Superman Earth One Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3 (spoilers)

Ya know, in the life of a Superman fan, there sometimes come along major events that are simply too big to ignore.

Superman- Earth One is a good example.

It seems that every 10 or 15 years, pop culture takes notice of Superman. The question of "relevance" always comes up in such discussions. And frankly, I think a substantial proportion of that comes down to ideology and worldview. But I'll spare you guys the political ramifications. Suffice it to say, it's hard for people predisposed to a certain worldview to see what Superman offers society.



But every now and then, Superman barges into the headlines and pop culture has to take some kind of stance on it. The question of relevance came up when Byrne rebooted Superman in 1986 ("Marvelizing Superman!"), when Superman died in 1992 ("recognizing Superman's obsolescence"), when Smallville premiered in 2001 ("how do you do a post-9/11 Superman?") and, again, with Earth One.

As it goes for Earth One, the stance is framed on a "modern, angsty, emo, post-Twilight" approach to Superman. And honestly, I didn't find Earth One to be exactly that. It's certainly closer to that label than Superman has ever come... but being that exactly? Not quite.

Between the pre-release hype that came up this past week and my general disenchantment with JMS as a writer, frankly I was all set to hate Earth One. Thanks to his lousy, pretentious, borderline offensive current run on the montly Superman title, I was pretty much in a place where I didn't want to hear what JMS had to say about the character.



Even so, Earth One? Not half bad. Not half good either, don't get me wrong, but not half bad.

You see, years ago I started developing ideas for a Superman fan comic. I started conceptualizing the mythos as I'd always wanted to see the job done. Certain aspects of the Byrne Age, certain aspects of the Bronze Age, certain aspects of certain adaptations (Smallville, Lois & Clark, the movies, etc), certain things I developed myself and so forth. The idea was to find a writer who could plot out and write the actual "issues", an artist to do, y'know, the art and then do the whole thing as a sort of twelve issue miniseries released online not-for-profit.



One thing I'd planned to tackle was Clark in some way or another acknowledging that he could very easily use his powers for his own gain. He could become anything he wants- a superstar athlete, the world's leading scientific/medical researcher, an architect par excellence, etc. The sky is the limit. The idea was to explain why he chose journalism, why he became Superman, etc.

At the time, many of my ideas were as justifiable as they were innovative. Now? Well, between subsequent seasons of Smallville, developments in the comics and other things, a lot of my ideas were used by other creators. Obviously they weren't "stolen" and they certainly weren't executed the way I would've done them but basically they're all out there right now.

Obviously Earth One runs with some of those same ideas. Again, not the way I would've done 'em but they're still in there.



Overall, I didn't have tons of huge problems with Earth One. The only thing that really stood out and bothered me was Clark being dragged almost kicking and screaming into becoming Superman. Frankly, I've always liked the concept that when Clark finally puts on that uniform, he does so out of a sense of responsibility and maturity rather than it being a snap decision that he's forced into by circumstance. That's apparently not how JMS views the matter.



But honestly? Apart from that and the fairly paint-by-numbers alien invasion, there's not much in Earth One that really rankles me. Honestly, the alien invasion paints Superman into a position usually occupied by Spider-Man, where the public has mixed views on the hero and he is usually presumed guilty until proven innocent. It works for Spider-Man, the Charlie Brown of superheroes, but that's not really what Superman should be.

But once he becomes Superman, Superman acts like Superman. While the journey to that point is anything but incidental, he got there in the end and that counts for something.



I buy his reasons for wanting to go to work for the Daily Planet. In this age of dying print media, his choice makes sense. It's about the people there moreso than the newspaper itself.

The easy comparison through all of this is to Sucky Origin. Conceptually, the two are fairly similar. But where Sucky Origin fails... well, I don't want to say Earth One succeeds, but it comes a hell of a lot closer to the mark. For starters, there is no self-deprication here. Clark's discomfort with revealing himself to the world stems more from his assumed loss of privacy and the simultaneous imposition of isolation and loneliness than it does his fear of wearing a cape in public. When Clark finally suits up in Earth One, there is no self-referential "geeze, I hope I don't look stupid in the tights and bright colors", he never wonders that he made a mistake in going public, he simply puts on the uniform and kicks some alien ass.



