Customer Reviews

Superman: Secret Origin

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Superman Secret Origin is yet another (possibly unnecessary?) re-hash of Superman's origin, with still further claims by DC that it is the "definitive" origin for now. There have been several in the last 20 years alone and though all have their charm and attraction, SSO was billed as an ultimate intimate portrait of what made Clark Kent into Superman. Written by the prolific Geoff Johns and drawn by the definitive Superman artist of the last ten years, namely Gary Frank, SSO promised a lot.... and mostly fails to deliver. You can usually tell when a collection of stories doesn't quite hit its marks - look for a foreword or introduction by a famous person that mostly avoids talking about the actual work or makes the barest mention of the pages that follow.

Although ostensibly about Superman's "origins," Johns, in a genuine surprise, wastes no time going over where Superman is from or how he got to earth. Rather, his initial interest is in the "secret origin" if you like, of Clark Kent. To that end, much of the series is dedicated to some of the smaller moments that help Clark eventually become Superman, and in his early days, that help Superman claim his place in Metropolis. When we meet Clark, he's a young boy about to learn a crushing secret that changes his life forever. With the support of his adoptive parents, Clark quickly, (actually faster than a speeding bullet) adapts to his new status in life, gains acceptance in the form of his friendships with members of the Legion of Superheroes, and eventually moves to Metropolis, where his personal alienation from his co-workers and ordinary people is eventually eclipsed by his widespread acceptance as Superman by the people of Metropolis, although not without some significant support from Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen.

While on fairly familiar ground, SSO had the potential to be pretty fantastic, by focusing on the profound alienation, a being like Superman would feel on his adoptive world. Instead Johns approaches nearly every issue as if he had a checklist of important events for Clark/Superman that he wanted to put his own personal spin to. Elements are re-introduced and tweaked or changed, seemingly at random to suit the writer's whims and fancies. Lex Luther is again returned to Smallville and become a boyhood... acquaintance of Clark's, but remains very much the powerful corporate figure popular in Byrne and Wolfman's relaunch. Clark is once again Superboy who spent time in the far future with the Legion of Superheroes, complete with Superboy suit and all. Two important villains are re-introduced, one to embarrassingly comedic effect and the other to service nostalgia.

In the case of the Parasite, Johns commits one of the most heinous creative sins a writer in his position can commit, which is to actually revise a character's origin, so that it is actually *worse* than it currently is, with the result that the character is even harder to take seriously than before. I picture the Parasite in a prison, being asked by a pyschiatrist how he became who he is, relating the story thus, "Well, doc, see, it's like this: I ate a radio-active donut!!!" If there was one sequence in this entire volume that made me realize that neither DC, nor Johns were really paying much attention, it was the new origin of the Parasite. Where was the editor, when Johns sent in a script, proposing a secret origin for a supervillain, involving eating radioactive pastry? It's a stupid idea that's executed in a stupid way and I wish someone had paid attention and argued against it. On the other hand, the tweak of Metallo's origin is genuinely interesting, although the visual take on the character, resets all the great progress that's been made with him in early Byrne issues and on the Adventures of Superman animated series.

When it was released in single issues, the series suffered several delays, some extending by several months, something which is fairly typical of Geoff Johns written limited series, but which seemed especially accute here. There's a tendancy to blame Geoff's artists when things go awry but I'm not sure that applied in this case. It was also released in the middle of the all the changes in management at DC were announced, with Dianne Nielson taking over as president and Paul Levitz leaving, Geoff Johns becoming Chief Creative Officer, etc, etc, so perhaps with all that was happening, Geoff was understandably distracted. There are also signs all over, that the series was initially intended to be something else or to have headed in a slightly different direction. One of the covers shows Superman standing beween his Kryptonian parents, which never happens in the actual pages of the entire series, and there's an unused cover for issue 6 that was used with the initial solicitation, but which was completely unrelated in any way to the contents of the story, they eventually released. It's interesting that the HC contains six issues that are slightly longer in page count than any normal six issues, which suggests to me that Johns actually had more story to tell than his initial format permitted him. That's an indication that the story had quite a bit of potential that never quite gets fully realized, and in the end, one is left with a distinct impression that SSO, just didn't get the attention or focus it deserved by the creative and editorial people behind it.

