Superman: Birthright

I commented about this in the Superman movie sequel thread.

Yes you did. But I was referring to

http://www.ultimatecentral.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11381&page=23

As a reply to which to buy. But you were one of the ones I was on about when I said about others mentioning it. Though I will say thank you doom as seeing it mentioned again in superman movie thread got me to finally read it (bought so many comics last 3 months I haven't been able to read them all yet still have stuff like the long Halloween and Lex Luthor : Man of steel to read)

But I think I'll start on 3 now.
 
read 3-6.

Still loving it. I loved how clever Lex is figuring out Superman was an alien, What type of planet he came from. I also loved the scene where lois is looking at clark trying to figure out where she knows him but can't, as well as the general how clark hides as clark. Soft voice , different hair, hunching over. Not read it handled that well before.

Also in issue 3 where Jonathan really didn't handle it well and how Clark realised he hadn't even offer to fly him was great. That issue right there helped make him more human. Very well done. I'm stopping reading for tonight but if it stays this good all the way through it'll be brilliant
 
This is one of those books that I'm sure is great and classic and yada yada yada, but I just cannot bring myself to become interested in it. Even with Yu art.
 
Superman being a vegetarian is sort of like specifying Superman's religion (or lack thereof) in a story: it just shouldn't really be done, because it automatically riles loads of people up.

It made sense in the context of this story though.

As for the story itself, I absolutely loved every part of it up until (like some Superman movies) Lex Luthor showed up. This has got to be my least-favourite, least-interesting, most preposterous version of the character. I never liked the whole 'Lex hates him because he's an alien and he's trying to save the world from aliens' angle. It's a suitable motivation for a villain (like Trask from Lois & Clark) but it just doesn't seem like it should be wasted on Luthor.

I always preferred Lex being the uncrowned king of Metropolis before Superman ever showed up. His post-crisis origin is the best of the bunch. Superman and Luthor both represent the American Dream; but specifically opposing sides of that dream. Superman (an orphan) is brought up in a fairly working class farm-background with amazing abilities and through the love and nurture of his parents, becomes a hero. Lex Luthor (an orphan) is brought up in a fairly working class city-background with amazing intelligence and through the antagonisation and cruelty of his foster parents, he becomes a white-collar criminal. It's not until the two become adults that they cross paths. I never really liked the whole Superboy/Smallville angle where they meet each other in their teens.
 
So wait a minute...what continuity is this in?

It was originally an infite crisis revamp, like GA: Year One. But then they thought it wasn't good enough? or changed too much? or just they'd like superman more like the films.

and I see Johns is doing another origin story this year, to supercede this. (which will be lke superman I ?)
 
So wait a minute...what continuity is this in?

It was originally an infite crisis revamp, like GA: Year One. But then they thought it wasn't good enough? or changed too much? or just they'd like superman more like the films.

and I see Johns is doing another origin story this year, to supercede this. (which will be lke superman I ?)

For a while there, it seemed to be canon (certainly in some of the earlier Supergirl stories, you can clearly see Birthright Jor-El's statue in the Fortress), but a combination of Superman Returns' influence on the comics and whatever Crisis was happening that week led to it being scrapped and Superman's 'officialy' origin being left up in the air until now as well as my interest in the idea of comic book continuity at DC going out the window.

John's story looks interesting, but I really don't want Silver Age Superboy back and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm sick of all the efforts to tie the comics in with the movies. Last Son was an excellent tribute to Superman II and was a great way of adding more depth to the Kryptonian villains of that movie as well as perfecting the idea of Superman having a kid, where Superman Returns had so spectacularly failed. It would be much better if Johns just left it at that and started from scratch for his new Superman origin.
 
This is one of those books that I'm sure is great and classic and yada yada yada, but I just cannot bring myself to become interested in it. Even with Yu art.


I read your watchmen, you owe me. Read it!
 
This is one of those books that I'm sure is great and classic and yada yada yada, but I just cannot bring myself to become interested in it. Even with Yu art.

It's also written by Mark Waid. You liked some of his FANTASTIC FOUR fun and he writes a great Superman. It's a good read.
 
