Customer Reviews

Supreme: The Return

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The Writing:
Moore's charming, loving rendition of the classic planet-tossing superhero is rightly noted by several other reviewers as aping Superman at his silliest, but it's also a fun, funny, compassionate look at the Superman character, and one filled with insight into what makes him tick. It's not a deconstruction, refreshingly, and it's not a revamp - it's a "prevamp," if you will, a harking back to the times before all the assembly-line serial killers and grim, stalkerish superheroes began to flood the market with angst. There is a warmth here that is decidedly missing in even the best of Moore's work, especially between Ethan and Linda (the Clark Kent and Lois Lane characters), and it just feels great to read something like Supreme for the sheer childish joy of it. If you liked Rob Leifeld's run on the book, you'll probably dislike this a great deal, but that, frankly, is good news. For Rob Leifeld fans, I recommend Gray's Anatomy, until you recover.

The Artwork:
The art is admittedly sub-par, for the most part; Joe Bennett's renditions of Supreme are still stuck in the early-nineties days of bulked-out powerhouses in clothing that might as well be painted on, and nearly every female character appears to be smuggling canteloupes. The good news is that Rick Veitch manages to save every single issue with his flashback sequences. Veitch deftly imitates nearly every notable comic artist of the silver age - his Harvey Kurtzman (Mad Magazine) spoof is worth the price of the book all by itself, and his Bill Finger and Wayne Boring are dead-on. You'll also get to see, very briefly, some of Chris Sprouse's work on the title, which makes the next book all the more enjoyable.

Summary:
An excellent book with a few forgivable artistic flaws and a great deal to recommend it. Age-appropriate for nearly everyone and a whole lot of fun.

NOTE: This book has gone through a new and better printing since the early reviews that complain about the 600 dpi scan quality of the first. I believe that Checker has an exchange program for those who bought the sub-par printing of the book, as well.

I wanted to address some of the criticisms of other reviewers. First of all, while the reproduction isn't top notch, and doesn't match the quality of the majority of TPB's, it is acceptable, and didn't diminish my enjoyment of the story. The lack of refinement and general smoothness in the colors is noticeable, however, so if you think this might bother you, check it out in a store, library, friend's collection, whatever, before you buy it here.

The many flashback sequences all have a legimate authentic golden and silver age look and feel to them. While the idea of presenting the story of Supreme with this technique is inititally clever and effective, over the course of this 300+ page TPB, Moore goes to the well too often. If I had read this collection in the original monthly installments, I wouldn't have minded it, and probably would have even looked forward to the next issue. While I'm not sure which segments I would jettison (because they're all individually drawn and written with care and imagination), the repetition starts to weigh in, especially if you try to read the whole book in one or two sittings.

This is a fun read, suitable for audiences of all ages. This is much more in line with Moore's work on Tom Strong, and especially, Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow. Fans of Moore's more "serious" work: Watchmen, From Hell, V For Vendetta, and Swamp Thing, may be disappointed with this.

I can't add too much to what the other positive reviews have said about Alan Moore's handling of Superma-, er, Supreme, but beware: 1) The art is just so-so in some instances (most of the Image-ish, modern-day stuff is flashy yet weak; the flashbacks are great), and 2) the production/printing on this ...trade paperback is ATROCIOUS! Who are these guys? If you can't print it an an acceptable quality level, then don't bother, and if you must bother to do it, then don't charge twice as much as you should! These "Checkers" book publishers are supposed to be releasing more Alan Moore Supreme collections later on this year...they're hard-bound and leather-bound and they contain all kinds of extra goodies and they cost a bundle. Just be ready for sub-standard printing (printing an already-printed image resulting in fuzziness instead of from good film negatives or shooting from the original art). I thought this initial undertaking of theirs was too good to be true. Go out and buy the original issues for about the same amount or a little more and get good, clear printing.

I loved comics as a kid. Superman was my favorite comic book for years until I discovered Marvel at age 11 and never returned to DC land. Alan Moore's "Supreme" character is a thinly-veiled parody of/homage to Superman as he was 'way back when in the 40s and 50s and 60s in his Golden Age. If you also read comics as a kid and then drifted away, these issues will bring the charm of those sometimes infantile products back in a way that most current comics can't achieve. It's a very meta/pomo/deconstructionist series, self-reflixively pondering what it means to be a serial character trapped in a formulaic format, but it's clearly a labor of love, and the brilliantly-realized 40s and 50s and 60s and 70s issues of the "Supreme" comic are very funny in their un-ironic treatment of a beloved icon.

If you read comics as a kid and are now a great big grown-up, "Supreme" will allow you to visit some places in your head you haven't been in many years. Recommended.

Only not... and and at the same time yes.

Alan Moore has created something truly unique here. These stories work on so many levels, it's hard to choose where to start.