Having said all that, SSO has some thrilling moments and mostly works, if only as a somewhat disjointed, but reasonably entertaining average superhero origin. In the end, the resolution of the tension introduced by General Sam Lane is a little too neat and convenient, but it nevertheless puts front and center one of the most obvious, but underused elements of Superman's status on earth, namely that he is an alien. Johns deserves credit for hitting this point on its head. So while it might not be quite the epic reimagining we wanted, SSO has stuff that works.

By far though, what makes this series important to own, is the beautiful artwork by Gary Frank. In a very short period of time, Gary has become my favourite Superman artist, and his Superman is just quite simply, one of the best versions since John Byrne's in the mid-80s. SSO is chock-full of wonderful, wonderful art, and for that alone, is very much worth owning in this HC version. Gary Frank is the definitive Superman artist of the last decade, with perhaps the exception of Alex Ross, and I can't rave enough about it. He does do a decidedly Chris Reeve take on the character, so if that isn't your cup of tea, then please stay well clear of this. But if you're a fan of the Donner films, Frank's rendition of the MOS will lift your spirits and inspire. He's just that good.

Overall, it's not that the stories collected here are poor in and of themselves, or that as a whole, the new origin fails completely. It's rather that, there's something incredibly beautiful, moving and mythical about Superman's origin. That means that, if someone is going to retell it, there should be some strong compelling reason. The justification for doing Superman's origin, possibly the best superhero origin in all of comicdom, should be more than just about writer's ego, or about setting up company dominos for other series. The first purpose of any such series, should ultimately be to service the character first, because the story is already so familiar, a reader should know immediately why it had to be retold. Unfortunately, SSO straddles the line between what could have been a genuinely beautiful coming of age story, about a boy destined to become the world's greatest hero, and a move on DC comics' part to make sure all its ducks are in a row for its intended relaunch of Legion of Superheroes. This could easily have been done in the course of the regular monthly series and without dedicating a whole new, separate origin to it. Because of that split personality, as well as an apparent need for Johns to go down his own checklist of "things I'd like to write my version of," SSO never achieves truly great storytelling status, and after reading it, I still wasn't completely sure why it was necessary.

13/01/2011: Update: It appears from the rumour mill that filmmakers of the upcoming "Superman Begins" (or whatever it will actually be called,) may very well draw inspiration or perhaps an element or two from SSO, for their new version of the Man of Steel. So at least we have a hint about why SSO might have been necessary: reboot the character on film, freshen his origins in print. Or in other words, give the filmmakers something fresh to work from. Comic companies frequently do this. See recent series from Marvel about both Cap's and Thor's origins, for example. Despite any criticism though, I still recommend reading SSO and still think it's a worthwhile volume to own.

Geoff Jones and Gary Frank are the dynamic duo when it comes to Superman. I'm fresh of reading Superman and the Legion of Superheroes and now this, Superman: Secret Origin. I normally take my time to read new book but this one, I had to keep reading and tasting the writing and the art. What a story!!.

First of, Jones makes an UMBELIEVABLE work on writing Superman. It was like having a Superman story with all the ingredients Superman: The Movie had. I'm not saying that the book is based on the movie, but it have the "flavor" and it's given in such a sutil way that it made me smile every now and then.

The art by Frank is FANTASTIC. Combined with Jones writing, is like seying Christopher Reeve making his thing one more time. It was so unique!. An experience that I haven't had with no other artist.

What makes this story so damn good is how Geoff Jones makes Superman believable. His Superman is not doll nor out of fashion. He's as confused as you and I would be if we try to save the world alone. He have doubts. He's not perfect, but reachs a point where he knows what to do and what NOT to do.

Smallville portion was all about the parents and the true friends. The Legion of Superheroes portion was a breath of fresh air, and the Metropolis portion was a big bang bum!. Funny, touching, action, characters introduction.

Like I said, I can't stop loving this book.

I have read them all from Superman issue #1 to the silver age retelling, to Man of Steel to Birthright. I have been a fan of Superman since I was 8 years old. Probably longer but that is when I really remember seeing him for the first time. Geoff Johns is a wonderful writer who has a knack to bring in many elements from many differnt incarnations of Superman that have made Superman great for many years. This story made me smile. I was fun thrilling and humorus and at times very touching. A must for any fan.

