kermtalkscomics

[kermtalkscomics]

Deaths in comics are almost always more effective when the character stays dead long-term. Since I wasn't reading comics at the time (I was like 9 lol) I figure Bruce was "gone" for maybe just under a year?

Regardless, situations like Bruce's death contribute to Dick Grayson's identity crisis of sorts. Not super relevant, but I think it's neat to discuss. I don't think there's been any character in the history of comics to go through so many identity changes. This was following the destruction of Bludhaven, so not only did Dick no longer have a big supporting cast or city of his own, but all of his world-building was undone.

After his stint as Batman, he was only Nightwing for a year or two before "dying" and becoming Agent 37 for the rest of the New 52. Not to mention Ric Grayson who has been talked and dragged to death.

Not to say that these stories weren't valuable for Dick as a character. Some of his best stories are during his time as Batman and my favorite single issue for Dick is Grayson #5. It's just difficult to rebuild Dick's world and supporting cast when his status quo used to shift so often.

Nevertheless, it would have been great to get more time with Dick as Batman. It's an interesting thought experiment and it gives us a new look at Gotham.

Not sure what I could call this take but frankly idc but when Batman "died" in Final Crisis, he should've stayed dead or at least Barry Allen years of dead (or however long he was planned to be dead according to Grant Morrison) because during the time he "died" it was great seeing Dick Grayson becoming Batman with Damian being his Robin with their own fun dynamics and struggles.

Heck I loved seeing Batman villains being like "wait a minute your not actually Batman are you, mate? 🤨"

Just my take, do you agree or disagree? Lmk.

[kermtalkscomics]

Just read: Superman Secret Origin

Hi! First time doing this, sort of just my review and thoughts on a piece of media I just consumed. Disclaimer: I'm no expert, just a guy who likes comics.

So, last night I ticked Superman: Secret Origin by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank off my 2023 reading list. For years it's been a book that I've wanted to read, I just never had a large enough desire to buy it outright or ask for it for Christmas. After seeing a few panels shared on Twitter I decided since it's so short I might as well finally get through it via DC Universe Infinite and here I am!

Wanted to immediately share that I absolutely ADORED the first three issues. Clark's relationship with his family and his introduction to Metropolis are such great moments that had me grinning the entire time. The book takes a more simplistic approach to Clark's early life drama with his parents by sort of just... not doing it. Aside from learning he's from Krypton, Clark fully embraces the Kents, and the Kents do the very same and it's all so wonderfully written.

I particularly LOVED Clark's relationship with his Father, having grown up in a rural part of the United States myself it's really heartwarming to see how they interact and how much Pa Kent reminds me of people in my family.

Another great element of the book is the art. Since reading Doomsday Clock back in high school, I've felt that Gary Frank illustrates my ideal version of Clark Kent and he absolutely delivers here. The timid and shy-farmboy-turned-confident-protector is evolved so smoothly through Frank's art and I'd argue that the book is worth checking out for the art alone.

Clark's relationships with the people around him are really great too. This book perfectly, albeit simplistically, introduces us to all of the important players in Clark's life along with his role in theirs. The staff of the Daily Planet makes up such a fun and close-knit cast of workers that perfectly bounces off of Clark.

So yes, as far as the good of the book goes there's a lot to love! The art is incredible and Clark's relationship with the cast around him comes naturally and is written with care the entire way through. For me, this book feels like the perfect modernization of the Christopher Reeve Superman origin. Also, for somebody like me who struggles to stay optimistic, I really appreciate the optimism and hope that a good Superman book can bring to me and this book adequately meets that bar too.

Now, onto the not-so-great stuff. I wouldn't say there are necessarily bad qualities in this book, but there are parts that seem underbaked or lackluster compared to other modern Superman origin stories. I feel like it's important to view a piece of media through the lens of what we received rather than what wasn't there, but with Superman's 80-year-history and the role he plays in the world that he's a part of, there are some missing elements that I really wish were explored here.

For the record, many of these comparisons I'm making come from my appreciation for Superman: Birthright, which is another book that I really enjoy.

An element of the story that I don't necessarily love is Lex Luthor. In this story Lex is absolutely rotten from day 1 with no humanity or real redeeming qualities, he's sort of a jerk the entire way through. That's fine of course if we're referring to adult Lex, but since a decent amount of the early chapters covered Lex's origin I really wish we got some more humanity like we did in Birthright.

Is Lex Luthor being a tragic villain necessary to Clark Kent's development? Not really, but that layer adds so much to their relationship.

Another issue is an apparent lack of Clark interacting with the world outside of the United States. What I feel is a great part of Superman is the fact that he's committed to the protection of the world entirely, not just the United States. Birthright and even Man of Steel extensively showed us Clark traveling the world and learning more about life in general. Superman should be just as capable of saving somebody in the middle east as he is of saving somebody in Metropolis. This isn't to say that Clark's good morals can't be founded exclusively in his upbringing in Smallville, but there's a great deal of appreciation when you think about how Superman actively learned about everybody in the entire world and how he could best suit their needs.

Along with that, I honestly sort of missed Clark's relationship with Krypton in this book. This is a weird sentiment coming from me, in Birthright, Man of Steel, and All-Star I honestly lose a little bit of interest when there is a lot of time committed to Krypton, I personally have just never been super in tune with that part of his lore. All this to say that the bare minimum that this book does to establish that Clark is Kryptonian honestly left me wishing for more. And though the idea of Superman being an alien is explored in this story, I would have liked to have seen him be more in touch with his heritage.

To conclude, this is a book that I absolutely enjoyed, I especially loved the earlier chapters. That said, I believe it has shortcomings in the way that it doesn't give other elements of Clark's life proper depth and attention. If I were to teach a non-comic reader Superman's origin story I'd probably refer them to this, it's a simplistic but heartfelt take on the Man of Steel's origin story. Though, I feel like if somebody was interested in the more nuanced ideas that Superman represents I'd definitely suggest Birthright or even All-Star as a starting read for the character.

Arbitrary grading scale: 7/10