Superman: Kryptonite (Superman: Confidental, Book 1) [Hardcover]

Darwyn Cooke (Author), Tim Sale (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 23, 2008

The unforgettable story of Superman's first encounter with Kryptonite, the radioactive chunks of his home planet which can kill him, and shows how it changed his life forever written by Darwyn Cooke (DC: THE NEW FRONTIER, THE SPIRIT) with art be Tim Sale (Heroes, BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN).

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The gang of soul-settlers intrepidly led by Kuro Karatsu confronts the scariest foe yet: competition! First, they devolve to doing contract work for a rural postal station that, in an effort to deal with the expenses of privatization, decides to open up its services to include carrying out the final wishes of suicides. Then the corpse service runs into the mysterious Shirosagi Corpse Cleaning Service, which may hold the key to why a ghost is haunting Karatsu. As always, the Kurosagi service delivers hilarity, provided one can stomach the accompanying gore. Otsuka and Yamazaki’s creation continues to be a great send-up of Japanese horror. --Tina Coleman

About the Author

Darwyn Cooke is best known for his Eisner award-winning DC: The New Frontier, and for his revision of Catwoman in The Dark End of the Street. His latest project is adapting Richard Stark's Parker novels to comics form. Tim Sale's comics work includes Batman: The Long Hallowe'en, Superman For All Seasons and Catwoman: When in Rome. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (September 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401214649
• ISBN-13: 978-1401214647
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.5 x 10.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,410,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shades of For All Seasons, October 14, 2008

By 

Jon Repesh (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Superman: Kryptonite (Superman: Confidental, Book 1) (Hardcover)

There are two primary elements to the enjoyment of any novel; the caliber of the writing itself, and obviously the plot. Some stories are stronger in one area than the other, with an exceptional effort by one component having the ability to offset the deficiencies of its shameful counterpart. This trade is a good example of exactly that. Darwyn Cooke's artistic acumen at conceiving engaging dialogue and vivid characterizations clearly compensates for the shortcomings and flimsiness confined within the plot, specifically the rather curious and confounding conclusion. This is a literary equivalent of the means justifying the end, or a case of enjoying the journey despite its eventual dubious and disappointing denouement. Cooke especially shines during his contrasting of Superman's initial inner fears over his own mortality versus his eventual peaceful acceptance and contentment with his emerging humanity. One relevant point worth mentioning is the book's titular focus on kryptonite, which is a bit misleading, considering it only plays a minor role in the grand scheme of things. What would have been especially intriguing was its' early apparent impression of sentient kryptonite. This however was not the direction explored, and how this eventually plays out remains to be read, since further discussion would only reveal major spoilers. On the artistic side, Tim Sale's illustrations continue to have their usual merits and blemishes. His Lois Lane is undeniably gorgeous and quite a woman, a magnificent mirror image of his Selina Kyle from When in Rome. However his pudgy, adolescent aged Clark Kent more befits a hulking Nebraska Cornhusker lineman than a lithe, swift Superman, but this is admittedly splitting hairs. So despite its somewhat unsatisfying ending, Cooke and Sale superbly deliver an enjoyable and charming update on the early, more innocent days of the man of steel.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Life-Changing Lesson On Mortality, September 9, 2010

By 

Tainted-Cell - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Superman: Kryptonite (Paperback)

When I put this down, I thought to myself: "Tim Sale and Darwyn Cooke make a great team". It isn't just the artwork, but the bright and rich environment that is as wholesome as it is deceiving. It's so brilliantly constructed that your natural reaction as a reader is to reject the grim bits of violence you encounter, something I actually enjoy being tricked into doing.
There are hints of both "For All Seasons" and "The New Frontier" strung along... for the former it only makes sense as this more of the first quarter of Superman's sophomoric stage, and the latter introduces a presence far less sinister than New Frontier's "The Centre", but still we have the concept of a quiet alien entity watching over humans, waiting for the time to act. When it states its name, it is a bit of a disappointment. I was actually hoping for another green alien whose name starts with "Br", but this is meant to be a creation exclusive to the "Confidential" series.
The story itself deals with Superman's attachment to his adopted humanity, and by that extension, his questionable mortality. As other reviewers have said, it pushes thoughts not usually explored in the patterns of random, routine, and reflection: the fear that comes with the discovery that Superman is invulnerable to extreme cold and heat, the feelings of dread and terror after his first kryptonite-assisted beating, and then the relief that Superman feels when he realizes he is a mortal after-all - just like his Ma and Pa.
I love the artwork. I love the simplicity of the story. And I love that it's on my shelf.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Story and Art, November 30, 2009

By 

Mel Odom (Moore, OK USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Superman: Kryptonite (Paperback)

Darwyn Cooke has a knack for getting back to the early days of iconic superheroes. He's done runs on Batman, Catwoman, and the whole DC Universe. In New Frontier, he was so successful recreating the superheroes of yesteryear that the graphic novels were turned into a made for DVD movie that became highly successful.

In Superman: Kryptonite, Cooke manages to write about Superman's first encounter with the dreaded meteorites from his exploded home planet, and to find a way to get Superman in touch with his Kryptonian heritage for the first time. I thought the story was well done and presented a number of surprises in a story that everyone thought they already knew.

I was somewhat dismayed by the fact that Cooke didn't draw this one. It took me a little while to get used to his artwork, but now I'm a fan. His artwork is more cartoony and exaggerated than I normally like because I was a big Neal Adams fan while growing up. But Cooke brings a lot of energy and edginess to his illustrations.

Tim Sale drew the pages, and his artwork underscored the simple yet involved story Cooke recounted. I liked the way the pages were broken down into panels, though I don't know if that was Cooke or Sale's presentation. The brightness of the colors on the pages, the heroic stances, the clear definitions between good and evil really too me back to my younger days when I'd spend hours reading comics and imagining what it would be like to have super powers and a secret identity.

Superman's relationship with Lois Lane during the early years after they met is shown really well in this story. I liked the feel of the old school relationship while couched in a world filled with computers and cell phones. Jimmy Olsen has a newsboy look about him that doesn't fit in today's world, but he's got a violent and street smart streak through him that was fascinating to watch in action.

I also really enjoyed the way Superman didn't know his own limitations, and the way he wondered if each increasingly dangerous encounter he had would be the one that seriously injured him or killed him. I hadn't really thought about that before. In other comics I'd only been exposed to the idea of Superman getting hurt by magic, by equally tough villains, or while under a red sun. Seeing this worry reflected in the pages of this book was interesting.

The way Superman talked to his parents was amazing. I liked the way Jonathan told Clark to never mention his fear or his pain to Martha because she wouldn't be able to take it. And then Martha got onto Clark for listening to his father. It was touching and comical at the same time, and at the heart of the way Cooke understands characters.

If you haven't read this one, you owe it to yourself to pick it up. Cooke and Superman both shine in this graphic novel.