Coming of age in rural 1930s America with X-ray vision, the power to stop bullets, and the ability to fly isn’t exactly every boy’s story. So just how did Clark Kent, a shy farmer’s son, grow up to be the Man of Steel? Follow young Clark’s whirlwind journey from Kansas to New York City’s Daily Planet–by way Hollywood. This ace reporter is not the only person leading a double life in a teeming metropolis, just the only one able to leap tall buildings in a single bound–a skill that comes in handy when battling powerful criminal masterminds like scheming Lex Luthor and fascist robots. But can Clark’s Midwestern charm save the day and win the heart of stunning, seen-it-all newspaperwoman Lois Lane? Or is it a job for Superman? Look deep into the soul of a pop-culture legend brilliantly reimagined in this novel, which is as inventive and thrilling as it is touching and wise.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Praise for Tom De Haven’s It’s Superman!
“Delightful…It’s Superman! fills in the early years of its hero with energy and imagination…De Haven’s cartoon world will entertain readers for a long time to come.”
-- The New York Times Book Review
“De Haven lets it all unfold with melodramatic relish, reviving the pulp noir of vintage comic books and Saturday morning serials… With cheeky aplomb, luscious period details, and a generous affection for his characters, De Haven accomplishes his own kind of superhuman feat -- he leaps above cliches in a single bound and fashions a stylish, rollicking good yarn from the legend of the Man of Steel.” — The Boston Globe
“It's Superman! is textured with authentic faces, places, and attitudes.” — Entertainment Weekly
“Sometimes even icons have to grow up.” — The Onion
“Funny, poignant and exciting… my favorite book of the year.” — Rocky Mountain News
“A smashing read that offers a comic book's stripped-down, telegraphic storytelling quality as well as a novel's more sustained narrative momentum… an impressive achievement, indeed.” — Richmond Times-Dispatch
“It's Superman!... and it's terrific.” — Palm Beach Post
“A must for all superman fans.” — The Philadelphia Weekly News
“De Haven's novel shows that, nearly 70 years after his creation, the Man of Steel still has plenty to offer.” — Booklist
“It's Superman! is not the first Superman prose novel . . .but it's the first great one, transforming Superman -- icon of comics, film, animation, and television -- into a literary icon as well.” — Montreal Gazette
“Great fun… [De Haven] presents the man of steel as a sullen Depression-era teen, a bad WII-era reporter and as ambivalent about his super powers throughout, all with a kind of knowing that reflects a deep immersion in pulp.” — Publishers Weekly
“De Haven does a fantastic job of capturing the iconic feel of the Golden Age Superman while still leaving a human, complex Clark Kent the reader can hold on to. Check it out. You'll believe a man can fly.” — The Backwards City Review
“…Easily one of 2005's top discoveries…exciting enough to merit its title's exclamation point.” — Bookgasm
“A joy to read.” — Comic World News
“While the book is about Superman, De Haven's skill actually makes it about everyone of us… Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Lex Luther, New York City and America are constantly having to meet the demands of the world around them. De Haven has made them all seem perfectly human. We could be anyone of them. In some cases, we are.” — The Scoop
“What fun! In the heart of winter, a cracking good, fast-reading beach book and more. More than just a story of humor and action, It's Superman is a tender, bittersweet tale of a young man who wants to do good, but is not quite sure how, and who is tormented by not being able to help everyone who needs him.” — Utah Daily Herald
“This is one of the best novels I’ve read all year. The plot (a braid of a few intertwined storylines) moves like a locomotive; you can almost smell the movie popcorn and feel the salt on your fingers as you turn the pages. If the Superman story had never existed before, this would be it.” -- Manchester New Hampshire Hippo
“[An] imaginative, hugely entertaining account of Clark Kent’s formative years. . . Later this year, Bryan Singer . . . unveils the movie “Superman Returns.” Its stiffest competition, however, won’t be from the big screen. It will be from the boundless realm of the imagination, where really cool reads like It’s Superman! fly.” — Virginian-Pilot
“Delightful…It’s Superman! fills in the early years of its hero with energy and imagination…De Haven’s cartoon world will entertain readers for a long time to come.”
