Customer Reviews

Superman: Wedding & Beyond

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

 

 

Forget about Superman for awhile. This is a story about two people, Lois and Clark. Ever since they met each other they were at each other's throat. In this case, it was Lois more than the mild mannered Clark that did all the throat grabbing shenanigans. The lady was tough as nails on Clark and took him on a spin with her sharp tongue and strong personality. Clark, on the other hand, was the quiet, more stable of the two. His time as Superman made his alter ego more reasonable and clear minded than Lois. Underneath it all, however, one can realize that both of these characters were in love with one another in a young-hearted kind of way. Lois fell in love with Superman at first, but it was more of an infatuation. She grew to understand Clark and slowly felt true feelings towards him. It was only until Clark decided to tell her he was the Man of Steel did true showing of her love and emotions surface.

Some people blame the TV series, Lois and Clark, for the marriage that soon came to be. This, of course, is not entirely true. Though the series brought the two character closer to one another, they have always been in love ever since their early days together. The series simply made the transition easier for a classic iconic figure like Superman. It was more publicity for the comic rather than anything else and it did help bringing them together easier and more acceptable to the readers, young and old. Spider-Man was married before Superman ever did, but readers will always remember him as the single guy who can't find a date. They would not let that concept go. This made the creators rethink about his marital status and put an end to it earlier this year. People could not imagine him as a married guy. Superman had a series that made Lois's and Clark's coming together smoother. You ask anyone out there, they would know that Superman is married. He has always been married to Lois they would say.

This TPB was brought together by the comic industry's top talents. Great writers, including David Michelinie who helped Spidey tie the knot long time ago, were on the helm with some great artwork to boot. Superman's marriage brings on the coming together of two popular characters of modern American culture. Has the marriage worked through out all these years? One can only say that it has grown stronger each day. Readers love the concept and the antics that the two happy couple go through in their marriage. Their relationship is that of love, respect and being there for your partner at times of need. Apart from the super-powers, those things are exactly the right ingredients for any happy marriage out there to truly work.

In 1996, comics were changed forever as two of its most important characters were married: Clark Kent and Lois Lane. The particular wedding issue was not about Superman. In fact, it Superman only makes a limited appearance. It was about Lois and Clark. Two opposites that knew they could not live without each other. The wedding issue took me 90 minutes to read and it was worth the time. Even the ceremony is played out to the entire length. Another special touch was that the priest was actually the image of Jerry Siegel. Other images of real life people are drawn into the final scene such as Dan Jurgens, Jeanette Kahn, John Byrne, and a whole lot more. That was another special touch since it made it look like the past and present creators could watch these two tie the knot. The other issues in this trade paperback are just basically filler for the 'main event'. This is a landmark event in comic book history and it is a must for every reader's collection.

The long awaited marriage of Lois and Clark is depicted masterfully in this collection. A superb way to fill in all the details you may have missed from the individual comic books. I highly recommend it!

I have a few TPBs in my collection of comic books, and when I compared THE WEDDING AND BEYOND to them , it was actually pretty short. The storyline was great, the plot masterfully told, but I felt it could have gone on for a few more comics.

I bought this TPB for the single most important reason that it is in the current canon of the Superman mythos. I say "current" because it took DC nearly 60 years to marry Lois and Clark. The whole story started out great, with the plot building up nicely up until the moment when Clark popped up the question again to Lois. The panel showing a mad, bruised Lois in a tattered wedding gown is really cool. The events leading to the wedding were also well crafted, with their friends and the justice league taking up important roles. From the first page showing Lois in one of her intrepid--albeit "soul-searching"--investigations, to the grand finale showing a marvelous two-page panel of the newlyweds and their friends, it was all a sweet, romantic read that did justice to the long wait for generations of fans.

But there, in my opinion, the strength of the story ended. The succeeding episodes took a downturn as the writers portrayed Lois as the female version of Rambo. Sure, DC is just trying to portray her as a stubborn, independent and highly resilient dame that needed no rescuing from her knight in shining armor--which is good--but having a new wife single-handedly charge the bad guys to rescue her poor husband and come out alive was way too overblown. After all, she is a reporter, not a Navy SEAL. And who cares if she's an army brat. I feel the writers could have done better, without the gun-toting, knife-wielding, bullet-proof Lois Lane. Or, for the sake of preserving the beauty of the wedding story, this should have been fleshed out and told elsewhere. Better a short lovely story than a "long" spoiled one.

The different artists working on alternate pages didn't work either as I find it too distracting.

I would have given this book five stars if not for that cheesy honeymoon story, but still I recommend this to any true-blue Superman fan. Don't mind the post-wedding episodes though. Just be happy for Lois and Clark.

It was a great series, especially when we see Batman backing Superman up during this time without his powers. Even though the focus is on Lois Lane and Clark Kent's wedding, I was a little dissappointed with the outcome and the storyline of his powers was left open. Otherwise, this was a great story, and it was nice to see the Big Guy get married.