Blue Water Christopher Reeve Tribute

I haven't ever bought any of the celebrity/historical biographies put out by Blue Water Comics. I tend to stick to fiction with the medium. But they recently came out with a Christopher Reeve tribute and I took advantage of the opportunity to review the book.

I have always respected Reeve's work, not only his work on Superman but also Somewhere in Time and Deathtrap. But obviously, it is work on the Donner Superman movies that stand out in my mind. Reeve really seemed to embody the Superman character perfectly (at least in the first 2 movies) and brought some of the more classic 'bumbling' Clark to the big screen.

Reeve then personified the Superman spirit, fighting the never-ending battle, after his tragic spinal cord injury, leaving him paralyzed. Despite that Reeve continued to act in a remake of Rear Window and even Smallville. He fought for spinal injury research and remained in the spotlight.

Blue Water really captures that spirit as it winds through Reeve's professional career with an overlying inspirational speech by Reeve. It is written by Michael Frizell and illustrated by M. Anthony Gerardo. Portions of the sales will go to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.

Here is part of the press release by Frizell:

“Working on a tribute comic about Mr. Reeve has been the realization of a childhood dream. When Superman: The Movie was released in 1978, Reeve embodied the character I dreamed about, and I wanted to believe a man could fly. While researching the book for Bluewater, I remember what compelled me to watch all of Reeve’s movies (my favorite, as you can tell in the comic, is Somewhere in Time. The movie features Reeve and Jane Seymour at the height of their prowess as performers, and it’s the only romantic movie I feel I can watch and not lose my ‘man card.’ It has time travel! Therefore, it garners geek cred in my book).”

Gerardo's art is fascinating to me. There is clearly digital work here, with special effects overlying images at times and adding spectacular backgrounds to the story.
 

 The book is really a celebration of Reeve's whole life so the first 11 pages cover his early films of Somewhere In Time as well as Superman. As I said above, I really enjoyed Somewhere in Time. Be warned, the comic spoils the ending of that movie (spoiler alert for a movie 33 years old?).We are halfway through the book when the accident happens.

It is from this point forward we really get to hear how inspiration Reeve was, how he wasn't going to let this injury hold him back. Here he states clearly that he 'refuses' to let his injury define him. He will always move forward.

And then he embraced being a symbol of hope. And part of that was playing off his association with Superman.

He says he was and always will be a Superman.

And then we see how much he did even after the injury. I had forgotten about Rear Window! And then the work he did with his wife on forming the Foundation is all covered.

But the main point, repeated over and over, almost like a mantra or a statement of power by Reeve, is that he simply refused (and that word is used over and over) to be defined by his injury. He would not allow his disability to determine how he lived his life. He strove to overcome!

I have to say, Reeve's words are very moving. You can just feel his resilience, his strength, his hope through these words. It really is amazing.

If you are a fan of Reeve or the Superman movies, it is definitely worth picking up the book. And kudos to Blue Water for forwarding a portion of the proceedings to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.

I will say that I was really drawn into the story by Gerardo's art as well. Really slick effects used for a great effect. You can see more of his art on Deviant Art here: http://omegasaga.deviantart.com/gallery/

No grade here. Just a great book supporting a great cause. 

Free Comic Book Day 2013: Superman Last Son Of Krypton

Looking ahead to issues I still need to review and issues coming out next week, I won't have many 'free days' for a bit. So I thought I would have a rare Sunday post to show the DC Free Comic Book Day Superman book. Here is the link to FCBD's coverage: http://www.freecomicbookday.com/Home/1/1/27/206?articleID=130415

Here is the blurb:

SUPERMAN: THE LAST SON OF KRYTON #1 is a great jumping-on point for fans who can’t wait to see Warner Bros. Pictures’ “MAN OF STEEL” major motion picture! This issue features the first chapter of the SUPERMAN: LAST SON OF KRYPTON graphic novel, written by Richard Donner and Geoff Johns and illustrated by Andy Kubert and featuring Superman’s epic battle with General Zod and the Phantom Zone villains.

In addition, it includes a special sneak preview of the blockbuster new monthly series starring The Man of Steel by the all-star team of Scott Snyder and Jim Lee!

Now I'll have to go back to that Johns/Donner issue to see if it is a good free book chapter to give out to get people interested. But to be honest, that is a 7 year old book. Is showing the old DCU and retreading an old story the right thing to put out to get new readers interested?

