Superman: Birthright

Rating:
Summary: Very Intelligent Revamp of Superman for the 21st Century
Review: As I wrote in my previous review for "The Kingdom", Mark Waid is THE child of the Silver Age. There is an obvious love for the imaginative, dream-like and child-like stories of heroism from the Silver Age in all of Waid's writings. That's the reason Grant Morrison credits Waid for ending the all-pervasive grim-and-gritty mood that dominated comics since the mid-1980s. "Kingdom Come" (and "The Kingdom") is very much the last word on the Silver Age. In "JLA: Year One" and "The Brave and the Bold", Waid takes us back to the Silver Age to revisit that era one more time and to be inspired once more by the heroic spirit of John Broome and Gardner Fox one more time. And if you're looking for more of that here in "Superman: Birthright", you'll be sorely disappointed...

Waid does with "Birthright" in 2003/4 what Frank Miller did with "Dark Knight Returns" in 1986. It's a statement about an icon to fit the times. And we all know that Silver Age is really in the past. We live in different times altogether. Miller told us that in the late 1980s. Waid is trying to do that for today. I can't read "Dark Knight" these days without a backward glance to 1986. In the same way, I think future readers will say that "Birthright" is really a product of the early 21st century, the post-9/11 world of camera-phones and real-time news media.

Therefore, like Miller's "Dark Knight" it shares many of its strengths - "Birthright" attempts to be the DEFINITIVE statement on "who Superman is and why he does what he does". The whole thing reads like a philosophical inquiry into the Superman-mythos and is much like an amalgamation of everything that makes Superman great (from the Siegel/Shuster activist to the Fleischer animated champion of humanity to the Mort Weisinger sci-fi Kryptonian to Christopher Reeve and, of course John Byrne's "Man of Steel" and the current "Smallville").

However, the book also share many of the flaws of "Dark Knight" - it comes off more as a definitive VERSION of the character than a true representation of the timelessness of the original myth. Like I said in the above, "Dark Knight" is so '80s and in the same way, this work is sooooo 2003/4! Also, there is also the feeling that "Birthright" at times tries too hard to be great - even at the expanse of the story!

All in all, despite its flaws, the work is noteworthy for its sharper redefinition of the young Superman trying to find his place in the universe (for can "our" world, whether it be Smallville or Metropolis, truly contain him?). It gives us a Kal-El who honors his Kryptonian heritage as much as it gives us a Clark Kent who believes in his Smallville upbringing. Much has been made about how Waid ignores established continuity as well as accusations of trying to plagiarise the "Smallville" Lex Luthor. My opinion? Sometimes a comic work comes along that's so big that it transcends "smaller" (I say that as a continuity-freak myself) things like "continuity". After all, the Superman myth is more than the comics. Heck, it's more than the movies and action figures and TV shows. It's pop-culture. It's mythology-for-the-masses. It's truth-and-justice-and-humor-and-romance. It's science fiction and the world of tomorrow. And you'll find it all here in "Superman: Birthright".

Rating:
Summary: breathtaking
Review: I am surprised by the other, less positive reviews, because I thought this book was superb. I am not a huge Superman fan, I don't get excited by "Smallville," and I mostly prefer Marvel, but I think this has got to be the best Superman book I have ever read. It does a little of what Jeph Loeb did in "Superman For All Seasons" and picks up the clumsily discarded torch of "Smallville" to create a beautiful, modern Superman.

The art definitely the most exquisite Superman art ever drawn, taking the best elements of manga and American comics to make a brightly colored and appealing book.

This Superman is certainly a different Superman, and some people will take issue with the fact that he is, among other things, a vegetarian. This discrepancy Mark Waid makes up for it by his awesome portrayal of Clark, a confident and popular guy who has to hide his talents under the false guise of a wallflower in order to maintain his secret identity. Best of all is the ending, which is poignant, ironic, and will quite possibly make you cry.

