Dec042006December 4, 2006December 4, 2006NoCommentby Doom DeLuise

Superman For All Seasons

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By Jeph Loeb (W) and Tim Sale (A).
Cover price $17.99. Published by DC Comics, 1998. Originally printed as Superman For All Seasons #1-4.
forallseasons

Plot: Spanning many years and being told over the course of four seasons (one for each of the originally printed issues), “Superman For All Seasons” tells the story of the Man of Steel as he changes from the bright-eyed farm boy to the hero we all know now. Each season is narrated by a different character (John Kent, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, and, finally, Lana Lang, respectively), each offering a different take on who Superman is and why he is that way. The story doesn’t focus so much on fighting crime and making the world safe as it does answering the question, in the words of Lois, “He can do anything he wants to, and he decides to do what? Be a hero? Why?” Granted, there are several action sequences, but the primary focus of the story is on the human element.

Strengths: Gosh, somebody finally figured out how to write a Superman that’s relatable. Just because he’s an alien doesn’t mean he can’t feel emotion, and here, we have a Superman who feels a wide variety of emotions, from love to loneliness to fear to just plain sentimentality over the small town he grew up in. There are several beautifully touching scenes, especially between father and son, and I can’t imagine anybody saying the same old tired, “Superman’s boring” defense against this one. He’s far from boring.

Weaknesses: There are a lot of splash pages. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it makes 206 pages fly by faster than a…well, you know where this is going.

Grade: B+. I really like this book. A lot. Matter of fact, it may be one of my favorite trade paperbacks I own. The only problem is that it goes by quickly (very quickly), and it’s priced at eighteen bucks. If I spend eighteen bucks, I want something that’s gonna entertain me for a good long while. If you have eighteen bucks and want to buy a nice comic, by all means, this is your chance. If you’re anything like me, though, you should keep your money, and buy food instead.