Superman: American Alien
Borrowed this out from the library. A few people recommended it to me and...I didn't like it.
To be fair, there are some good moments. Great moments, even. The entire first issue is incredibly tender and heart-warming. Some of the character work is good, too. But as a whole, the thing is a mess. I get that it's supposed to be snapshots throughout Clark's life, but some of it doesn't go anywhere. There's little flow from issue to issue, like one would expect from a mini-series.
But the one thing that bothers me is the same thing that bothered me ever since I saw scans of it: a teenage Clark burning off a criminal's arms. Uncontrollably, mind you, but that kind of crap doesn't belong in a Superman comic. Plus, there's absolutely no follow-up to it. The comic's extras include Landis talking about how this changes how Clark feels about his powers and their effect on other people. But the way it's told in the comic doesn't feel like that. Right after he does it, he says "You made me do it!" No. That's not Clark. Clark wouldn't blame the other guy for something he did. He'd say he's sorry or he didn't mean to do that or something.
And like I thought, that scene soured the rest of the comic for me. It also didn't help that the costume design is TERRIBLE. Both the costume he wears before officially becoming Superman and then the Superman costume itself. Why the hell does it have shoulder and elbow pads? Christ.
And then there are the endless, needless cameos. The third issue where he's confused to be Bruce Wayne is the worst. It's like a cavalcade of references. Then another issue, a Green Lantern shows out of the blue so he can learn about Krypton.
I'm really sad because that first issue is SO GOOD. But the rest of the series is overall terrible. Ugh.
