Thursday, August 26, 2010

Superman: Secret Origin #6 (of 6)

This is one of those comics that I enjoyed in spite of its content.

Superman: Secret Origin has been retelling and modernizing the story of Clark Kent's earliest adventures as the Man of Steel, and mostly doing a good job of it.

The art by Gary Frank and Jon Sibal has been fantastic, giving the story a realistic and intense edge.

I've enjoyed the personal touches, too, as the familiar cast - Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Perry White in particular - meet and befriend Superman.

It's obvious that writer Geoff Johns in evoking the feel and style of Superman: The Motion Picture, right down to the visualization of Christopher Reeve as Superman. It's also fun to catch some of the bits that link to that film.

Where the story stumbles badly is in its use of the military as the "bad guy." Soldiers take over the Daily Planet newsroom and open fire on Superman in the middle of downtown Metropolis. Hard to believe, even if they've been duped into believing that Superman is a menace.

The reason for the fight ending is even more far-fetched, but I won't give it all away.

Thankfully, the good outweighs the improbable, and the overall series serves as a good primer for the future adventures of Superman. Recommended!

Grade: B+

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