Customer Reviews

Superman

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Let me start by saying that I have never and will probably never read Superman comics. I don't really like Superman as a character that much. Why did I pick this up? I read Busiek's Astro City and enjoyed the human drama approach to his writing in "the tarnished Angel". I see this as somewhat similar in story telling approach. There is a definite melancholy to his writing in Superman SI, but it's not depressing. He talks about mortality, identity, our inherent weaknesses and how this conflicts with our desire to do good. If one needed a movie equivalent I guess you could say it's in the same vein as the Shawshank redemption in tone. The story's greatest strength I believe is it's ability to convey something that we comic book readers have always wanted/day dreamed about/wished for: super powers. What would it be like if suddenly we had super powers like that of Superman? How would we use them? What would happen to us? Unlike many superhero stories, this is grounded in our real world. Not Gotham or Metropolis. And as such we get to see what might happen in the case of powers suddenly thrusted upon us. It's detailed story telling with an emphasis on minutiae that ultimately do make a difference. there isn't a lot of action, so beware if you are expecting a rock 'em, sock 'em Superman. But, I found myself unable to put the book down. And although (as i said before) there is a certain elegy to the story, it's beautifully written and quite uplifting. One of the best "in the life and times of" stories I have ever read. And the artwork is excellent and well suited to the tone of the book.

I just want to say that this is the best graphic novel I've read to date. As stated in the book's excellent intro, it is simply a collection of "stories" rather than a "series" that focuses on more of the reality of being Superman rather than the powers. There are no battles with super villans or anything you're normally used to, however, the book is so good and so well paced that the normalities you may be used to are not even missed. As a matter of fact, it's this aspect that contributes to the masterpiece it is. I usually read through other comics very quickly, one after the other. After reading this one, I just want to sit back and take it in. It truly is that good and deserves to be up there with the best of them. This one is a must have. Own it.

This is basically a stand alone story that has no ties whatsoever to the DC Universe or any other superheoes for that matter. It is basically a story of an unfortunate young man in real life who is comically named Clark Kent. He later on discovers that not only does he share the comic book character's name but that he also has superpowers. The story follows Clark from his high school years and concludes with him growing old. The end result is you have a very moving and poignant story. A lot of credit muct be given to the writer Kurt Busiek who writes the entire story from the POV of Clark Kent and writes it in real-time. He manages to draw the readers into his direction of story-telling, so that you eventually stop caring and questioning the whos and whys of Clark's powers. And instead of being concerned with the past, you are eager to follow Clark Kent into the future. This is a surprisingly good story that has nothing to do with Superman and would have worked just as well with anyone names Frogman, Garbageman etc. But naming him Superman, just gives you a hint of familiarity. Do youself a favor and pick this up.

Simply put, SECRET IDENTITY may be the best comic offering ... ever. In a time when writing seems to take a back seat to flashy art, Kurt Busiek remains the readers' best amigo. Rarely have I finished a comic and had a big smile on my face, or found myself nodding in agreement and happiness. S.I. did both for me. In this unique imagining of the Superman mythos, Busiek and artist Immonen place *story* way ahead of flashy action or villains. This world has no heroes, no villains. A young lad, who happens to be named Clark Kent, endures the childish taunts of his peers because he shares the moniker of a popular comicbook hero. Funny then, that, Clark eventually discovers he *has* superpowers!

Of course, a flying do-gooder causes our government to be suspicious, and they try to nab "Supes." And this Supes is *scared.* He just wants to live as normal life as possible (with the big exception of occasionally saving people from major disasters!). He eventually makes a "deal" with the covert side of our gov., gets a girlfriend, then gets married, then has twin daughters. Busiek's storytelling soars (pardon the pun) as you genuinely feel what Clark (and wife Lois) are going through.

I'm not even a big DC fan, but with anything Busiek gets his hands on, I, or anyone else, doesn't have to be. Just savor every written word, and in this case, Immonen's phenom pencils and inks. It's worth every penny.

Who else but Kurt Busiek can take a character as iconic, as immortal, as familiar as Superman and turn into a literary character that is fresh, new and entirely relevant and fascinating today? After all, Kurt had long ago made it his main interest to study the different relationships so-called "super-heroes" could have with the real world and with real people, in his Astro City series and in his timeless masterpiece Marvels, and while other great authors, such as Alan Moore, Frank Miller and Grant Morrison, who toyed with these ideas in the late 80's when they were still trendy, moved on to explore new areas the graphic novel medium could be applied to, he is still fascinated with a genre that is as old as the medium itself, and keeps finding ways to make it new and fresh. It's only natural that he finally deals with the one character that started it all.

