September: Superman: Secret Identity

[Lu, Rarity Fan]

The month of September, we will be reading Superman: Secret Identity! Here you can post if you are enjoying it etc.

Remember to use the spoiler tag when talking about major spoilers!

[Mike, The Moderator in the Darkness]

"A story that takes the concept of the secret identity and uses it as a metaphor for our own inner selves, the part of us that most of the world doesn't get to see, that we share with few others across a lifetime." - Kurt Busiek's own description from the forward.

A brilliantly off-beat alternate take on Superman. Clark Kent is a normal teenager who has read Superman comics along with the rest of us and has had a childhood of ridicule and pranks thanks to his parents sense of humor. But when it the absurd becomes Clark's reality, how will it affect his life and those he cares about?

I loved this from start to finish, despite not being a big Superman fan in general. Busiek has a great talent for humanizing characters and telling engaging, relatable stories (his work on Astro City is another great example of this). Immonen's art is a perfect compliment.

Full review.

[Ronyell]

I just recently read this comic and I loved it! I loved the way that Kurt Busiek explored Clark's issues with being compared to the real Superman (this is an alternative universe of sorts) and how he tries to deal with his powers while growing up. I really loved Stuart Immonen's artwork as it was so beautiful and really captured the beauty of this story!

[Mike, The Moderator in the Darkness]

Clark dealing with his powers was also a highlight for me. Busiek did a wonderful job at each point in his life of exploring how difficult things were for Clark.

Chapter 1 - (view spoiler)[I loved the moment when Clark decided he had to play weak in order to protect himself and others and let himself look foolish by dropping the beam. Great show of selflessness. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 2 - (view spoiler)[You really felt the weight of Clark wondering whether it was right to share his secret with Lois and possibly endanger her. It made the moment when he did all the more poignant and sweet. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 3 - (view spoiler)[ Clark's dilemma of dealing with the government and the extra urgency of it all as he prepares for fatherhood was powerful stuff. And his solution brilliant. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 4 - (view spoiler)[ I adored the interplay with Clark and Lois and their daughters. The conflict of Clark wanting to respect their privacy while being consumed by curiosity and worry was fantastically done. (hide spoiler)]

[Lu, Rarity Fan]

I plan on getting to this asap the moment my thesis is handed in :)

[Ronyell]

Lu (Sugar & Snark) wrote: "I plan on getting to this asap the moment my thesis is handed in :)"

It's a great story! I hope you enjoy it!