Superman: Birthright

If you just like to see superheros punching things, Birthright isn't for you.

However, Of the origin/year one comics I've read, this one has a special place in my heart.

The pre-Superman experiences really capture the character, but it was about 1/3 the way through that I realized Birthright is a Superman collection must; as Clark is about to make his debut as Superman, he says to himself, "God... please don't let me look ridiculous." Clark Kent is fleshed out as a real person, not just a convenient disguise, in a way that really began with Superman: Man of Steel.

The problem with Superman is, that sometimes he's just way too much flying muscle and not enough actual thought. This Superman reacts with more than just a formidible uppercut.

Superman is a good guy because of the luck of finding loving parents and experiencing the best parts of life. He's often compared to Batman as the other side of the coin this way. Birthright really fills out why. It adds tremendously to not only a stand-alone story, but motivations that are taken for granted in many stories in Identity Crisis, the new Infinite Crisis story arc, and other stories that touch on Superman's personality.

There's action, sure, but this is what you really come away with the story with. How many stories have a superhero playing with his powers just for the sake of it, enjoying the experience of flying and sharing it with family?

If you're a fan of the show Smallville and have never read comics before, this is a good introduction; the author borrowed a lot from the young Clark Kent of the show. With some changes in the plot, it could be read as a continuation of the characters.

This is my personal favorite Superman tale (yes, even over "Red Son" or "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tommorrow?", though on equal footing with "All-Star Superman") and my preferred version of his 21st-century origin story. I sorely wish that this book had remained in canon, because THIS is the book that tells readers who Superman really is as a superhero and as a man. Mark Waid & Leinil Yu managed to craft a new and compelling take on the character while still staying true to his core traits. A terrible missed opportunity for DC! Forget the New 52 and the "Earth One" garbage.

Alas, this will probably never happen, but I still wonder if the publisher will see the error of its ways and restore Waid's continuity. Perhaps in a nice one-shot? A man can dream...

There are few characters in literature more quintessentially American than Superman and few more difficult to write. Just compare the number of five star Batman stories with the number for Superman. The problem is trying to come up with a compelling story featuring a character with godlike abilities. Not only is Superman nigh on omnipotent with his invulnerability, super speed and near limitless strength he is also essentially omniscient with his super vision, super hearing and x-ray vision (In Birthright Clark Kent uses all three to spy on his coworkers from blocks away). So how do you create a compelling story when the protagonist is invincible? The other problem is that his most frequent antagonist, Lex Luthor, is nothing more than a regular old human (albeit with an astounding intellect). Luthor taking on Superman is like a little league team taking on the Boston Red Sox AND NEARLY WINNING.

Writers have relied on three techniques to limit Superman. First is to have Superman conveniently forget his own powers in particular his near light speed movement. The second limitation is Superman's own Boy Scout morality and third is the annoyingly excessive use of Kryptonite. Mark Waid employs the second technique and is particularly egregious on the third. Luthor literally bathes the city in low level Kryptonite reducing Superman's powers to a more manageable Spider Manish strength. I think it's a testimonial to the skill of a writer if he/she can compose a Superman story and NOT employ Kryptonite. On the other hand Waid does an excellent job of establishing Luthor as a credible threat to Superman.

Despite the tweaking to Superman's origin which he establishes as occurring today, rather than in the 1930's or 1950's, the author really doesn't break any new ground. Luthor's scheme, if you can call it that, is so over the top that it reminds me of the Super Friends episode where The Toyman builds a robot planet to trap the heroes. I mean, if you can build an entire robot planet... uh well. Apparently aware of the absurd scale and unfeasibility of Luthor's plan the author tries (and fails) to rationalize and diminish what's going on. In the end I have to consider Birthright to be a mild failure. There are so many plot holes that it becomes a distraction. There is no explanation on how the faux Kryptonian Van-Gar was able to go toe to toe with Superman even if you account for Superman's diminished powers and why would Luthor compose such an extravagant plan only to leave the lynchpin of his scheme available for anyone to walk in and steal. The ending was meant to be poignant but it really made no sense. I mean nothing about it made sense. Birthright was also a case where the crimes of the villain are so heinous that they would undoubtedly merit the death penalty for the perpetrator yet it's implied that Luthor will get off on a legal technicality.

