Anil Rickly's SUPERMAN EARTH-1 Review = The MAN OF STEEL Returns

Anil Rickly's SUPERMAN EARTH-1 Review = The MAN OF STEEL Returns

Look up to the skies...it's a bird? A plane?...it's someone...new?...

Review Opinion
By earzmundo - Oct 29, 2010 05:10 PM EST
Filed Under: DC Comics

SUPERMAN EARTH-1 Review:
Reviewer: Anil Rickly –
Written by: Joe Straczynski aka JMS
Illustrated by: Shane Davis


Background:
JMS has been immaculate in my opinion on Thor as well as Spider-Man, and not to mention his screenplay for Clint Eastwood’s ‘CHANGELING.’

What’s even more amazing is his capacity to deliver Babylon 5, Crusade and Jeremiah stories for TV, in such a fine manner. His Spidey run also was a fave of mine, and while controversial, he had interference from editors, which also forced his hand, yet still piqued interest from all haters and lovers alike; and still he rumbled into amassing amazing Thor books to reintegrate him into Marvel’s comics again post-Ragnarok!
His other works include He-Man, She-Ra and other animated series, along with Twilight Zone, Walker Texas Ranger & Murder She Wrote. His Fantastic Four: Silver Surfer sequel didn’t make to screens but he has done Teen Titan, the Twelve, Silver Surfer, FF4 as well as Supreme Power comics and has been labeled as one of the best of the past decade.
At DC, Brave and the Bold, Superman and Wonder Woman are all under this scribe now and justifiably so. With a BAFTA award under him, and unmasking Spiderman to Civil War fans, I always know he gets into the dire meat of what he wants to do! Whether it’s controversial or not, he simply goes out to rock the story!
Now he gets the chance to reinvigorate and reintroduce a modern spun Superman to us…a la the Ultimates Universe in Marvel…and this is EARTH-1 of DCU. So does he retool well? He needs an artist to do this though…and did he get a great one?

Well, Shane Davis is up-and-coming an artist at DC…and is one of the best young guns around. Mike Deodato, Marko Djurdjevic, Steffano Caselli, Francesco Mattina, Khoi Pham, Steve McNiven and Simone Bianchi etc are all the Marvel hotshots that really take me aback, and I always felt DC did have less amazing artists in recent times. But Mauro Cascioli, Tony Daniel, Frazer Irving, David Finch, Ivan Reis, Doug Mahnke and now, Shane Davis, are all showing their ability to elevate DC’s comics to a new level. Shane’s covers are top-class, and his ability to draw Batman, Green Lantern and other Lanterns, Robin, JSA, JLA, Nightwing as well as his Superman/Batman works showed such promise that when he got the task to deliver this book…it was just too giddy to keep waiting. And was it worth the wait? Was this duo of JMS and Davis worth it?
Hell Yeah!
Review –
JMS really does well in showing a Clark filled with decrepit confidence in his stance on the future as he knows it, and it’s this uncertainty and ability to feel that failure is an option, and the ‘What should I do with my Life?’ feeling that makes Clark…relatable and simply, human…something that many writers fail to establish. JMS does well to make this ‘emo’ Clark work well, as this is what ‘Smallville’ lacks or tried to achieve, the substance that shows ‘Hey…that’s what I would be going through if I were literally in Clark’s shoes with all this Power at such a young naïve age’! Clark struggles to find the right job, as he runs from being the burdened savior…and this ties him closely to struggling angst, that is reminiscent to those now leaving the ‘teens’. Davis’ rendition of ‘hoodie’ Clark is also a breath of fresh air, and his art never slips up. They set the pace to show us forth…this kid doesn’t know if he is meant to be Superman, as he just wants to hide in the shadows and be normal. He humanizes this alien and this isn’t an easy feat. It’s about the journey to his heroic zenith, and it gives us a feeling of sympathy for an emotional yet powerful misery basket…a wreckage of a youth…a bundled kid not knowing where his Destiny leads him…and how long can one run from Greatness?

