Superman: Birthright (Graphic Novel)
by Mark Waid
|
|
| published
|
2005
by DC Comics
|
| binding
| Paperback |
| isbn
|
1401202527
(isbn13: 9781401202521)
|
| pages
| 314 |
| date added
|
12-09-06
|
|
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Superman: Birthright is one of these slow burns that have become so popular with origin stories these days… the actual Superman costume doesn’t appear until around 50 pages in, which for some, I think, will be a dealbreaker as to whether or not they enjoy the collection as a whole. I don’t have a problem with this kind of decompressed storytelling so long as its done well... my problem is that it's rarely done well. I don't read a ton of genre comics lately, but those that i do are practic...more
Superman: Birthright is one of these slow burns that have become so popular with origin stories these days… the actual Superman costume doesn’t appear until around 50 pages in, which for some, I think, will be a dealbreaker as to whether or not they enjoy the collection as a whole. I don’t have a problem with this kind of decompressed storytelling so long as its done well... my problem is that it's rarely done well. I don't read a ton of genre comics lately, but those that i do are practically paralyzed by this problem. I'll have been reading Daredevil for 3 months before i realize that the creative team hasn't actually had Daredevil appear in the book for the length of a season in nature.
Waid's walking a fine line here, but he succeeds far more than he fails. For example, the first issue of the series details Clark Kent’s globe trotting reporter days in South Africa and deals heavily with the political unrest of that country. Not your typical “Superman vs. Brainiac” throwdown, but it provides so much to the overarching story- Superman’s sense of fairness and justice, an explanation as to why he does what he does, an indication of his reasoning behind using the “S” on his chest. Waid takes what I’m sure some readers would find a hard-to-approach subject and blends it seamlessly with the character. It helps not only to make Superman more current, but also to diversify him a bit.
The book seems heavily influenced by the WB series Smallville which I can’t say that I watch with any degree of regularity, but one of the big attractions of the show from what I hear is the relationship between Lex Luthor and Clark Kent. This might provide for some excellent TV, but it wreaks havoc with the current continuity wherein Clark and Lex didn’t meet until Superman appears in Metropolis. Incidentally, the Clark/Lex dynamic WAS present in the Silver Age books, making my point again in favoring those stories over the new ones, but i digress for now.
Waid comes up with a wonderful way of shoehorning a Lex/Clark friendship into the book without making it seemed forced or obvious. The Lex Luthor scenes in Birthright are some of the strongest I’ve ever seen with the character, and really reinforce his status as a bad, bad person rather than a corrupt businessman. In the end, I think this aspect of Birthright strikes exactly the right balance- people who are fans of Smallville or the old Superman continuity can be happy, and those folks who like Byrne’s revamp of the Superman mythos can ignore the relationship with no damage done to Byrne’s choices, which were sound and still make a kind of sense even today.
I’ve said very little about the art. Leinil Francis Yu is a name that I haven’t encountered much… he did a run on Wolverine while I was working in a store that sold comic books that I thought was pretty good, but I haven’t seen much else by the guy. He’s not a traditional choice for Superman, but in this case, non-traditional is a good thing. His style reminds me at times of Jim Lee’s and Mike Mignola’s mixed together. He does some wonderful fight scenes toward the end of the book. I did think that his style wasn’t quite suited for some of the quieter down scenes toward the beginning of the story, especially the Smallville sections (which, to be honest, occasionally dragged the book down a bit).
Birthright fits right in with many of the Superman classics, and i can't recommend it enough. It's out in hardcover right now and you can probably snag it for about $25 from most online retail outlets. If that's still too rich for your blood, wait a few months- i'm getting the feeling that this is going to be an "evergreen" trade paperback, which pretty much means it will always be in print... in both hard and the eventual softcover editions.
Now if someone would only work this hard to make the regular monthly titles this good....less
Read in June, 2007
This is the current interpretation of Superman's origin story, and it incorporates elements from Smallville (namely, Lex and Clark having a history in the small town), but does a much better job. The story begins with a short prologue, the surprisingly moving scene where Jor-El and Lara, Kal-El's birth parents, send him away from the doomed planet on the prayer that he will find a hospitable planet to survive in. From there the story jumps 25 years to Ghana, where the (handsome) young man Clark ...more
This is the current interpretation of Superman's origin story, and it incorporates elements from Smallville (namely, Lex and Clark having a history in the small town), but does a much better job. The story begins with a short prologue, the surprisingly moving scene where Jor-El and Lara, Kal-El's birth parents, send him away from the doomed planet on the prayer that he will find a hospitable planet to survive in. From there the story jumps 25 years to Ghana, where the (handsome) young man Clark has spent the past several years traveling the world and filing humanitarian and political interest stories for various foreign papers. His beginnings are both humble and noble, and it's striking how relatable Waid is able to make our hero. Clark, inspired by his experiences, decides to claim his birthright, quoting the Ashanti saying: "A charge to keep they have, the human race, to glorify -- all other neighbors to save, and raising human esteem high."
