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It's Superman! (Hardcover)

~ Tom De Haven (Author)
Key Phrases: next essential thing, ghost gang, Lex Luthor, New York, Willi Berg (more...)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A focus on Clark Kent's high school years only makes comparison to the popular WB show Smallville all the more inevitable—and intentional. De Haven, whose Derby Dugan trilogy beautifully reimagined 20th-century American history through a pleasant sheen of media-tized irony, presents the man of steel as a sullen Depression-era teen, a bad WII-era reporter and as ambivalent about his super powers throughout, all with a kind of knowing that reflects a deep immersion in pulp. De Haven drives his coming-of-age tale toward Superman's first showdown with Lex Luthor and his robot "Lexbots" in the middle of (the real!) New York City—prompted, of course, by the need to save Lois Lane. He gets knocked off his feet by the Lexbots and temporarily dazed. He doesn't want to continue, doesn't think he can win. Suddenly, in an echo of recent Batman and Spiderman film adaptations, a disembodied voice rings out: "Now get off that silly chair and go do something. Doesn't matter what. Just do something, Clark." (It's his mother.) If that's not over-the-top enough, plenty of short chapters begin with lines like "Despite Lex Luthor's savvy and sensitive draft report on the Harlem race riot...." De Haven gives readers X-ray vision for determining when his tongue is in his cheek here; using it is great fun.(Nov. 1)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Bookmarks Magazine

If you enjoyed De Haven’s Derby Dugan trilogy or have fond memories of (or a continued obsession with) the Man of Steel, you’ll like It’s Superman!, a re-creation of Superman’s early life before 1938, when he first started to appear in comic strips and, later, books, radio and television shows, and movies. De Haven, who teaches creative writing at Virginia Commonwealth University, has added a sophisticated, well-rounded, and compelling addition to the Superman genre. In particular, he has an eye for authentic setting and character. Some parts "could be Steinbeck meets Smallville," notes The Palm Beach Post. The verdict: proof that Superman’s appeal has withstood the test of time.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Chronicle Books (September 15, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0811844358
  • ISBN-13: 978-0811844352
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #536,640 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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More About the Authors

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Joe Shuster
Joe Shuster
Jerry Siegel
Jerry Siegel

Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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next essential thing, ghost gang
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Lex Luthor, New York, Willi Berg, Lois Lane, Curly Ike, Ben Jaeger, Clark Kent, Dick Sandglass, Caesar Colluzo, Miss Colman, Miss Lane, Paulie Scaffa, Alger Lee, Daily Planet, Meyer Lansky, Skinny Simon, Donny Poore, Ceil Stickowski, Perry White, Richard Sandglass, Jiggs Makley, Smallville Bank, United States, Will Rogers, Captain Gould
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Customer Reviews

38 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (38 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars It's a New-Old Superman! And It's Wizard and Keen!, October 8, 2005
By J. Beard "Comic Book Geek" (Sylvania, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I want to heartily urge everyone to read ITS SUPERMAN by Tom DeHaven, but also want to "warn" you that its a very different type of Superman story...in some ways.

Its basically Superman's "origin" but set more in the "real world" than ever before. You will find much, much more Clark Kent here than the Big Blue Boy Scout. There's real people populating this novel, real emotions, real actions, real personalities, and really wonderful, quirky characters and situations. DeHaven veers off from the comic book Superman mythos at various points but these diversions are worthwhile and fascinating.

One of the most interesting characters in the book is Lex Luthor. DeHaven paints him as the train wreck you can't look away from, evil and calculating, but intriguing and deep. He's a combination of the out-and-out villainous Luthor of legend and the more-recent crooked-businessman from the modern comics.

The dialogue is crisp and multi-faceted and the scenes are poignant and...humorous.

Yes, there's humor here, but this is definitely not a "comedy" novel. DeHaven's fans will know what to expect. The situations are sometimes so outrageous that you may laugh and smile at the same time you cringe and feel the horror.

Its not a pristine world this Superman lives in. Its a sweaty, often soiled world and all is not clean and bright. But is is captivating and literary.

Bravo, Mr. DeHaven. A truly unique novel.

Jim!
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars What a surprise this was..., October 23, 2005
By Dennis Maloney (New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I was in my local comic book shop(yes I am a comic book geek and proud of it)when this book caught my eye. All I can say is it's not quite what I expected but far,far more.

The author touches all the main points of Superman's origin without being a slave to continuity. I particularly enjoy his grounding of the story in real Depression era America. He takes his time developing the characters instead of throwing Superman at the reader on page 1.