The job hunts are as much fun to read while admiring the effectively telling sketches! The art compliments a funny overtone that never undermines the gravity of the situation Clark is placed in – “Do I forget about being a hero?” The Daily Planet plot, along with such classy drawings of its workers, make for a breezy view, and JMS shows why he needs to have more on TV…his dialogue made me feel as if I were in the job getting pounded by Perry White. This seemed right out of a scrappy paper – it felt real…and this is something that few writers on Superman books mainstream fail to captivate. The flashbacks to the spaceship crash are as visceral and cathartic as they come, and they offer what past books and origins fail to do – they offer a strong sense of wonder and an eerie feeling of worry. The baby days to the teen days are all so well written and drawn that I did feel a hint of Geoff Johns’ ‘Secret Origins’ by Johns and Gary Frank…and this is a huge compliment. Key aspects in this book is shown in Clark playing off Jonathan’s grave, as well as the military complex hold on Clark’s ship, as there is a strong scientific twist JMS slips that is such a brilliant idea, that I literally gawked in wonder, as a Chemical Engineer myself. From Clark having no choice but to save the day when his apartment is set afire, and his new spun ‘x-ray vision’ to the suddenly intergalactic threat looming…Davis never skips a beat in all these panels, and JMS never misses a hit. They keep a fluidity going and the transitions are so smooth. There is a continuing flow of conversation, and Clark’s segue into saving the day is highlighted by a show of human resistance and loyalty that only Superman may evoke. The villain is unleashed and reminds me of Mike ‘Halloween’ Myers cross-bred with Silver Banshee, but has aspects of Heath Ledger’s Joker as he goes for the gut and straight to business…and always intriguing is the fate of Old Krypton and the new twist spun is welcome to me. So too is the audacity and determination of the new villain. Clark’s segue into Superman to the public at last is one which is fitting to be manifested on cinema, as Davis makes the impact of this page lasting! This is the Son of Krypton and of Earth.


The tribute to ‘Action Comics’ as well as Donner is there in measured doses, but when the villain engages the hero…who cares? I do…but I focus on the fight at hand, and we see hero and villain cutting loose, and unleashed in fine art and color. This is what Singer’s film lacked and sad to say, he shouldn’t come near Superman again…not even an action figure. There are obscure plot threads that are left dangling post-fight, and basically, when the enemy comes for Superman in an act of finishing genocide, I can guarantee you a hot load of action. The end was a bit rushed to me, as I felt the lack of closure with respect to the plot twists, and threads, should have played out but then again, this leave us wanting more…and how does a monthly book sound from Davis and JMS? Pretty kickass to me! For Clark, he realizes where the future lies, for now…and takes up a more common line we know for Kent. With a more updated nerdy look, we really see the Daily Planet reporters crank it up and show again why JMS is DIALOGUE. He simply is…nuff said. There isn’t romance, but as we end with the education of a certain alien beginning, as well as the commencement of Superman of this Earth finally taking to the skies…we wonder…is there the possibility of more familiar faces…and are they going to follow the romance and villainous threads we know? Maybe Lois should have gotten more book time, but the villainous thread remains shrouded in mystery and honestly, this was a great way to go. The artist and writer did what Mark Millar did when Ultimates burst forth…and that is a great feat indeed. I admire this book, and as fans of this DC duo, I am biased, but I’d call failure when I see it…and I am happy to say…I call no failure. This is what we need to get folks into this book again…and into this character!




So Zack Snyder, the Nolan bros, David Goyer and WB execs…please take notice as JMS has the TV and film kudos to show us the way. He has the chops and showed it…this can be the light…this graphic novel needs to be used as it has certain aspects that would awesomely contribute to the new rebooted film. Some things may not fit and do not honor our known Kent and Superman lore, but a lot of new spins and modern changes on this icon, occur in this book…and work well…a fine, fun retuning indeed!

This should be used as a reference source for the new film, and they need to move quickly as this can do what Nolan did in ‘Batman Begins’…this makes me eager for Johns/Frank ‘Batman Earth-1’ and the wait is suddenly…real…and killing me…

I rate this 9/10…irresistible!

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UnfriendlySpidey
UnfriendlySpidey - 10/29/2010, 6:24 PM
well done...nice read! definitely gave me a much better view on the Earth 1 Supes
GreenHalJordan
GreenHalJordan - 10/29/2010, 6:33 PM
and now all they have to do is put darkseid or doomsday in and make welling superman! AND THEN IT WILL BE EPICNESS!-(for the film i mean)
The4thWall
The4thWall - 10/29/2010, 6:51 PM
Great review man, I'm getting this Monday! Also, does anyone else think that new Superman kinda looks like Sean Faris?

longbowhunter
longbowhunter - 10/29/2010, 11:31 PM
Glad to hear a positive review for this. The last one I read wasnt so kind. Thinking about picking this up tommorrow.
ThunderCougarFalconBird
ThunderCougarFalconBird - 10/30/2010, 6:16 AM
Amazing review bud! I might have to check this out!
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 10/30/2010, 9:15 AM
Very thought out cool review @ ANIL!

