Nobody is talking about Superman: American Alien?

[Myskin]

God I love this book. I knew there was something special about it the very moment I heard about it and saw that provocative picture of a young Clark's bloody mug shot. And the really cool think that I feel some people are overlooking is that it's tonally flexible in a way that no other Superman property has been is nearly a decade. Last issue was ripped right from Steven Spielberg's brain with it's warm and heartfelt tone. This issue would make Man of Steel and Earth One both squirm in their seats with how on the noes grounded it was. And with both of these books American Alien earns that moment of horror or that moment and almost cornball joy to the point where you have no choice but to hand it to it. Goodness was I glued to the page when Clark showed up at the end, shirt sleeves rolled up and probably nearly peeing his pants. I really feel for this Clark Kent in a way that I can't really say I feel for him in most (not all) other continuities.

Max Landis, Tommy Lee Edwards, Alex Antone, and anyone else working on this, thank you for a fantastic take on Clark Kent the Superman.

Yeah. By the way, it's not that having a realistic take on Clark is mutually exclusive with him living in a fantastic world - Landis' pitch for the Death and Return of Superman included a futuristic Metropolis full of AIs and robots.

You know what I would really like? Another Landis miniseries wholly focused on Superman villains. One issue on Metallo, one issue on Brainiac, etc.

It's still too early to say, but I am sure that when everything will be said and done we'll have another mini which will join the Valhalla of great Superman stories, including Loeb's For All Seasons, Busiek's Secret Identity and All Star. Man, if only these minis weren't so rare (and if only regular series could even vaguely resemble these minis in terms of quality).

P.S. Now that I think about it, this is Richard Linklater's Boyhood with Superman as the main character.

[DeathFalcon182]

No offense meant, but I think that you are a bit nitpicking here. And not only because Soviet Superman does things (including performing lobotomy on his enemies) which "normal" Superman would never do. Every author writes characters according to his/her own view on life - Loeb does so, and also Morrison, Loeb, and Landis isn't doing anything different. This is not a case comparable to JMS' Superman, who is OBLIGED by his own enemy to publicly reveal himself to the world. Here we have a fundamentally good kid, who is understandably confused about what to do and needs a little push (for a couple of pictures in the whole issue, by the way). How many of us did have a completely shaped ethics when we were teen-agers? Come on. There isn't any teenage angst, just a kid who is still immature - and understandably so.

No offense taken. We're all allowed to make up our own views of what author intended, mine just don't happen to be the same as yours. I just find that Landis saying that some things happen in Clark's life and he just turns out to be a good person as a result and not an ******* completely bs and his own interpretation of what Superman is and how he is. I also find Landus claiming that this is the Superman and how he gets Superman better than others also bs

[Superlad93]

Yeah. By the way, it's not that having a realistic take on Clark is mutually exclusive with him living in a fantastic world - Landis' pitch for the Death and Return of Superman included a futuristic Metropolis full of AIs and robots.

You know what I would really like? Another Landis miniseries wholly focused on Superman villains. One issue on Metallo, one issue on Brainiac, etc.

It's still too early to say, but I am sure that when everything will be said and done we'll have another mini which will join the Valhalla of great Superman stories, including Loeb's For All Seasons, Busiek's Secret Identity and All Star. Man, if only these minis weren't so rare (and if only regular series could even vaguely resemble these minis in terms of quality).

P.S. Now that I think about it, this is Richard Linklater's Boyhood with Superman as the main character.

Yeah I really feel like this book needs to be recognized more for how it's able to shift in tone from issue to issue and thus show the Superman character/world and tonally complex and malleable. Also the fact that these books are so fleshed out and peppered with detail in the world and most of all characters. That's Landis having a clear vision and his artist being amazing at what they do. In two issues he's built a Smallville and Superman that I could follow around documentary style for years (it's not even clever what I did there).

I would more than love that idea. I'd love to see how Clark reacts and how the villain reacts.

I REALLY don't wanna jinx it but I'm getting that vibe too. In a lot of ways I really think the character thrives in this sort of format better than the normal month to month grind.

And yes that's a great comparison.

[Myskin]

Yeah I really feel like this book needs to be recognized more for how it's able to shift in tone from issue to issue and thus show the Superman character/world and tonally complex and malleable. Also the fact that these books are so fleshed out and peppered with detail in the world and most of all characters. That's Landis having a clear vision and his artist being amazing at what they do. In two issues he's built a Smallville and Superman that I could follow around documentary style for years (it's not even clever what I did there).