Superman's debut alone puts Earth One miles ahead of Sucky Origin.

But I guess over and above that, I like that Clark, once he becomes Superman, is the captain of his own destiny. Clark interviews Superman to score his gig at the Daily Planet (a la Byrne), he names himself Superman rather than waiting for Lois to do so and, through it all, he seems to walk the path of a hero on his terms and no one else's. Once he becomes Superman, he's a lot more discipline and self-motivated.

Frankly, I've always thought that the crutch of someone, usually Lois, imposing the name Superman on him smacked of too much false humility. Superman is humble, yes, but not to the extent of being self-loathing, which, intentionally or not, is where a lot of fans want to put him. Superman knows who he is, he understands what he can do and he realizes that he has powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. He wouldn't be and shouldn't be uncomfortable with the "Superman" moniker. For everything else I could say about JMS... he understands at least that much.

Now, some folks are more aware of comic book art than I am. They are artists themselves or, lacking that, still have a better understanding of anatomy, light, texture, perspective and other tools of the trade than I can claim. Unless something is seriously off with those things, all I usually have to work with is how comic book art grabs me, what impressions are evoked by the line work and the coloring, etc.

On that basis, I've got no real problem with Shane Davis here. Much has been made by the Singerman fans of how closely the Davis version resembles Blandon BJ. I didn't notice much of a similarity here. Maybe a profile or two but basically this seems to be the Shane Davis version of Superman, not the Blandon version. It works for me.

I guess to kinda summarize, I won't say that Earth One is the Superman origin I've been dying to see. But as a modern retelling that inserts genuine character and heart into a timeless story, Earth One ain't bad and it's a hell of a lot better than Sucky Origin. John Byrne's remains the definitive version in my mind but Earth One has its moments.

Worth picking up.

nice review on the graphic novel. i am curious to pick it up myself some time soon to judge it myself. though i too dont have much love for jms, with all the crap he did with spidey(though i later learned most of it was due to joe q). Definately want to give this superman a try to see how i like or dislike it myself.

The way I heard it, JMS wanted nothing to do with that abortion of a story arc. He later denounced it after his run on Spidey ended.

Oh totally I was fine with his start of the run. Heck even the other story was cool. Mknus trying to make the whole mystic angle on his powers. I def didn't like the gwen thing either. But now I know he pretty much just wrote what marvel editor joe q wanted. Even though like must fans didn't like how things ended with jms run. I have enjoyed the rotation of writers now on spidey. So anything else good from earth one I could look forward to colors when I do get the chance to pick up a copy.

Forgot to say so in my review but you know how a lot of artists nowadays abuse the hell out of splash pages? I don't really get that sense from E1. There are several splashes but I can't really think of one where I thought "geeze, now that's just excessive". The art is fairly economical in that respect.

I actually got a chance to read this last night, and I thought it was pretty much "ok".

Clark moping around, not sure what he wanted to do was fine with me. A little "loserish", but not bad. Him giving that "formula" to the research company he applied to was a little far-fetched though. Walking thru the door, no REAL education to speak of, and handing them something they have tried for YEARS to discover would just potentially raise too many questions. Especially when you think about the fact that he was already considering the Superman identity. But even then, not a big deal.

The suit was ok too. The little Singerman-style trunks were kind of lame, and the way the cape was attached wasn't "cool" either. But with the way it has been selling, I wouldn't put it past the Bros. Warner to have THAT costume used in the reboot. It just goes to show, Classic is King....

The villain was a whole lot of nothing. He was there, explained why, then was gone. Him looking like a Kiss fan with wings didn't help here either. I know they were "hinting" that the REAL person behind Krypton's fate was still out there, but for something that will only come out, well, how often? That they could have given a little bit MORE about who exactly that was. An arm, some color, something.

