Superman: Birthright. (Issues #1 - #3)

Okay, here is something…experimental. I’m really looking for criticism for this, because this is something new and out of my comfort zone. This is a comicbook review. I knew I’d do one eventually, I’ve reviewed movies, TV shows, cartoons, music. So why not comicbooks? This is of course, my first ever comicbook review, not just for the blog, but ever. So expect a lot of warts. But please enjoy and lemme know what you think! Also, since I’ll be doing this issue by issue, I’m going to split this into four posts for your sake. I hope it doesn’t bore you. And also, sorry for the lack of images, but this is a comic, I can't really stick whole pages between the paragraphs.

Superman: Birthright is a now obsolete Superman origin story designed to update Superman into modern times. The main reason I decided to read this now pointless origin story is mainly for two reasons. The first one is that Zack Snyder’s new Superman movie (which is sadly looking worse and worse) seems to be based completely around this origin story (except the main villain of the movie isn’t in this story), which means it deserves a read before the film comes out. And secondly with the new DC modernising reboot just around the corner, which looks all set to stay, everything before it becomes pretty pointless anyway. 

Part one opens with a classic Superman scene. The last moments of Krypton as Jor-El moans that they should have listened to him because now they were all doomed. Luckily he has time to give a brief history lesson on Krypton before sending Kal-El (Supes) off into space. Clark's spacepod then travels far across space and crashes into Smallville - Jor-El sent it to Earth due to the fact it had yet to be probed so it held unlimited possibility and had handy things like a very young star and stuffs. We get some images giving a brief summary of Clark’s upbringing on the same double spread, you know the classic images like him jumping through the field and suddenly he’s flying. So far, formulaic of a Superman origin story. From here however, it all changes. 

25 years have passed since Clark crashed into Smallville in his little escape pod. And he is now in West Africa. Mr Kobe Asru, who Clark seems to be here to protect gives some exposition for us about wars between tribes in Africa, the modern way to discriminate. Then Clarke gives us some sense of where he is in his lifespan, since he’s never met Lois Lane and hasn’t worked with her either. He explains in the last 25 years, he spent the first 18 of those years in Smallville with Ma and Pa Kent and then when graduating high school went to study abroad. He eventually gets on a Bachelors course in Journalism. Right now however he’s a Freelance Journalist, working for small publications on every continent now just arrived in Ghana to do a piece for them on Kobe and the attacks on his life. 

Although different to the Superman origin story I know, I really fail to see how this is modernising. Hell, taking away Superman’s larger than life qualities is almost like taking away his S. However he is yet to get into costume, so maybe well get a more Superman feel when he’s actually Superman. 

The issue does however balance this with some great action scenes and some terrific displays of Clark’s powers. In one scene they show Clark’s superspeed by stretching a characters speech bubble over three panels as Clark blurs between them. We also witness him catching bullets, the blaze of his heat vision and see him take a magazine of a machinegun to the back which only rips off his shirt and gives him an excuse to show off his muscles. It’s awesome. If not let by down by rather ugly art. In some places the angular over-drawing looks really cool. But it’s inconsistent. For every cool looking panel there’s another that just looks plain ugly.

The second part opens with more displays of Clark’s powers. This time he is recalling flying with animals through Africa as he emails his mother. He also wrestles a lion and explains a power that I think is new to the comic (although who knows with comic continuity) about how he can see Aura’s, he doesn’t truly know what they are, but people shine with a great light until they die. But only he can see it. 

Clark then goes on to work out what the strange device left in his spacepod is all about. It’s an encyclopaedia of Kryptonian history. So of course, Clark can’t read it. Clark continues on in his email the difficulties of being different, about how he has to hide his powers away, because whenever ever he uses them, no matter how pure and innocent his intentions are, people fear him. Ungrateful cunts, he saves, huh.

We then go to a rather small scene like the comic is just managing to pass the level of a unbiased story from the side of the people trying to assassinate Kobe, saying about how evil Kobe is. Basically this whole scene is fucking pointless. before we go back to a pro Kobe speech. This doesn’t last long though since the Turaabans, the group who want to kill Kobe are burning down his village while he is giving this speech. 

Clark then goes full on Superman in front of everyone (although STILL not in costume), ultimately leading him to get Kobe killed. And although the comic questions, ‘why didn’t you save him rather than everyone else?’ it seems to ignore the fact going against his Dad and using his powers in the open got Kobe killed because of it.

Oh well, I can’t complain, it leads then to another dramatic action sequence giving us a spectacle of Clark’s power. To be fair to the comics art, the art is always great when it comes to Clark’s powers and the action sequences. The scenes of him flying are magical and the scenes of him getting blown up and plowing jeeps and people in walls are badass and detailed. 

We then watch Kobe’s Aura fade and are given a newspaper page about how Kobe’s death has ultimately helped everyone. Kind of a weird moral wrap up really. This then becomes Clark’s driving force to become Superman. 

The third part is mainly based around Clark’s transformation into Superman and ultimately changing himself into an alter ego for Superman. He explains he doesn’t want Superman to have a mask, he says it’d be easier for people to trust him if he showed his face. It makes sense, really. I always found it a little odd how villain like Batman is in his appearance and general outlook - I know that’s kinda the point but as much as I like Batman, I never really bought into him. 

He and Ma Kent work on his costume, based on Kryptonian clothing designs for most of the issue. And I must say, I’d gotten used to a much older Ma Kent, this one here is almost a milf. Pa Kent is insecure about the whole thing but he and Clark sort it out by the end of the issue. There is another Krypton history lesson of sorts and there is an attempt to better explain the whole no one can tell Clark is Superman because he has glasses on. 

Here it tries to explain the glasses change the shape of his face and draw the attention from other areas that could give him away, they also get him to stand and dress in a way that makes him seem smaller and less muscular than he really is. Ultimately he’s attempting to look as normal as possible and draw attention away from himself. Although it still smells a little bullshitty, at least it attempts an explanation and doesn’t just expect us to go with it. Plus, it’s a descent enough explanation in itself. 

We also get a little background on Ma and Pa, a Birthright name drop and that’s…basically it for the issue. Although the creation of Superman and Clark Kent is an important part of the story, most of the part felt like filler or padding and could have been easily cut down and merged into the next part. 

To be continued on the next exciting installment of 'Superman: Birthright review, issues 4 - 6...