First of all, Supreme works much like a Superman character. It pays homage to Supes and you'll have a great time just trying to identify Superman's characters in Supreme's universe.

The book works in a metacognitive level because it recognizes itself as a comic book. Through a series of flashbacks done in retro style, Supreme's back history is filled, which would be very normal if Supreme weren't aware of his memories coming to be as they are being read by you.

Finally, this comic serves as a historical document. In its very stories, the evolution and history of comics is retold as the characters are experiencing it. I found a certain issue quite chilling, where the whole of the 1950's are described with eerie accuracy by three witches who look a lot like the banned horror comics of EC. The scandalous book Seduction of the Innocent, which brought about the censorship of comics and a stunt in its growth as a medium, is parodied in this issue. The comic becomes aware of comics' legacy and I found that amazing.

This is a must.

I was very upset upon seeing the Checker edition of Supreme -- it looks like they copied this art directly from the comics. What Rob Liefeld didn't have film (or computer files) for these books? Or xeroxes? The results of the book look very blurry and cheap. I expected a nice tpb, so much for that. If you haven't read Supreme, it is worth reading. It's just too bad that more care wasn't put into this book full of wonderful story. A real pity.

Alan Moore's writing on this book is great. He's able to take the Mort Weisinger version of Superman from the 1950s and early 60s and give it the Alan Moore touch. However, this particular collection is a terrible reproduction of the series. It almost looks like someone photocopied the pages from the original comic books and just bound them together. (Note: Subsequent printings fixed this problem, and it is no longer an issue if you get one of the later printings).

You must read this work by Alan Moore. However, buying this particular production of it should be the third choice for acquiring it only if a better production in the future is impossible or if you cannot get the original comics due to the lack of availability or prohibitive cost.

Almost all of these reviewers have got it all wrong. This is genius Alan Moore. The flashbacks sequences are comic satire at it's best. This is one giant post-modern take on Superman. If you liked what he did with "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" or the Superman Annual that he did ("For the Man who has Everything") then this collection comes as a super-sized portion. Through the silver age flashback sequences, Moore disects and lovingly reconstructs over sixty years of Superman mythology. This book is a brightly crafted ode to Comics; a more optimistic Watchmen. I wish they showed what "Grim-Eighties Supreme" looks like. What a wonderful collection. Forget the transfer. The previous reviewers have grossly exagerrated the mistakes. This a beautifully crafted story on one of history's most mythical and beloved figures.

I love it, and you should, too.
I'm patiently waiting for the return!

Note: Amazon is sharing reviews between Story of the Year and The Return.

SUPREME: THE STORY OF THE YEAR

Supreme: The Story of the Year (2002) reprints issues 41-52b of Image Comics' Supreme, which were originally published in 1996 and 1997. Supreme was originally created by Rob Liefeld; Alan Moore completely recreated the character beginning with issue 41, so no previous familiarity with either Supreme or his world is necessary here (In fact, as the story begins, Supreme is suffering from amnesia, so the reader learns his background at the same time the character does).

Moore has deliberately created a pastiche of 1950's Superman. There are analogues of all the old characters. Supreme has all Superman's powers; his alter ego is Ethan Crane, a bespectacled comic book artist. There's Diana Dane, a coworker who's the love interest, and Darius Dax, a brilliant criminal mastermind who's Supreme's old nemesis. There's Suprema, Supreme's super-powered sister, and Radar the caped "hound supreme." There are analogues for Jimmy Olsen, Lana Lang, all the members of the Justice League and the Legion of Superheroes, too. But Moore is not just writing old Superman stories with these characters - most of them are distinctly different from the characters on which they are modeled.

Moore's Supreme is both an homage to and send-up of Silver Age comics. There's none of the deconstructionism he's commonly associated with (see Watchmen, etc.). What Moore has tried to do here is merge the comics of the nineties with the sensibilities of fifties' comics, which were cheesier and more fun, in which science operated in broad strokes, and which featured such alliterative exclamations as "Great galloping galaxies!" Here, Moore gives us that and more, the highlight being "Great Montezuma's Revenge!"

Supreme features several layers of metafiction. At the beginning of Moore's run, Supreme observes that maybe he did just pop into existence - he's fine with this. As Crane, he draws the comic Omniman, which features a Supreme-like character. When Supreme has a flashback, it's drawn as a comic within the comic. On top of all this is the constant reminder of vintage Superman.

The art here is a mixed bag. This volume collects 13 issues, and features nine pencillers and three inkers. From one issue to another, the primary artist often changes. Nearly all of them draw the present-day sequences in the ridiculous overly-muscled and exaggerated style that Image helped make so popular in the nineties. The highlight is Rick Veitch's art. When Supreme has a flashback (he has them at least once an issue), Veitch does the art in a Silver Age, more realistic style; without this, the whole thing wouldn't work (Keith Giffen adds one seventies-style flashback that's also well done).