As for me, the story isn't as important as getting the sneak peek of the Snyder/Lee new book. Does this mean the title is Last Son of Krypton? Or The Man of Steel?

Either way, the sneak preview is the real juice of this freebie.

Review: Superman Family Adventures #8

Superman Family Adventures #8 came out last week and had, perhaps, the best surprise ending I have seen in a long long time. If you don't want to know, abandon this post. Unbelievable. It is why I have waited a week to post this review.

Now, all along, I have talked about just how fun this comic has been, a satisfying book for my girls at home and for me. There is action. There is a running plot. There is humor. And, for us older fans, there are nods to DC history and pokes at current New 52 stories. Do you want the definition of All Ages? It's this, entertaining girls of 9, 11, and 14 as well as their 42 year old dad.

Take this issue for example. There is no denying that the villains on the cover (a flame being, an ice woman, a lizard creature) are direct corollaries to the villains in the George Perez arc over in the New 52 Superman. Some might remember just how befuddled I was with that story. And yet here they are, now as emissaries of a bigger bad guy than alien nanobots gone wrong.

The big bad shouldn't come as a big surprise to people who have been reading this book closely and noticed a recurring symbol popping up here and there.

Creators Franco and Art Baltazar have kicked things up a notch from Tiny Titans. This is more straightforward super-heroics. And, unlike the H'El-bound supers, this Superman Family enjoy each others' company and fight to defend each other.

The book starts with Superboy and Supergirl attending their lessons so they can learn more about their history and about the Earth. Now this whole page is hysterical for different reasons. From a Donner perspective we have Jor-El reading Joyce Kilmer's Trees and Superman teaching about the San Andreas fault. It is all so Superman: The Movie.

But this nod to the 'Unknown Superman', a nod to All-Star Superman, was what needed to be shared. Fantastic!

The appearance of the Brainiac bug interrupts the lessons. It is hard to know if the bug is an evil henchman or a reluctant good guy.

Superman notes the 'purple and green' bad guy color wheel. Yep - Lex, Mesmero, Skrulls. But this is pink and green, more old school Brainiac. And he does smack Krypto at one point (getting some comeuppance from Streaky later on).

But I do like that Kon and Kara want to immediately keep him.

The bug leads the family into space where they find a super-satellite which they weren't aware of. It is Kryptonian technology.

And then the bad guys show up and state that Brainiac technology is synonymous with Kryptonian tech. And Jor-El created Brainiac.

So far, this is in line with DC history.

Here Brainiac goes rogue and destroys Krypton!

So not an unstable planetary core. Not an unstable sun. Not even self-preservation leading to Brainiac leaving (like in the Animated Series). This Brainiac destroys Krypton. In some ways, Jor-El is responsible for Krypton's destruction.

Interesting. The satellite has intact transmissions/recordings of Kryptonian history.

And the bad guys are agents of Brainiac. They are here as vanguards. Brainiac is coming and he will own the supers and destroy Earth.

The fight between the bad guys is the simplest part of the book with the younger supers figuring out which power will work best against which villain.

How great to see them all working together!

Meanwhile, Superman discovers more transmissions. He sees himself as a baby and Krypto as a puppy put into the rocket and sent to Earth.

It is a touching scene played once more, the brave parents sending their only son to Earth while the linger on the dying planet.

But now Superman knows about the Phantom Zone and its projector.

With no other real choice, Superman decides to use the projector on the Brainiac vanguards.

This is another interesting turn of events. I guess Superman feels he can be judge and jury here, condemning the villains to the wraith-like existence in the Zone.

I don't think there is any other easy solution though. These guys seemed more Kryptonian than anything else.

And then to keep with the New 52, the Super-suits are self-repairing sort of 'unstable molecules'.

Pretty slick.

But the most unbelievable, incredible, and jaw-dropping surprise was waiting at the end of the book. Superman turns on the Phantom Zone projector one more time and out pops ... Lara!

That's right, in Superman Family Adventures, Lara survived the destruction of Krypton by being spirited away into the Zone. And here she is, still young despite the years, hugging her boy.

That is an amazing turn of events and sort of reminiscent of Alura (and Zor-El) emerging from the Safety Zone so many years ago. If this happened in the mainstream book I would probably be ranting. But somehow, in this book, with these characters, this seemed perfect.