While I loved Superman comics as a kid, I'm still not 100% on the graphic novel bandwagon. But if I knew they were all this good I'd be a convert! Beautifully illustrated and written with all the BAM! POW! and KABOOM! that keeps comic book lovers coming back, the illustrations, plot and sympathetic characters here are very much a tribute to the 1978 movie version of Superman starring Christopher Reeve (my favorite). We learn how Clark Kent got here, take a peek at his teenage life, his early days in Metropolis as the mild-mannered reporter, and even watch him in his first clash with Lex Luthor, with a few new surprises thrown in. A real page-turner for grade 5 through adult.

I highly enjoyed this book! It's a great story, and a great depiction of Superman's origin. I've been a fan of Superman for most of my life, but really mostly through the Donner films and animated series (I'm also one of the fans who enjoyed Singer's Superman Returns). I've recently been picking up Superman graphic novels, so I've read only about a dozen books. I've been anticipating this book to get collected and released, and was happy to finally get it. Of the Superman books I've read, the ones I've enjoyed the most have been done by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. They don't disappoint here!

It seems that for someone to write Superman really well, a writer has to pull off a tough balancing act. They have to balance the charm with the character and context (of which there is a ton of), as well as all the fantastic action. It seems more often than not people who write Superman learn more towards one end of the spectrum than the other, rather than trying to hit that perfect spot in the middle. If you focus on the charm of the character, you miss out on action. If you focus on the action, you miss out on the charm. Fortunately, Geoff Johns knows that sweet spot and is able to really maximize it.

All the characters are done incredibly well. Clark's development is the strongest aspect of this book. The characterizations of the supporting cast are also really well done. By far the best moments are Clark's interactions with Lois, the chemistry between the two of them and how Clark seems to surprise Lois with the unexpected at different times is so enjoyable.

Gary Frank's artwork is fantastic as well. I've read the other two Superman titles he did with Johns (BRAINIAC, and SUPERMAN AND THE LEGION OF SUPERHEROES), both of which I loved. SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN is his best work, by far. It's just fantastic. I love the fact that Frank's Superman looks just like Christopher Reeve, and his renderings of all the other characters look fantastic (Lois Lane in particular looks quite hot)! I'm not the biggest fan of how Frank does some of Lex Luthor's expressions, but that's a minor issue.

There are two major criticisms I have against this book. First is the pacing. While I get that this is a collection of a six-issue miniseries, it's so episodic in nature that it doesn't feel like a cohesive story, particularly in the middle sections. That works well to try and keep monthly installments self-contained, but it loses something when put together into one whole story. So I think that works against it. The first two episodes are fantastic and work well as their own segments (those might be the best two chapters, because of how focused they are), but once Clark gets to Metropolis it should have more of a natural flow to it. Instead it feels a bit choppy.

The other criticism I have is more for what's missing. There's two important events we don't see. First off, we don't see Superman's first big night in Metropolis. We see Superman save Lois for the first time, which is excellent (and clearly plays homage to Donner and the first film). But when Superman flies off, he says "I think I've made a mistake." Really?!? He's already been wearing the suit as Superboy, and had adventures with the Legion in the future. By the time Clark gets to Metropolis, there should be no question in his mind about who he is and what his purpose in life is. I know we've seen it before, but after Superman saves Lois, he should be going around Metropolis and doing things like stopping bank robbers, freeing hostages, stopping a mad car chase, all the things that Superman normally would do when he goes out "on patrol." Doing that would firmly establish his presence in the city and would communicate what he's about. If this is Superman's origin, we should be seeing his "first night in Metropolis."

The other event which we don't see, which I think is really important for Superman's origin is his first major interaction with Lois. It's highly assumed that Superman and Lois have this unique relationship and are drawn to each other. We all know why because we're familiar with the story. But that doesn't mean that it shouldn't be told. Their first "date," or whenever Lois gets her "exclusive interview" with Superman is an important moment in Superman's origin. It goes a very long way in establish Superman's relationship with Lois, showing why she is so taken with him and why he's attracted to her. Not having that told in this story really takes away from the fuller enjoyment of this story.