I have to wonder if there's any writer besides Alan Moore capable of writing a truly great Superman story.

Most of the time I dont care for Superman books. With the exception of when he died and returned and Kingdom Come i dont really enjoy Superman. I think he is terrific in the SUPERMAN/BATMAN arcs but superman is almost too perfect. I really enjoyed this story though. Waid is an excellent writer and the artwork is top stuff. The plot is really cool. after reading this I like Superman more and even have started reading All Star Superman which is also terrific. Good Stuff

Waid has taken the classic tale of Superman's origing, put enough of a fresh spin on it, while keeping it faithful to the original story and created just what is a great book here. And I love the artwork.

This is the first Superman graphic novel I read. It's a great place to start. Art looks great, only complaint is they make Clark/Superman smile goofy sometimes. But this is a pretty big graphic novel for the price. It was a fun read and I'm glad I bought it.

Superman:Birthright is a great book that reimagins the origin of a great hero. Mark Waid, I think did a very good job in writing this book. Whe he said it was "a very Siegel and Shuster friendly story" he was not lying. This Superman is tougher than the average Superman but is still no Batman. He hates the evil that the person is doing and not the person. You kind of agree where he's coming from when his pushes a conspirator in a murder into an wall. Waid also writes him as a person who is concerned about people and how they see him. He wants to help the misguided people of Metropolis.

The people of Krypton are presented here in a MUCH different way than John Byrne portayed them. This Krypton exhibits pain and emotion. There is color to Waid's Krypton. There is a richness in this place that has never been seen. Also, these people mirror humans in the sense that they feel that they are the only beings with intelligence in the universe. They are also plagued by a sense of vanity and a sense of superiority but you feel bad for them because, like Jor-el said, Krypton achieved miracles and wonders no one will ever remember.

The setting that Mark Waid gave in the beginning mad so much sense when I read through it a few times. The setting is in Ghana, Africa for two issues. When I studied the history of Africa in Global History I began to understand why Waid chose to put Clark here. He put him there because, like Clark, Africa has problems with cultural identity. They have been ruled by so many people they have forgotten their true "birthright" just like Clark. He is an alien with human morals. Which heritage do you come to accept when both families love you so much. Which brings us into the costume. The costume design was very smart and the reason Jonathan kent was against it made sense. How would you feel when your adopted son from another planet, who you raised and loved like your own, left you to join his "real" family. It might seem selfish but it is the truth and Waid deals with this wonderfully.Lex luthor is also presented in a fun and sad way. It's fun because we don't see the business and the scientific Lex Luthor that much and it's sad because in this origin Lex Luthor and Clark Kent were portrayed as friends in Smallville who broke apart due to a tragic accident.

The only reason why I give this a 4 out of 5 is because the art was not great. It was good from issue 1-5 but dimmed in quality in the rest of the issues with the exception to #8 and #9.

Good simple story. An intimate look at the personal motivations that made Clark Kent become Superman. I really enjoyed the first part of the story. It got a little cliche' when Superman has to fight (again!!!) with the droids created by the evil genius Lex Luthor. Overall a good read!

Very interesting story of how and why Clark Kent becomes Superman. It takes pieces of the different incarnations of the Superman story and combines them into a book that I couldn't put down. I recommend this to anyone that likes Smallville.

This hardcover edition of Mark Waid's SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT looks and feels beautiful but the story only simplifies the classic characters while attempting to blend in TV's Smallville. The first chapter is truly fresh with a look at how young Clark is influenced to assume a new identity and become a role model for others, but then the story's focus switches to unoriginal action & dialogue. Some character relationships are changed from the current DC history to closer resemble the popular Smallville storyline but nothing truly original is added. It should also be mentioned that the ink on the pages easily smudged from simply touching the page.