Now watch it turn out to be Ursa in disguise!

As I usually say with this book, no complaints here. This was a great mix of silliness and super-heroics, with a healthy dash of Supergirl!

Overall grade: A

Review: Action Comics #900 Part 1

Action Comics #900 came out this week, a truly historic issue. And like many I was excited to read the main story by Paul Cornell, Pete Woods, and Jesus Merino as they wrapped up the Black Ring storyline.

But like many, it was the included short story by David Goyer that got my attention the most. In fact, it struck such a chord that I felt I needed to review it before the main story. I'll also review the other short bonus stories here as well.

'The Incident' was written by David Goyer with art by Miguel Sepulveda.

The story opens with Superman meeting the President's National Security Advisor in the middle of a snowy wood to talk about an incident Superman was involved in, one that has the US government worried.

Deep in the woods, military snipers have high powered rifles with Kryptonite bullets trained on Superman, fearing that he may have gone rogue.

So I have said it before and I will say it again. Recently there has been far too many stories with Superman fighting the US military. One of the main villains of the whole New Krypton storyline was the US military. One of the main villains in Superman:Secret Origin was the US military.

I don't need Superman to be a sycophant for the military as in Dark Knight Returns. I understand the above examples were the fault of the xenophobic General Lane. But the truth is the average soldier, the average person in the armed forces is serving this country and ready to defend my freedom. They are heroes too. I don't need Superman beating them up, or being fired on by them.

I  am just sick of images like this one, the cover of Superman Secret Origin #5.

Why does the government think Superman as gone rogue? He decided to be a participant in an 'incident' in Iran where a public protest was occurring. The demonstrators were rallying against the government. The military was there to quell the demonstration ... with force if necessary.

Superman decided that he was going to show up and stand with the protesters, a sign of solidarity. He states he would not engage no matter what happened, he was there as an act of civil disobedience.

Okay, so the truth is this idea of Superman trying to change the world in matters like this (or other examples he gives like world hunger or human rights) has been explored in many many different places. It never ends well. It is rarely done right.

Superman says he stood in that square for 24 hours, that he was vilified and glorified during that time.  During that time the protest crowd grew astronomically. And nothing happened. And Superman left.

I have to be honest, I think Goyer was pretty lazy here.  He takes the easy way out. It is easy to write this story when nothing happens. But what if Superman's presence scared the military so much they began to fire into the crowd? Would Superman really stand by and do nothing? And if his presence emboldened the protesters such that they began to lob rocks or fire on the military themselves would Superman intervene on behalf of the army? And if his presence led to a riot between both sides would he act? Or what if presence didn't matter at all and things got ugly? Would he hold to his vow and not 'directly engage' allowing the loss of human life?

And what happens after he leaves? What if the government continues to round up the protesters? Or fire into the demonstraters as soon has he leaves? Would he return? And what about the throngs of people who came to the protest when Superman was there ... do they continue to protest in the open ... or slink back to their homes, scared again? What happens later?

It is too easy to have nothing happen during and after this event. It also seems unrealistic. No one in the army got a twitchy finger. No one of the one million protesters instigated anything?

And then the fallout happens. Iran felt Superman's presence was an act of war. That's why Superman was called to this meeting.

Superman, tired of being construed an 'instrument of US policy', states he will revoke his US citizenship.

What?

Why?

Given his global presence and his very recent (and unfortunate) dust-ups with the military, do people think he is really part of the government? A weapon? If he was a weapon, wouldn't he be used more?

And even if he does revoke his citizenship, do he think that will mean anything to the Iranian or any other government? Or will they think that the hero based in Metropolis is still acting in America's interests? Won't they think is simply lip service?

And isn't what he did the essence of the 'American Way' part of 'Truth, Justice, and the American Way'? Isn't the basis of the American Way the strive for freedom, to bring freedom to the oppressed? Isn't that the ideal of the American Way that we all should be inspired to reach for? Even if he disagrees with the politics of the current US regime, shouldn't he still want to be an American and to demonstrate what those ideals mean?

And doesn't America have a rich history of civil disobedience?

Isn't what Superman did in Iran very American? Being part of something like that to change things? Isn't what those protesters did very American, striving for democracy?

Shouldn't Superman be proud of his American citizenship since here we have the right to organize without tanks rolling out? That we have the right to voice our opinions and protest? That we live in a democracy? Shouldn't he be touting his American citizenship?