I'm about two-thirds of the way through at this point and have yet to even see Superman and you know something? I don't even miss him! I highly recommend this book to any comic book/superhero fan.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Man and Supernan, September 26, 2006
By Scott Bresinger (New York, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
Tom DeHaven's novel "It's Superman!" is a slightly revisionist, somewhat satirical and all around entertaining retelling of the early days of the Man of Steel. Set in 1935, DeHaven's version has many of the characters that comics fans have known for decades, but he places them in a more realistic setting. Eighteen-year-old Clark Kent is a seemingly ordinary high school student coming of age in Smallville, Kansas. He longs to get away, but he doesn't want to abandon his ailing parents, who we are told adopted him under mysterious circumstances. Meanwhile, in the sprawling metropolis of New York City, plucky young reporter Lois Lane is trying to save her sometimes boyfriend Willi Berg from the clutches of corrupt city Alderman Lex Luthor, who has plans that can only be called megalomaniacal. Willi, on the lam, ends up in Smallville, where he befriends Clark. After living as hobos for a while, they briefly settle in Hollywood. Clark, who has long noticed that he has powers far beyond those of mortal men, becomes a movie stuntman, where he acquires a costume meant for some B-movie "scientifiction" serial. Before long, New York, and destiny, beckons.

DeHaven's main contribution to the Superman mythos, aside from the character of Willi Berg (a New York Jew who basically "conceptualizes" Clark's alter ego--something like Supe's real-life inventors, jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster), is to fill in the blanks from the original comic book stories. He puts in a lot of detail about the time period, in particular the politics and pop culture. This can sometimes be grating, as when he simply lists personages of the day, as if to say "look, I've done my research! Aren't you impressed?" Still, it's interesting to see how he weaves the problems of racism and the depression into what's usually viewed as escapist fantasy. The book also adds in satirical elements, sometimes playing with the characters (Superman has a hard time keeping his costumes intact!), but usually their circumstances (Clark's misadventures in Hollywood and Luthor's political machinations). Although the overall tone is light-hearted, DeHaven tries to make some point out of it. He clearly loves the comics; this novel is an attempt to try to appreciate them anew from a more adult perspectiive (while it's definitely meant for grown-ups, with its bursts of bloody violence and hints of sex and booze, it's not entirely inappropriate for kids--they'd probably be bored, though, since it's pretty light on superheroic action).

It's interesting to compare this novel with the latest film version of Our Hero's exploits, Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns." While I'd love to see the novel realized as a film, it's unlikely to happen for a variety of reasons, mainly the book's lack of huge action set-pieces, which Singer's film provides in spades. Of course, the Superman presented in the movie is not only larger-than-life, he's downright messianic--even Christlike. DeHaven's Superman is a guy unsure of his powers and disturbed by his responsibilities. He just wants to fit in. This is a Superman so down to earth he's even an agnostic! If you found the movie to be a little (a lot?) overblown, this book is the perfect antidote.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Darker and Interesting Superman!
This book is totally different than any depiction of Superman I have come across. It has the feel more of the Dark Night Batman tales. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Michael A. Newman

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun spin on a old favorite
One of the enduring images of heroism from my youth is Christopher Reeve as Superman. While I liked Batman "better" as a boy, Superman has always reasonated with me as the... Read more
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You may have read one of the classical myths published by Random House. They invite contemporary writers such Ali Smith or Margaret Atwood to rewrite classical myths with modern... Read more
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Can comic book characters be the stuff of good literature? You know, not just a fast-paced plot with some clever one-liners and copious amounts of glitzy fantasy action, but a... Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars It's so good
I loved it, I finished it in two days and my fingers are crossed that a sequel will be written.
Published 17 months ago by Robert

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you Tom, may I have another?
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Published 24 months ago by msritajean

4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable re-creation of the Superman story.
I came to this book as a fan of Tom DeHaven, not a Superman fanatic, and I think that definitely aided my enjoyment of the story. Read more
Published on October 30, 2007 by M. Rosen

5.0 out of 5 stars A Super Book About a "Human" Superhero
If you're a boomer who raptly watched the original Adventures of Superman television series with the late George Reeves in the title role, you need to read this book. Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars You'll believe a man can fly!
I absolutely loved this book. It is easily the best written, most three-dimensional and sophisticated portrait of the Man of Steel and his world in any medium -- and I say that... Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars Very fun read!
I'm a fan of Superman, but haven't ever been a huge Superman comic geek. This book is a fantastic read in general, completely separate from the Superman references (which are... Read more
Published on December 16, 2006 by Jake McKee

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