I like the fact that we also got to see the creation of villains like the Parasite and Metallo, but they're too short-lived. Superman disposed of them a bit too quickly. I definitely think Rudy Jones' transformation into the Parasite could have been more creatively done, but I think it was more of Johns' sense of humor and emphasis on Rudy's personality than anything else. I also think the theme of Superman being an alien and outsider is a bit too overplayed, especially during his first appearances in Metropolis. I feel like people are almost too scared of him from the outset. Superman going around and stopping crimes and helping people throughout his first night would alleviate much of those fears from the public.

Even with all of these in mind, this book is still quite enjoyable. Great artwork, a great story, and tons of great character charm. Plus the introduction by David Goyer can't help but get one excited for the next Superman film. This is definitely a welcome book alongside a whole host of other Superman stories!

Let my first establish my bias: Superman: Secret Origin was the first Superman story I ever read. With that said, this story has revitalized a love for the Man of Steel I haven't felt since I watched Superman: the Animated Series as a child.

Since reading Secret Origin, I have read thousands of Superman comic books, seen Superman I & II, rehashed my love of the 1990s cartoon, and delved as far into this piece of American folklore as I can. This is simply one of the best Superman stories I have ever read.

So how does this stack up to the many other origins of Superman? It leaves out much of the Kryptonian mythology that was a big part of "The Story of Superman's Life!" from the (Superman in the Sixties) 1960s, Superman: Earth One, and Superman: Birthright. I personally love this aspect of Superman's character, but Geoff John's uses Krypton to build upon the story of Clark Kent, rather than making it a focal point of the story. In terms of story, this makes the most sense. Superman's two years on Krypton or father Jor-El don't shape what he becomes, his time on Earth does. In reality, Secret Origin is most similar in structure to Superman: The Man of Steel, Vol. 1 origin from the late 1980s, with Clark taking center stage and each issue building a part of Superman's world. But while The Man of Steel may have been too human, and the other origins too Kryptonian and alien, Secret Origin strikes a balance that's difficult to find in many Superman stories.

The first chapter is quite possibly my favorite. Clark Kent is undoubtedly humanized and the emotion from this chapter is truly palpable thanks to Johns' writing and Frank's art. The evolution of Clark into Superman is gradual and simple. There are no drastic measures, no images of exploding Krypton inspiring Clark to take revenge, and no dead relatives in pools of blood. Clark becomes Superman because that's how his parents raised him, to help others. Similarly, Lex Luthor's motivations are easily identifiable as well. Having grown up in a small, ignorant, and intolerant town as a child, I could easily identify with young Lex's desire to escape that place by any means necessary.

The second chapter sees Clark taking a trip to the future with his teammates in the Legion of Superheroes. Clark's isolation is apparent and it's clear how befriending these future heroes would greatly nourish his young psyche.

Chapter three succeeds in consolidating the theories of Superman's personality. The first theory, which was prevalent in the 1960s, is that Superman is the dominant personality and that Clark Kent is simply a mask meant to cover up the Superman identity. John Byrne drastically altered this dynamic with his Man of Steel reboot, making Clark the dominant personality. Now, many people subscribe to the notion that Superman has three distinct personalities. The first is the true Clark Kent, only seen when is with his closest friends and parents. This Clark is composed, poised, insightful and intelligent. The second Clark is a bumbling fool, a mask used to cover up the similarities between Clark and Superman and to keep the secret identity alive. And the third personality is also a mask, the gallant, confident and all-powerful Superman. Geoff Johns combines the two Clarks and keeps the personality more consistent overall. Rather than adopting foolishness as a cover-up, Clark is typically clumsy because he is 6' 5" small town kid, enamored by the big city. His bad suits and simplicity echo his upbringing, one that differs greatly from city life.

Chapters four, five and six mostly deal with the interactions between Superman, the city of Metropolis teeming with uncertain citizens ripe for manipulation, and the villainous Luthor. This is where the story shines brightest. The city is firmly in the grip of Lex Luthor, and realistically reacts with fear to this flying indestructible man. This facet of Superman's origin really hasn't been explored anywhere else. The city of Metropolis's trust is not simply given to Superman, but it is earned. There are some lines in the final chapter that some may read as corny, but not to the seasoned Superman reader. Superman is a pure beacon of optimism and hope. By the end of the story, the once skeptical and cynical Lois even recognizes Superman's incorruptible symbol of good and right.

