dictators in a superhero story makes for an uncomfortable time, which is why you tend to have things like Black Adam ruling a country - but on the surface it plays into the themes of the Earth One Superman series thus far. As mentioned at the start of the review, most of the point of the last volume was seeing Clark go through different avenues to do the most good before inevitably donning the red and the blue. Now that he's hip deep in the superhero trade, it makes sense for this Superman to come face to face with his limitations; he can't punch every problem, as some are systemic and may have been easier to solve had he been in a different profession.

No, the problem is the bookend. Near the end, after the threat has been dispatched - I know, spoilers, but come on, of course he figures out a way to beat Parasite - Superman returns to that country and incites a revolution. He waltzes in, takes guns from the dictators men, gives them to the revolutionaries and allows them to violently overthrow this regime. There is no mistaking it. There is gunfire going off. Then he goes to the dictators house, tells the man what he's done and then, hearing revolutionaries coming to kill the dictator, leaves him to die. Even if the revolution is over in an hour with minimal bloodshed, people have died and Superman is directly responsible.

Look, we all have different ideas about how change should come about in the world. I'd prefer most conflicts to be solved without violence, but I can't deny that at times I think some people need to be punched in the face, at the least. That, however, is reality. This is fiction.

We're talking about Superman. Having him do things like this shows a complete lack of understanding of the character. But even if we set that aside, even if you buy that Superman could kill or leave someone to die, we're not talking about another Kryptonian with the same power set and potential for danger here. The last scene of the book shows people in the US government trying to figure out a way to kill Superman. We're supposed to feel it's paranoia, because he has supposedly been benign. We're supposed to think they're out of line. But Superman just walked into a middle eastern country and turned it into a war zone. Isn't that absolutely terrifying?

If you were a citizen in that universe and someone with the powers of a god - who is supposedly altruistic, but hasn't been around all that long - went ahead and did that, wouldn't you want some kind of assurance he could be stopped?

That I'm even asking that question brands volume two of Earth One a failure, because it couldn't misunderstand the character more. That's a damn shame. Don't even bother with this one.

My Opinion: Skip It

Superman: Grounded vol. 2 (comics)

Writers: J. Michael Straczynski, Chris Roberson
Artists: Eddy Barrows
Collects: Superman #707-711, 713-714

It's impossible to tell how much of this was planned from the start. I'm not sure whether JMS was involved with any of these issues. I'm not even a hundred percent sure how I feel about these comics. But it's clear this is Robersons show now and that part two is a different animal.

The walk across America takes a backseat as Grounded limps to the finish. Roberson chooses to explain Supermans odd behavior last volume as a symptom of depression - over losing his father figure and New Krypton in short order - before telling a bunch of single issue stories in whatever locale won that contest DC did. The result is enjoyable, even if it's at the expense of a satisfying ending to the Grounded plot.

I simply did not expect Robersons writing style. It's old school all the way; he piles on the thought balloons, captions and outlandish concepts. It's clear he also loves him some Superman continuity; dude throws in a mention of Bluperman of all things. I got a kick out of the mention of the Superman from DC One Million. It seems like no one ever references - or uses, for that matter - the toys Morrison creates.

The downside is that some of the conflicts either don't work or come out of nowhere. There's one issue where Clark Kent renounces his Superman identity for all of ten minutes, but this is immediately following one that ended with a smiling Superman reaffirming his faith in Truth, Justice and the American way. Somehow he pulled a Shawn Michaels between issues and lost his smile in favor of a return to mopeyland.

It's one of many examples of how disjointed this collection feels, with each issue barely connecting, if at all. That extends to how this volume feels next to the last one; given the wildly different storytelling styles, there is no way you could comfortably read them one after the other. This is not really Robersons fault, but it's a clear indicator of the behind-the-scenes hijinks surrounding this story.

It's unfortunate that JMS bailed on DC, because a lot of these problems stem from it. They threw a fair amount of promotion - and even a contest - behind Grounded, so it wasn't like they could just up and abandon the whole thing. Meanwhile, it's pretty clear Roberson wanted to do his own thing, as he barely serviced the overall plot until it was down to the wire. I don't think anyone got what they wanted out of this mess.

Despite all that, Roberson manages a number of issues that are at least enjoyable; as opposed to the first volume, which could only be enjoyed ironically or in mocking. He clearly loves the character and that comes through in spades. His Superman feels authentic, especially compared to the one JMS gave us last volume.

The cherry on top is that Roberson knowingly slips in a "happily ever after" for the character, given that these are the final issues before Superman received a hard reboot for the New 52. Bonus points for doing it without having Mr. Mxyplkt kill everybody. Grounded is hardly a proper sendoff to a version of Superman we've followed for twenty five years, but in doing this Roberson at least gives us some closure. Not every book had the time or luxury before Flashpoint and the relaunch.