-- The New York Times Book Review
“De Haven lets it all unfold with melodramatic relish, reviving the pulp noir of vintage comic books and Saturday morning serials… With cheeky aplomb, luscious period details, and a generous affection for his characters, De Haven accomplishes his own kind of superhuman feat -- he leaps above cliches in a single bound and fashions a stylish, rollicking good yarn from the legend of the Man of Steel.” — The Boston Globe
“It's Superman! is textured with authentic faces, places, and attitudes.” — Entertainment Weekly
“Sometimes even icons have to grow up.” — The Onion
“Funny, poignant and exciting… my favorite book of the year.” — Rocky Mountain News
“A smashing read that offers a comic book's stripped-down, telegraphic storytelling quality as well as a novel's more sustained narrative momentum… an impressive achievement, indeed.” — Richmond Times-Dispatch
“It's Superman!... and it's terrific.” — Palm Beach Post
“A must for all superman fans.” — The Philadelphia Weekly News
“De Haven's novel shows that, nearly 70 years after his creation, the Man of Steel still has plenty to offer.” — Booklist
“It's Superman! is not the first Superman prose novel . . .but it's the first great one, transforming Superman -- icon of comics, film, animation, and television -- into a literary icon as well.” — Montreal Gazette
“Great fun… [De Haven] presents the man of steel as a sullen Depression-era teen, a bad WII-era reporter and as ambivalent about his super powers throughout, all with a kind of knowing that reflects a deep immersion in pulp.” — Publishers Weekly
“De Haven does a fantastic job of capturing the iconic feel of the Golden Age Superman while still leaving a human, complex Clark Kent the reader can hold on to. Check it out. You'll believe a man can fly.” — The Backwards City Review
“…Easily one of 2005's top discoveries…exciting enough to merit its title's exclamation point.” — Bookgasm
“A joy to read.” — Comic World News
“While the book is about Superman, De Haven's skill actually makes it about everyone of us… Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Lex Luther, New York City and America are constantly having to meet the demands of the world around them. De Haven has made them all seem perfectly human. We could be anyone of them. In some cases, we are.” — The Scoop
“What fun! In the heart of winter, a cracking good, fast-reading beach book and more. More than just a story of humor and action, It's Superman is a tender, bittersweet tale of a young man who wants to do good, but is not quite sure how, and who is tormented by not being able to help everyone who needs him.” — Utah Daily Herald
“This is one of the best novels I’ve read all year. The plot (a braid of a few intertwined storylines) moves like a locomotive; you can almost smell the movie popcorn and feel the salt on your fingers as you turn the pages. If the Superman story had never existed before, this would be it.” -- Manchester New Hampshire Hippo
“[An] imaginative, hugely entertaining account of Clark Kent’s formative years. . . Later this year, Bryan Singer . . . unveils the movie “Superman Returns.” Its stiffest competition, however, won’t be from the big screen. It will be from the boundless realm of the imagination, where really cool reads like It’s Superman! fly.” — Virginian-Pilot
About the Author
Tom De Haven is the author of eight novels, including the Derby Dugan trilogy, and the nonfiction book Our Hero: Superman on Earth. A frequent contributor to The New York Times, he lives in Virginia, where he teaches creative writing at Virginia Commonwealth University.
From the Paperback edition.
From the Paperback edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Way to Tell a Superman Story,
By William Hermann "Willy" (Cambridge) - See all my reviews
This review is from: It's Superman!: A Novel (Paperback)
This is what a Superman story should be. Strip away the "perfect," noble figure and show the true Kal-el: someone born with great power who gradually assumes responsibility for humanity. The greatest contribution to this story is placing Supes back in the era from whence he came. The 1930s were tumultuous, fear ridden, and filled with people looking for a savior. Is it any wonder Superman came about in that time.
If you like this, then you'll love "Proxies of Fate," another novel about superheroes in the 1930s.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Original yet familiar,
This review is from: It's Superman!: A Novel (Paperback)
Superhero origins are told and re-told countless times, evolving to fit different eras, ideals, and various target audiences. Unlike the constant revision and re-imagining that heroes go through throughout the decades, this book returned to Superman's true origins in the 1930s.
Instead of meeting Clark as a young adult preparing to try and make it in Metropolis (with a quick montage scene, a few flashbacks and anxious recollections to provide the foundation for the future Man of Steel, Tom De Haven created an entire universe in which we would meet Clark and see him evolve from a simple country boy into the famous Son of Krypton. Clark's journey to Metropolis (New York City in this universe, something that hearkens back to the real-world inspiration for the comic book city) takes several years. We see events across the nation that will eventually affect Clark and push him to deciding to use his powers to try and help his fellow humans (as he views himself). This book felt very real and created a world where Lex Luthor's actions are truly taken seriously, where the characters are real, and the events and devices in the book are ones you could image in the real world. Rather than using the brush of suspended disbelief throughout, De Haven created a world where the events could have evolved in our own world. The Superman at the end of the book is not the invincible figure so well established in our understanding. Instead, he is a young man who has taken on a huge burden and is determined to measure up to it, leaving room for future development as he comes into his own and officially becomes the Last Son of Krypton. I loved this book. Its 1930's feel combined with the complex (but not overwhelming) plot made this a book I couldn't put down. I would love to see more books like this for other classic DC superheros such as the Batman, the Flash, Wonder Woman, and Hal Jordan's Green Lantern. And of course, a sequel to this work would also be very welcome!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is Superman,
By
This review is from: It's Superman!: A Novel (Paperback)
Words can't do this book justice-- amazingly well-written, with an emotional punch lurking in the final chapters that'll hit you like a sack of bricks. This is by no means a novel only meant for Superman-- any reader who enjoys reading about the 1930s, New York, and what it means to be both powerful and hopeless at the same time, needs to read this novel.
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