His reason for finally donning the suit was good, but predictable too. I kind of figured that was going to happen as soon as Jimmy's "speech".... The "goofy" Clark shtick was groan-worthy though. Might have just been the art, but it was dumb nonetheless.

All in all, not bad. Not "great", but not bad either. I'm not much of a comic book reader, but I enjoyed it.

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2010/11/10/breaking-news-superman-earth-one-sequel-in-the-works/

Basically, a sequel to Earth One is on the way. Given that this was intentionally supposed to kickstart an ongoing alternate universe and the first Earth One (for better or worse) is a hit, I can't say this is a huge surprise.

And look here, JMS is leaving the Superman monthly. Frankly, I don't see that as a bad thing. The core concept of his arc was retarded to begin with so him leaving can only be a positive. Moreover, I'd be surprised if part of this decision doesn't revolve around the fan reaction to his "Superman Walks Across America" stupidity. What I wouldn't be surprised about is if Chris Robinson doesn't wrap up JMS's story a little early and start writing stuff about, y'know, Clark Kent, the Daily Planet, the supporting characters and all the other "meaningless" things we haven't seen in about two years now.

I'm okay with Earth One so this all works for me.

Cool news about earth one. Still want to pick it up soon. But wqsnt it originally going to be some sort of on going graphic novel deal coming out every few months?

webhead2006 wrote:Cool news about earth one. Still want to pick it up soon. But wqsnt it originally going to be some sort of on going graphic novel deal coming out every few months?

I never read that. I read it was going to be something like one or two per year tops. If we assume that each gn is about 120 pages, that JMS can finish the writing stuff inside a month or two and that Shane Davis draws one page (out of the 120) per day... yeah, that sounds just about right.

Depending on how Batman- Earth One is scheduled and assuming that creative team hits a similar productivity quota, yeah, I could see the "new graphic novel every couple of months" thing coming together.

Ah ok colors I thought I did read somewhere that was plan. Thanks for correction. I still hope to pick up earth one some time soon. Just haven't had chance to go to any of the local shops I go to for comics to pick it up.

thec0l0rsblend wrote:

webhead2006 wrote:Cool news about earth one. Still want to pick it up soon. But wqsnt it originally going to be some sort of on going graphic novel deal coming out every few months?

I never read that. I read it was going to be something like one or two per year tops. If we assume that each gn is about 120 pages, that JMS can finish the writing stuff inside a month or two and that Shane Davis draws one page (out of the 120) per day... yeah, that sounds just about right.

Depending on how Batman- Earth One is scheduled and assuming that creative team hits a similar productivity quota, yeah, I could see the "new graphic novel every couple of months" thing coming together.

You know a lot more about comics than I do, but I will guess with how well Superman Earth One sold, they will try to get them out every 6 months.

Strike while the iron is hot, and all that....

Would be smart move, though probably counts on how qucklt jms and davis can get work done.

Apologist Puncher wrote:You know a lot more about comics than I do, but I will guess with how well Superman Earth One sold, they will try to get them out every 6 months.

Strike while the iron is hot, and all that....

In relation to that, I am concerned about Batman- Earth One now. It seems the E1 universe is supposed to be set in a quasi-real world type of place. Frankly, I've watched enough Chris Nolan Batman movies to have my fill of that shit. It's been done, it's been done to the motherfucking death and now it'll be being done by Geoff Johns and Gary Frankenstein. It'll be another fucking boring origin story (that's sort of the entire idea here), it'll show us little or nothing new in terms of how Batman came to be and if anything good at all happens, it won't be until vol. 2.

I just can't muster any enthusiasm for that.

The Superman E1 follow up should be interesting though.

thecolorsblend wrote:In relation to that, I am concerned about Batman- Earth One now. It seems the E1 universe is supposed to be set in a quasi-real world type of place. Frankly, I've watched enough Chris Nolan Batman movies to have my fill of that shit. It's been done, it's been done to the motherfucking death and now it'll be being done by Geoff Johns and Gary Frankenstein. It'll be another fucking boring origin story (that's sort of the entire idea here), it'll show us little or nothing new in terms of how Batman came to be and if anything good at all happens, it won't be until vol. 2.