This Clark is intelligent and sympathetic. He is both more heroic, more human and more alien than any version that I've seen before (film and television included). He is a vegetarian. He is not a dork, although you see how and why he develops that persona. I wish the Smallville Clark were more like him.
The story drops off a bit, in my opinion, once Clark gets to Metropolis and Superman appears. His conflict with Lex Luthor, while executed very well thematically, comes off more sci-fi and comic-booky than the rest of the story, although in general the story does a great job being grounded in our present political and technological settings (for example, the emphasis on the Daily Planet's website, rather than the traditional print edition).
This book also reclaims and redeems the character of Lois Lane, so shamefully depicted in Smallville. This Lois is brave and relatable and brash and intelligent -- a true female role model. Birthright's Lex Luthor is also a departure from Smallville's version; rather than being a suave, inquisitive billionaire playboy, Birthright's Lex is a genius astrobiologist and social outcast. I don't really love him, but at least he's multidimensional....less
bookshelves:
all-dc
recommends it for:
Anyone and Everyone
There's just something about Superman... I remember this to be the first Superman Graphic Novel that I've ever read. We've all heard that Superman stands for Truth, Justice, and the American Way. But why? Is he Kal El, Clark Kent, or Superman? Who is this guy? What's happened to him? Who does he see himself as? That's what this story tells readers. From being rocketed off from Krypton, to being raised in Smallville, to his debut at the Daily Planet, the story is all told within the pages of Supe...more
There's just something about Superman... I remember this to be the first Superman Graphic Novel that I've ever read. We've all heard that Superman stands for Truth, Justice, and the American Way. But why? Is he Kal El, Clark Kent, or Superman? Who is this guy? What's happened to him? Who does he see himself as? That's what this story tells readers. From being rocketed off from Krypton, to being raised in Smallville, to his debut at the Daily Planet, the story is all told within the pages of Superman: Birthright. An outstanding read.
BTW, the Kyptonian Gibberish was also very good too....less
I wasn't expecting much -- it's (yet another) retelling of the Superman legend, this time focusing on the post-Smallville, early "Daily Planet" years. What surprised me is how the author turned this very familiar and by now somewhat tiresome tale into a genuine page-turner. This is the sort of book that is so well-written and compelling that, for a moment, you almost believe that Superman might lose at the end. Of course he doesn't, but kudos to the author for turning this into much...more
I wasn't expecting much -- it's (yet another) retelling of the Superman legend, this time focusing on the post-Smallville, early "Daily Planet" years. What surprised me is how the author turned this very familiar and by now somewhat tiresome tale into a genuine page-turner. This is the sort of book that is so well-written and compelling that, for a moment, you almost believe that Superman might lose at the end. Of course he doesn't, but kudos to the author for turning this into much more than a series of panels showing bullets bouncing off Superman's chest. Thumbs up....less
bookshelves:
comics,
friendrec
Read in May, 2007
A must-read if you're a Superman fan. Really interesting especially in the context of all the Superman stuff out there today (Smallville, Superman movies, etc). Re-envisions Superman growing up in today's world. Artwork is fantastic and brings weight to the story.
bookshelves:
comic-graphicnovels
Read in May, 2006
recommends it for:
Superman fans
I was not a Superman fan. A friend of mine recommended this novel and I glad he did. It provides a "new" story of Superman's origin. The interesting concept is that Clark Kent is not learning how to be Superman BUT Superman is learning how to be Kent.
bookshelves:
comics,
fantasy
best superman origin story i've yet read. the art is amazing, the story is almost flawless.
absolute fun re-imagining of supermans origin
book data (includes all editions)
avg rating
(all editions):
4.02 (98 ratings)
avg rating
(this edition): 4.01
(93 ratings)
number of reviews: 8
other editions
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Superman: Birthright (Hardcover)
isbn: 1401202519
