Books : It's Superman!

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Rating:

- Elmore Leonard Does Superman?
This book is eerily similar to Elmore Leonard's "The Hot Kid" because both books begin with the title characters as young boys, and focus on an encounter each boy has with an FBI Most Wanted gangster. In Leonard's book the gangster gets shot, but in De Haven's book the guy is thrown into a wall after his gun explodes. Really, that's one of the few differences between the books.

Both books chronicle how the main characters grow up to become crime-fighters, and feature famous villains, women, and real-life events to set the tone and place. Both books also feature clunky narrative writing that is awkward to read, and at times seems to be all about style and not at all about moving the story forward.

The Superman we all know from reading comic books doesn't appear in this book until the very, very end. Overall, it wasn't worth the wait.

Rating:

- It's definitely NOT Superman!
It's certainly NOT Superman. Tom DeHaven has written what has to be the poorest Superman novel to ever come out in print. One suspects that he himself felt ashamed as toward the very end he hints that this is his interpretation, kind of an Elseworld's. Any thing to excuse some glaring errors. However, even in the parallel world stories the authors have the good sense to keep the true essence of Clark Kent/Superman. DeHaven doesn't even try.

To not be completely negative, the author sets the novel in the nineteen thirties to the time when the original Superman first appeared. He does some research on the period, not enough, but he does attempt to give you a feel for the times. Were this not about Superman he might have had a half way decent book despite the shoddy narration which is a cross between Night Stalker and Damon Runyon. With the exception of Lex Luthor his characters are pure cardboard and you feel no real empathy for them. Luthor himself is a James Bond type villain. Like the villain in the film Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow the use of robots come into play. Here they are called Lexbots and the goal is world domination.

Now to some real bothersome points that illustrate why this is not a good Superman book, not really even about Superman.

1. DeHaven does a lot of name dropping to make you feel you are really there, however outside of New York City he often misses. For example, Joe Louis did not become the heavyweight boxing champion in l935 by defeating Primo Carnera. Louis became champion in 1937 when he defeated The Cinderella Man, James J, Braddock. Braddock became champion in 1935 when he defeated Max Baer.

2. Clark's parents are not the guiding force that we have seen elsewhere and as a young boy he has it revealed that his origin is possibly from the stars. There is no space ship, just scrap metal. Martha Kent dies while Clark is in his formative years and his father is not the strong figure we have seen in so many stories. Clark eventually hops a freight train with a wanted fugitive named Willi Berg and heads for California where he works as a stunt man.

3. Clark has no guidance from his Kryptonian parents, in fact Krypton is never mentioned nor his parents who in one way or another get known to him in other stoires. People not familiar with the Superman legend will wonder just what is Clark Kent. Willi Berg is the one in this book who tries to train Clark how to use his powers.

4. The subject of God and religion is not given an even handed treatment and it is assumed that Clark, his adopted father, Lois and everyone else are atheists. The Catholic Church (I'm a Baptist myself) is really bashed.

5. As we know, the real Clark Kent of fiction has a strong sense of right and wrong. Not here. He beds his Hollywood girlfriend, breaks Willi out of jail, and steals a camera from a pawn shop. It is true that in the Smallville series Clark does finally bed Lana Lang (she isn't in the book) and that was done mainly to appeal to a wider audience, howver it is not typical Clark Kent/Superman. He is after all the super boy scout.

6. Truly ridiculous is the origin of the Superman costume. Clark gets it from a lady friend in Hollywood who originally made it for a science fiction movie. Mrs. Kent did not make it from what he was wrapped in while traveling to Earth in a rocket. The "S" stands for Saucer Man (had we discovered saucers in the thirties?) and/or Saturn Man. It is Willi Berg, not Lois Lane as we well know, who gives Clark the title of Superman. Clarks's costume keeps getting burned up until Lex Luthor of all people has a suit designed for him that will be durable. Come on now!

7. Clark Kent may have pretended to be average, however he is not the "dummy" the book portrays him as being. Naive and innocent, yes; but he is smart. Also in the book he goes direct from a high school education, with some experience as a reporter for a weekly, to working for the Daily Planet. No college education. All followers of Superman know that he did go to college, Metropolis University. Many versions also have Clark being partially educated in the Foretress of Solitude where he learns more about Krypton.

8. Tom DeHaven apparently wants New York City to be the base of operations for Clark Kent. New York City is not and never has been Metropolis. As a Cleveland boy I grew up where Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster did. These creators of Superman based their city of Metropolis on their native Cleveland and in their early works the city scape was Cleveland. The "tallest building" Superman leaped over was the Terminal Tower. Clark as himself and sometimes as Superman, in some stories, visits New York City which would be impossible were they one and the same.

Reading the copyright it appears that DC Comics gave this author permission to write this book and apparently endorsed it. This is surprising as the Superman legend has not been done any favors and it would be hoped that DC will be more careful in the future. Superman is an icon that will go on for decades more and for those of us who grew up with him, please DC, don't let people like this author mess with what we know is really Superman.

Rating:

- An Alternative Treat
A thouroughly enjoyable alternative take on the American icon. I hope there is a sequel.

Rating:

- A wonderful re-imagining of the legend
Superman, in all his media forms (comics, movies, TV shows), has always gotten so bogged down with absurd plots involving bizarre settings and baroque villains that we often forget he's still just a farmboy from Smallville, Kansas. A farmboy that can do everything. De Haven's "It's Superman" cherishes his beginnings as the most fascinating part of the character. How a bumbling, mediocre small-town reporter becomes a renown superhero is quite an incredible story, and De Haven handles it with a light touch but not going too light. There's a believability here that is absent from many superhero orgin stories.

The other main character of the novel is Lex Luthor, and he's presented quite believably as well. He's still evil, and the kind of evil that isn't easy to sympathize with either. But he's also funny, brilliant, and could hum any tune that you could think of. De Haven handles all the characters with similar ease, class, and humor, and he handles plenty. Don't go into this novel expecting Supes to be fighting baddies every other chapter. There's only one real battle and that only takes a couple minutes. No, this novel is about Clark dealing with his powers and feelings.

It's a very fun read.

Rating:

- A Literary Feat!
Superman has always been portrayed as a character above humanity. A person who lacks the day to day challenges and inner struggles we all face. Tom De Haven paints an accurate picture of the crossroads Clark Kent/Superman/Ka-el finds himself facing. The crisp and poignant characterizations of Lois Lane and Lex Luthor are also wrought with intrigue, mystery, but above all truth. From Luthor's henchmen to the NYPD De Haven describes a New York City calling out into the dark of night for a hero.

The story follows Clark from Smallville, Kansas to New York City, Lois Lane from college student to Daily Planet Journalist, and Lex Luthor wealthy politician to contrived plotter of world domination.

A literary feat which gives due justice to the real superhero is all of us. Read, enjoy, and reread!

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