I would more than love that idea. I'd love to see how Clark reacts and how the villain reacts.

I REALLY don't wanna jinx it but I'm getting that vibe too. In a lot of ways I really think the character thrives in this sort of format better than the normal month to month grind.

And yes that's a great comparison.

By the way, I wouldn't be so sure that Clark will survive his battle with Doomsday. After all we are seeing the story of a man from his childhood to his maturity (well, if Landis is still following his initial idea) and I would find it appropriate that it would end with his death - a real one, not a joke as comics death.

[Superlad93]

By the way, I wouldn't be so sure that Clark will survive his battle with Doomsday. After all we are seeing the story of a man from his childhood to his maturity (well, if Landis is still following his initial idea) and I would find it appropriate that it would end with his death - a real one, not a joke as comics death.

Hmmm interesting point. But I've gotta bring up the fact that Landis explains this book as "stories he'd tell you over a drink". So it makes it less likely he'd die at the end. I'm also not so sure it will be Doomsday (unless you have a quote). I heard that it might be Lobo that Superman has "the bloodiest fight in comics" with, and that it's inter cut with an argument Clark is having with Lois.

[Myskin]

Well, the initial pitch was:

I've had this vision for a while to do a graphic novel called Seven Stories that documents, in short-comic form, just six random moments in Clark Kent's life, from age 7 to 44: a haunted barn, a smart cop, a vacation gone wrong, first time being shot with a gun, a verbal fight with Lois intercut with a very physical fight with Lobo, a talk with Lex Luthor about the nature of humanity, and then the arrival of Doomsday.

He has already changed the plans though, I am pretty sure that the big monster on issue 5 will be The Parasite. Who knows, maybe the story will end with just a very creative retelling of Supes' early years (in issue 5 he isn't a superhero yet, just a mystery man)

[Superlad93]

Well, the initial pitch was:

He has already changed the plans though, I am pretty sure that the big monster on issue 5 will be The Parasite. Who knows, maybe the story will end with just a very creative retelling of Supes' early years (in issue 5 he isn't a superhero yet, just a mystery man)

Ah yeah that's where I read it. Well we'll see. I'm really looking forward to the Renascence painting inspired issue 4 (complete with mood setting Jae Lee art) and the "sexiest comic ever" issue 3.

PS Just on his Twitter and it sounds like DD might be a go!

Edit: Scratch that. I read too fast lol

[This is a job for Superman!]

I really want to see how people will react to issue 2.

I am sorry but I feel issue 2 is one of the cheapest Superman comics I have read.

Why? The ending does everything in its power to have a "realistic" moment, a moment for Clark to learn, the problem is, that moment comes from a gory scene and evolves from baffling character evolution. Plot conveniences for Landis to put that moment in the story despite how realistic the moment will seem. I am expecting to see how people will react because people complain about conveniences that help the character's leave unscathed, I wonder how they will react to the exact opposite and how many will be hypocrites.

Other than that, the story was AGAIN pretty basic, with thin plot, and a few plot-holes here and there and nothing extraordinary.Chronicle 2.0 failed to deliver for me.

I didn't like the fact that Clark needs to be told to do a good thing he would otherwise do himself. It's Landis' version of telling these things helped made Clark a good person. No Landis, he has always been a good person, he isn't lured into being one.

Nicely said. At this point Clark is sixteen, Landis is really pushing it

[This is a job for Superman!]

I can explain better if I talked Spoilers but I will wait a few days.

[Myskin]

I am expecting to see how people will react because people complain about conveniences that help the character's leave unscathed, I wonder how they will react to the exact opposite and how many will be hypocrites.

I think that it was great, therefore I'm an hypocrite. Lol

[Deniz Camp]

Some minor quibbles (an oddly constructed panel or two, the 'villain' of the piece wasn't great and didn't seem to have much to do with the central idea of the issue),

Sure it did. There's a whole bunch of things at work here -- the first issue was Clark dealing with the terror of his own power in the pastoral small town. He is the villain of that first issue. Older, he's made the town his home -- he's got friends, he's got a love interest, he has the protection and respect of the authority of the town. He's DONE it. He's FIT IN.

