? want to see Superman on a bike? writer and cover artist Michael Turner is quoted as saying in this book? introduction. I have to say, it didn? really appeal to me as concept, but then it? one of many things in this book that gets turned on its head quickly enough.
Superman gets a visual and narrative make-over, from the team behind the masterpieces of Fathom and Witch-blade in this plush hard-cover reprint of DC? sell-out six part story. The end result is immensely satisfying to the reader, be they a DC purist or not.
The plot focuses upon old Supes waking up to another day in his life on a Krypton which never exploded. He lives with his ultra-hot alien wife and rides a cool futuristic bike. The main thing the reader will note here is that his wife is really really hot. The bike is so very cool, and he gets a wicked costume. All of these are good enough, but luckily there is a solid story there too. Our Kal-el suddenly finds himself gaining strange powers, such as flight and heat-vision…
Its?exciting enough, with enough twists and turns to keep the reader happy, eventually returning to the regular Superman continuity and involving the miniature city of Kandor, one of my personal favourite DC old-school plot maguffins. I particularly liked the idea of a Kryptonian society where aliens are mistreated, playing upon the history of Krypton? negative past with regards to genetic purity. It also focuses upon key themes of the series, including Superman? powerfulness and his relative god-hood compared to us mortals, and the cult of hero-worship. The storyline also has lasting repercussions for the DC continuity.
As for negatives, if anything, I would have loved to have seen the idea of Superman? life in this ultra-cool and beautifully rendered Krypton fully realized, maybe as a DC Elsworlds title as opposed to part of the regular series.
As stated, the art is just magical, and the chief draw for the title. For those that have not seen any Fathom, Turner? covers and Caldwell? pencils are visual viagra, if comics looked this hot when I was a kid my mum would have confiscated them there and then!! The colouring is also vibrant throughout, a shining example of the medium.
Buy it for just the art, if nothing else. It? different enough to amuse those who are normally put off by DC? man in tights, as the cover alone should demonstrate. ]]>