Rating:
Summary: Somebody Save This Story
Review: This hardcover edition of Mark Waid's SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT looks and feels beautiful but the story only simplifies the classic characters while attempting to blend in TV's Smallville. The first chapter is truly fresh with a look at how young Clark is influenced to assume a new identity and become a role model for others, but then the story's focus switches to unoriginal action & dialogue. Some character relationships are changed from the current DC history to closer resemble the popular Smallville storyline but nothing truly original is added. It should also be mentioned that the ink on the pages easily smudged from simply touching the page.
Mark Waid has previously co-written one of comics top three greatest works; KINGDOM COME. With artist Alex Ross, this future storyline features an older Superman returning to lead the Justice League against the threat of a new generation of reckless heroes. Waid and Ross no longer speak to each other because of disagreements as to who exactly was the true author of the tale. Most fans believe it is Ross with whom the story resonates more personally with his past, and after reading Birthright the differences in the quality of storytelling becomes obvious.
SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT feels more like the work of a company changing its image to please TV fans who might buy a comic instead of being what it could have which is the writer combining the best elements of all versions of Superman. For Superman's origin story I suggest reading John Byrne's MAN OF STEEL, which is beautifully drawn, has original yet logical changes, and overall is closest to what Superman means.


Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT!
Review: This is a GREAT book! Why on EARTH are you reading REVIEWS of it? Stop reading already and BUY this book!

Go! Go NOW! ;)

Rating:
Summary: If It Ain't Broke...
Review: When Mark Waid and the editors at DC Comics first announced their plans for Superman: Birthright, I was excited. From all accounts, it looked like it was going to be the continuation of the Smallville Superman, taken out of the TV show and moved forwards eight or ten years, and the story of how that Clark Kent first came to put on the costume. Which I was quite excited for; the tying in of this newest part of the legend back to its original format seemed like a very good idea. By the end of the first issue, it was somewhat obvious that it was more Ultimate Superman than Smallville; while taking elements from the TV show, it was clearly set in its own universe.

But then came the big news; the sources from on high had ruled that, after seventeen years, Superman's origin had grown stale and needed revision - and that Birthright would henceforth be the origin of the one, true Superman. For a while, it seemed like the entire Superman universe was in limbo; was the S-man about to be rebooted? Were nearly two decades of history about to be written over? Well, yes and no.

It ended up that this story was designed to be a sort of prequel to the current Superman's history, that they were rewriting his history from the present but that it was actually to take place in the past. Unfortunately, either someone forgot to get Waid the memo or the story was too far along to change, as the entire run seems more like the first 12 issues of a new continuum than the rewriting of Superman's past in a way that would make sense in today's continuity. For example, in the first issue, Lex Luthor is clearly shown as he is in Smallville, as the rich, bald young hotshot; however, when we finally learn the truth, he ends up being an alienated, whiny red-haired arrogant youth who Clark befriends out of sheer pity (and who in the future becomes a wisecracking evildoer straight out of a James Bond flick). In issue 3, Clark refers to Lana as if they had been together (which the picture he has seems to validate), but again when we see the flashback, Clark has been reduced to geeky waterboy and Lana to airhead cheerleader. Superman has retreated from his kind, Boy Scout attitude into a silent, cursing vigilante who could probably clear up a lot of the trouble about him if he would just take the time to act pleasant and let the world know that he's just there to help. Lois Lane is written as an arrogant hothead who seems ready to fly off the handle at any moment, while Perry White seems to have left said handle a loooooooong time ago. The only characters who recieve any improvement of their character are the Kents and Jimmy Olsen, who has finally shrugged his Howdy Doody persona for something more mature. These characters deserve far more than this. Clark Kent, Superman, Lana Lang, Lois Lane, and the rest of the cast are heroes and idols for people the world over; they deserve to be known as more than stereotypes.

In addition, if the story is supposed to take place before the entire current continuity, then why does Waid seem intent on beating us over the head with references to modern times? Superman is only 25 here, just beginning his career, and yet we have camera cell phones, yellow alerts, internet news organizations, instant messenging, the Department of Homeland Security, e-mail - heck, the year 2004 is even specifically mentioned on a very prominent newspaper! It's clear that Waid originally intended this to be something more along the lines of Marvel's Ultimates series, a seperate continuity to exist alongside but never meet with the regular books.

This is not to suggest that I was completely unhappy with the story; far from it, it is actually quite enjoyable - so long as you make sure to take it on its own and not make anything more of it than it is. The relationship between Clark and his parents has been tightened, and many of the scenes between them are classic. Clark's efforts to divide his two identities are presented excellently, and the sense of isolationism that comes along with it is shown perfectly in the scene when...well, I don't want to give it away. Yu's artwork also delights at times, but his style is better suited to a smaller scale; while many of the scenes where two or three characters interact work well, many of the more complex action shots later in the book are slightly jumbled and confusing.