Mark Waid has previously co-written one of comics top three greatest works; KINGDOM COME. With artist Alex Ross, this future storyline features an older Superman returning to lead the Justice League against the threat of a new generation of reckless heroes. Waid and Ross no longer speak to each other because of disagreements as to who exactly was the true author of the tale. Most fans believe it is Ross with whom the story resonates more personally with his past, and after reading Birthright the differences in the quality of storytelling becomes obvious.

SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT feels more like the work of a company changing its image to please TV fans who might buy a comic instead of being what it could have which is the writer combining the best elements of all versions of Superman. For Superman's origin story I suggest reading John Byrne's MAN OF STEEL, which is beautifully drawn, has original yet logical changes, and overall is closest to what Superman means.

When Mark Waid and the editors at DC Comics first announced their plans for Superman: Birthright, I was excited. From all accounts, it looked like it was going to be the continuation of the Smallville Superman, taken out of the TV show and moved forwards eight or ten years, and the story of how that Clark Kent first came to put on the costume. Which I was quite excited for; the tying in of this newest part of the legend back to its original format seemed like a very good idea. By the end of the first issue, it was somewhat obvious that it was more Ultimate Superman than Smallville; while taking elements from the TV show, it was clearly set in its own universe.

But then came the big news; the sources from on high had ruled that, after seventeen years, Superman's origin had grown stale and needed revision - and that Birthright would henceforth be the origin of the one, true Superman. For a while, it seemed like the entire Superman universe was in limbo; was the S-man about to be rebooted? Were nearly two decades of history about to be written over? Well, yes and no.

It ended up that this story was designed to be a sort of prequel to the current Superman's history, that they were rewriting his history from the present but that it was actually to take place in the past. Unfortunately, either someone forgot to get Waid the memo or the story was too far along to change, as the entire run seems more like the first 12 issues of a new continuum than the rewriting of Superman's past in a way that would make sense in today's continuity. For example, in the first issue, Lex Luthor is clearly shown as he is in Smallville, as the rich, bald young hotshot; however, when we finally learn the truth, he ends up being an alienated, whiny red-haired arrogant youth who Clark befriends out of sheer pity (and who in the future becomes a wisecracking evildoer straight out of a James Bond flick). In issue 3, Clark refers to Lana as if they had been together (which the picture he has seems to validate), but again when we see the flashback, Clark has been reduced to geeky waterboy and Lana to airhead cheerleader. Superman has retreated from his kind, Boy Scout attitude into a silent, cursing vigilante who could probably clear up a lot of the trouble about him if he would just take the time to act pleasant and let the world know that he's just there to help. Lois Lane is written as an arrogant hothead who seems ready to fly off the handle at any moment, while Perry White seems to have left said handle a loooooooong time ago. The only characters who recieve any improvement of their character are the Kents and Jimmy Olsen, who has finally shrugged his Howdy Doody persona for something more mature. These characters deserve far more than this. Clark Kent, Superman, Lana Lang, Lois Lane, and the rest of the cast are heroes and idols for people the world over; they deserve to be known as more than stereotypes.

In addition, if the story is supposed to take place before the entire current continuity, then why does Waid seem intent on beating us over the head with references to modern times? Superman is only 25 here, just beginning his career, and yet we have camera cell phones, yellow alerts, internet news organizations, instant messenging, the Department of Homeland Security, e-mail - heck, the year 2004 is even specifically mentioned on a very prominent newspaper! It's clear that Waid originally intended this to be something more along the lines of Marvel's Ultimates series, a seperate continuity to exist alongside but never meet with the regular books.

This is not to suggest that I was completely unhappy with the story; far from it, it is actually quite enjoyable - so long as you make sure to take it on its own and not make anything more of it than it is. The relationship between Clark and his parents has been tightened, and many of the scenes between them are classic. Clark's efforts to divide his two identities are presented excellently, and the sense of isolationism that comes along with it is shown perfectly in the scene when...well, I don't want to give it away. Yu's artwork also delights at times, but his style is better suited to a smaller scale; while many of the scenes where two or three characters interact work well, many of the more complex action shots later in the book are slightly jumbled and confusing.

