Books : It's Superman!

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Rating:

- It's Superman but not as we know it
You may have read one of the classical myths published by Random House. They invite contemporary writers such Ali Smith or Margaret Atwood to rewrite classical myths with modern concerns and twists. Superman by Tom De Haven is a rewrite of the comic magazine myth of Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Superman. On the face of it, two different projects but dig deeper and they are not. The energy that enables Superman last 70 years and expand into TV, films etc is Myth. The baby that appears in a rocket (Miraculous Birth) who as he grow older discovers his powers (Initiation) which leads to loss of family and community(Withdrawal) as he try and find himself(Trail and Quest) and so on.

But Tom De Haven faces a different additional challenge, in rewriting a modern comic hero, as unlike the Greek myths we have grown up with the story and character. Those of us of a certain age can remember buying Superman comics from paper shops along with The Beano and Eagle long before they were elevated to graphic novels and specialist geek watering holes. Or being amazed at Superman the Movie in the 80's( of course those of us even more of a certain age can remember the 50's TV series). It means that you tinker with our childhood memories at your peril.

To do the story justice it has to be driven by the power of Myth but also refreshed so we experience something novel from fare we know in our bones. Does he succeed? Yes, Jumping Jehovah he does with bells on.

The story is set in the 30s and focuses on the politics and society of Depression America including the normalcy of how Afro-Americans were treated. Clark Kent struggles to come to terms with who and what he is and isn't the sharpest blade in the drawer. Lois Lane is, and in control her life and her men (and the life in her men!) The big city is New York and its corruption where we met Lex Luthor a shining reformer by day and a criminal Mr Big by night. Its how he deals with Superman that seals both their fates and Lois as we discover how the Legend finally begins.

This in fact draws more on the original comic storyline then the later camp versions, thinks of the dark versions of Batman rather then the kowpow 60's. The focus here as then is more on domestic crime and fascism rather then the weekly super villain. What also makes it work is the writing. We move in and out of the characters seeing their take on things, major characters die and secondary characters move to centre stage so you cant take things for granted. And the style engages:

He watches it-more like glares at it-till the paper bursts in flame, dissolves in to granular soot, and quickly disappears

Same as always. Clark's eyes are left feeling syrupy, almost liquid like the waterglass his mom would make in summertime to preserve surplus eggs. But the sensation passes in less then a minute. And it's a small price to pay for such a-

Gift?

For the first time in a week Clark feels the muscles flex up at both ends of his mouth, It's not much of a smile but for now it will have to do.

He needs to speak to his father

He needs to tell him good-bye

So pick this up, and revisit a retold Myth as ancient in its way as that of the Greeks you won't be disappointed and this time you don't have to wait for the film. Highly Recommended.

Rating:

- It soars
Can comic book characters be the stuff of good literature? You know, not just a fast-paced plot with some clever one-liners and copious amounts of glitzy fantasy action, but a real story with complex, believable characters, authentic backgrounds and a sophisticated but readable style of writing?

Oh, yes.

Tom De Haven's "It's Superman!" is one of the most enjoyable works of fiction I have read in a long time. When I borrowed it from the library I was expecting nothing more than a Smallville episode on paper, although since I love the series (and superhero origin stories in general) I was prepared to give it a chance. What I got instead was a finely crafted homage to 1930s pulp fiction and brave re-imagining (in the most positive sense of the word) of the Superman mythos.

The novel's most brilliant touch is to take Superman back to his literal roots. The comic book was originally created in the late 1930s by Siegel and Schuster, but in each subsequent reincarnation Superman has been updated to represent the values and realities of the new generation. Tom De Haven boldly reverses this trend and has Clark Kent grow up in Kansas during the Great Depression. Thanks to De Haven's painstaking research, that world comes alive in technicolor splendour from the blowing wheat fields outside Smallville to the sophisticated crime-ridden halls of power in New York City. The clothes, customs and dialects of the time are all perfectly convincing.

Clark himself is a real delight because he is so UNlike the incarnations we are all used to. This caped wonder is no Tom Welling or Christopher Reeve. He only has average looks and he's not too bright, either. This makes his insecurities and fears over how to use his powers and at the same time live a normal life all the more compelling (also instantly endearing is his love of B sci-fi movies; who would have thought Superman would be waiting to see "The Bride of Frankenstein" in his local theater?) During the final confrontation with Lex Luthor, who is a real genius and charismatic to boot, you really do believe that the bald guy could possibly outsmart the Man of Steel.

All the characters are smartly written and instantly distinctive. But the real delight of the story is in how the mythology unfolds. There are numerous tweaks to the standard origin story which are a delightful surprise to any Superman fan, but I'll mention just one: the origin of the costume. Clark first gets the suit with the big 'S' on it from the set of a B sci-fi movie in which he was (what else?) a stunt double. But the 'S' does not stand for 'Superman', it derives from the movie's title: "The Saucermen from Mars". We are meant to think that it looks like the suit he wore in the very first animated stories by Max Fleischer, but much more gaudy and of course fragile. By the time Superman has seen some action, the suit is in tatters. Where does his next one come from? It would be churlish of me to say, but suffice it to say that it is a deliciously ironic touch in a novel which is already quite tongue-in-cheek.

All in all this is the most original, imaginative retelling of the Superman saga since the comic book was first conceived by the two Jewish immigrants. Its world is immensely rich, the present-tense narrative a delight to read and the dramatic action highly satisfying. Read this book. You'll believe a man can fly.

Rating:

- It's so good
I loved it, I finished it in two days and my fingers are crossed that a sequel will be written.

Rating:

- Thank you Tom, may I have another?
Tom DeHaven took me to another time period where I could read and understand about Clark's confusion, hesitancy, and repeated bumblings. Lois is a sharp, modern gal of the times. Lex Luthor in this written form is the smart-mouthed, evil genius we all knew he was, but wasn't captured on film by any one actor well enough. Yes, the movies and tv shows are okay, but this book held me the entire 200 pages. More than anything else though, for myself, I completely understood Tom's Clark having to come to terms with unrequited love and how completely torturous it really is. This is a well-written story.

Rating:

- An enjoyable re-creation of the Superman story.
I came to this book as a fan of Tom DeHaven, not a Superman fanatic, and I think that definitely aided my enjoyment of the story. Like most modern Americans who follow pop culture, I'm pretty familiar with the Superman legend. However, I am not wedded to every detail of the established Superman "universe" and I was able to lose myself in the story despite its many departures from the original story. The story is multi-charactered, and all the characters are well-described, which makes Clark Kent/Superman seem less of a hero and more of an ensemble character. DeHaven also takes care to contrast Clark's coming of age with the events of the time - the Depression, pre-Civil Rights race issues, even the cheap movie serials in which he finds work as a stunt man for a time. I thought that was brilliant by the way - who would make a better stunt man than the Man of Steel? All the Superman "regulars" - his parents, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, etc are all portrayed as realistic humans who have failings and special talents and it makes them all the more interesting. If you are a hardcore Superman purist, you should probably heed the advice of the one-star reviewers and skip this book - the Kents are not wise, infallible mentors to an unflinchingly brave superhero who works in Metropolis with the smart, sassy but chaste Lois Lane. DeHaven's Superman and Company are human.

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