I just can't muster any enthusiasm for that.

I'm starting a Batman Earth One thread in the Batman Comics section because you mentioned it.

The Superman E1 follow up should be interesting though.

Could be interesting.

There's something that rankles about JMS' interpretation of Superman. Between dropping the ball on the meaning of the S-shield and idiotic lines like, "Oh, Clark, it's not selfish... it's how dreams get made", it's difficult to precisely nail down. The rail-thin characterization and the navel-gazing pathos that passes for the rest of Superman's character arc don't help either. Perhaps what irritates the most, though, is JMS' complete failure to understand the nobility of a lifetime spent in service to others. Those who truly serve, who deny themselves even the most basic of self-centered pursuits to enhance the welfare and well-being of others... never, ever feel alone. Loneliness does not enter the equation, because the more you give yourself away, the more you find you have to give and the more others are drawn to you.

THAT is what drives Superman. THAT is what is heroic and noble about him. And THAT is what is wholly and totally absent from S:E1.

This mistake is not wholly JMS' fault. Other writers (Austen, Meltzer, and Johns come to mind) have mistaken Superman's innate alien-ness and outsider-ness for the thing that drives him. But it isn't. It shouldn't be. Because it isn't heroic.

That said, Davis' artwork is phenomenal and truly the best of his career. The book looks phenomenal, and once Superman actually arrives on-scene, it's all-out action as it should be. Shame that he was largely wasted on an utterly vapid story.

道 wrote:There's something that rankles about JMS' interpretation of Superman. Between dropping the ball on the meaning of the S-shield and idiotic lines like, "Oh, Clark, it's not selfish... it's how dreams get made", it's difficult to precisely nail down. The rail-thin characterization and the navel-gazing pathos that passes for the rest of Superman's character arc don't help either. Perhaps what irritates the most, though, is JMS' complete failure to understand the nobility of a lifetime spent in service to others. Those who truly serve, who deny themselves even the most basic of self-centered pursuits to enhance the welfare and well-being of others... never, ever feel alone. Loneliness does not enter the equation, because the more you give yourself away, the more you find you have to give and the more others are drawn to you.

THAT is what drives Superman. THAT is what is heroic and noble about him. And THAT is what is wholly and totally absent from S:E1.

This mistake is not wholly JMS' fault. Other writers (Austen, Meltzer, and Johns come to mind) have mistaken Superman's innate alien-ness and outsider-ness for the thing that drives him. But it isn't. It shouldn't be. Because it isn't heroic.

That said, Davis' artwork is phenomenal and truly the best of his career. The book looks phenomenal, and once Superman actually arrives on-scene, it's all-out action as it should be. Shame that he was largely wasted on an utterly vapid story.

I can't say I agree. The loneliness (what there was of it) came from Clark's need for privacy. He didn't want to lose that by going public with his abilities.

道 wrote:There's something that rankles about JMS' interpretation of Superman. Between dropping the ball on the meaning of the S-shield and idiotic lines like, "Oh, Clark, it's not selfish... it's how dreams get made", it's difficult to precisely nail down. The rail-thin characterization and the navel-gazing pathos that passes for the rest of Superman's character arc don't help either. Perhaps what irritates the most, though, is JMS' complete failure to understand the nobility of a lifetime spent in service to others. Those who truly serve, who deny themselves even the most basic of self-centered pursuits to enhance the welfare and well-being of others... never, ever feel alone. Loneliness does not enter the equation, because the more you give yourself away, the more you find you have to give and the more others are drawn to you.

THAT is what drives Superman. THAT is what is heroic and noble about him. And THAT is what is wholly and totally absent from S:E1.

This mistake is not wholly JMS' fault. Other writers (Austen, Meltzer, and Johns come to mind) have mistaken Superman's innate alien-ness and outsider-ness for the thing that drives him. But it isn't. It shouldn't be. Because it isn't heroic.

