Sep. 11th, 2003

fajrdrako: (Default)
A while ago I read Batman: Dark Victory by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale and loved it. The next graphic novel I was able to get from the library was Superman For All Season (by the same team) and it was a beautiful, well-written book and I wanted to love it. But I didn't.

It was interesting, though. It works with DC Canon (more or less) but with the sensibility of Smallville.

Things I liked about it:

  • the photo album with the credits and titles at the beginning
  • the silhouettes with depiction of a tree that begin each seasonal section - reminding me very much of the art in one of my favourite books from childhood, Silver Pennies
  • Lana Lang. Yeah, little though I like the Lana Lang (failed gothgirl) of the TV show, I loved Lana when I was a kid reading Adventure Comics. This Lana in Superman For All Season is like her - a bright redhead with a good heart. Clark tells her his secret in the first section, and it overturns her life. She wanted to marry him. Learning his secret, she has to come to terms with the reality that he doesn't want to marry her.
  • The art, in general, is superb, including especially its evocation of character and its use of special effects for Superman's powers.
  • The dog Shelby. Not Krypto by a long shot, but a good character.


I'm not going to list what I didn't like because there was way too much, particularly the characters. Lex as a nasty megalomaniac with hair; Lois as a busybody - why does she always just strike me as an obnoxious brat? I'm more or less neutral on sweet old Ma and Pa Kent on the whole, but here they were so philosophically wise and calm and good that I kept wishing for Annette O'Toole's worried frown and John Schnieder's platitudes and bad temper. And Pete Ross! I loved him in the Adventure Comics days, and would dislike him in Smallville if I thought he had enough personality to dislike - here he does nothing but complain and whine about his life. Rather like a certain Kristen Kreuk character.

I also have trouble with the character of Clark Kent/Superman, as usual. It might be indicative of my problems with the character in this story that he isn't once referred to as Kal-El, who was always my favourite of the Superman personas, and the most real to me. He's always a hit-and-miss character for me. For a man with his powers to be distressed because he is not fully omnipotent - I would be irritated, except that in this story he is young enough for it to be acceptable. All that self-effacing virtue, much as I want to like it, usually ends up making me feel that he lacks personality and depth. Which he usually does. Thank heaven for the Tom Welling version of the character, whom I can love.

It was an excellent comic; but I'd better stick to Batman if even the good Superman comics annoy me.

fajrdrako: (Default)
I have a story deadline staring me in the face and I feel too tired to write.

Grump.

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