Superman is arguably the greatest superhero of all time,
as well as being the most important superhero in comic book history. He was the
starting-point for superheroes in general and became the archetype for us to
aspire to; he represents the hope and compassion that humanity is capable of, a
symbol of hope in our darkest of times. So many great writers have translated
this core philosophy and mythology in many great works, like Mark Waid with
Birthright and Grant Morrison with All-Star Superman. Now, Max Landis has
joined that club as American Alien arguably goes down as one of the greatest
Superman stories of all time.
There are criticisms
out there about Superman being unrelatable due to how OP he is or that because
of how much of a good person he is, he’s too boring as a result. Landis’
revisionist origin story sideswipes those criticisms easily as he delves deep
into the early years of Clark Kent, instead of going the easy route of
exploring Krypton and its imminent destruction or Superman’s first duel with
Lex Luthor. This is a tale about the Man behind the Superman. That allows
Landis to delve into and explore Clark’s emotional struggle and evolution over
the course of the story, as well as his physical growth as Clark learns to
harness his powers for the first time. We also see Jonathan and Martha Kent’s
fears and aspirations as they come to terms with being the parents of this
superhuman, and you do get a sense that Clark took a lot of the compassion and
optimism from the people who raised him.
What’s so brilliant
about American Alien is that Landis is almost telling a standalone tale in each
of the seven issues, yet when all are combined, they manage to convey a strong,
insightful portrait of a man who’s trying to find his place in the world and
becoming the symbol of hope and justice. Along his journey to becoming
Superman, he comes across characters that help define him in years to come; we
see the blossoming romance between Clark and Lois, a hilarious spin on the Batman/Superman
dynamic, as well as the first encounters between Superman and Lex.
Surprisingly, Landis creates a heartfelt bond between Clark and Barbara Ann
Minerva (the woman who becomes Cheetah), and it is actually poignant and adds
real depth to both characters. Landis’ terrific characterisation works well
across the board and perfectly taps into Clark’s human side without losing any
of the core aspects about his character.
Despite the fact that
there are many artists involved, each and every artstyle complements the story
perfectly and it’s clear a lot of attention and care was involved when choosing
the selected artists. Artists like Tommy Lee Edwards, Jae Lee and Jock are
surprising choices in terms of drawing an emotional Superman story, yet they
manage to convey the emotions beautifully. Nick Dragotta in particular makes
pages flow majestically, especially during the sequence where a young Clark is
shown sweeping through the Kansas cornfields for the first time. Both Joelle
Jones and Jonathan Case do great at landing the narrative’s sentimentality
perfectly, and firing on all cylinders as usual is Francis Manapul as he
depicts Clark’s first ever battle with Parasite. Special plaudits must also go
to Ryan Cook’s eye-catching covers that instantly grab the reader’s attention,
all amounting to a gorgeous collection.
Superman: American
Alien is a terrific, poignant coming-of-age story about Clark Kent’s evolution
from a confused farm-boy from Kansas to the legendary Man of Steel. Despite the
awesome array of powers he possesses, this story shows just how normal and
relatable Clark is despite the naysayers out there, whilst also conveying
perfectly the character’s fundamental decency, kindness and optimism. If only
the DC Films nowadays would understand that…
SUPERMAN: AMERICAN ALIEN / AUTHOR: MAX LANDIS / ARTIST: NICK DRAGOTTA / PUBLISHER: DC COMICS / RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 11TH