What Moore has done here works for the most part, but not entirely. Occasionally it feels forced, and the flashbacks are usually more interesting than the "present day" parts of the story. And in the flashbacks, the toddler version of Supreme talks like the Incredible Hulk for reasons that are not explained. The reader may also insane by the vast number of times the word "supreme" is used as a following descriptor (sight supreme, hound supreme, spat supreme, etc.).

Moore's run on Supreme isn't his best work, but he keeps things interesting. This volume will definitely appeal to fans of Silver Age comics.

SUPREME: THE RETURN

Supreme: The Return (2003) collects Supreme #53-56 and Supreme: The Return #1-6, which were originally published from 1997 to 2000 by Awesome Entertainment. With Supreme: The Story of the Year, this volume collects Alan Moore's entire run on Supreme. Moore continues his homage to/send-up of Silver Age comics in general and Superman in particular.

Moore's writing here is hit-and-miss. In general, there are fewer flashbacks than in previous issues, and Moore focuses on stories set in the present. And either Moore has toned down his alliteration supreme a little bit or I've become numb to it. There are some genuinely funny moments here, most of them involving Hillary Clinton. Moore tries to take the fun, fifties style he's done a fairly good job with so far and mix it with some grittier, more modern stories. It doesn't work - it makes the grit seem almost horrific - and at this point, nobody is reading Supreme for "horrific." It feels like Moore is using Supreme as his personal lab in which to conduct experiments, to see which genre hybrids work and which don't. And some of the stories feel rushed, crammed into limited space so they'll only run one issue. Others feel overlong.

Extensive rehashing of what has gone before makes this book tedious. Almost every issue, whole pages are devoted to recapitulating what has already happened, whether it was at the beginning of Moore's run or last issue. And this is doubly tedious given that plots are getting rehashed. For example, in his first issue of Supreme, Moore presented the world of the Supremacy, where every version of Supreme went when they were revised out of continuity. Now we have a whole issue for a world of Lex Luthor-analogue Darius Daxes.

Metafiction is through the roof here. Moore tosses in layer after layer of it seemingly because he can. There's all the metafiction from The Story of the Year, plus now Ethan Crane and his comic book coworkers are themselves doing with their superhero, Omniman, exactly what Moore has done with Supreme.

The text is riddled with typos and grammar and syntax errors. This isn't necessarily Moore's fault, but who's editing this two-bit operation? It takes more than a few Alex Ross sketches to make a professional publisher.

Awesome Entertainment went under before the last two issues of Supreme: The Return could be published. Here, in the last published issue, they tack "The End" onto the last panel and call it a day; while it hardly ends on a cliffhanger, this is no ending to speak of.

The art here is a disaster. Rick Veitch's Silver Age-style flashback scenes are the highlight, as before, but now he's also doing the present in some issues, and his modern style is less remarkable. As in The Story of the Year, there are a lot of different artists here (so that rarely does the same artist draw two consecutive issues), many of which aren't very good. Unlike that volume, however, here the style of the art changes significantly from issue to issue, which makes the whole thing feel sloppy.

A combination of factors makes Supreme: The Return feel thrown together, and it will have less of an appeal to fans of Silver Age comics than The Story of the Year did.

The Writing:
Moore's charming, loving rendition of the classic planet-tossing superhero is rightly noted by several other reviewers as aping Superman at his silliest, but it's also a fun, funny, compassionate look at the Superman character, and one filled with insight into what makes him tick. It's not a deconstruction, refreshingly, and it's not a revamp - it's a "prevamp," if you will, a harking back to the times before all the assembly-line serial killers and grim, stalkerish superheroes began to flood the market with angst. There is a warmth here that is decidedly missing in even the best of Moore's work, especially between Ethan and Linda (the Clark Kent and Lois Lane characters), and it just feels great to read something like Supreme for the sheer childish joy of it. If you liked Rob Leifeld's run on the book, you'll probably dislike this a great deal, but that, frankly, is good news. For Rob Leifeld fans, I recommend Gray's Anatomy, until you recover.

The Artwork:
The art is admittedly sub-par, for the most part; Joe Bennett's renditions of Supreme are still stuck in the early-nineties days of bulked-out powerhouses in clothing that might as well be painted on, and nearly every female character appears to be smuggling canteloupes. The good news is that Rick Veitch manages to save every single issue with his flashback sequences. Veitch deftly imitates nearly every notable comic artist of the silver age - his Harvey Kurtzman (Mad Magazine) spoof is worth the price of the book all by itself, and his Bill Finger and Wayne Boring are dead-on. You'll also get to see, very briefly, some of Chris Sprouse's work on the title, which makes the next book all the more enjoyable.

Summary:
An excellent book with a few forgivable artistic flaws and a great deal to recommend it. Age-appropriate for nearly everyone and a whole lot of fun.