Customer Reviews

Superman: Exile

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

SUPERMAN: EXILE is a worthwhile read for any kind of Superman fan. Both pre- and post-Crisis aficionados will find something to like in this story. And hey, it occurs prior to Superman's exaggerated death, so that's a plus either way you look at it. Collected here are SUPERMAN (second series) #28-30, #32-33, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #451-456, ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #2, and ACTION COMICS #643 (all from 1988-89)... a good chunk of reading that will keep you busy. Almost 300 pages for only fifteen bucks is an anomaly in today's overpriced trade paperback market. The creators list consists of writers George Perez, Dan Jurgens, and Jerry Ordway, and artists Curt Swan, Mike Mignola, Kerry Gammill, and others.

The story itself is epic in scope, following the post-Crisis Superman on his adventures in deep space. But wait, why is the Man of Steel not back on Earth, protecting us from threats domestic and alien? Simple: he is wracked with grief over his recent action of taking the lives of 3 homicidal Kryptonian criminals who escaped from the Phantom Zone. Now, I'll admit this premise is pretty flimsy, even for Superman - on one hand, you have a code that says you won't take a life, but on the other, you have 3 individuals, each possessing your full power, who want nothing more than to plunder your adopted world and kill every last living thing on the planet... I wouldn't lose any sleep over that decision, but then I guess that's what makes Superman better than me, right? Anyway, deciding he is a potential threat to the people of Earth, Supes exiles himself to wander space on something of a "hero's journey". If you've read any Joseph Campbell, you can probably figure out the basic structure of the story from here, but even though the plot is fairly predictable, the adventures themselves are good reading, with a bit of real weirdness here and there. Interestingly, even though our hero is in space for the majority of this book, there's still some crazy stuff occuring in Metropolis, and equal time is given to the supporting cast on Earth, so you get regular diversions from Superman's adventures. Add to this the first appearances of both Mongul and the Eradicator, and you've got some good solid reading that is a worthy addition to your Superman library. The only real negative comment I can make is that the ending loses steam and is fairly routine, especially after the rapid-fire "what next?" style present in the earlier stories. But that's a minor complaint, as I don't plan on getting rid of this book.

Superman: Exile is the story of Superman's grief after the first time he ever had to kill anyone. He has decided that the only way Earth can remain safe is for him to leave, so he dons a gasmask and portable teleportation unit and disappears into deep space. Features the first appearance of the Eradicator, Mongul, and War Planet. I really liked the Exile story-line, and I've re-read it at least once. I would highly recommend it to any Superman fan.

I don't typically like Superman stories, try as I might. But this one isn't hard to enjoy.

It's not often you get to see Superman hitting bottom, and the creators really pulled it off nicely. The first half of this book details his slide into despair and self-destruction, and really says a great deal about loss. We can't always live up to the unrealistically high ideals we tend to promote.

This story proves that Superman has a great deal of humanity, more than most other superheroes out there. It's always a good thing to see heroes fail, because it's their reaction that defines who they really are.

Superman can be so much more than the boy scout as this story demonstrates.

The book is really 3-4 stories in one; it is back from a time when a comic took more than 5 minutes to read. It will take you sometime to get through this, and in this case that's a good thing.

Exile is great - any Superman fan should try it out - I thoroughly enjoyed it! Superman takes a self-imposed journey into space, leaving Earth for awhile. He deals with an inner conflict (what if Superman kills his enemies?) and has several other adventures along the way involving aliens, early Kryptonian history and the Eradicator device, and Warworld. What I really liked about the story was the variety and also the satisfying conclusion.

Of course the artwork is not the rich computer-colored style that we see nowdays. This is more of the late 80's look. But Superman is strong, heroic, deals with an inner conflict for a short time, and just in a word, is CLASSIC. Loved it! It goes up there among my favorites, definitely to be re-read again and again.

If you missed out on some of the DC universe changes, this is a must read.
It is very entertaining and gets you on the way to the current DC status.

I had always been a Superman fan as long back as I can remember. However, when "Superman" took the lives of three Zone criminals, I knew I was looking at an imposter. The Superman I grew up with would have never done such a deed. He would have returned them to the Zone and just dealt with it if they escaped again. Also if the real Superman had been forced to do likewise, in breaking his code, he would have exposed himself to Gold Kryptonite erasing his powers and ending his career.