It's a shame that more people haven't been reading Superman: Secret Identity, because it just might be the best thing that Kurt Busiek has ever written. This collaboration with Immonen is truly "mature readers" comics, not in that it features curse words or nudity or extreme violence (in fact, it features none of that) but in that it is going to appeal the most to those who want to see the story of a life, one that is different because of superpowers but also similar to the lives that many of us will go through. I don't know if I would have enjoyed this book as much had I read it when I was single and childless, but now, as a married father of one? Well, Secret Identity hit me just in the right spot, a reflection on the changes we go through in life and the world we try to build for (and with) our children and loved ones, with a very optimistic, hopeful outlook that stops just short of being pollyanna or unrealistically bright. Better yet, it's probably the best Superman story I've read in years, even though it doesn't feature the "real" Superman at all.
Busiek finally gets around to the explanation of how Clark got his powers, and it fits right in with the way the powers have been depicted in this series. That is, it's got a touch of spooky conspiracy theory, but ultimately, it's left as something of a mystery and a miracle. And it's just enough explanation to work, because we don't need last minute revelations that Clark came out of the Phantom Zone or anything like that. Instead, Busiek stays consistent with the tone that he has set throughout the series, one that focuses much more on Clark Kent the man than the superman.
Just a few days ago, I got another year older, so thoughts of the future and getting older are more present than usual in the last few days. Usually, when one thinks of the future, especially when you're trying to take care of a family, those thoughts cause worry (or even outright panic.) Busiek provides an alternative here, showing the joys that come from seeing your children grown, from seeing them take the lessons you've taught them and their own intelligence and deciding to make the world a better place. In previous issues, Busiek showed the nightmare scenario of Secret Identity, that the government would capture Clark and dissect him, and that threat was effective enough that he hasn't had to focus on the negative since. The threat is always there, allowing him to spend more time on the reality, which is that Clark became a valuable ally and a trusted friend, and the role that his daughters eventually play in his life and in the changing world are due in no small part to the way he made that work out. Busiek's story here is one of a father truly making a difference for his children, as well as one man making a change in the world, and I can't think of a better message for a Superman story.
Throughout Secret Identity, I've been impressed with Immonen's work, and this issue is no exception. Immonen does some spectacular splash pages of Clark using his powers in exotic environments, but perhaps more important is that he also captures the aging and changing of Clark and his family. There's a reality and warmth that comes through in the Christmas celebrations, and a terrific fatherly look that Clark takes on later in the series, that really drives home the themes of the series. I don't know if Immonen will be able to use this unusual, painted style look on all of his future work, but I sincerely hope we see it again for special projects like this one.
Superman: Secret Identity took me by surprise. I expected it to be good, maybe even great. But what I didn't expect was to find something that not only reaffirmed my interest in the Superman character and provided some actual lessons about real life, all the while telling a kickass yarn. It's early yet, but so far, Superman: Secret Identity is absolutely the best miniseries I've read in all of 2004. And if DC doesn't put a trade paperback on the schedule, and fast, they're making a huge, huge mistake.