Oh, and Roberson actually has Superman doing things. You know, saving people and stopping disasters. The things JMS never bothered with; too busy writing Superman taking on the mighty strawman argument. That certainly counts for something

The Score: 6.5 out of 10

I can't comfortably score this higher. It's a step up from the tripe we got last time, but everything surrounding it is the proverbial albatross around its neck. Check it out if you want to see what Roberson could have done with him, but otherwise I recommend ignoring Grounded as a whole. It's a shame it will probably be Robersons only crack at the character, given his departure over DCs decision to do Before Watchmen.

Superman: Earth One (comics)

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artist: Shane Davis
Original Graphic Novel

Seems like everyone judged this one before it ever came out. I guess hoodies are an immediate sign of awful. To be fair, people took a dump on it after release too. But was it warrented?


This was a step I'd ultimately expected earlier than this. A line of original graphic novels - continuity free - with star talent on board to give an accessible take on long standing superheroes. Given how the trade market has grown, it seems like a no-brainer; but then, the realities of OGNs don't exactly work the way we imagine they do*. Regardless, DC finally got around to it, with Superman the first to get the treatment**.

This book got some flack from Snarky Comic Bloggers for its portrayal of Superman. Obviously, a lot of folks have some strong opinions on Superman. The SCB's were ultimately right with their points, but there was a difference they seemed to overlook; they were talking about the iconic one we know best.

This was meant to be a different Superman starting out his career in a different manner. The pre-Flashpoint Superman was essentially the same character no matter what part of his career you go to. This Superman is a different animal. He's not the Christ-like figure meant to inspire us and lift humanity though example.

What JMS does is give us a Clark Kent who is recognizable as a young man, not an immediate messiah. This Clark Kent is going through the difficult transition into manhood. He has all this power, but what should he do with it? His parents wish he would protect the world, but is that what he wants to do? It feels like his destiny. Does any young man want to choose a path they feel has been laid out for them? This Clark Kent wants to help the people of the world, but he wants to live a normal life as well; he wants to see if he can use his powers in another way to help the people of mankind, whether it's as a scientist or otherwise.

The whole world is ahead of him, with possibilities galore. But what does he want to do with it? What is right for him?

So, right off the bat, this is a Clark Kent who is not the same one we usually know. We've all been there; our whole life ahead of us, but no real idea what we want to do with it. It's all a big question mark. A time of self-discovery. A time period we could imagine being all the more confusing with super-powers of the sort he carries.

It's very relatable in a way that Superman typically isn't. Not saying that is a problem with vanilla Superman late in his career; by that point he knows what he wants to do and how to do it. He's not supposed to be relatable. But early on, he's a young man fresh off the farm he lived on his entire life headed to the big city, not to mention a young man with powers and an alien nature. Of course he's going to be confused. Of course he's going to need to find his way.

It's an opening that feels proper. Superman as a character is one that has always wanted nothing more than to be one of us. Here, despite being an alien, he feels like one. We all know he'll get to where he's going, but in seeing this journey it feels just a bit more natural.

So, obviously I thought it was a pretty respectable story. It's not perfect though. It has it's moments were it tries to get a bit cute. Jimmy Olsen in particular has a nice role in the story, but JMS tries a bit too hard to convince us he's cool.

Then there's the villain that coaxes Clark to his destiny. Tyrell is, frankly, the most forgettable new villain in the past decade of comic books. He's only there because the book needed a villain; not even a link to the destruction of Krypton - a dumb and entirely unnecessary twist - could make this character interesting. While I appreciate that JMS didn't go to the Lex Luthor well right away, he whiffed hard with Tyrell. Hopefully volume two will use a recognizable villain.

My Opinion: Read It

It's far from perfect, but this is a nice start to the Earth One line. It's a take that I think was worth exploring and it redeemed JMS a bit in my eyes after the mess that was Grounded. If you're a new reader, you may get even more out of it; it's a pretty good continuity-free foot in the Superman door.

* Several pros have mentioned that OGN's are longer term sellers, assuming they're a hit. They take money and time to put together; when they do get out the door, they're not the immediate cash the monthlies represent, which obviously a company needs for day to day operation. A lot of people fantasized about comics going "all OGN", but they've long been kidding themselves. It's nothing more than that; a fantasy.

** The second project is Batman: Earth One by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. It was horribly off schedule at the time of this writing - it was supposed to hit in the fall the same year Superman did - but eventually it managed to see release. The review can be found here.