Geoff Johns and Gary Frank have created what I believe is a masterpiece. They have taken the legend of an American archetype and created something fresh and wonderful. Gary Frank's work greatly benefits from the deluxe size and extended format. The single page spreads are easily some of most beautiful in Superman's 70-some year history. Long time fans will recognize odes to the Superman films and the Silver Age of comic books, but newcomers will be equally refreshed by this tale of youth, loneliness, trust, and optimism. I was once a newcomer to the Superman mythos when I read this story, and I hope it inspires everyone else the same way it did for me.

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We've had Superman origin stories before, starting with the "modern" version presented by John Byrne in the Man of Steel mini series back in 1986, which was beautifully complimented by the superb Superman for All Seasons series by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale in 1998, and as recently as 7 years ago with (the good but not great) Superman Birthright by Mark Waid and Lenil Francil Yu, but since the powers that be at DC decided after Infinity Crisis to revamp his origin once more, they came up with Superman Secret Origin, courtesy of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. After waiting more than 10 months for the six issue limited series to be complete so I could get a whole picture of this revamped Superman origin, I must say that its quite a story, magnificently drawn by Gary Frank but with several problems for long time comic book fans and any recent converts that might have watched the Smallville show.

Let's set one thing straight before proceeding any further, I'm a huge fan of Superman the Movie, and it's no secret that the creative team for this project are too, not only are character designs drawn by Gary Frank heavily based on Christopher Reeve and Margot Kider, but there are several references & homage to some key moments from that movie; foremost is Superman saving a falling Lois Lane while catching an helicopter, but here lies the biggest problem I have with this story; it tries to meld elements from the movies, pre Byrne continuity and the more recent Superman influences (like the Smallville show and modern comic books) into a familiar yet accessible origin for current and new readers alike, but it fails to improve upon any of those sources.

Take Lois Lane's first meeting with Superman; after being saved by him she wants to know who he is. Now, there have been several variations on how things unfold from here, starting with the iconic scene from Superman the Movie. After saving her he has a simple, yet wonderfully characteristic, line "Let's just say I'm a friend" before flying away, latter he goes to her apartment to give her a proper interview, which sets up the usual Golden Age dynamic where she's his main link with the world, even Luthor comments on this on Superman II by saying that "she does his public relations".

John Byrne did his own take on that first meeting where Clark Kent (who hasn't developed his Superman persona or even wears a costume) reveals himself by saving a space shuttle, Lois confronts him and he awkwardly flies away without a word. Latter, his family comes up the costume and the idea of a secret identity, and Lois manages to get what she believes will be the first interview with Superman, only to have Clark Kent beat her to the punch with his own exclusive interview.

Now, both of these are uniquely suited to the version of Superman each story is presenting. In the movie version he's perfectly suave and confident in his own abilities, a hero's hero; the iconic version of Superman, while in Byrne's take he's still learning to cope with these amazing powers and how to deal with the implications of his actions, plus he's definitely setting Clark Kent as Lois Lane's equal and a force to be reckoned with.

Secret Origins presents almost a carbon copy of the scene from Superman the Movie (that's certainly not bad at all) but as Superman flies away and Lois asks who is he, he answers "Just some one who wants to help". Now, there's nothing wrong with that response, but honestly what's Johns intent here, is he trying to one-up the movie by coming up with a better line? There's nothing wrong with the line itself but if you are going to have an homage to that scene in particular why not go all the way and have Superman respond with the same line from the movie, or even a simple variation like "I'm just a friend"?. Finally Johns mixes up a bit of Byrne's relaunch in the continuation of that scene, where Superman is surrounded by people, but instead of acting wondered by his actions they are fearful and skeptic about the motives of this flying man, which makes Superman question his involvement in the whole affair and fly away. Now, if you have just reintroduced Superboy to the continuity, then he's probably been doing heroics for at least 10 years before this point and so his reaction comes out as highly uncharacteristic; you have a Superman fully comfortable with his powers but acting like he's just come out of his rocket ship and is shocked by human behavior.

This is my main problem with Secret Origins; it draws "inspiration" from many sources but mainly serves as a mix of bits and pieces from the character's rich history but ultimately it fails to stand on its own because of it.

