A review by cleheny
Superman: Earth One, Volume 3 by J. Michael Straczynski
2.0
Straczynksi's Superman: Earth One series continues to hit at about 2.5 stars for me.
What I think JMS does well is portray a Clark Kent struggling to figure out how to be Superman and be Clark Kent. It's not easy for him, and he wants both parts of his life to have meaning. As both Clark and Kal he makes mistakes, but he is able to learn from them. Lisa and Lois both move in some interesting, if not terribly surprising, directions. And Martha Kent continues to be an important source of guidance and comfort to her son (but I am struck by how facially similar Lois, Lisa, and Martha look in close-ups; it reminds me of my criticism from the last volume, when several of the secondary male characters all looked like variations on a theme).
The Luthors could have been interesting, but JMS went in a remarkably predictable direction given the supposed "big twist." And Zod's plot really showed how stupid humans are, which is disappointing. Yes, Superman's actions have made world leaders wary of what he might do, but he also continues to help and protect ordinary people, so he's not all bad. So, you'd think that they might have to carefully evaluate what to do when two Kryptonians engage in battle. But they don't.
And then there are Major Lee and the Luthors. It was pretty clear that Lex was going to be the one with the conscience, as Alexandra came off as something of a sociopath. Major Lee's concern that Zod and Superman's battle in Metropolis would kill millions is legitimate. But they decide the best solution is to de-power the guy they know and leave the other one full power? Again, Superman's actions have raised some legitimate questions, but not such serious ones that the most reasonable or logical response is to put all of their eggs in Zod's basket. Of course, Lex realizes that this was the wrong thing to do, and, unsurprisingly, gives his life in righting the wrong. And, equally unsurprising, even though Alexandra has been there throughout the whole thing, knows that it was their's and the government's actions that put this in motion, and then confidently states that Lex always does the right thing (which, in this case, is saving Superman), she blames Superman for Lex's death at Zod's hand. As depicted, it's irrational. And then somehow she magically knows about the kryptonite?
Unfortunately, there's nothing interesting about this version of villainous "Lex" Luthor. If JMS hadn't killed off Lex--if, instead, Lex and Alexandra found themselves at odds about Superman and what their response should be, a conflict that ultimately tore them apart--that could have been an interesting genesis of "Lex Luthor." But this was an uninteresting and thoroughly predictable way to create Superman's next villain.
Overall, I find this Earth One series to be disappointing. There are interesting ideas, but JMS doesn't do enough to justify this alternate version of Superman's history. His twists are not particularly clever or illuminating.
What I think JMS does well is portray a Clark Kent struggling to figure out how to be Superman and be Clark Kent. It's not easy for him, and he wants both parts of his life to have meaning. As both Clark and Kal he makes mistakes, but he is able to learn from them. Lisa and Lois both move in some interesting, if not terribly surprising, directions. And Martha Kent continues to be an important source of guidance and comfort to her son (but I am struck by how facially similar Lois, Lisa, and Martha look in close-ups; it reminds me of my criticism from the last volume, when several of the secondary male characters all looked like variations on a theme).
The Luthors could have been interesting, but JMS went in a remarkably predictable direction given the supposed "big twist." And Zod's plot really showed how stupid humans are, which is disappointing. Yes, Superman's actions have made world leaders wary of what he might do, but he also continues to help and protect ordinary people, so he's not all bad. So, you'd think that they might have to carefully evaluate what to do when two Kryptonians engage in battle. But they don't.
Spoiler
The last two volumes have built up the distrust the U.S. government has for the alien in its midst. And Superman's regime-change move spreads that distrust to other governments. That's all fine, and it makes a lot of sense. But then the governments' actions become unbelievably stupid. Another Kryptonian with super powers shows up, they know nothing about him, but he tells them Superman is evil, and Zod just wants them to stand by and let him kill Superman, and they're all, "okay." They know absolutely nothing about Zod, except that he's also super-powerful. But they're willing to stand by and let him kill Superman, who has helped a lot of people but engaged in one worrisome act of regime-change, and then be left with a super-powerful Kryptonian that they know nothing about? And against whom they don't have a defense? That makes no sense. At least Superman calls them out on their stupidity at the end of the book, but it's so obvious all along that it's just embarrassing.And then there are Major Lee and the Luthors. It was pretty clear that Lex was going to be the one with the conscience, as Alexandra came off as something of a sociopath. Major Lee's concern that Zod and Superman's battle in Metropolis would kill millions is legitimate. But they decide the best solution is to de-power the guy they know and leave the other one full power? Again, Superman's actions have raised some legitimate questions, but not such serious ones that the most reasonable or logical response is to put all of their eggs in Zod's basket. Of course, Lex realizes that this was the wrong thing to do, and, unsurprisingly, gives his life in righting the wrong. And, equally unsurprising, even though Alexandra has been there throughout the whole thing, knows that it was their's and the government's actions that put this in motion, and then confidently states that Lex always does the right thing (which, in this case, is saving Superman), she blames Superman for Lex's death at Zod's hand. As depicted, it's irrational. And then somehow she magically knows about the kryptonite?
Unfortunately, there's nothing interesting about this version of villainous "Lex" Luthor. If JMS hadn't killed off Lex--if, instead, Lex and Alexandra found themselves at odds about Superman and what their response should be, a conflict that ultimately tore them apart--that could have been an interesting genesis of "Lex Luthor." But this was an uninteresting and thoroughly predictable way to create Superman's next villain.
Overall, I find this Earth One series to be disappointing. There are interesting ideas, but JMS doesn't do enough to justify this alternate version of Superman's history. His twists are not particularly clever or illuminating.