Customer Reviews

World Without a Superman

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The middle entry of the epic saga of the Man of Steel's death and resurrection, "World Without a Superman" is a roller-coaster ride both emotionally and physically. As the world cope's with the death of their favorite superhero, the realization that crime and violence will still continue becomes apparent. The hole that Superman's death left is felt by all, from the kids who roam the streets, to the reporters who write about him. But there are sinister things at work, including an attempt to steal Superman's body for the purposes of cloning him; and the fight for Superman also continues in the hereafter.
While it does drag at times, "World Without a Superman" is an exciting and emotion-charged sequel to the epic "Death of Superman." And the events of this book set up the events of the epic conclusion: "The Return of Superman." Fans are sure to be enthralled!
Grade: A

Hot on the heels of perhaps one of the most controversial takes on the Superman charcater, DC takes us to a world where life continues without a Superman's presence. It points how the Man of Steel held against his people and other heroes. A number of the World's Finest make their appearance. Even Batman, who is known to be the coldest and most calculating of all heroes makes a cameo here, which just reverbetates the power of the storyline. A great deal is discussed about Big Blue's influence on a number of people, but the most touching and the true driving force of all this was how the people close to Supes's alter ego react. Lois, his parents and even Jimmy Olsen are portrayed to view the loss and each scene with any of them sure makes you think how these people looked up to the big man. The story does bridge the gap between Bog Blue's death and return. Since this is a trade paperback, collecting individula comics, DC had to do this as part of a marketing plan to hold their audience captivated after Superman's death. they could not bring him back full blast, which is rediculous to say the least, so they bring out a human story that can be considered the other side of the action motivated coin of his death.

A truy touching tale, portraying the love and meaning of how life can trul feel like after the death of a dear one.

What happens when a Superman dies? This is the second trade paperback after The Death of Superman. The series was orginally titled Funeral For A Friend. Basically, it picks up after Superman's death. We watch how many lives are touched by it everyone from a street peddler to his parents. When I started reading comics in 1993, I picked up part three of this series. The scene that did it for me was when his parents decided to hold their own memorial and bury the things that meant that most to him (things that included a teddy bear and a baseball glove). This is the middle block between the Death and the Return. It is worth a read.

I think it's better than The Return of Superman because it shows the whole worlds reaction to his death and there's a bigger story than The Death of Superman. If you read The Death of Superman you will probably enjoy this book even more.

I've always been a fan of Superman on film and television, and after recently watching the new Superman:Doomsday animated movie and it's bonus features I was compelled to go back and read the original comics.

I picked up The Death of Superman, World Without a Superman, The Return of Superman, and Superman:Doomsday.

Death is amazing, the way it was mapped out was absolutely brilliant from the writing and artist teams.

But, World Without a Superman to me is so much more powerful. It picks up right where Death of Superman ends. Lois is in the street, holding Clark as he dies.

It took me a few days to read, but every time I sat down to read, I couldn't help but start crying.

It was so heartbreaking. Not just for Lois and the Kents, although that was just so sad, silently grieving for their love and son. But for the other heroes, and the people of the world that Superman left behind. There are stories of people reminiscing about the time Superman saved their lives, and a kid feeling survivor's remorse, just wanting to have a chance to tell Superman, Thank you.

It was beautiful, and touching, and just so powerful. Tears streaming down my face, sobs even at times. Even now writing this I'm getting a little misty eyed.

I was pretty young when these stories originally came out, but I wish now that I had been reading them each week as they were coming out.

I highly recommend the entire series for any Superman fan. This is what Superman is all about, and I hope that someday a live action movie can do it justice.

The "Death of Superman" and "Return of Superman" story arcs are classics almost by default simply because they are so integral to the Superman mythos, whatever your feelings on the quality of those particular works aside. "World Without a Superman" (called "Funeral for a Friend" when it was originally published) bridges the gap between those two arcs, picking up right where the former left off (the first few panels are Lois still holding the dead Superman and Guardian trying to revive him) and leads us right up to the next arc, teasing us with the possibility of Superman's return.

Plotwise, WWAS covers the weeks following the Man of Steel's death, including a memorable funeral that features a procession of nearly all the DC heroes and a speech by then-President Bill Clinton. Metropolis's crime problem did not die with Superman, and everyone from kids to other heroes attempting to fill the void. A number of subplots are included, like an attempt to clone Superman from his dead body and medical drama in the Kent family.

The artwork in WWAS is very similar to the other two parts of the trilogy, and for the most part has no real weak points (with the notable exception of one of the Cadmus Project sections, which is simply horrendous, but it was originally published as a supplement to the "Funeral for a Friend" arc rather than a true chapter, so I'll forgive it). The story is also very moving in how human it is - all of us have lost a loved one and tried to fill the void, and this story simply extrapolates that to a global figure we all related to. One of the most touching points of the book is early on, as all the newscasts are reporting Superman's death, when someone asks "Jeez, did anything else happen in the world today?" to which another replies "If it did, it doesn't matter."

My only complaint is that the story drags at times, especially when read immediately in order as part of the trilogy. After the frantic pace of "Death of Superman" and the mind-boggling plot of "Return of Superman," the slow, human story of WWAS is not so much a break to catch your breath as it is a "race to the red light, slam on your breaks, watch the people on the street while you wait thirty seconds for the light to change, then floor it when the light turns green" - you appreciate what's going on, but you really want to get a move on to the next part. This is easily solved by spacing out your readings, however, and is one of the only weak points of an otherwise excellent graphic novel.

This is the second book in a trilogy concerning the death and return of Superman, with the material encompassing the intense "Funeral for a Friend" story line.

The moment is marked by appearances of the superheroes in the DC Universe and real-life "characters" to give the funeral an amazing realism. The death is also seen through the eyes of children, the media and political leaders; who all share in the sadness, but on different levels of concern. The reality - though - will soon sweep through Main Street, since the field is now clear for evil to reign supreme.

This collection is an iconic work of artistry that shows the potential of story-telling within the framework of a graphic novel/trade paperback.

The creators behind these stories sure took their time in telling the tale of a world without Superman. We get to see a lot of reactions from a lot of people: Lois grieving her fiance is dead, people still in disbelief despite time since Supe's death has passed, some humbling experiences for others and lowlifes who take the opportunity of Superman's absence. I am glad that they didn't rush the story that suddenly brings Superman back and made us whirl. All this just preps us for the next and final part of the Death of Superman trilogy.

World Without a Superman is a landmark issue in the medium of comics, giving depth to the Death of Superman series. This collection is essential to truly get the full impact of the death and eventual rebirth of a pop cultural icon.

I don't hate this TPB but let's face it...Nothing happens! It drags on and on and on and I'm like, "something happen already!". Every other thought bubble is reminding us that superman is dead...I know he's dead!
In the beginning it was emotional and was sad but after a while, Superman's death becomes annoying. They should have shorted the story by half.

I'm not saying don't read it because first of all, it's a classic so you much read it if you are a Superman fan.
Second, it's goes between Death of Superman and Return of Superman so it's a must read.
It will be a good read for about 50 or so pages but after that it becomes a necessary evil that you must get through.

I'm not sure why it got so many good ratings. I guess because it's a classic and a staple in Superman history but story wise it's very boring. Though, I still recommend reading it if you're a hard Superman fan...if not then you can skip this one.