Now, I believe that Geoff Johns is one of DC's best writers; he's responsible for some of the best comic book stories and events in recent history and is widely heralded as one of the most innovative creators in the industry. He's made his reputation by coming up with great ideas that meld Golden Age concepts with modern settings & sensibilities; but sometimes those ideas don't come out so well; for every Green Lantern Rebirth or Sinestro Corps War (where everything comes together in a seamless package) there's a Flash Rebirth or Lightning Saga that leave even the most ardent fanboys scratching their heads.

I'm a firm believer that you most judge a story based on it's own merit, but it becomes almost impossible to do when you have a 80 year old character and the creative team tries to incorporate several different takes on the characters to create a "definitive" cannon version for modern audiences, so this story incites the comparisons by seemingly recycling key elements from Superman's rich mythology.

Take Lex Luthor for example; the character presented here takes some elements from the Byrne revamp (he's a powerful businessman used to having his way in Metropolis) some from the Golden Age, and even Mark Waid's Birthright (where he lived in Smallville, had previously met Clark Kent and is brilliant scientist) so we have a Lex Luthor that captures some of his most iconic characteristics, which is the whole point of Secret Origin; revamp the core Superman character and mythos for the foreseeable future, but the root of his antagonism with Superman is never properly developed.

In Classic Golden Age cannon Luthor blames Superman for losing his hair in an accident that also destroyed his laboratory, in Byrne's take (and to certain extent Mark Waid's too) he hates him for replacing him as the most powerful figure in Metropolis, and in Grant Morrison's superb (pun intended) All Star Superman, Luthor hates Superman for the simple fact that his powers are granted to him by birth, while he (Luthor) has had to develop his intellect and abilities by hard work; in his mind Luthor really is the SuperMAN. I must say that's one of the most magnificent takes on the root of their enmity, it gives Luthor a certainly believable and relatable reason for hating Superman; how many of us have come to envy and sometimes loath a person who we deem undeserving of the gifts he or she has received by birth or luck? It's a human emotion we all can relate to and makes perfect sense.

In Geoff Johns' take his main motivation for hating Superman is because he's a nuisance who's messing around his city and is an alien to boot. That's it. Oh, there's a certain angle that Luthor has somehow manipulated certain elements of Metropolis that disagree with him (like the Daily Planet) to keep them down, and takes great pleasure in flaunting his lordship over the city and it's inhabitants (as showcased by magnanimously grating a wish everyday to one person) but Superman's appearance has given hope to the city and even turned skeptics into believers (like Lois Lane) so we are supposed to believe that no one cares anymore about having Luthor making their dreams come true because they have Superman? It's concepts like this that stretch the believability of this whole story; Geoff Johns seems to lose perspective by becoming so focused on Superman's iconic elements. Perhaps if Luthor had been revealed as a crook (like in Byrne's revamp) or if his shady side become public knowledge (perhaps his involvement with the creation of Metallo) maybe then it could be possible to believe why people could turn their faith towards Superman, but as things stand with Secret Origin, Luthor's a perfectly standard white collar businessman (yep, the same kind of men who do corporate takeovers, liquefy company assets and run away with pension money everyday, but hardly a "super villain") who just doesn't care for flying men in red capes in "his" city. There's the implication that he had his abusive father killed and cashed in on his insurance money to jump start his career but other than that I didn't see any "villainous" qualities to him before that point in the story so it was a bit heavy handed from having a slightly high strung and eccentric teenage genius (Who struck me as Sheldon Cooper) to a murderous megalomaniac. All things considered I think that Johns didn't even bother to delve too much on the reasons on why Luthor's would hate Superman; maybe he just figured it all came down to Luthor being the bad guy and Superman being the good guy; bad guys don't like good guys so that's it. Perhaps if I had never read Grant Morrison's take on their enmity I wouldn't have though about it too much, but after having experienced such a simple yet totally understandable take on their relationship it's difficult to have a plainer version stand for the foreseeable future as the "definite" genesis of one of comicdoms most enduring relationships. Johns has quite a reputation for revamping characters this way, especially bad guys, and while his efforts on Flash's Rogues and Green Lantern's villains have been quite successful (I hardly think of Mogul as a Superman baddie anymore) his efforts with Superman's rogue gallery are somewhat lacking; I was especially disappointed with Braniac; who instead of the rogue program from Krypton (from the excellent Superman Animated series) or a soulless robot bent on destroying (with his awesome Terminator appearance before Byrne's relaunch) we got a brutish monster who proves his intellectual superiority by beating the hell out of Superman; for all those fans who read the second Doomsday mini series in the mid nineties and cringed at thought of having Brainiac inside an almost invincible form that can go toe to toe with Superman, Mr. Johns had made your nightmare come true.