It's also written by Mark Waid. You liked some of his FANTASTIC FOUR fun and he writes a great Superman. It's a good read.

I've had problems with some of Waid's stuff, but I can honestly say, the man knows how to write the Icon characters.
 
I rest the last of them today. I loved it. My only complaint/nit-pick is where is his fortress of solitude? If this is his origin I thought we might get a movie like scene where he throws the crystal or him build it using Lex's translater and wormhole. but sadly no.

Besides that it was a great story and I loved the way the invasion was thought up. Is there a sequel to Birthright? Or any other superman stories the same people have done?
 
I started reading this, i really like it. I think superman as a vegetarian is pretty smart. He doesn't need to eat and he's against taking life (admitadly we don't need to eat Meat), but it makes sense. He's just such a boy scout.

Plus if he wasn't a vegetaian, what would stop him eating humans. He's higher up the food chain certainly. The arguements that meat eaters put forward, for eating say dophins...the same arguements could be applied to superman eating humans. So really if he's not vegetarian...

Can he see the life aura for plants?
 
I re-read it recently as well and basically all of the problems I had with it were obliterated. It really is a perfect Superman origin. The only ever so minor problem I have with it is that there isn't really enough chemistry between Lois and Clark/Superman. This is a really minor problem, though that could have been helped by Waid writing more stories in this continuity.

In fact, I think that this story is most suited to a series of self-contained stories, rather than taking place in the larger DCU Universe. I'd love to see Waid write a series of sequels.
 
God, I just re-read this in two sittings and I love it so much. It's so the greatest Superman movie never made.

It really is. It actually hurts my soul to think that DC would allow Warner Bros to reboot the Superman franchise and clear out all that Christopher Reeve/Brandon Routh back story and continuity (not that I have a problem with that)....but NOT base their reboot off Birthright!



In a Superman related side note: I was just watching SupermanI last night and to this day...it's hard to not become giddy when Superman catches Lois as she's falling from the helicopter and he says, "Don't worry Miss, I've got you."

It's such cheesy cinematic awesomeness.

Although, in my head I'm aware of how great Superman is, so in my mind the scene plays out as usual but is redubbed as such:



Lois: AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Superman catches Lois.

Superman: Easy Miss, I've got you.
Lois: You've got me? But whose got you?
Superman: Haha. Silly *****, please! I'm Superman.

Helicopter falls. Superman catches it.

Superman: See? Super. Man.



The Army guys I'm working with watch "I'm The Juggernaut *****" clips all day. I now dub/filter everything I see with "Juggernaut *****"-like lines.

I know...it's weird.


The only ever so minor problem I have with it is that there isn't really enough chemistry between Lois and Clark/Superman.

Well seeing as how it's an origin story and neither character has any idea of who each other really is.......aaaaand base it off the previous encounters Clark has had when he shows his powers, it's only natural that he's not really chasing after Lois' affections or even attention from the media.


In fact, I think that this story is most suited to a series of self-contained stories, rather than taking place in the larger DCU Universe. I'd love to see Waid write a series of sequels.

Well we can't have that happening! I mean, what kind of totally sane world would this be if we start having excellent comic book writers creating stories that can EASILY be transferred over to the big screen only to become THE GREATEST COMIC BOOK MOVIES KNOWN TO MAN EVER CREATED BECOME THE HIGHEST GROSSING MOVIES IN THE HISTORY OF EVER?

I mean it'd be silly to think that WB could just pick up 2 or 3 more Waid-scribed Superman TPBs that fit into Birthright continuity and tell a director to film these books. It's like having all their work done for them.

A couple of screenwriters to add a bit of filler to the actual spoken script to pad time....and VOILA! A perfect Superman movie.




Nonsense I say. Nonsense!
 
In a Superman related side note: I was just watching SupermanI last night and to this day...it's hard to not become giddy when Superman catches Lois as she's falling from the helicopter and he says, "Don't worry Miss, I've got you."

Yeah, that's always been my favourite scene in any movie.
 

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