I'm not really sure how many people enjoyed the first part, since only one friend commented, but nonetheless, here is the second part (of four). Enjoy!
The fourth part has us arriving in an anxiety stricken Metropolis. The military are testing out automatic anti terrorism drones from the moment we arrive. There’s also a man selling gas masks on the street.
We then get an introduction to Lois Lane and the Daily Planet. The Daily Planet is drawn much larger here than I remember from any other Superman story but Lois is still the same old character.
We get more details on just how detailed they’re trying to make the Clark Kent ‘disguise’ in this origin story. To the point where he puts on a voice and studies acting in books.
It closes with an action sequence of the drones going haywire and it implying surprise surprise, Lex Luthor is behind this.
Overall, another pointless issue for the most part, you could have easily merged this one and the last issue together and taken all the padding out. This issue needed to introduce characters like Lois Lane, but didn’t really need a whole issue to do it. However it is nice that this issue did pad with some genuinely funny comedy and another well drawn action sequence.
What I was annoyed to see, was Superman wearing exactly the same costume. I know that costume is iconic, but I thought this was modernising the whole Superman mythos? So far it seems the only difference is the inclusion of the internet. I mean Batman never had drastic costume changes, but at least he had palette swaps. Superman doesn’t even get that. I think the ultimate modern costume for Superman should be like Superboy’s. No cape, since practically they are just plain useless and would really cause more harm than good. No tights and spandex. No pants on the outside. Superman could easily complete the look with the red boots, a pair of jeans, a tshirt with his logo on it and his trademark hair, plus I think personally he’d look a lot more badass like that. Maybe that is just me.
Part five opens with the closure of the fight with the drones at the end of the fourth part. There are general references at how stupid the whole concept of Superman is and there have been similar sort of passing comments made throughout. Guess that is the stories attempt to be quirky and meta. But of course the action sequence is well drawn and great fun.
This then leads straight into Luthor’s and Supes first meeting, it’s suitably dramatic. It has a nice level of angst and the use of shadows and the artists over drawing actually makes a really nice effect for this particular scene. Superman claims he followed ultrasonic signals with his eyes, that is how he knew where Luthor was and that Luthor was the one hacking the drones. As far as I know, this is another power new to this origin story. But you know…COMICS. ARE. WEIRD. Also, his heat vision works weird in this comic. Sometimes it’s like the classic beams from his eyes but others, his eyes light up and he’s able to pick out and melt something specific. And when he did this…it just made me feel they took an already ridiculously overpowered character and made him even more ridiculous and overpowered. It’s like Super Saiyan 3 all over again.
This then follows on to the first ever reported story on Superman, with Luthor lying to the press about them being friends and says how thankfully he is for Superman’s intervention - this is of course also a lie. It isn’t explained however why Luthor wants the drones to kill everyone.
There’s also this really odd and cheesy scene with Superman winking at a woman who says thank you to him. Probably not helped by how creepy the artwork makes a winking Superman look. Shudder.
This then leads to Clark and Lois getting partnered off with Clark only really getting hired because he used his powers and lied his way into a good story. I see the origin story is keeping up with its good morals here.
The issue closes with Luthor wandering around his division for the search of alien life. Leading to the reveal that Luthor is already in the possession of some Kryptonite… CLIFFHANGER.
Part 6 opens with Superman saving the day. I guess this is the modernising at work, since he doesn’t like…save a cat from a tree. He prevents a school shooting. Doesn’t get much more modern and gritty than that! Fucking help me, I feel like I’m reading a Marvel comic. Superman then flies away before the news can interview him. Maybe this is just how early Superman was, but I’m pretty sure I remember Superman being all up for press conferences and isn’t he all about trust? So avoiding the press probably is sending the wrong message, like, YOU’RE FUCKING SHIFTY.
It follows with a pretty cool scene with Superman forcing the guy who sold the guns to the kids to experience the fear of being shot at, by literally shooting at him but catching the bullet before it hits him. Is this there attempt to modernise him, to make him ‘gritty’ and ‘dark’? Although the scene was cool, it didn’t really feel very Supermanish and I really don’t want to say ‘he was just starting out’ as an excuse for everything.
Quickly though and sadly and annoyingly and other words like that, the story shifts into the boring and tired comic cliche of, ‘Superman: friend or foe?’. We’ve had our Civil Wars, we’ve had our Cadmus and they were great. But seriously, can we just go back to the days when Superheroes were the good guys and this was true really regardless of what they did? I understand Superheroes are morally grey, but it’s just boring that every comic these days has to turn it into a plot point.
We then move onto a scene of Lois and Clark going to meet Luthor, because Luthor wants to shout at Clark for reporting it was Luthor who caused the drones to kill people. Could Clark make it any more obvious he is Superman?
Luthor confesses all his tech is based on the discovery of alien life on planets like Mercury and Jupiter and actually this is all pretty interesting and I could easily just assume this was fact. Then he goes on to explain some made up planet full of stupid aliens and then I just found his whole aura just turned to goofy. He does soon however save face by going on to scientifically explain Superman’s powers. I don’t know if we’re supposed to take this as gospel though, since then Luthor makes an assumption of where Superman is from and it isn’t Krypton.
It then closes with people being scared of Superman while he is saving the fucking day because Luthor said he’s an alien. Throughout the whole fucking comic, all the good Superman has done, everyone just treats him like shit. I mean I must admit, I’d probably be rather blown away by meeting a man who can fly and lift trucks and shoot lasers from his eyes, but I’d be fucking grateful if he saved my life, shit.
To be continued on the next exciting edition of 'Superman: Birthright comicbook review' (issues 7 - 9)...
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