So are the Superman: Earth One books generally hated?

[Korath]

The Earth One books didn't left me a big impression overall. Which is still better than, say, All-Star Superman, which I loath with a passion, but not exactly a mark of greatness either. Superman Earth One especially had good ideas but didn't developed them as much as it could have.

[Netherman14]

The Earth One books didn't left me a big impression overall. Which is still better than, say, All-Star Superman, which I loath with a passion, but not exactly a mark of greatness either. Superman Earth One especially had good ideas but didn't developed them as much as it could have.

First and foremost, just saying this. you can like or dislike whatever you want, that said. how can you dislike All-Star Superman? which is just so damn great.

[Korath]

First and foremost, just saying this. you can like or dislike whatever you want, that said. how can you dislike All-Star Superman? which is just so damn great.

Because it exalts everything wrong with Superman and somehow it's made into a classic. It was mentally and physically painful for me to read this book, easily the worst story I read from Morrison, and one if not the worst I ever had the displeasure to read period.

But I'll let Luthor of Earth 23 says it better than me :



All-Star Superman is an arrogant, paternalistic asshole, who doesn't relate at all with the lives of everyday peoples, spout platitudes about "everyone being worth it" but never doing anything to actually uproot a corrupt and degenerate societal system which led to suffering of hundred of millions of humans and the extermination of untold numbers of plants and animal to fuel itself.

I'll stop it, because I could rant about it for hours on end. Suffice to say that I hate All-Star Superman, and that if I was ever given the chance to erase one thing from the Superman's canon reality and actually create a world where it was never even speculated about by its creators, I would do it in a blink.

[Lokimaru]

I liked Earth One. I like that Superman wanted to use his gift to help his Mom out. Like how an Athlete from a Poor Family buys his mother a new house. He could have used his intelligence to cure Cancer or something, why does he HAVE to be a Superhero or a Reporter to help out? Hell plenty of Scientists are also Superheroes on the side it's actually the top field for heroes to be in. Couldn't Superman be secretly a World famous Physicist or Doctor? Why does he Need to be a Journalist anymore? Print is freaking dead. Hell Calvin Ellis is the President of the United States talk about dreaming big. Makes Clark Kent seem a little Ambition less in comparison don' it. I actually think most people take Superman for granted. It always seems like a better him them me situation when they talk about the character. Like they need him to give a Damn so they can have an excuse not to like how Meg Griffin willingly is the family Punching Bag to keep them from tearing the family apart cause they're all just shitty people. So whenever there's a Superman that shows the tiniest bit of "self preservation" IMO in not wanting the burden of the World on his shoulder his "fans" rebel.

[Yoda]

Because it exalts everything wrong with Superman and somehow it's made into a classic. It was mentally and physically painful for me to read this book, easily the worst story I read from Morrison, and one if not the worst I ever had the displeasure to read period.

But I'll let Luthor of Erth 23 says it better than me :



All-Star Superman is an arrogant, paternalistic asshole, who doesn't relate at all with the lives of everyday peoples, spout platitudes about "everyone being worth it" but never doing anything to actually uproot a corrupt and degenerate societal system which led to suffering of hundred of millions of humans and the extermination of untold numbers of plants and animal to fuel itself.

I'll stop it, because I could rant about it for hours on end. Suffice to say that I hate All-Star Superman, and that if I was ever given the chance to erase one thing from the Superman's canon reality and actually create a world where it was never even speculated about by its creators, I would do it in a blink.

Have you read Miracle Man? Its pretty close to what you're describing.
.

[superduperman]

I found All Star to be overrated but I didn't actually hate it. Dull would be a better description. Keep in mind, at the time it was published, the mainstream books were a mess. So a semi-return to the SA Superman was seen as a breath of fresh air. I don't think it would have the same impact if it came out today.

[Jim Kelly]

Pretty pricey to buy just one volume. Not the kind of thing I'm going to pick up just to see what it's like. I always expected they would come out in cheaper volumes or something.

[manofsteel1979]

I found All Star to be overrated but I didn't actually hate it. Dull would be a better description. Keep in mind, at the time it was published, the mainstream books were a mess. So a semi-return to the SA Superman was seen as a breath of fresh air. I don't think it would have the same impact if it came out today.

