May 102013
Superman (1987-2006) #1
Superman’s first adventure following the CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS mega-event just may be his last as he comes face-to-face with Metallo, the Man with the Kryptonite Heart!
Price:
Related Comics Products
Deal Of The Day
We search. You save
FIrst issue from a 1987 “reboot” of the Superman line,
There seems to be a bit of confusion out there as to just what this issue is, exactly; for those who care:
Back in 1986, DC Comics undertook what was supposed to be a reboot and simplification of their universe after the events of “Crisis on Infinite Earths”. (It turned out to be just the first of many such attempts, the latest of which is the so-called “New 52″.)
In ’87, DC tried to have their cake and eat it, too, which turned out to be a mixed blessing. Some titles, for example “Wonder Woman”, were TRUE reboots where the character’s origin (if not entirely reinvented) was retold and the character reintroduced into the universe as if none of the other characters had ever met them. Some, like “Superman”, while starting over again with a new #1 issue, were supposed to have had years of history in the universe already.
When this “Superman #1″ came out, there had already been a six-issue mini-series called “Man of Steel” which retold the origin (rocketed to Earth from Krypton as a baby, duh), had Superman’s first meetings with characters like Batman, and retold versions of some classic stories (Lori Lemaris). So, by the time this issue came out, even in the “new” continuity, Superman had supposedly had years of history.
Even though fan favorite John Byrne was apparently given control of the Superman reboot, I’ve always felt his hands must have been tied a bit. While he did an admirable job of trying to modernize Superman a bit, I believe the end result wasn’t very well done. Byrne left the line after a few short years, and Superman continued much the same afterward. Even many of Byrne’s meager changes were gone pretty quickly. (Probably the biggest change to Superman, which has stuck around pretty much ever since, was changing Lex Luthor from a common criminal constantly being thrown into prison into, essentially, an unscrupulous and untouchable corporate mastermind a la The Kingpin in Marvel Comics.)
This issue, very nice to have for free and full of nostalgia for someone like me who bought it off the shelf of the local comic book shop when it first came out, doesn’t really have the feel of a #1 issue… Kinda’ more like issue 3 or 4. Byrne’s art and storytelling are serviceable, but nothing compared to his greatest work. Check out his runs on “The Fantastic Four”, “Alpha Flight” or “The Next Men” (to name just a few) that have more classic John Byrne.
Was this review helpful to you?
|AWESOME,
I can not believe this was free ! There are not many comics for free on the kindle. You should so get this if you like superman!
Was this review helpful to you?
|Superman#1,
A modern day classic. Before Perez there was Byrne. One of the iconic artists of our time, his style is unmistakable.
Was this review helpful to you?
|