Customer Reviews

Superman: Up, Up, and Away!

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of my favorite Batman stories was called "24/7", written by Devin Grayson, and the story was actually about Bruce Wayne. It portrayed a day in the life of Bruce as we followed him from a board meeting to a golfing date to visiting friends, etc. I adored that story because there is something that arouses our interest about the ordinary lives that our superheroes lead. "Superman, up, up, and Away" is written with that premise in mind. Superman has lost his powers in the aftermath of the Infinite Crisis. He can finally be just Clark Kent for an entire year. It does wonders for his marriage, it brings him closer to his own humanness, he performs better on his job, and in his own words, "She (Lois) was happy, I was happy. With my powers gone, it was just us." And we find out that he particularly loves warm pretzels with mustard. However, Clark is not totally on vacation by any means. For the action enthusiasts, there's always Luthor meddling in the background and the Intergang is more than willing to cause trouble so Clark can still carry out his mission for truth and justice. It's a great story, written by Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns with artwork by Pete Woods and Renato Guedes. The artwork is perfect, portraying the everyman Clark Kent we all love and making him believable. I highly recommend this book if you're interested in finding out who Clark Kent really is, because that's what this lovely story is all about.

"Superman - Up, Up and Away" is written by Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns. The art by Pete Woods and Renato Guedes and able supporting creative staff.

It is a year after the "Infinite Crisis". The world is still coping with a world without Superman. Unknown to most Superman has lost his powers in a climatic battle with a psychotic Superboy from an alternate reality.

No Superman - just Clark Kent, intrepid investigative reporter with a major metropolitan newspaper - The Daily Planet. A newly released acquitted Lex Luthor and his thugs have just given Clark a good old-fashioned back alley beating. No powers, getting worked over by his arch enemy should be depressing.

Not at all, Clark is having the time of his life.

This story is about what it means to be hero. Clark is free to focus on his career and marriage. Even powerless, he is still intrepid and fearless. He's got a lot of help from his friends like Supergirl and Green Lantern. Meanwhile Lex Luthor is using this opportunity of a world without Superman to take revenge against Metropolis.

Of course he fails.

Lets get one thing straight. I am a lifelong comics fan from childhood. Decades ago I became bored with Superman. This graphic novel was purchased because I consider the names of Busiek and Johns a mark of quality.

My faith was justified. This is the finest Superman comic I've ever read.

The overview of this book's plot has been mentioned in other reviews so I won't cover much of that, but I will say that the story is excellent. What makes the book worthwhile is that this is really Clark's story. This isn't simply Superman defending Metropolis against some giant robots (well, not for the most part anyway) this is the story of a man who wants to help people, but realizes just how much better his own life can be if he doesn't. The Lex Luthor that is shown here is downright desperate after finally losing his last shred of credibility and his company. Lex is a man out for revenge. It has great characterization and development, the pacing is great, and the art is wonderful. Great read.

During Infinite Crisis, Superman lost his powers, and in the year that follows (and is covered in this book), he learns how to be Clark Kent again. Which means: he becomes a dedicated reporter, he and Lois work on keeping their marriage strong, and if he needs help dealing with the somewhat evil element around Metropolis? He calls on his many friends. Supergirl. Hawkgirl. Green Lantern.

When Lex Luthor gets released from prison, his reputation in tatters, he decides that he's going to punish Metropolis for turning its back on the one who should be her favorite son. He and Clark clash almost immediately, but Luthor isn't the only person that Clark has to worry about. See, Clark is also on the trail of Intergang, and he manages to uncover several things that they would rather remain covered and in return, they put a bounty on Clark's head. Then, to make matters worse, Kryptonite is disappearing from all over the world, and no one seems to know who's behind it.

When I first read this book, I was a total comics newbie. Aside from a few Superman/Batman books, I hadn't actually ever read a predominantly Superman-based book. I picked this one up because it was at the used bookstore, and... why not?

This was the book that made search out more Superman-centric titles because I loved this book. Yes, I was a little lost (I'd only made it halfway through Crisis on Infinite Earths and I hadn't yet tackled Infinite Crisis), but I absolutely adored this Superman. Or, rather, Clark.

I loved seeing the reporter doggedly going after the story; the nice guy attitude which was refreshingly light compared to all of the Bat books I'd been reading; the supportive wife who quite obviously kicked all sorts of ass on her own. I liked seeing a Clark that was happy with his `normal life' and how he was making a life that wasn't quite his own. And yet, I was happy for him when his powers started to return.

So, yes. I really, really recommend this book.

Kurt Busiek is the only person who should be allowed to write Superman stories. The premise is fantastic. A year after Identity Crisis, Clark Kent is without his powers, the source of his current condition a mystery. How does the Universe's strongest hero deal with being an ordinary person? What makes a hero? Is it the power or the person? This story gets to the very essence of who Clark Kent is and why he does what he does.

I thought that the story was well told and really spent a lot of time not just developing Clark's character, but all the supporting ones as well. How does Lois deal with having a normal husband who still insists on solving Metropolis's problems? How does Jimmy deal with his best friend missing? How does the city deal with super-villains like Intergang or Lex Luthor without it's guardian angel?

I'm sure the story would be even better if I knew the underlying context of the DC Universe at the moment, but as a stand-alone story it works brilliantly. The writing really shines in this one and absent are all the silly little lines of dialogue that usually undermine great Superman stories.

