SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE VOLUMES 1-3 review
(Reviewed by Melody Werner)
Superman: Earth One is a series published by DC that releases every few years, written by Joe Michael Straczynski and illustrated by Shane Davis (in volumes 1 and 2) and dickhead Ardian Syaf (for volume 3). Set in DC's equivalent of Marvel's Ultimate Universe, Earth One (which like Ultimate focuses on redefining the origins of well known characters and changing certain dynamics to make them feel more relatable), and makes the most of the inherent freshness that comes with this type of thing, making an excellent series that really shows that you can do something new with characters besides issuing out pointless, gaudy redesigns (*cough, cough* New 52 *cough, cough*).
The art of the series fluctuates but is generally pretty nice. It works for the action and the more emotional moments, but if you want more attention to detail or great expressions, then you probably won't get it here to be honest. It isn't the best art in comics but it definitely works fine and it does look pretty good. The action's pretty cool even if it's not all that focused on, as I honestly would consider this to be more of a drama with action sequences to spruce up the mix here and there. The redesigns I liked quite a lot, especially Zod's and Parasite's.
What I really like is that the series takes a character I generally hate (Superman), and makes him into this likable and interesting guy. While he's not nearly as powerful as he used to be in say the Silver Age, it's made up for by an interesting arc that we've never seen with Superman and an actual personality and mental adversities you never see with the mainstream-verse Superman. Though others have also made Superman better than normally (in the cases of Earth 22 (or Kingdom Come), Plutonian, Injustice, etc..), this one still feels new and complex, and it's great seeing him going through turbulence because I actually like the guy and want to see the trials and tribulations through.
The plot of the series, though not particularly new, is made compelling by making interesting characters and constantly changing its edge in minor ways that is still great to see. The characters, as mentioned, are incredible, as they all have their depth and I found myself liking practically every major character in the series quite a lot. The antagonists are great to see and add some physical challenges for our hero and I enjoyed following them through their respective arcs. The dialogue, even if it's a little too preachy at times, is well written and accentuates the characters and their situations quite well.
Superman: Earth One is a character-focused series with a lot going for it. It's one of my favorite series by Straczynski that I've read so far, up there with Thor. If you haven't read it yet, I definitely recommend it to just about anyone, whether you like Superman or dislike him because you think he's bland (like I do). You'll definitely get a lot out of it either way because if you like him you're seeing a new take on him and if you don't then you're seeing characters you probably didn't care for before being made into characters you care about. It's a lovely juxtaposition you don't see often outside of the Big Two, and that's honestly where I think both of them should put some effort into because that's something just about every reader would find some semblance of worth out of, naturally if done well. Anyways, Superman: Earth One gets a 9.5/10.
Must-read
Summary:
An excellent series with mostly solid art, carried by its drama thanks to interesting and likeable characters, a strong plot, and good dialogue. Whether you love or hate Superman, I think you'll get a lot out of the series and will enjoy reading it, and that alone makes it a must r ead in my eyes.
(originally posted: 4/2/2016)
Superman: Earth One is a series published by DC that releases every few years, written by Joe Michael Straczynski and illustrated by Shane Davis (in volumes 1 and 2) and dickhead Ardian Syaf (for volume 3). Set in DC's equivalent of Marvel's Ultimate Universe, Earth One (which like Ultimate focuses on redefining the origins of well known characters and changing certain dynamics to make them feel more relatable), and makes the most of the inherent freshness that comes with this type of thing, making an excellent series that really shows that you can do something new with characters besides issuing out pointless, gaudy redesigns (*cough, cough* New 52 *cough, cough*).
The art of the series fluctuates but is generally pretty nice. It works for the action and the more emotional moments, but if you want more attention to detail or great expressions, then you probably won't get it here to be honest. It isn't the best art in comics but it definitely works fine and it does look pretty good. The action's pretty cool even if it's not all that focused on, as I honestly would consider this to be more of a drama with action sequences to spruce up the mix here and there. The redesigns I liked quite a lot, especially Zod's and Parasite's.
What I really like is that the series takes a character I generally hate (Superman), and makes him into this likable and interesting guy. While he's not nearly as powerful as he used to be in say the Silver Age, it's made up for by an interesting arc that we've never seen with Superman and an actual personality and mental adversities you never see with the mainstream-verse Superman. Though others have also made Superman better than normally (in the cases of Earth 22 (or Kingdom Come), Plutonian, Injustice, etc..), this one still feels new and complex, and it's great seeing him going through turbulence because I actually like the guy and want to see the trials and tribulations through.
The plot of the series, though not particularly new, is made compelling by making interesting characters and constantly changing its edge in minor ways that is still great to see. The characters, as mentioned, are incredible, as they all have their depth and I found myself liking practically every major character in the series quite a lot. The antagonists are great to see and add some physical challenges for our hero and I enjoyed following them through their respective arcs. The dialogue, even if it's a little too preachy at times, is well written and accentuates the characters and their situations quite well.
Superman: Earth One is a character-focused series with a lot going for it. It's one of my favorite series by Straczynski that I've read so far, up there with Thor. If you haven't read it yet, I definitely recommend it to just about anyone, whether you like Superman or dislike him because you think he's bland (like I do). You'll definitely get a lot out of it either way because if you like him you're seeing a new take on him and if you don't then you're seeing characters you probably didn't care for before being made into characters you care about. It's a lovely juxtaposition you don't see often outside of the Big Two, and that's honestly where I think both of them should put some effort into because that's something just about every reader would find some semblance of worth out of, naturally if done well. Anyways, Superman: Earth One gets a 9.5/10.
Must-read
Summary:
An excellent series with mostly solid art, carried by its drama thanks to interesting and likeable characters, a strong plot, and good dialogue. Whether you love or hate Superman, I think you'll get a lot out of the series and will enjoy reading it, and that alone makes it a must r ead in my eyes.
(originally posted: 4/2/2016)
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