Deff give you a big thumbs up, GR8 work mate!!!

Can't beat the best tho dude!

This is what you call Epic Reads! =

TANKGIRL
TANKGIRL - 10/30/2010, 10:38 AM
i love the art still didnt red the comic but great review i may check it out later @ anil
TheHood
TheHood - 10/30/2010, 2:56 PM
Just read it. Amazing work, extremely amazing. Movie material indeed. I dont comment much but, I had to add my 2 cents on the subject. Just amazing....did i say amazing already?
Angelus
Angelus - 10/30/2010, 6:16 PM
Superkalikixass doesnt agree with your individual opinion Anil Rickly. That makes you an "ahole".
I will however buy this. After what I can gather is a moderate good comic.

BMP!
JoshWilding
JoshWilding - 10/30/2010, 6:52 PM
Good stuff ANIL! :) I might just give this book a chance now.
Bandrews1
Bandrews1 - 10/30/2010, 7:13 PM
Cool, you just made me wanna read this even more.
MrHateful
MrHateful - 10/30/2010, 9:20 PM
@ SuperKalkixass

You sir are the worst troll I've seen on Cbm's forums since I started reading the articles here over a year ago.

You know what is crap? Smallville. It wasn't just crap since season 7 it's been crap since it first came on. Yet you defend it. So that must make you dumb. You know why? because thats my opnion.

No one gives a good rats A$$ what you think about this comic. And coming on here and bashing everyone that wants to read it.

Even better you know what else sucks in general? Superman. You know why? Because the only thing that can hurt him is a fing rock. You like superman? awesome that makes you dumb. Once again because I said so.

So do Cbm a favor and crawl back into your man cave aka your moms basement and shut the hell up or start treating people with a little more respect. If I were anyone of these mods I'd have banned your a$$ hours ago.

p.s. Josh has posted a lot of the stuff we've gotten from the captain america movie so far. What have you given us?

seriously go away troll.
dinocorn
dinocorn - 10/30/2010, 11:50 PM
@Anil I thought your review was really good, and made me interested in this! And I'm pretty sure my IQ is the same now as before I said this comic looks good.. :)

I was a bit sketched out by the emo thing, but I guess it works out then? Sounds like a good read!
TheHood
TheHood - 10/30/2010, 11:56 PM
@ Superkalkixass

Piss off. And no, I will not read your review. Anil's is most likely the superior review anyway.
TheHood
TheHood - 10/31/2010, 12:38 AM
@ Superkalkixass

Waste of money? Just re-read it, damn it was good and I got my friends to read my copy. You wouldn't believe their response, they're going to buy a copy (they dont even buy comics). Oh and i'm still not going to read your review.
marvelguy
marvelguy - 10/31/2010, 2:42 AM
@Anil,

I'm sorry but I lost interest in reading this since you have been posting your link to this on everyone's contributions.

Hope the rest is positive and you choose a better approach next time.
DetectiveCinema
DetectiveCinema - 10/31/2010, 3:11 AM
This great man! I can see you put a lot of effort into it!

I'll have to check it out sometime, might help me with my Superman fancast!

Again great detail in your article you go really in depth, it's brilliant!
Angelus
Angelus - 10/31/2010, 5:00 AM
@ Anil - From the words of Superkal: "angelus ur a moron an an ahole Smallville is great awesome action packed and fun! u wanna talk about something thats Horrid awful abysmal and a piece of shit much like yourself? lets talk about SUPERMAN:EARTH ONE!" - Thats why I wrote that you carrot.
I was just checking out your review and saw his "reviews" pasted on here, and I felt the need to say that. You should get over yourself. A prick? Piss of people? Really? I never got that of people, I've always tried to be honest and voice my opinion. Evidently I shouldnt have done that.

BMP!

BMP!

vermillion
vermillion - 10/31/2010, 5:53 PM
From what I've read of people's reviews, it seems to be "Good". Not mind blowing, just good. Most of everyone I've read has praised the art, though. I get my copy tomorrow and I'll make up my own mind about it.

patriautism
patriautism - 10/31/2010, 6:33 PM
Did you happen to catch the comment from Goyer on the last page?
He said it was a fresh and humanistic re-imagining. That makes me think he will use elements of it in MOS.
StuckInPanels
StuckInPanels - 10/31/2010, 6:47 PM
@anil...way to go on sticking to your guns and not letting others hurt your opinion. I liked this review, you post a lot on my comic reviews and I like hearing others opinions, both good and bad. I respect your opinions on my articles and I here shall give you the same. I loved the Ultimates 1 because it was a fresh take on a timeless team, while I don't like the rest of the Ultimates universe, I still liked it for its STORY and the writer. JMS is an amazing writer and I agree, his run on Thor was awesome.

