Rating:  -
As the dying planet Krypton tears itself apart, Jor-El, Krypton's greatest scientist, launches a tiny interstellar ship into the frigid void of space bearing in its hold his only child - the infant who will become Earth's Superman! From his childhood in Smallville, to his emergence as Metropolis newsman Clark Kent, through his battles with his arch-enemy Luthor, his story is told anew and as never before, with all the high drama and excitement that have enthralled three generations of fans!
Rating:  -
You know, I don't know if I'd call this a masterpiece. The plot was just _WEIRD_ and it took a while to get my mind around the world Maggin had created (working at a t.v. station, Jimmy Olsen is FAMOUS??). However, the witty banter that Maggin created between The Man and Lex Luthor kept me smiling and giggling throughout.
This is a fun book!
Rating: -
In Elliot S. Maggin's Superman novels, Superman and Lex Luthor have a
strange sort of codependent relationship. Coming from their childhood,
and now grown men, they must work together to stop an alien threat, and
learn why philtrums, of all things, are important.
Ancient alien prophecies can certainly be annoying.
Rating: -
Elliot S! Maggin was responsible for a great deal of the 1970's Superman mythos, and one of the creators influential in updating the character and making him the flagship of DC comics. With this novel and the sequel, Miracle Monday, he took the comic book characters and made them seem absolutely real. Maggin's Superman is THE Superman; the interpretation of the character that just feels right. The story is fantastic and the implications world-shattering, which is what should be the case when dealing with such a powerful protagonist. many modern comic book writers say they would not want to write Superman because he's too powerful and they feel like they couldn't come up with anything challenging for him. Well, this book shows that the trick is to write more powerful challenges, menaces that are a match for the Man of Steel. Maggin pulled this off many times in the comics and in both of the novels he wrote. His Lex Luthor is the most likeable and realistic version of the character ever put to print, which is a pretty good trick considering that this is the Lex who wears the 'Superfriends' costume with the jet boots. Lois Lane comes off as brash and independent, without the negative interpretation often seen in live action portrayals. This Lois isn't some spiteful witch or damsel in distress; she's a modern woman with a mind of her own. Superman and Clark Kent, the dichotomy between the two characters is almost palpable, and the reader really gets a sense of the terrible weight of living two lives. As much as I have enjoyed the more recent retellings of the Superman mythos, I have yet to see anything to equal this, even after almost thirty years. This book is fun for all ages, but definitely geared away from the kids. It's a book that should definitely go back into print, and one that anyone who loves Superman should pick up.
Rating: -
It seems that most of the reviewers of this book started reading Superman comics *after* the Post-Crisis retrofit, and have limited appreciation for how this book, and its followup, _Superman: Miracle Monday_ fit into the continuity of the day, and that's too bad, because they fit flawlessly.
I read each book when it was released--at the same time as the first two Superman movies--and in both cases, I felt that the books would have made better films than the stories the movies actually used. I still feel that way. I won't rehash what others have said about the depth of character development. Those reviewers were right on the mark. Take all they said times ten.
But I do want to point out that what impressed me is how Eliot S! subtly wove so much of the DC universe into these two books, and how his attention to detail bound them so closely that I refuse to review them separately. Without wandering away from the actual main plots, Maggin manages to tell the reader about the universe beyond Metropolis, be it how to shop at an outer space bazaar, the nature and deployment of the Green Lantern Corps, or the heartbreak of unfair judging at a Smallville science fair.
Scenes and situations in the first book are masterfully echoed in the second, and character emotions and motivations are anything but two dimensional. I get misty when I reflect on the thoughts of Clark's "almost dad," who was wise enough to know that he should not raise the boy, when I consider Superman, his identity exposed, listening to the music that is humanity, and accidentally learning a lesson, and when I recall the only thing Superman wanted to know about the future--and the one thing Luthor wouldn't do despite the past.
The book is well worth reading. And if at all possible, get _Miracle Monday_ as well. And if you want a real challenge, try to find the 1982 DC Comics Presents Annual, introducing Superwoman, which revisits characters introduced in the novels, and provides a nice little "signature" for the series.
|
