Books : Superman: Up, Up, and Away! (One Year Later)

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Rating:

- Superman plows himself, another earth's Superman and Superboy Prime
through a red sun and this is the story afterwards (I think that is the correct character placement from Infinite Crisis). If you've ever seen and liked Superman 2, the movie from the 80's, then you'll like this story. They are very similar in concept and the character traits that Superman takes on as a regular person without powers. Superman is torn between being as close to Lois as he has ever been without powers and being the hero he used to be with his powers. The cool thing about Superman without powers is that the other superheroes still treat him like he's the man and help him with anything he needs (Green Lantern, Hawkwoman and Supergirl). Using his connections and skill as a reporter he begins to bring down the city's crime syndicate the old fashion way. The story is well written and the art is good throughout most of the book. If I remember correctly though, different artists did different parts of the series, please correct me if I'm wrong. So, I cared less for some of the art throughout different sections than others. However, I don't feel my taste in art should result in a downside to the series as a whole. For the price this thing is a steal. It should also be noted that there are two other "sister stories" to this series; the Batman and Wonder Woman stories. I think they are "Batman: Face the Face" and "Wonder Woman: Who is Wonder Woman?".

Rating:

- The Essence of a Hero
"Superman - Up, Up and Away" is written by Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns. The art by Pete Woods and Renato Guedes and able supporting creative staff.

It is a year after the "Infinite Crisis". The world is still coping with a world without Superman. Unknown to most Superman has lost his powers in a climatic battle with a psychotic Superboy from an alternate reality.

No Superman - just Clark Kent, intrepid investigative reporter with a major metropolitan newspaper - The Daily Planet. A newly released acquitted Lex Luthor and his thugs have just given Clark a good old-fashioned back alley beating. No powers, getting worked over by his arch enemy should be depressing.

Not at all, Clark is having the time of his life.

This story is about what it means to be hero. Clark is free to focus on his career and marriage. Even powerless, he is still intrepid and fearless. He's got a lot of help from his friends like Supergirl and Green Lantern. Meanwhile Lex Luthor is using this opportunity of a world without Superman to take revenge against Metropolis.

Of course he fails.

Lets get one thing straight. I am a lifelong comics fan from childhood. Decades ago I became bored with Superman. This graphic novel was purchased because I consider the names of Busiek and Johns a mark of quality.

My faith was justified. This is the finest Superman comic I've ever read.

Rating:

- a missed opportunity
i enjoyed this book just fine. i'm a fan of all the creators involved, and they all did a good job. but the wasted potential of this story kills it for me. i don't think i'm spoiling anything by saying this, but this book could have been the greatest lex luthor story ever told.

with the premise that superman is gone for a year, the writers were given the opportunity to really flesh out what luthor would be like if he got his wish. maybe out from superman's shadow, lex was "free" to use his power and influence for good instead of evil. he does great things. he becomes the hero he's always seen in himself. then superman returns and lex falls apart, reverting to his evil ways, and of course blaming superman for his decline, when (as always) lex's own inferiority complex is his downfall. this could have been a really interesting and original story. it could have humanized lex and maybe even earned him some pathos from the audience. could have been a very sad lex luthor story. as it is, it's a straight good and evil story where lex is just plain bad. really could have been something special, too.

i honestly think for that reason alone i could justify giving this book one star, but to be fair this is a straight, solid superman story (points for alliteration) with nice art. it's just a shame when without having to put much thought into it i can come up with a better, more compelling premise than kurt busiek, geoff johns and superman's editors combined. a real missed opportunity in my opinion.

Rating:

- Top Notch Superman Story
It's one year after the events of Infinite Crisis and Clark Kent is still completely de-powered from his battle with Superboy Prime. Meanwhile Lex Luthor, his reputation in tatters, is playing around with the crystal (the Sunstone) he picked up during a run-in with Alexander Luthor. The scorn of Metropolis has left Luthor bitter and longing for revenge against the city that now despises him. So can mild mannered reporter and non-powered Clark Kent stand up to both Luthor and an active Intergang? Would he be DC Comics greatest hero if he couldn't? This time he uses the power of the pen to fight his battles (along with a little help from friends like Green Lantern and Hawkgirl).

`Up Up and Away' is an absolutely stellar effort with one of the most hideous covers ever. Seriously, what were they thinking? I would put this collection just one small notch below All-Star Superman which is perhaps the best Superman storyline ever. The art is terrific, the writing is engaging. I particularly liked the scene where Hal Jordan offered Clark his ring in order to get Clark back in the game. About half way through Clark begins to get his powers back and none too soon. Few people are going to buy a comic about intrepid reporter Clark Kent and his valiant investigative reporting. Stay tuned for appearances are put in by the Toyman, the Prankster, Metallo and a new Kryptonite Man.

There appears to be an attempt to tie the comic series in with the recent movie. The Kryptonian crystal Luthor picked up is capable of creating a large crystalline structure under Metropolis similar to the one in Superman Returns. This time however it's a warship rather than a bleak landmass which actually improves on Luthor's bewildering plot in the movie. As in the movie, Luthor has mixed the crystal with Kryptonite to give Superman an even bigger headache. It will be interesting to see where the writers take Luthor now because he's pretty much burned through his last shred of respectability with the public.

I'm one of the people who really enjoyed Infinite Crisis and this is probably the best follow up I've read thus far. I recommend this one without reservation because I'll be the first to admit that it's really rare to get this kind of top quality Superman story.

Rating:

- Pretty good
Taking place a year after the cataclysmic events of Infinite Crisis, Superman: Up, Up, and Away finds a powerless Superman enjoying a normal life. Since he's been depowered, Clark Kent is still fighting the good fight for truth and justice, but as a reporter. Nevertheless, he still manages to foil Lex Luthor and his nefarious plans that involve Intergang, as well as what else, Kryptonite. What makes this TPB so enjoyable is that it doesn't try to reach any kind of far reaching lofty goals, but instead only goes for the pure thrills that a major title like Superman is expected to deliver, and considering the script is from Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns, this isn't much of a surprise. The Astro City and Infinite Crisis authors respectively weave an inventive tale that shows the human side of the Man of Steel that we've seen far too little of in the past few years, as Clark finds all kinds of success working at the Daily Planet. Pete Woods' artwork is great as well to boot, making this TPB a surprisingly good pick up. All in all, for Superman fans or Infinite Crisis fans (just to see the aftermath), Up, Up, and Away is a surprisingly great read, and while it's not the best Superman TPB out there, it's still definitely worth picking up.

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