That said, Davis' artwork is phenomenal and truly the best of his career. The book looks phenomenal, and once Superman actually arrives on-scene, it's all-out action as it should be. Shame that he was largely wasted on an utterly vapid story.

I actually understand where you're coming from. Can't say I agree 100%, but you're on the right track.

If you change Superman to fit what "young people" are in to TODAY, what is there for them to look up to, or forward to? If ALL literary or "pop culture" characters became mopey, love-lorn "outsiders", it becomes a self-sustaining merry-go-round. Just an endless cycle of dreariness and self-pity. I doubt that the World was as "happy-go-lucky" as the Superman comics of the Silver Age show. Why all of a sudden do we need our characters to reflect what FAD kids today have latched onto? It's definitely NOT a culture change, and doesn't deserve to be given as much "weight" as it has.

And let me ask you this: If all of these young people feel "isolated" and "lonely", why do they do it in GROUPS?

The worst thing I can say about Earth One is, I read it and it wasn't memorable enough for me to want to read it again anytime soon.

thecolorsblend wrote:I can't say I agree. The loneliness (what there was of it) came from Clark's need for privacy. He didn't want to lose that by going public with his abilities.

I can understand that. That's not what JMS communicated, though. Since the loneliness was couched in trying to land a career to take care of Ma Kent, said loneliness came across as being caused, not by a desire for privacy, but by a desire to profit off of his gifts. Yes, he wanted to make a lot of money to set his mother up for life, but at the end of the day, he still wanted to use his gifts and abilities to make money instead of serve others.

Apologist Puncher wrote:I actually understand where you're coming from. Can't say I agree 100%, but you're on the right track.

Coming from you, that means I got full marks. Because I haven't seen a damn thing you've done that indicates you know how to be noble or heroic, yourself.

As to your question... the answer is obvious. They don't want to be lonely. They just want to identify with someone who feels the way they do. Their bodies are changing and they're insecure about how it's happening (thanks to a mass-market media that glorifies a particular body type to the exclusion of all others), they have parents who are more concerned about their own lives than their children's or who are too busy working triple shifts to put forth the energy... and they just want to know that someone's willing to meet them on their terms and try to reach out to them and find out who they are without trying to force them into some kind of prepackaged mold.

That's all.

道 wrote:

thecolorsblend wrote:I can't say I agree. The loneliness (what there was of it) came from Clark's need for privacy. He didn't want to lose that by going public with his abilities.

I can understand that. That's not what JMS communicated, though. Since the loneliness was couched in trying to land a career to take care of Ma Kent, said loneliness came across as being caused, not by a desire for privacy, but by a desire to profit off of his gifts. Yes, he wanted to make a lot of money to set his mother up for life, but at the end of the day, he still wanted to use his gifts and abilities to make money instead of serve others.

That's the whole point, JMS is saying that even if Clark were to exploit his powers for financial gain, his only real way of processing that is how it helps others. Even in greed, there's still altruism there. Clark was only going for the brass ring so that he could take care of Martha for the rest of her life.

But beyond that, JMS goes out of his way to point out that Clark didn't find fulfillment in any of those endeavors. He was given blank checks by all and sundry, and he accepted none of them because they didn't feel right (irrespective of how that impacted his dream of taking care of his mom). What did feel right was working at the Planet, and that only because of the other staffers (certainly not the money).

I don't argue that JMS didn't give us a bit of a somewhat unorthodox origin story but he rung more character from E1 than (and I forget how, if at all, you feel about this example) Geoff Johns did for Sucky Origin.

Allz I'm saying is that I think you're being just a bit harsh here, that's all.

道 wrote:

Apologist Puncher wrote:I actually understand where you're coming from. Can't say I agree 100%, but you're on the right track.

Coming from you, that means I got full marks. Because I haven't seen a damn thing you've done that indicates you know how to be noble or heroic, yourself.