*** Some people were actually pissed about this because it adds "revenge" as the motive for Supermans interference. Only... it doesn't. By the time Clark finds out this dudes connection, he's already decided to put on the suit and help people. The reason to be pissed is because it's a worthless addition and adds nothing to the story. Definitely a misfire.

Superman: Grounded vol. 1 (comics)

Writers: J. Michael Straczynski, G. Willow Wilson
Artists: Eddy Barrows, Leandro Oliveira
Collects: Material from Superman #700, Superman #701-706

God, I don't even know where to start with this. I have such conflicting feelings about this. On the one hand, this book is complete ass. On the other, it's fantastic in that it made me laugh. It's asstastic.

Look, we all know the story, right? It hit the mainstream news, for chrissakes. Superman takes a walk. Along the way he spouts half-assed philosophy and generally ignores legitimate questions about what the hell he's doing. I'm not sure that last part is on the back cover though.

As a Superman story - in regards to who Superman is, who the character has become, what he represents and how we understand him - this story is just so bad. Dude straight up hassles people, acts condescendingly and spouts the most cliched bullshit going. It's clear that the only villain here is the strawman Superman meets every issue to argue into submission. Well, that and the unbelievably blatant metaphors he comes across from time to time; I do not think a writer can lack any more subtlety than having actual aliens in the country illegally. He doesn't even play it for laughs, which might redeem the bit.

Even the way it starts off is patently moronic. A woman whose husband died from cancer slaps Superman for being off trying to stop a war between Earth and New Krypton instead of being there to cure her husbands cancer. Because, you know, dude should be focusing on the important stuff, right? A normal human being would shrug this moronic nonsense off, but Superman takes it to heart and decides the answer is to walk across the goddamn country.

There aren't enough words to describe how utterly dumb the premise is, much less how out of character this Superman feels.

Of course, it's possible that's the point and something is wrong with Superman. It's been hinted as much, though the rest of the internet takes that with the requisite skepticism. But to be fair to the book, there is just as many instances of Supermans loved ones expressing concern and all but outright saying he's acting goddamn weird. It could always be said that it's nothing more than JMS using a stand-in for readers or critics of the concept, but I'm not so sure. It seems a bit too... planned, I guess; like hints of something wrong to come into play down the line.

Unfortunately, this isn't one of those trades with creator interviews to shed light on the subject, so no one but the folks at DC knows for sure. Regardless, JMS is a better writer than this. I know he is. I don't know how this came out of the guy who wrote the book that got me mildly interested in Thor.

The other side of the coin is that because of the fact that Superman feels so wildly out of character the book is pretty hilarious. Superman is a complete dick to everyone in this book. The shining example that inspires humanity to be its best straight up holding a stalker by the ankle high in the air and demanding he never stalk a lady again is just plain funny. Not that the guy doesn't deserve it, but - and the story even points this out - that is a Batman tactic, not Superman.

He also burns drug stashes hidden in houses with his heat vision. In the middle of a neighborhood. Seemingly without thinking about either the smoke from the burning drugs or the fact that the houses could catch on fire and spread as, you know, fires are wont to do. Oh won't you be his neighbor?

It provides the kind of humor people built an entire website around. It's great, but not at all in the way they intended. If you don't derive humor from seeing Superman act like a prick - which I admittedly like in past books, but generally have no desire to see Superman books repeat - you'll probably be able to knock the score down three points lower than I gave it.

Of course, because it's JMS, whose every project seems besieged by crippling delays, there were fill-ins by a G. Willow Wilson. Not familiar with her work. She does well enough, considering her goal is to focus on supporting characters in order to kill time for JMS, who only did one more issue anyways before bailing to do a sequel to a more lucrative Superman graphic novel. These issues have almost nothing to do with Grounded, but considering Grounded isn't exactly the next great Superman epic I don't think anyone really cared about that.

Most of the artwork is done by Eddy Barrows, who actually manages to string together three consecutive issues this time. Considering he couldn't manage more than two in a row last time I read a project he was on, I'd say his workrate is improving. His work is much better here to boot. Doesn't save the book, but at least it's not ugly.

One last bit of hilarity: This trade has no cover quotes at all. Not all trades will carry them; material from more than five years back tend to lack them unless they're evergreen classics. But this story was given so much press it hit the news. When you've got a heavily hyped storyline you've gone out of your way to get in the public eye and come trade time you can't even muster a semi-positive quote to plaster on the hardcover, you've failed on so many levels.

The Score: 5 out of 10

As cripplingly bad as I expected? Not quite. It's just cripplingly stupid. If you get some jollies from Superdickery, give it a look. Otherwise, it's not really worth the time.