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SUPERMAN/GEN 13 TP
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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DC Comics/Wildstorm Productions
Writer: Adam Hughes
Pencils: Lee Bermejo
Inks: John Nyberg
Colors: Guy Major, Ben Dimagmaliw & Ian Hannin
Letters: Mike Heisler
Editors: Eric DeSantis & Neal J. Pozner
Price: $9.95 US/$16.95 CAN |
Right about now, Adam Warren is making Gen 13 a readable book, even for someone like me who isn't a fan of the character. But the reason I gave the Warren run a chance at all was because I'd read Superman/Gen 13 by Adam Hughes, and knew there was
untapped potential in the characters. This story really deserved a trade
paperback collection, as it had great writing and art, some terrific humor and a
good use of all characters involved. Now the trade paperback is here, and it's
something every fan of Superman, Gen 13 or just good super-hero comics should
own.
Hughes and company take two very different properties and blend them together into a perfect mix in this story. Superman is a straight-laced, very traditonal super-hero, while Gen 13 is more of a comedy book, and it's defining characteristic is it's youth.
Hughes wisely contrasts the youth of Gen 13 with the traditional values of
Superman, exploring how a younger generation would view Superman as a bit
old-fashioned and out-of-date, and in an even more interesting twist, he
explores how Superman feels to be talked about in that way. There's something
about Superman that seems to make him more interesting when he's viewed through
other people's eyes, whether that's through the eyes of Garth Ennis's Hitman,
Jeph Loeb's Lois Lane or Hughes's Gen 13. What's more impressive is that Hughes
manages, by the end, to make the Gen 13 kids appreciate what Superman stands for
and idolize him as much as Caitlin does right at the outset, and he does it
while convincing the reader of the same coolness that the kids see.
Caitlin's crush is a major plot factor, and
it's also a fun comedy bit. Caitlin's hero-worship, along with a bit of "wrong
place at the wrong time," turns her into the antagonist for the series. It's a
role she plays well, as her well-meaning klutziness is absolutely hysterical.
Hughes, Bermejo and Nyberg really sell the slapstick, and they also do a
terrific job with Caitlin's addled mindset, showing her as very naive and
willing to believe anything, including the offered explanation of "red
kryptonite" for her loss of memory and certain powers. Seeing her try to take on
the role of Supergirl provides many laughs, such as when she rides the subway or
a kid's bike to the scene of action, or when she turns rescuing a kitten from a
tree into something worse.
Aside from the time given to Caitlin and
Superman, though, there's plenty of other things going on in this story.
Metropolis comes alive, viewed through the eyes of tourists both eager and
reluctant and featuring citizens and authorities who are unflappable in the face
of super-heroes and strange goings-on. Jimmy Olsen gets a brief but funny cameo.
And the interplay among the rest of Gen 13 as they try to figure out why
everyone is so high on Superman is a terrific running theme.
The artwork in the book is every bit as
stellar as the writing. When I first saw it, I compared Lee Bermejo to a bit of
a rough-edged Frank Quitely, but as I reread this book, I also saw influences
from Tim Sale and Tony Harris. Basically, the work is gorgeous, whether it's a
lovingly detailed splash of a giant ape rampaging through Metropolis or a more
routine shot of the Gen 13 kids in plainclothes riding a train or stopping by
the offices of the Daily Planet. Bermejo is a consummate storyteller with a
beautiful style, and I'd really love to see him land a plum regular assignment
at Wildstorm.
If you had told me before this came out
that it would be one of my favorite stories in the last year, I would have
thought you quite mad. But this really was one of my favorite stories produced
this year, and I recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in
super-heroes.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review. |