@superkal...why can't you let sleeping dogs lay. You are no worse than a common Internet troll. You are mad that it's not "YOUR" Superman, but you see these are just one shot books that have no overall affect on the DCU, these are simple and harmless stories that some people enjoy and others like yourself, don't. Do you even know what JMS has contributed to not only in comics but in television and movies. You simply hearing about him ruining the Spider-man Character makes you have no real knowledge of the character's conflicting and convoluted story lines that hurt the character way before he started, if you are quoting another reviewer makes your credibility even more lacking, even though all comic book characters have their ups and downs over the years, They bounce back and begin to sell comics again, Superman, Green Lantern, Flash, X-men, if not all comic book titles and characters go through various fluxes of popularity and how much a profit they make on a monthly basis. If you don't like something for what it is, then don't go around attacking others who like it, if theres any shred of dignity you have any left, which I doubt, then you need to cease attacking a fellow reviewer, when in this site actual comic reviews are scarce, Me and Destoryer14 are the only ones that simply do reviews for the fun of it, if we don't like an issue, we don't attack people who do like it, let it be dude, let it be.
StuckInPanels
StuckInPanels - 10/31/2010, 8:34 PM
@anil...your welcome dude....I hate seeing someone attack a person based on a review he or she did not have to read or even have to post a counter review, accept facts that we all have different tastes and even if you don't like it, means that someone else does like it and you can't stop it. I believe your theory about why he jumped teams.
StuckInPanels
StuckInPanels - 10/31/2010, 8:59 PM
@anil...wow...the MarvelU is tough....I see the problem with trying to keep some characters out of the Mainstream universe but I feel that the Company should allow the writers to do the stories and write what they want, even if it alters the character it means progression and better more gripping stories...the idea of parker being single is odd, wouldnt married show he has more to protect and become a better hero? We still have Earth 1 Batman next...THAT I cant wait for
vermillion
vermillion - 11/1/2010, 5:04 PM
Found it actually quite enjoyable. I guess if you're tired of the origin/depressed Clark, this wouldn't be good. But I for one thought it was great. Tyrell had a cool design and made for a decent villain. The way Krypton blows up is interesting, and I thought it made sense and liked it. Artwork was amazing in my books.

I will definitely be getting the next graphic novel that releases. Can't wait! 8.5/10 for me.

Btw, this graphic novel was out of stock when I tried to buy it, heard the same for a lot of people. I wonder how many units it has sold?
StuckInPanels
StuckInPanels - 11/2/2010, 5:30 PM
@superkal...your really adding more useless facts to your pointless argument...Just because one store doesn't sell the book as quickly as other's doesn't mean it sucks. They take 30% off certain titles all the time. Go back to a cave or under a bridge you TROLL!!!!
ironknight27
ironknight27 - 11/5/2010, 11:25 AM
@ComicCritic87- Yeah I had a hard time finding this book. I was in Vegas for Halloween and there is a comic place that I usually go to for HCs or TPBs and the owner told me that they ordered alot of Superman Earth One books and sold out the first day. Luckily I went to a different place and they had two left but they mentioned as well that the book was selling fast.

@Anil- Great review I too enjoyed the book. The art was fantastic. I thought it was interesting that they did not use or even mention Lex Luthor or Lana at all in the book. The only problem I really had with the book is that the "S" on his costume was something that Ma Kent came up with instead of it being his family crest. That is the only minor thing I didnt like but other than that I really liked the book and your review.

TheDurkinKnight
TheDurkinKnight - 11/6/2010, 11:17 AM
@Anil...I admire how much you dig the characters and the mythos. I strongly disliked this book though because I felt the entire thing was rushed, and the only thing area where the writer really made a drastic change was where he made Clark someone who wasn't as likeable. He was kind of void of personality and certainly didn't have that selflessness his mainstream counterpart did.

Also, no one seemed to question how Clark scored the interiew with Superman. It was just "Oh wow, you interviewed him?! Great, you're hired!" Didn't work for me. Again, totally respect your take on it, glad you liked the book dude.
DudeOfSteel16
DudeOfSteel16 - 11/6/2010, 9:15 PM
For me it's an alright book but I think that Superman: Birthright is much better.
Teois42
Teois42 - 12/10/2010, 12:24 PM
agree with this!!! :-D cept I'd give it a 10/10 :)
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