Busiek's take is original and unexpected; it's important for Superman fans to realize that the lead character in this story is not the Superman they know and love: as such, it's difficult to even consider it a `Superman story'. Secret Identity takes place not in Smallville and Metropolis, but in the real Kansas and New York City, and the protagonist is a young aspiring writer who just happens to be stuck with the unfortunate name Clark Kent. What follows may be far-fetched to say the least, but as soon as you allow yourself to accept the basic assumptions of the story - which is, after all, an important thing to do while reading any super-hero story - you'll find it a fascinating, deep and above all realistic study of character, difficult ethical questions on both global and personal levels, and the intricate philosophical problems behind the very concept of the super-hero - ones that make the phrase `with great power comes great responsibility sound truly trivial, and it's relevant to real world and to today's reality as well.

Stuart Immonen's artwork is ideal for the story, and it's the best that he'd produced yet. The artwork is highly realistic, which compliments the realistic story; but it's not the photo-realism of Alex Ross and Marvels - rather, Immonen's is a minimalist's realism, his artwork being highly stylish and subtle and giving more importance to the subtleties of a human face than to buffed-up muscles and intricate metal machines. The artwork completes the real feeling that Secret Identity succeeds in sending across, and in that manner it may be somehow stronger than Marvels - Marvels was the story of a normal person in a fantastic world, Secret Identity is the story of a real person in a real world, in a fantastic situation. And it works its way around the entirely impossible situation that it depicts to make it look entirely convincing in a low-key, quiet way. It's a remarkable achievement for Busiek, and one of the best graphic novels of recent years.

There is another Superman movie coming out this year, but we have known for a long time from all of the comic books, television series, and movies that this is an archetypal character. Whether we are talking about one of the Elsewhere comic books where the last son of Krypton lands in another time and place or if the stories are set before Clark Kent every puts on the costume as in the WB's "Smallville," these diverse stories have stayed true to the character. There is something to be said for a character that stands for truth, justice, and the American way.

In "Superman: Secret Identity," writer Kurt Busiek and artist Stuart Immonen provide yet another variation on the theme. Busiek took his inspiration from "DC Comics Presents" #87, written by Elliot S. Maggin and pencilled by Curt Swan, which was released during DC's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" retrenchment. This was the story of the Superboy of Earth-Prime, a young Clark Kent who grew up on the DC alternate Earth that was supposed to be the "real world," which is to say that there were neither superheroes nor aliens, and everybody knew the DC heroes as comic book characters. This was the story of a Clark Kent who was picked on by classmates for having the name and also the looks of Superman's secret identity. But you do not need to have read that story to appreciate what Busiek and Immonen do in this four-part mini-series collected in this trade paperback.

We meet Clark Kent celebrating another birthday in a small town in Kansas. His dad thought it would be neat to have a famous name and his mother thinks it it fun that there are all these toys about her son, but this Clark Kent has never found any of it to be funny. Then there is the jerk at school who is always taunting him to use his super powers. Even the nerds expect him to know everything about Superman, but Clark knows next to nothing because all of the Superman comic books and toys end up in the bottom of his closet. Then one day he suddenly wakes up to discover that he has Superman's powers.

What would you do if you suddenly discovered that you could fly? The answer for this Clark Kent is to spend every spare moment flying. But then he sees someone in danger and saves their life. The good deed does not go unnoticed and Clark has to decide if he should contact the reporter who wrote the first story about the "Flying Boy" to see if there are others like him around. However, the government is trying to track him down and the most realistic part of the story for me was the idea that it would drive whoever was in Washington crazy to think there was a super being out there that they could not control. After all, we have known for quite some time that the government does not stand for truth, justice and the American way. What I liked best about "Secret Identity" is that this Superman is not stupid.

This story is told in four parts. Chapter One, "Smallville," has Clark discovering his powers and coming to a decision about whether or not to go public. Chapter Two, "Metropolis," finds Clark moving to New York City to be a writer and having his so-called friends setting him up with yet another women named Lois. But the government also gets its hands on him for the first time. Chapter Three, "Fortress," is about Clark becoming a father and taking steps to insure that the government will leave his family alove. Chapter Four, "Tomorrow," finishes the story with an aging Superman whose powers are waning wondering if this is the end of the road or if he is simply the first generation of his kind.

