Member Reviews
I'm primarily a Marvel girl and after reading this comic I wasn't super impressed. However, like all comics, I did enjoy the artwork.
Thank you for allowing me to read and review this book. I am just not interested in this book anymore. Sorry for the inconvenience.
ARC from Netgalley.
2.5 Stars.
Other than solving the whole mystery of "Clark Kent", I'm not sure why this story is necessary. It is very odd, having it primarily be a Mr. Mxyzptlk story (that's who was disguised as Clark this whole time) which is always odd, but also dealing with a merging of the New 52 Superman with this Superman through the power of Jon's love for his parents.... see what I mean? Confusing.
The only thing it isn't confusing on is the continued observation and setup of Mr. Oz as a mysterious character. I can't wait to find out who he really is.
Recommend, but with reservation
This is the volume that reveals who exactly "Clark Kent" actually is. Mind you the reveal comes after a creepy storyline that freaks Lois out. And the reveal really freaks Superman as well! Plus there is the bit of the story of what is going on with Lana Lang and the group chasing Superman around. Overall, a satisfying volume.
'Superman Reborn (Superman, Volume IV)' by Dan Jurgens, Peter J. Tomasi, and Patrick Gleason collects issues from Action Comics and Superman. It attempts to pull in all the different Supermen and combine them into one.
The Superman of the beginning of the story is new to his Earth. On this Earth, Superman died, but a Clark Kent with no powers was left behind. Lois tries to figure that out, but not before Clark goes weirdly creepy and kidnaps her son Jon. There's a reason for that which you will have to read to discover.
Along with that, Superwoman is critically ill and she comes to Superman for help. Her story gets kind of shunted aside to focus on the Superman story.
The various versions of Superman that have been around for the past few years are referenced at one point or another. I like the story they came up with. All the storylines are a bit of a mess and this tries to reconcile that. I think it does a farily good job of that. The art is pretty even between issues of Action Comics and Superman. I like the twists and turns this title takes, and the strong sense of family at the heart of it. This is a Superman that I hope we get to keep for a while.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from DC Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
I love the rebirth series so this volume was just continuing awesomeness!! I look forward to future volumes in the future
The mystery of "Who is Clark Kent?" is finally solved. I liked how they did it and what they did with the character once it was revealed. It all ties in with Doomsday Clock. I also like how they used this as an opportunity to retcon pre-Flashpoint Superman, Lois, and Jon into the new 52. Now there never was a single Superman and shitty Lois running around the new 52. Going forward I guess they will be going back to Metropolis and the Daily Planet. Although I have to say I'll miss the family at the farm. I liked seeing Jon in a small town setting like how his father grew up and Superman doesn't need all the ridiculous excuses to disappear when he's living on a farm.
So I must say I was confused at times by this edition. The 52 shook things up and trying to get my head round some of the rebirth and where the stories are. That being said I enjoyed this edition and the art work is absolutely stunning - some of the best I have seen.
It's hard to know what's worse here, that we're concerned with the worst dilemma in the entire DC history, viz: why they brought in a stupid amount of Supermen, Clark Kents, everyone, and let them simmer into mush with the help of the world's least likeable Superbrat, or that we're forced to suffer the worst excuse for it all anybody could have come up with. Seriously, this is the DC equivalent of watching TV for a year and one of the characters saying it was a dream they had in the shower. If this is the end and we can get on with proper Superman stories, that's a mighty relief. But getting over this hurdle was agony.
Like so many others, I was excited to see Dan Jurgens take over the helm of the Superman line of books. Jurgens is one of the better comic book writers around, but as of yet, it just doesn't seem to be hitting its mark.
I put off reading this title because I've liked the 'New' DC Rebirth Superman and family a lot (the Superman of my youth that got killed by Doomsday is an always will be my favorite time for Superman and Lois).
It starts with Lana Lang being close to dying and Steel bringing her to Superman. From that someone finds the Himalayan Base and a really unfortunate bad guy escapes. Then Clark (the human) tries to go out on a date and that doesn't go well and the real person reveals himself as playing Clark. And dude, I didn't even come close to guessing who the man Clark really was. Yikes. And an awesome reveal too.
I wound up definitely liking this TPB, but, oy, that title, that title.
I was given this ARC by Netgalley on behalf of DC Entertainment.
OK, didn’t see that coming. I mean, we all knew something was coming. Dead Superman, new Superman, a gaggle of Loises, a nonsuper Clark. So yeah, something had to happen to make sense of it all. And this … sort of does, even if it isn’t what I expected.
This volume starts with “Mild Mannered,” a two-part story. Blanque is messing up the furniture in New Superman’s Second Fortress, even as Steel turns up with the dying Lana Lang version of Superwoman. Meanwhile, New Lois is being wooed by non-Super Clark, even as she has her own Clark, a/k/a New Superman, at home, although non-Super Clark thinks he’s wooing Old Lois and doesn’t know that New Lois has replaced Old Lois who was also a Superwoman before she died.
Now that’s simple, right? Well, it gets worse.
As if there aren’t enough Super-Creatures in the reborn universe, Hank Henshaw (who used to be Cyborg Superman) is trying to find Superman’s Second Fortress, although he might not know about the first one. Some nasty stuff happens at Fortress II, giving New Superman yet another headache.