Overall, Superman: Birthright is an interesting take on the Superman mythos, one that is certainly worth reading. Get it, and form your own opinions about it - don't take what I have to say as gospel. It's a good story on its own, just not a necessary after-the-fact retelling of the "true" Superman's past. But certainly give it a try.

This is a fantastic read and a great retelling of Superman's origins. If you are just getting into comics, or have been reading them since you were born, this is a great story and basically is everything you would ever want a story of this nature to be. Highly recommended.

This is shocking because i expected this book to be crap. Although i am a fan of the classic superman story, this new story is likable. I encourage potential readers who are contemplating reading this book to give it a chance. It is a great book and should not be overlooked.

I'm not necessarily a traditionalist when it comes to Superman, as I have a great appreciation for other books that add a twist to the Superman story. Lex Luthor: Man of Steel and Superman: Red Son come to mind. I am also a fan of some of Mark Waid's other work, like Kingdom Come and Irredeemable.

But Superman: Birthright gets some things wrong that I can't get past.

The first thing that comes to mind is that it misses the mark on Superman's humility. Even the title of the novel, "Birthright," plays into this. Clark Kent would not become a superhero because it was his "birthright" to do so, but because he felt obligated (and, as a result, burdened) to use his gifts to benefit the people and world that adopted him. The idea in "Birthright" that he is following in the footsteps of a Kryptionian heritage of righteous warriors flies in the face of this. This lack of humility is also evidenced early on, as we see a pre-Superman Clark Kent wrestling with a lion in Africa. This shows us a Clark Kent that desires to use his powers to be dominant, which is something I cannot accept as a good interpretation of the Man of Steel.

And there's one more specific sequence in this book that upset me. After Superman stops a shooting at a school, he pays a visit to the gun dealer that sold the weapons to the students. Superman pulls a gun on this man, points it straight at his face, and pulls the trigger. But, using his super-speed, he whips around behind the man, and catches the bullet in front of the man's face before it splatters his brains all over the store. I read this as way of Superman saying, "Remember, I have the power to kill you, I simply choose to stop myself from doing so." This frightening mentality of man who is on the brink of vigilante justice might be appropriate for Batman, but it does not belong in a Superman origin story.

So while the story was adequate in and of itself, I think it falls very short of being adequate reinterpretation of the Superman story. It misses, or misunderstands, some core points of what makes this character who he is.

..but it's not, so the current 30 something superman, who has adventures in 4 books a month lives in the current day and time 2005, but this origin of a young, fresh out of college and new on the job superman also takes place during that time, see the problem?

then radical changes are made, he is now less human, more "perfect" so much he won't eat meat, he has aura vision tells him animals are alive (i knew that without special vision), his father no longer plays a part in his costume, he rejects the idea in fact.

for an origin we see little of smallville, in fact we get a two page splash, and then straight to his adventures in Africa with rebels, then to the big city.

we see a really badly plot from lex to turn people against him, the bulk of the story is here, with giant robot, hologram kryptioians, and such to scare people into thinking superman is invading, i expect more from luthor than plating a bomb on a bridge and blowing it when superman gets close to make it look like superman did it.

also strangely supermans power comes and goes as needed, a web of kryptonite is over the city, superman has no powers..yet when cornered he has super speed to get away?

or how he uses e-mail, ok sure it's modern, but if your superman, with enemies like lex luthor would you speak of secrets over something like the internet? you can fly home in seconds if you need to talk.

the book has so many problems, and to top it off the art is very poor, people have these wierd splotchs on their faces, lois is ugly.

if you are looking for an amazing origin, look no further than man of steel by john byrne, or buy the greatest superman stories ever told and check out some of the many retellings over the years, then when you read this, you will see why it fails.

The best Superman books were from a 7 year period (1986-1993). John Byrne, Marv Wolfman, Dan Jurgens, Roger Stern and a host of creators defined Superman for a generation. SUPERMAN BIRTHRIGHT is a terrible origin and a lackluster story. If you read it, ignore it. Or don't read it at all.