"Secret Identity" is a thoughtful story and Busiek uses captions to delve into what this Clark Kent is thinking. There is no explanation as to whether he is a strange visitor from another planet or a mutant, because his origin is not germane to the story line, which ultimately explores how Superman would operate in the real world. Superman saves lives. Why would anyone want to change that? The fact that he was always Clark Kent and never Kal-el in this story is very important because this time around it makes Superman the secret identity in the story. I have always maintained that in the "real world," every minute Superman spends as Clark Kent is a minute where people are getting killed that he could have saved. But Busiek and Immonen have reworked the calculus of his life so that the balance is (almost) justified. Ultimately it is not Superman who is made real in this story, but Clark Kent.

If you were ever going to buy only one Superman Comic or Graphic Novel, then this is the one to get. I repeat, GET THIS ONE! Superman is my favorite comic character of all time. I've been reading Superman stories for over 40 years. This four part stand-alone graphic novel is simply one of the best Superman stories ever produced, within the Top Ten, no matter what the media. I won't rehash the story, suffice to say, it's terrific, the approach is very fresh. The art is very different in a good way, not too comic-y, not really even what many have come to know as graphic novels. I would really like to see this story expanded and novelized. It's just that great.

I don't read comic books anymore. Even when I did as a teenager, it was never Superman. But when I heard of the synopsis of Secret Identity I couldn't wait to pick it up.

And there are no regrets!!!

This is the story of a teenager who's name is Clark Kent. Yes, his parents thought they would be funny but Clark has to put up with all the joking at school. However, Clark wakes up one morning to find out that he does have the powers of Superman.

One thing I liked about this book is that you feel the pains and frustrations of Clark Kent. I've never identified with a character as much as the Clark Kent in this book because it isn't the powers that this book focuses on, but the burdens that come with the powers. Dispite the flying, heat rays, X-Ray vision, and other powers, this Clark Kent is real with real life problems.

Another thing I like is that this is a complete book. It takes you right before Clark's life changes forever and ends with Clark being old and silver-haired while watching over his posterity.

I would highly recommend this because this is just simply a great story with fantastic characters in it. It was different picking up a book told in comic book format, but the artwork is very well done and it takes nothing from the story.

Sometimes, after reading a great thing, you just have to sit back; take it all in. This is one of those times.
It's a time when you must concede that a great work of art has been laid upon your doorstep, and that you can't experience it again for the first time.
This is a piece, I have to say, that far outweighs the "TEEN" sticker that the local public library has smacked across its face. This is not quite a "TEEN" book; it deals with far more than just the teenager's scope... deals with life issues in creative, unique, and at times, superpowered ways. The focus, though, is not the powers, but the life itself -- and that's what's so darn enchanting about this book.

Yes, I originally borrowed it from the library.
Now I want to own it.
It's *that* good.
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As for the rest of it; no, this is not the superman you thought you knew. It's sort of a hazing of the line between what I think of as the "DC" and the "Marvel" universes. This particular Superman is a natural denizen of earth, born to his parents, the Kents. They named him "Clark" simply because they thought it quite humorous, being from Kansas, and all.
The working theory about HOW he ended up with the "real superman's powers" is sort of left up to your own interpretation, because he certainly doesn't know himself. Meteor showers with radioactive particles, falling into the local resevoir? Perhaps he shaped his destiny by willing his powers into being?
How long do superpowers last, anyway?

Maybe those questions won't be QUITE answered...but you WILL find out what it MIGHT be like to be faced with the reality of having superman's powers in today's world, knowing full well that everyone else thinks Superman to be a comic book character. How do you protect your children? How do you deal with old age? How do you get people to STOP making "superman" cracks about your name? (answer is, you can't. Even your children will be merciless.)
But you WILL find out, by the end, that you've just read something pretty profound.

I didn't know what to expect when I first purchased this graphic novel. I heard so many good things about it from friends. They would say it was a terrific book about Superman without actually having the real Superman in it. WHAT?

After having read it, I completely understand what they meant and loved every moment of reading it.

A classic superhero tale that allows you, the reader, to feel what it is like to have powers and be afraid to share it with the world.

Each significant chapter takes places years apart from the last one to show you how much the character has grown and become even more comfortable with his abilities and even more scared someone will find out and kidnap his family.

I recommend this book highly. A perfect superhero book for any comic book fan, whether you like Superman or not.