I've said this before. There are moments about All Star I like, but it's not the great definite statement on the character that many make it out to be. You make a great point that the books were such a cluster f--k back then that the sheer novelty of a Superman whose origin story can literally be summed up on one page, a Superman who had his classic status quo and support cast and was recognizably a version that was in contrast to the main version who was completely lost in the noise of convoluted continuity , conflicting origin tellings and a status quo where Superman was barely with a recognizable status quo was why so many latched onto it. Now it would be regarded as the cute paeon to the silver age that it is and nothing more.

As for the OP, I don't think it's as universally hated as much as people think but it's something that won't be remembered even in the way New 52 Superman was. The first one was a hit and got some attention but beyond that it's been diminished returns.

[Netherman14]

I want to remind people we're here in this thread to talk about Superman: Earth One, not All-Star Superman.

[Coal Tiger]

Earth One is trash. From a reluctant Superman to a deliberately blown up Krypton the entire effort is a failure. Art was mediocre too.

[superduperman]

I will say this: If they ever reboot the movies again, I'd love for them to use the Earth One costume.

[BBally]

I remember there was a negative feedback toward the first book before it was even released mostly due to the promo cover of Hooded red eyes Clark plus Bendis calling it Superman for the Twilight crowd didn't help but when Volume 1 was released, the general reaction was for the most quite positive at the time, yes it has its detractors but generally the reception was positive. While I don't really know the reception of the later volumes, considering they still sold well, I guess it still had its fans.

As for me, I really enjoyed the first book, I thought it was a good alternative Superman story and thought this comic was actually a better Superman movie than either Superman Returns or Man Of Steel. I really liked the scene where Clark was changing into his mild mannered disguise and I liked this comic's version of the suit, it still had the classic look while still feeling very modern.

[superduperman]

The other volumes were better than the first one. The second volume was a very traditional Superman type story. The third had a great take on the Luthor dynamic.

[Kuwagaton]

I found All Star to be overrated but I didn't actually hate it. Dull would be a better description. Keep in mind, at the time it was published, the mainstream books were a mess. So a semi-return to the SA Superman was seen as a breath of fresh air. I don't think it would have the same impact if it came out today.

Agreed. All Star is like an apple to this orange, but I also generally agree with Lokimaru and Vordan's points. For the rather shameless ultimate rip off vibe, we did get a more genuine story even if it had plenty of common vulnerabilities. I actually think it was smarter than the fantastic New 52 Action in that characters really interacted instead of exposition and ambiguous meta.

Art was mediocre too.

Shane Davis is not my favorite. The muddy colors and turn of the century hipster fashion didn't help

I just don't like reluctant heroes. So whether it is the main Superman or Superman in The Nail, I really don't like seeing Superman as a guy who is almost forced by circumstances into the Superman role.

Are there people like that in the real world? Sure.

Do I want to read about them even as a one-off story? No.

I guess that's where it lives or dies. I like that JMS didn't take the altruism or specific role of Superman for granted.

[Ascended]

Earth 1 started off very successfully, and the distribution model and E-1 line was all looking really promising at first. Remember, this was before same-day-digital sales, before trades had risen up to become a major factor in long-term revenue.....these books being sold in book stores, in the fiction section rather than next to trades and comics, was huge. It brought all kinds of new eyes to Superman. In this, it was very successful. Initially, anyway.

Among us hardcore fans, the reviews were far more mixed, for reasons others have talked about already (I myself didn't care for it either, though there were a few good things). But I feel the real failure of E-1 was in its release schedule. It started strong, then ended up drowning in its lack of hard deadlines. Sequels came out haphazardly, new titles came out haphazardly (where's the Aquaman and Flash E-1 books we were told we'd have years ago? We're still waiting)......and while this line was wandering around blind, new formats and mediums were coming up and offering more reliable ways to introduce comic characters to new audiences. And often for a cheaper price.

E-1 could have been a big win for DC and comics. But they dropped the ball and it ended up just being a wasted opportunity.