In Secret Origin his update of Metallo is quite good; giving him the military background and making him an assassin (although I prefer the modern robotic Metallo who can meld his consciousness with machinery) but overall the character got successfully upgraded. Parasite was left mostly untouched, both in appearance and powers, but the whole radioactive doughnut deal was rather lame, once again I believe Johns tired to appeal to our sense of nostalgia for Golden age concepts here, where people would gain superpowers left and right from radioactive water, spiders or mysterious rocks.

Finally I'd like to touch on one last change that Johns did that I believe rocks the foundations of the Superman mythos; who's the real Kal El, Clark Kent or Superman? One of the bases of the post Byrne era was that Clark Kent was the "real" person and Superman was the Nom de guerre so that he could go on having a normal life, this was reinforced by the fact that everyone in his relaunch assumed that Superman had no secret identity to keep (sort of hiding in plain sight). Also, by having him discover his powers gradually (thus eliminating Superboy completely) the notion of him being Clark Kent foremost was really well set up; Byrne effectively came up with a more relatable, and certainly more human, protagonist.

This was a complete change from the dynamic that had prevailed for more than 50 years, where Clark Kent was really Superman's secret identity, not as much for having "down time", but mainly for interacting with Lois and the rest of his supporting cast (mainly the staff of the Daily Planet). In Secret Origin this dynamic is restored, and Clark Kent is once again the bumbling awkward character most comic book readers over 40 grew up with (complete with cheap blue suit and red tie) and Johns channels heavy doses of Christopher Reeve's portrayal for his dialogue. I can't say that I dislike this approach, but it certainly does away with over 20 years of recent continuity centered on Clark Kent the character, not the secret identity.

While rereading this whole review I think it gives the impression that I didn't like Secret Origin, which is far from the truth. First off I LOVED Gary Frank's art; he's come a long way since I first noticed him as the artist for Incredible Hulk, and he's my favorite Superman artist since the Carlos Pacheco's excellent work during Kurt Buick's run. Some people have commented on his face work, and how his Superman mirrors Christopher Reeve, but to me it's the most iconic work I've seen for the character and surely Frank's finest. Oh, there's certainly some good story elements here that justify this revamped origin, like the definite integration of Superboy, the Legion of Superheroes & Krypto into DC continuity, but perhaps this story could have been set up like Superman for All Seasons, which complimented and filled in John Byrne's Man of Steel, perhaps starting from the time Clark Kent discovers his powers and heritage and becomes Superboy, taking him to his adventures that shape him up to be Superman BEFORE he goes to Metropolis and is revealed to the world. Not surprisingly, the best scenes from Secret Origin are Geoff Johns new scenes; the beautiful scene on the Daily Planet's rooftop where the link between Superman and Jimmy Olsen is forged, Lois and Clark's lunch after his confrontation with John Corben (that showed some much needed depth to his persona), Superman and Lois scene on top of the Daily Planet, and finally, the most iconic new image of this series; Superman holding up the collapsing burning roof while the fireman saves a victim. It's really a shame that those precious glimpses of brilliance got swarmed over by rehashing scenes, and I can only wonder of what could have been (plus I have the strong suspicion based on the preview cover from issue #6 that Bizaro was supposed to have been the last villain introduced, only to be replaced by a Metallo rematch) I have criticized some of my favorite writers in the past for their take on Superman (like Kurt Busiek & Brain Azzarello) but at least they took some real chances with the character.

Perhaps the harsh truth is that after reading Green Lantern Rebirth and Geoff Johns' recent work with the character and his universe I may have been expecting a bit too much from this project. I clearly remember the time that Johns came out with his "Escape from Bizaro World" tale (beautifully drawn by Eric Powell) while Grant Morrison was in the middle of his own Bizarro tale for All Star Superman, and I'm certainly not alone in preferring the latter one, so maybe it's like comparing apples to oranges. Perchance I'm being unfairly harsh by comparing this series to All Star Superman (which was such a pure joy to read) that it soured me to less cerebral takes on the character.