Isn't renouncing his citizenship almost ironic given what he did?

Superman says he has been thinking too small. He needs to think globally, not locally.

And he saw this happen as he left which made it worth it all.

Again, it is easy to write this story when the ending is trite like this. Almost saccharin. The truth is this could have turned very ugly, might still turn ugly.  What if the soldier hit the protester as he extended the rose? What if the protester spat in the soldier's face? What would Superman do then? Would he truly 'not directly engage'? Or would he put an end to it, acting just the way Luthor fears he would be ... a paternalistic safety net.

I hope ... no I pray ... someone buys Goyer Paul Dini's Peace on Earth, just about the best example of how Superman can't just insert himself into issues like this. How it is a job for everyone.

We have only recently and painfully learned in the early issues of Grounded that you better be a good writer if you are going to insert Superman into daily problems that are in our society. Can you really write a story where Superman tries to defeat hunger? Child abuse? Racism? Strife in the Middle East?Heck, even if you are a good writer, he can't really defeat those things, can he? Superman becomes ineffective ... or condescending ... or both. Who would want to read that Superman?

Superman belongs to the world, I know. But he is American. It was Ma and Pa Kent that made him the person he is. He should embrace that, be proud of that, not be irritated by it.

I pray that this story is simply swept under the rug, not regarded as canon, forgotten, and hopefully not the basis for any upcoming arcs. Because I can tell you, it simply won't work.

This whole story ... the snipers aiming at Superman, the condescending and overlord-like tone by Superman, the lazy and unrealistic protest scene, the vow by Superman to revoke his citizenship, the overly sentimental flower ending panel ... not one part worked for me. Every single part failed.

And really that is the main thing about this story. Regardless of the details, regardless of my politics, regardless of the rancor, I didn't like it. It is just another Superman story I don't want to read. And because of the publicity it is getting, now I can't escape it.

I have had to deal with years of Superman not being the star in his own books. I have had to deal with the missteps of the early Grounded issues. I have had to accustom myself to Luthor being the star of Action.  And now I have to deal with this. It is enough to make even a diehard Superman fan like me grow weary.

The rest of the supplemental stories are a mixed bag.

'Life Support' is written by Damon Lindelof and has eye-popping art by Ryan Sook. I think I would buy just about anything with Sook art.

This is a Jor-El story as he tries to get help from another Kryptonian scientist just prior to Krypton's destruction. He needs this man's help to provide for Kal-El on his journey. Now how a baby will know how to get food and water out of this device, let alone eat it, is beyond me. It is a touching story of how that unnamed scientist will help ... but only after spending time with his own family.

'Autobiography' is written by Paul Dini with art by Jimmy Olsen artist RB Silva.

This is an interesting story about a super-powered hippo like creature named Sarva who defended his planet until a supernova destroyed the planet. Rather than transport the population to a new harsh world, Sarva decided to make the world sleep peacefully and let the catastrophe happen. But he questions if that was the right decision.

My favorite short story in the book was 'Friday Night in the 21st Century' by uber-team Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. It is a simple story. Lois wants Clark to have a 'typical Friday night', a night at home with friends. And so she invites the Legion over.

I love this 2 page spread showing the heroes and Lois relaxing. I especially love the peeved Ayla looking for the pizza while a worried Timber Wolf hides. And Lois must be telling some story!

Even the beginning pages, an exploration of Lois' disorganized desk and her clear love for Clark are wonderful. It's 4 pages, 2 of which are this spread, and yet it is a complete and sweet story.

The last story is 'Only Human', told in storyboard style by Superman director Richard Donner and Derek Hoffman with art by old friend Matt Camp.

This is another fun story where Lois learns about a new super-suit designed to give the average man powers. When a demonstration with Superman turns near disastrous, Superman has to shut down the suit and its pitch man. But amusingly, Superman is also a bit jealous because the pitch man seems to have won over Lois.

Camp's art is storyboard style which works here. But I would love to have seen this story with his typical finished meticulous stuff. I bet his Lois is wonderful.

Anyways, these extra stories in Action Comics #900 were a nice addition to the Cornell conclusion. The near perfect and wonderful 'Friday Night' is offeset by the 'Incident'.

Overall grade 'The Incident': F
Overall grade 'Friday Night in the 21st Century': A+
Overall grade everything else: B+/B