That's because you know jack & shit about me, despite what you might THINK. You long-winded asshair.

As to your question... the answer is obvious. They don't want to be lonely. They just want to identify with someone who feels the way they do. Their bodies are changing and they're insecure about how it's happening (thanks to a mass-market media that glorifies a particular body type to the exclusion of all others), they have parents who are more concerned about their own lives than their children's or who are too busy working triple shifts to put forth the energy... and they just want to know that someone's willing to meet them on their terms and try to reach out to them and find out who they are without trying to force them into some kind of prepackaged mold.

That's all.

Blah, blah, blah.

It's funny seeing someone so STUPID try their hardest to sound SMART.

You failed, loser.

thecolorsblend wrote:I don't argue that JMS didn't give us a bit of a somewhat unorthodox origin story but he rung more character from E1 than (and I forget how, if at all, you feel about this example) Geoff Johns did for Sucky Origin.

Allz I'm saying is that I think you're being just a bit harsh here, that's all.

That's fine. You're entitled to your opinion. It's just entertainment.

I don't know, JMS' characterization didn't ring true for me, though. For all its flaws, the one thing that really, REALLY worked about Waid's Birthright is that, when we join Clark's story, he's already decided that he's going to serve humanity instead of exploit his gifts. He just has to figure out how. Same thing in Byrne's MOS. When Clark waits until the alien invasion to put on the suit, it's like it's a halfhearted effort instead of something he actually really cares passionately about.

I didn't really care for Johns' origin story. Or much of anything Johns has done that wasn't a B-list character revamp. His work on Hawkman, Hal Jordan, and Barry Allen is really good, but everything else, I could do without.

Apologist Puncher wrote:That's because you know jack & shit about me, despite what you might THINK. You long-winded asshair.

Blah, blah, blah.

It's funny seeing someone so STUPID try their hardest to sound SMART.

You failed, loser.

Hey, you asked the question. Do you always kick people in the teeth when they try to give you an honest answer?

And as for not knowing anything about you... there's a long, long trail of evidence over on the SSS blog. You said those things. You made those choices. If you don't like how people think of you now, as a result... change your behavior.

"And as for not knowing anything about you... there's a long, long trail of evidence over on the SSS blog. You said those things. You made those choices. If you don't like how people think of you now, as a result... change your behavior."

AP, it looks like you've got your very own STALKER! Mr. Ching here (or is it Chong?) is calling you out on your work over at the Sucks blog, stating that you've left a long trail of evidence. On one of the other threads, he said he ain't gonna fight you. No, he has something much better planned!

What gets me is that he states he's not from duh Homopage. However, why then does he sound kinda like 'Armstrong' from the Sucks blog? Armstrong turned out to be Fagley himself! I mean, this guy wants us to believe he's Asian, but what if he ain't? I mean , this is the Internets after all. It could all be a ruse, a 'mask'. The attack on you though reminds me of 'Armstrong' though.

So if I'm right, that would mean that some apologist, Fagley or not, has obviously 'stalked' you ever since the Sucks blog & apparently has a grudge. Gee, it does sound similar, doesn't it?

non_amos wrote:AP, it looks like you've got your very own STALKER! Mr. Ching here (or is it Chong?) is calling you out on your work over at the Sucks blog, stating that you've left a long trail of evidence. On one of the other threads, he said he ain't gonna fight you. No, he has something much better planned!

What gets me is that he states he's not from duh Homopage. However, why then does he sound kinda like 'Armstrong' from the Sucks blog? Armstrong turned out to be Fagley himself! I mean, this guy wants us to believe he's Asian, but what if he ain't? I mean , this is the Internets after all. It could all be a ruse, a 'mask'. The attack on you though reminds me of 'Armstrong' though.

So if I'm right, that would mean that some apologist, Fagley or not, has obviously 'stalked' you ever since the Sucks blog & apparently has a grudge. Gee, it does sound similar, doesn't it? :confused:

So... since you're now following me from thread to thread, does that make you my stalker?

...I'm flattered.