Then we move on to “Superman Reborn,” a multi-part story that starts with New Superboy being kidnapped, perhaps by … Clark Kent? Well, he has become “downright creepy” (quoting New Superman, although New Lois clearly agrees). And here we finally learn the answer to the mystery of the New Clark. I’m not going to spoil it, but I’ll just say … didn’t see that coming. And just the other day I was thinking about an old Superman character and whether the writers would find a way to work him into the rebirth. Well gosh, they did. Given the way the past is being wrenched into the present in all the DC titles, it kinda makes sense, and it’s creative, so kudos to the writers for giving the story an unexpected twist.
On the other hand, it doesn’t entirely make sense. There are some gaps, some lack of explanation, in the rescue of Jon the New Superboy, and the story loses a star for that reason. But at least the story of the New Superman and the Old Clark and the confusion of Loises has been more or less resolved in a way that’s fairly clever.
The art in “Mild Mannered” is quite good. The art in “Superman Reborn” is inconsistent. Much of it is good but several pages are just dreadful. Apparently they were up against deadlines and the artists let their kids doodle some of the panels. Or they hired some artists from whatever part of the world has never actually seen Superman, if such a place exists. So bad art in spots also contributed to the loss of a star, but the volume is essential reading if you want to understand what’s going on in the reborn Superman line of DC comics.
I like Dan Jurgens as a writer and once again he delivers. The story builds well and keeps your interest. Many of the Superman graphic novels lately have been quite good and cover new ground for a character that still has new stories to tell.
Superman Reborn impresses, from Dan Jurgens's two introductory Action Comics issues to the first two parts of Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason's and Jurgens's story. Some of the strongest parts of Jurgens's Action have been his writing of reporter Lois Lane and also the weird Clark Kent duplicate that's been running around, and all of that shines here; both teams write the alt-Clark as particularly creepy in Reborn's beginning. Patrick Gleason seems born to have drawn the doe-eyed Kent family celebrating Lois and Clark's anniversary at the start (with shades of Jon Bogdanove in Clark's square-jawed Golden Age-iness), and Tomasi and Gleason's writing of Jon's disappearance is heart-breaking. That's followed again by the fantastic teaming of Jurgens and artist Doug Mahnke.
It's no secret that Superman was one of the characters most screwed by the New 52. The new Superman just didn't live up to the name, and it was clear within a few years that everything from the new costume to the new powers to the new attitude had to go. So a lot of the Rebirth stuff has been awkward, trying to put right what once went wrong in the New 52. Without giving away too much, let's just say this retcon was sufficient, but not as exciting as Titans, Volume 1: The Return of Wally West.
Rebirth seems to be the bane of many DC fans to the point I’m almost scared when I got to read and review one. I’ve had a mostly positive reaction to the series but I’m fairly new to the comic world so I haven’t built up that ride or die loyalty to only certain authors yet.
There is a great deal of emotion wound through these stories as if the authors are trying to provide a more intimate look at the characters rather than cater to the Michael Bay theory of plot lines with a big blowout. It still feels like you need some sense of the previous Superman lines in order to really understand all the context so I wouldn’t say a newbie should just jump into this because if you don’t know the past histories then these stories may not have the same impact. Considering how relatively small this graphic novel is compared to the content it contains it shows the talent of the writers that you finish out the last page feeling satisfied instead of overwhelmed. The writing is incredibly large-scale with big ideas that somehow feels easily paced rather than rushed or full of holes.
I liked how they resolved Clark’s story particularly as it was on my list as probable outcomes; finally got the ‘Fake News’ dealt with always a bonus. There was something innately classic, almost beautiful in a retro way, in how the story concludes; like it was trying to honor the journey that the characters and readers had undergone to get to this point. Lois has been given the strong voice she deserves. Jon was even given a decent story arc so he felt like he belonged in the story and wasn’t just there for filler. You’re going to love the Big Bad in this arc as it’s not someone who appears often in Supe’s constant battle of good vs evil but when he shows you can bet it’s going to be a magically roaring good time!
I liked the artwork I just wish there had been some consistency from one story to another. You had stories with more of the prototypical linear panels, minute details, dark colors, more ‘adult’ like then others were less defined, larger shapes, brighter colors, panels almost seemed cubism inspired, kind of childlike. But in that defense the art work did seem to fit the story that was being told at that time; I just wish it felt more cohesive and less like they let a bunch of people take turns trying to make their mark.
Finally the dream team are back together! I'm so excited to get to read Lois and Clark as they're meant to be. A little confusing for those who don't necessarily know old school villains but a nice blast of the past to reconnect the worlds.
Cannot review an incomplete book. My copy was seriously flawed too many white pages. Can't review a story of a very spread out pages. Please check these before uploading. I've been saying this for months now. DC please fix this bug. Wonder how many other copies were like this. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
A intriguing story bringing one of the classic superman villains back into the limelight. Was great to see The Man in the Purple Hat back in the new DC Rebirth.
It's nice to see Lois and Clark back together again. I never bought the whole Superman/Wonder Woman romance of the New52. That said, the kid is a bit too perfect.