I have read nothing but glowing reviews on the series, so perhaps I'm just a bitter old fart who doesn't know anything, but after experiencing great Superman tales that have dealt with such profound themes like the coming-of-age and the end of childhood story (Superman for All Seasons) the acceptance of your place in the world (Superman: Peace on Earth) and even the ultimate what if issue (Superman Red Son) perhaps I've become too jaded for reimaginings.

This is a terrific retelling of the origin of the Man of Steel! Definitive, and concise without missing a beat, it clarifies the "why"s of this American icon. The artwork is stupendous, with a wonderful resemblance to the Christopher Reeves version (even Lana looks like Annette O'Toole). Very well designed, without a single loose end. Two thumbs up.

I don't think this is the definitive retelling of the Superman origin as it's been described as much as its a showcase for Gary Frank's super artwork. Geoff Johns certainly does a good job in telling a fast paced story with the usual cast of Superman characters but overall this is really Gary Frank's baby. The great artwork dissolves any quibbles one might have with this Superman tale. In the end this story is all too familiar but Johns keeps it fresh enough with a modern twist. Pick it up in softcover.

I have been a fan of Superman for years. Ever since I was a kid, I remember watching old Superman shows including the Tim Daly Superman. So I have seen a lot of different versions of Supes in different forms of media. This comic takes all of the most well known versions of Superman and brings them together. And that includes elements from the Superman movies starring Christopher Reeves.

Now Superman has had many retcons in his long run in DC comics. There was the Man of Steel origin which emphasized Clark Kent as more than just a disguise and as a person. There was Superman Birthright which gave insight into the relationship between Superman and Lex Luthor. This brings Superman into an amalgam of them both, emphasizing Superman's childhood as Clark Kent and his relationship with Lex Luthor as being one of envy and contempt.

Geoff Johns takes us into Clark Kent's childhood where we see as a teenager attempting to adjust to his developing powers and how they frighten him more than amaze him. We see his reaction to being an alien as one of disbelief and anger at the revelation that he can never be "normal". But we also see his adjustment and his meeting with the Legion of Superheroes and the idea of helping others that begins with the rescue of his childhood sweetheart, Lana Lang.

The Superman/Luthor relationship is as old as Superman himself. We have seen many versions of Luthor, a straight up criminal, an 80's Business man, and a despicable villain. This version of Luthor embodies the scientist and the business man. His motivations for hating Superman are a combination of envy and suspicion. Johns presents a Luthor who can't understand why, with all his power, does Superman not want anything in return. Luthor is presented as a man who has had to take everything from everyone to get where he is, so seeing Superman, a being with amazing power who helps others for nothing, confuses and frustrates him to the point where he is willing to risk innocent people to crush his foe. Now we have seen this before but for a retcon like this, it works.

Now what people may not realize about this version of Superman is that it incorporates many versions of Superman and Goeff Johns does it well. We see bits of Smallville (the tv series) during Clark's teen years. We see the Legion of Superheroes in reference to the classic Silver Age Superboy stories. We see his relationship with Lois beginning to bloom for both Clark Kent and Superman as was shown in the modern era. We even get a brief cameo from Krypto the Superdog from Krypton. But, possibly the best is the references to the original Richard Donner Superman movie.

Geoff Johns before writing comics was an intern for Richard Donner. And Donner's influence shines through in Gary Frank's design of Superman. Superman is presented in a likeness that many artists have not portrayed him as in a long time, a likeness to Christopher Reeves. Look closely at Superman when he saves Lois in reference to the classic helicopter scene from the first movie and tell me you don't see it. Even Clark Kent as a bit of Reeves put in him in a particular panal that references a line from the first movie. In this scene, Lois offers to show Clark around Metropolis after his arrival and Johns has him reply, "Gee Lois. That'd be swell". That corny line is a classic and just obscure enough for Johns to bring it successfully into the modern era.

The character design by Gary Frank is something else to comment on. Gary Frank is good at portraying the human body without exaggerations on body parts, example: overwrought muscles for men and large figures for women. His art has improved greatly with time and the coloring is truly commendable. Like I stated above, the resemblance to Reeves for Superman is almost exact and the resemblance that Jor-El bares to Marlon Brando from the first movie is uncanny.

So in conclusion, I can't recommend this book enough. For anyone who enjoys Superman and wants a good hearted origin story, this is for you. Trust me. It's swell.