And then the boy who COULDN'T fit in, who couldn't make it work, who went out into the big, bad world outside, comes back, 'and brings the world with him'. And he has to deal with that terror, his power in THAT context, where the control that he had -- wasn't enough.

The series seems to be about forcing Clark to expand his context; quite literally, this issue, we get an 'all seeing eye' look at the town, almost explicitly telling us that understands Smallville, that he's 'got this'.

Deeper still is that Clark still harbors doubts about fitting in; the kid represents the way Clark might have gone, but the struggle and the pain that drive that boy are very present for Clark, if only in phantoms, if only when he feels most alone.

[superduperman]

I can't believe I'm going to go for bat for a comic where Clark spoilers:

burns a dude's arms off

end of spoilers as not totally missing the point of the character, but of *course* Clark had to be told to do good things as a kid. That's how you learn. If he just fundamentally knew down to his bones from the moment the rocket opened up what right and wrong was in any given situation, he wouldn't need Ma and Pa, or really any formative experiences at all. For a 16 year old, he's remarkably decent and determined to do the right thing in a situation where he's clearly and understandably in way over his head.

Some minor quibbles (an oddly constructed panel or two, the 'villain' of the piece wasn't great and didn't seem to have much to do with the central idea of the issue), but on the whole, this worked for me way the hell better than it had any right to. I wouldn't like it as the 'main' Superman myself, but it's everything I'd want out of a darker take like this. I'm sure the booze and what's clearly going to go down with Lana will rub some people the wrong way, but again, 16. The big moment was I thought more over the top than it needed to be, but unlike...similar (though for those concerned, not identical) incidents, this felt properly built up to thematically and resolved. And that last page was good, even if it wasn't as remarkably well-put together as the epilogue in the previous issue, which makes sense given that this was built to serve a different purpose.

Oh, and since I was showing off some of what was upcoming in American Alien that had been revealed in the other thread, here's a look at Jonathan Cases' issue #6 variant, which gives a look at the Superman costume proper for this series:



Like the prototype costume we got a glimpse of for issue #5, looks homemade in a way I like. Curious if this is the final version, or if he'll find himself in the regular costume by the end (since that's what he was in with the Superman/Joker story Landis wrote, which is presumably canon to this).

This is exactly why I don't think stuff like this should be canon. Because it lets you explore ideas and concepts that we wouldn't want them to in the main books that might also scare off casual readers. It's also why I like things like Earth One and Injustice. No, I wouldn't want any of them to be the "official" version, but it's fun to explore various "what if" ideas. Landis has the freedom to do things the regular books simply wouldn't be willing to let him. Much as I like the New52 version (minus the current storyline) it still follows a basic formula of the Kents were perfect saints and he always does the right thing for the right reason. Seeing "flawed" versions of these characters is fun sometimes.

[Superlad93]

Sure it did. There's a whole bunch of things at work here -- the first issue was Clark dealing with the terror of his own power in the pastoral small town. He is the villain of that first issue. Older, he's made the town his home -- he's got friends, he's got a love interest, he has the protection and respect of the authority of the town. He's DONE it. He's FIT IN.

And then the boy who COULDN'T fit in, who couldn't make it work, who went out into the big, bad world outside, comes back, 'and brings the world with him'. And he has to deal with that terror, his power in THAT context, where the control that he had -- wasn't enough.

The series seems to be about forcing Clark to expand his context; quite literally, this issue, we get an 'all seeing eye' look at the town, almost explicitly telling us that understands Smallville, that he's 'got this'.

Deeper still is that Clark still harbors doubts about fitting in; the kid represents the way Clark might have gone, but the struggle and the pain that drive that boy are very present for Clark, if only in phantoms, if only when he feels most alone.

Spot on! Also love your breakdown of the first issue and how Clark himself is the villain. That point is illustrated really well in more than a few parts now that I think about it.

[This is a job for Superman!]

I think that it was great, therefore I'm an hypocrite. Lol

I don't have problem with people enjoying it.

I have problem with the people that will defend its quality despite its obvious flaws, conveniences and even unrealistic villains. If you believe this is realistic, then yes the above statement applies.

As for enjoying again, I don't care.

[Myskin]

I don't have problem with people enjoying it.

I have problem with the people that will defend its quality despite its obvious flaws, conveniences and even unrealistic villains. If you believe this is realistic, then yes the above statement applies.

As for enjoying again, I don't care.

OK. I think that it is realistic and very well done, with very minor flaws (if any). Lol.