Overall, Superman: Birthright is an interesting take on the Superman mythos, one that is certainly worth reading. Get it, and form your own opinions about it - don't take what I have to say as gospel. It's a good story on its own, just not a necessary after-the-fact retelling of the "true" Superman's past. But certainly give it a try.

Rating:
Summary: The Issues Of Heritage, The Mandates of Heroism.
Review: With SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT, author Mark Waid (with strong
expressionistic art from Leinil Francis Yu and fine line
inking from Gerry Alanguilan) addresses the all-important
issue of cultural identity, and delivers one of the most
vital sagas in the character's hallowed mythology. Yu's
angles and perspectives provide an essentially different
worldview which is -at the same time- uncanningly
familiar; a striking value of this Sequential novel's
great appeal in placing a new vision upon one of the
great tales in American fiction.

Here, the themes of alienation vs. participation,
loneliness vs. solitude are boldly explored, not
only in the soul of Clark Kent, but in the troubled
mind of one Lex Luthor.
One is an alien who desperately strives to particpate
in the upliftment of Humanity, while the other just as
desperately wants to overcome his loneliness by showing
his genius at the expense of all around him... even
himself. As every effort to impress his peers alienates
all around the young Luthor, one can discern broad issues
about our educational system, and how order and discipline
are not always balanced with insight and compassion. As
the tale demonstrates, the loss is to the greater society
as much as it is to any one person... or any one
friendship.
As the Jeph Loeb-Tim Sale SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS
superbly incorporated elements of THE ANIMATED SERIES
from the 1990s, so does SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT bring
elements from the exceptional TV series SMALLVILLE
into its blend of personal quest and goals in the
air, with tremendous results.
Too, Waid does wonders with the familiar cast of
the Superman legend. Jonathan and Martha Kent,
perhaps the strongest elements of the mythos
since the 1980s, each receive major focus here.
Perry White gets quite a boost as the nail-chewing
newspaper editor we always knew he could be, and
Lois Lane gets perhaps her finest depictions as
the tough-but fair reporting ace who backs down
from no one.
And, ah, that Jimmy ...!

Best of all, Waid and company display a deep respect
for decades of SUPERMAN storyline, while making what
changes are deemed fit to up the Kryptonian ante.
Unlike the dissappointing revamps of John Byrne in
the 1980s, full of ideas but with no follow-through
whatsoever, Waid doesn't settle for a smiling
Super-yuppie full of material whims, cultural
sterility, and little -if any- ethical virtue.
Anyone who truly thinks that roots are unimportant
in the telling of a great inspirational tale has
been asleep through the most epic sagas of the
past century, or is dangerously aloof regarding
its pertinence to the here and now, real as well
as imagined.
In placing the hero's focus on the vitality of
heritage, Waid lines up with Roger Stern, John
Ostrander, Louise Simonson, Dan Jurgens, Jerry
Ordway, Marv Wolfman, Gil Kane and many others
who have tirelessly chronicled the Man of Steel's
finest adventures since the 1980s.

In this, one cannot overstate the impeccable touch
of zeroing the young Clark Kent's world quest upon
a troubled African nation at saga's beginning.
As a fledging reporter in the midst of a bloody
conflict stemming both from tribalism and
educational indoctrination (reflecting both
the vested devastation of the Congo and the
institutional cancer which South Africa has
only begun to recover from), Clark receives
an invaluable education in the worth of
knowing who you are, respecting one's
roots, and making this work for the good
of all.
Equally important, Clark is shown the difference
between the fruitful diversity of cultural identity,
and the fundamentalist waste of bigoted jingoism.
This is a point which becomes very important in the
unveiling of Superman's first efforts as a crusader
for Justice; efforts which do not sit well with the
utterly opportunistic, empire-building Luthor, as
he uses Superman's extraterrestrial roots to paint
him as the proverbial "menacing outsider", one of
"them".
How Superman suffers through all this (in
both identities), overcomes his own doubts,
and achieves breakthrough with the citizens
of Metropolis and, in turn, the world, is what
makes SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT such a landmark
achievement.

The story of Kal-El is the tale of all outsiders
striving to stand tall, work humbly, and earn
their rightful place in the world. It's quite
refreshing to see the co-author of KINGDOM COME
make this point so convincingly, in such a
breathtaking fashion.

After all, what is it to be, if not to be
all that you can, and all which you must?

That is the value of heroism.
This is the precious lesson
of SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT.

Read it whole.
Learn it well.