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I Hate Superman!
Based on the storyline of the popular DC Comics superhero, a colorful original adventure follows the Man of Steel's confrontation with a child who has lost faith in him. By the author of Doomsday & Beyond.
31 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1996
About the author
Louise Simonson
975 books104 followersLouise Simonson (born Mary Louise Alexander and formerly credited as Louise Jones, when married to artist Jeff Jones) is an American comic book writer and editor. She is best known for her work on comic book titles such as Power Pack, X-Factor, New Mutants, Superman, and Steel. She is sometimes referred to by the nickname "Weezie".
Since 1980 she is married to comic book writer and artist Walter Simonson
Since 1980 she is married to comic book writer and artist Walter Simonson
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 20, 2017
The Short of It: A solid picture book made even better by little details.
James loves Superman. James also loves his big brother, Mike. But then Mike starts hanging out with the "wrong crowd". When an attempted robbery results in Superman putting mike in jail, James is furious. He blames himself, and hates Superman for what he did to Mike. Can James find a way to move on before doing anything drastic? Will Superman help him to understand what he's feeling? You bet your sweet bippy he does!
I love I Hate Superman because it sugarcoats nothing. Mike broke the law, so he HAS to go to jail. At the same time, this book doesn't take the easy way out, just re-enforcing what's "good" and what's "bad" in our society. Even though James knows that Mike broke the law and should go to jail, he's still upset that Superman did it, still upset that it has to happen at all. How do you explain those things to a kid? There's no easy answer.
But there is a pretty good answer. As you would expect, Superman not only stops crime, he helps James understand his emotions, and though the damage has been done, in time, everybody heals. It's beautifully and simply told, and knowing that this book was written and illustrated by DC comics people, well . . . I'm not surprised it's so good.
Plus, there's the little touches, as I mentioned above. Mike apparently subscribes to such magazines as "Rag Mag" and "Rock 'n Roll Times", and on his wall he's got a poster of a saxophonist that reads, "Nobody". Goofy, but I dig that it's there. Those things could have been scribbles, otherwise.
I loved this book as a kid and I'm so glad it holds up. Give it a read sometime. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to finish reading the latest issue of Rag Mag.
James loves Superman. James also loves his big brother, Mike. But then Mike starts hanging out with the "wrong crowd". When an attempted robbery results in Superman putting mike in jail, James is furious. He blames himself, and hates Superman for what he did to Mike. Can James find a way to move on before doing anything drastic? Will Superman help him to understand what he's feeling? You bet your sweet bippy he does!
I love I Hate Superman because it sugarcoats nothing. Mike broke the law, so he HAS to go to jail. At the same time, this book doesn't take the easy way out, just re-enforcing what's "good" and what's "bad" in our society. Even though James knows that Mike broke the law and should go to jail, he's still upset that Superman did it, still upset that it has to happen at all. How do you explain those things to a kid? There's no easy answer.
But there is a pretty good answer. As you would expect, Superman not only stops crime, he helps James understand his emotions, and though the damage has been done, in time, everybody heals. It's beautifully and simply told, and knowing that this book was written and illustrated by DC comics people, well . . . I'm not surprised it's so good.
Plus, there's the little touches, as I mentioned above. Mike apparently subscribes to such magazines as "Rag Mag" and "Rock 'n Roll Times", and on his wall he's got a poster of a saxophonist that reads, "Nobody". Goofy, but I dig that it's there. Those things could have been scribbles, otherwise.
I loved this book as a kid and I'm so glad it holds up. Give it a read sometime. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to finish reading the latest issue of Rag Mag.
June 18, 2017
Poorly written and poorly executed to the point of being just plain weird.
A prime example of why Superhero icons should not appear in kid's books. Young boy loves Superman and his older brother. When older brother falls in with the stereotypical 'bad crowd' younger brother doesn't like it. Younger brother sees the friendly neighborhood cornershop being robbed he flags down Superman to come to the rescue -- not knowing older brother and 'the wrong crowd' are responsible for the robbery.
Sup turns them all in, they all go to jail, younger brother gets treated like a snitch at school, and as a result, decides he hates Superman. Sup talks with the kid, explains the law and how Good People Can Make Bad Choices (but that doesn't make them bad people) and all is fine again.
A few pages into this book I had to make sure it wasn't (a) self-published and (b) was actually approved by DC Comics. They wanted 25¢ for this in the used book store. They might have persuaded me to take it off their hands for $25.
(Really. It was that bad.)
A prime example of why Superhero icons should not appear in kid's books. Young boy loves Superman and his older brother. When older brother falls in with the stereotypical 'bad crowd' younger brother doesn't like it. Younger brother sees the friendly neighborhood cornershop being robbed he flags down Superman to come to the rescue -- not knowing older brother and 'the wrong crowd' are responsible for the robbery.
Sup turns them all in, they all go to jail, younger brother gets treated like a snitch at school, and as a result, decides he hates Superman. Sup talks with the kid, explains the law and how Good People Can Make Bad Choices (but that doesn't make them bad people) and all is fine again.
A few pages into this book I had to make sure it wasn't (a) self-published and (b) was actually approved by DC Comics. They wanted 25¢ for this in the used book store. They might have persuaded me to take it off their hands for $25.
(Really. It was that bad.)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews