Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #52859 in Books
• Published on: 1991-09-01
• Released on: 1991-09-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 152 pages

Ingram
This is the bestselling book that reestablished Superman as the world's foremost superhero! Relive the legend of Superman, from the doomed world of Krypton to his first encounters with archenemy Lex Luthor, ally Batman, and fellow reporter Lois Lane.

Customer Reviews

The Iron Age.
There was the Golden Age, the Silver Age, the Broze Age, and then there was the Iron Age, possibly the most ill-concieved era in Superman's history. What Byrne essentially did with mos was strip all the awe, wonder, and grandeur of the character away and replace it with the mundane, ordinary, dull, and just plain repugnant.

First of all, the idea that Superman rose from hell rather than fell from heaven. Preposterous. Byrne intentionally created a Krypton that "deserved to blow up," creating a cold and sterile planet that has about as much charm as a pair of rubber gloves.

Secondly, there was the thing about making Clark a jock, which completely took away the audiences ability to relate to the character. Plus, the whole point when Siegel & Shuster created his dual identity was to show that within every meek and mild-mannered individual, there was, indeed, a Superman. Now, there was absolutely no difference between his personalities at all, making the character as bland as can be.

Thirdly, his depiction of Lois Lane doesn't exactly paint her in the best of lights. She comes off as a small and petty uber-witch who's only really attracted to men with a significant amount of power, either financial or physical.

Then there's Lex, who's reduced to a second-rate Kingpin wannabe, possessing not an ounce of the charm that the pre-Crisis Lex had and is a mere fraction of the threat.

As for Lana Lang, Clark's childhood sweetheart, Byrne writes her as a somewhat pathetic stalker, unable to move on with her life after Clark reveals his secret to her as teenagers.

And finally, possibly the worst line in comic book history appears at the end of this TPB. Contemplating his place in the world after discovering his Ktyptonian heritage, "Superman" utters something to the effect that while it's Krypton that makes him Superman, it's Earth that makes him human, completely disregarding his planet of origin. A true slap in the face to the Superman mythos.

My suggestion is this: if you want a tale about Superman's early years and origins on how he truly became the DCU's greatest super hero, pick up either the upcoming BIRTHRIGHT hardcover by Mark Waid or even Alan Moore's SUPREME. Don't let the title fool ya, despite it's SUPREME moniker, Alan Moore tells what has to be the best Superman tale of the '90s.

A more modern Superman origin, but Byrne's not at his best.
When Superman was first introduced, the primary electronic entertainment medium was radio. A lot's changed, and Superman has remained the same. Based on the introduction by Dick Giordano and John Byrne, the objective of this title is to polish the Superman mythology a bit - not rewriting anything, just making it more comparable to modern comic book story telling.

I bought this book with very little knowledge of the subject matter, and almost solely because I'm a big fan of Byrne's artwork. My hope was that I'd be able to provide my sons with a decent introduction to Superman when they're old enough to be interested. I was pleasantly surprised that the book starts at the very beginning, on Krypton and progresses through Superman's first meeting with Batman. It was like starting from scratch.

The stories are very basic, but they do convey who the key players in the Superman story are, and a deeper sense of what their relationships are. That said, I was underwhelmed by Byrne's work on this title. It really didn't compare to his work on X-men or the Fantastic Four. I suspect that the gritty, raw quality of the art is intentional, given the history of the character and the subject matter. And really, I know it's a small thing, but did Lois Lane absolutely have to wear that dress with the plunging neckline?!? It seemed pretty out-of-place in a set of tales that are otherwise completely innocent by today's standards.

he's just so..superman, it's great
the past few years superman has been written so poorly, the art has tried to make him more manga or just trying weird styles, people have written superman as everything but superman.

but in this book from 1986 we see superman, simple yet oh so effective, we believe he is superman, you see the man in the superman, the man who loves his parents, they love ihim, a lois who is strong but not the annoying lois we so a lot today.

superman was bogged down by being overpowerful, too alien and not very human, then Byrne come along and give us the human superman, the man who was clark kent first and superman second.

sadly dc comics is changing it back with a superman who is more wrapped up in being an alien, his father is not helping his son create a costume but becoming upset over it.

so if you want the great superman, get this and leave the newest books alone, and i assume the birthright story will become a trade soon, if you see it leave it be and let this be the only origin of supermans you read.