This is the first Superman book that I read. I have All Star Superman, but I have not read it. The art is good, and the story is solid. It is a generic and worth the money I spent. What I love the most about this book is that it is about Clark Kent, and not Superman. Clark is still a hero with or without his powers. This book really fleshes out Clark Kent, which is a good thing. My favorite part is when Green Lantern and Hawk Girl comes by to save Clark, and GL then gives Clark a green right. That would have been an interesting twist, but Clark getting his powers back is good enough.

Also Lois Lane looks pretty hot especially the scene where she is only wearing on of Clarks white shirts.

The negative thing about this book is Lex Luthor. The authors could have done so much with him, but they didn't. Superman was gone for an entire year, but the only thing he did was dig for a battleship. I wanted to know what Luthor would do without Superman. Wasted potential.

Pro:
Clark Kent is the main character and not Superman
Lois is hot
Good Cameo and interesting battle scenes
Good Artwork

Con:
Luthor is plain
Generic Story

This is one of those fun books in which everything unfolds about exactly as I would have hoped. Such as how Clark handles his new life w/o his powers (such as getting help from other heroes) and how it's affected his relationship with Lois, then to how he starts gaining his powers back, including a slightly *enhanced* power. The big finale fight was a nice surprise, too! Throw in some homages to Richard Donner's Superman movie and it makes this Superfan smile like a kid. :-)

Besides all that, it's written by Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns, how can you go wrong???

through a red sun and this is the story afterwards (I think that is the correct character placement from Infinite Crisis). If you've ever seen and liked Superman 2, the movie from the 80's, then you'll like this story. They are very similar in concept and the character traits that Superman takes on as a regular person without powers. Superman is torn between being as close to Lois as he has ever been without powers and being the hero he used to be with his powers. The cool thing about Superman without powers is that the other superheroes still treat him like he's the man and help him with anything he needs (Green Lantern, Hawkwoman and Supergirl). Using his connections and skill as a reporter he begins to bring down the city's crime syndicate the old fashion way. The story is well written and the art is good throughout most of the book. If I remember correctly though, different artists did different parts of the series, please correct me if I'm wrong. So, I cared less for some of the art throughout different sections than others. However, I don't feel my taste in art should result in a downside to the series as a whole. For the price this thing is a steal. It should also be noted that there are two other "sister stories" to this series; the Batman and Wonder Woman stories. I think they are "Batman: Face the Face" and "Wonder Woman: Who is Wonder Woman?".

It's one year after the events of Infinite Crisis and Clark Kent is still completely de-powered from his battle with Superboy Prime. Meanwhile Lex Luthor, his reputation in tatters, is playing around with the crystal (the Sunstone) he picked up during a run-in with Alexander Luthor. The scorn of Metropolis has left Luthor bitter and longing for revenge against the city that now despises him. So can mild mannered reporter and non-powered Clark Kent stand up to both Luthor and an active Intergang? Would he be DC Comics greatest hero if he couldn't? This time he uses the power of the pen to fight his battles (along with a little help from friends like Green Lantern and Hawkgirl).

`Up Up and Away' is an absolutely stellar effort with one of the most hideous covers ever. Seriously, what were they thinking? I would put this collection just one small notch below All-Star Superman which is perhaps the best Superman storyline ever. The art is terrific, the writing is engaging. I particularly liked the scene where Hal Jordan offered Clark his ring in order to get Clark back in the game. About half way through Clark begins to get his powers back and none too soon. Few people are going to buy a comic about intrepid reporter Clark Kent and his valiant investigative reporting. Stay tuned for appearances are put in by the Toyman, the Prankster, Metallo and a new Kryptonite Man.

There appears to be an attempt to tie the comic series in with the recent movie. The Kryptonian crystal Luthor picked up is capable of creating a large crystalline structure under Metropolis similar to the one in Superman Returns. This time however it's a warship rather than a bleak landmass which actually improves on Luthor's bewildering plot in the movie. As in the movie, Luthor has mixed the crystal with Kryptonite to give Superman an even bigger headache. It will be interesting to see where the writers take Luthor now because he's pretty much burned through his last shred of respectability with the public.

I'm one of the people who really enjoyed Infinite Crisis and this is probably the best follow up I've read thus far. I recommend this one without reservation because I'll be the first to admit that it's really rare to get this kind of top quality Superman story.

Taking place a year after the cataclysmic events of Infinite Crisis, Superman: Up, Up, and Away finds a powerless Superman enjoying a normal life. Since he's been depowered, Clark Kent is still fighting the good fight for truth and justice, but as a reporter. Nevertheless, he still manages to foil Lex Luthor and his nefarious plans that involve Intergang, as well as what else, Kryptonite. What makes this TPB so enjoyable is that it doesn't try to reach any kind of far reaching lofty goals, but instead only goes for the pure thrills that a major title like Superman is expected to deliver, and considering the script is from Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns, this isn't much of a surprise. The Astro City and Infinite Crisis authors respectively weave an inventive tale that shows the human side of the Man of Steel that we've seen far too little of in the past few years, as Clark finds all kinds of success working at the Daily Planet. Pete Woods' artwork is great as well to boot, making this TPB a surprisingly good pick up. All in all, for Superman fans or Infinite Crisis fans (just to see the aftermath), Up, Up, and Away is a surprisingly great read, and while it's not the best Superman TPB out there, it's still definitely worth picking up.