Nightwing #93 (July, 2004)
"Slow Burn"
Writer - Devin Grayson
Penciller - Patrick Zircher
Inker - Andy Owens
Colorist - Gregory Wright
Letterer - Clem Robins
Editor - Michael Wright
Cover Price: $2.25
Yeah... today we're talking that issue of Nightwing.
A few weeks back Reggie and I recorded the 69th episode of The Cosmic Treadmill, where we... with a wink and a nudge, covered The Pro. from Image Comics.
During that discussion, we began to expand into times where superhero comics got a bit naw-tay... which, for better or worse... brought the events of this issue to mind. I was going to cover it to coincide with that episode dropping... buuuut, we were in the middle of our (second annual!) Twelve Days of Christmas on Infinite Earths spectacular!
Outside of looking over the... scene in question (for the episode)... I haven't revisited the issue since it first came out. As I said on the air, it was around this time that kinda took the bloom off of writer, Devin Grayson's rose... and I'm quite interested to see how this one has aged.
Up until this point, all signs seemed to indicate that she would've risen into the upper-echelon of comics writers. Maybe not a household name... but up there! I'm postulating here, but I feel like this issue might've had something to do with why that wasn't to be.
And so, let's revisit this somewhat infamous issue... together, and see how it looks over a dozen years later.
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We open atop a Bludhaven building where Captain Rohrbach and her husband have erected a Bat-Signal to get Nightwing's attention... and whattayaknow, it worked! Our man arrives, but warns them to ixnay the potlightsay, because the 'haven is a different ball'a wax than Gotham. It's here that we're brought up to speed... Rohrbach knows that Nightwing and Dick Grayson are one in the same, and summarily kicked him off the force because of it... but that's not the worst of it... a reporter named Maxine Michaels also knows... oh yeah, and so does Blockbuster!
Nightwing is somewhat touched that Rohrbach went to the lengths of building a Bat-Signal just to warn him... and goes to leave. She stops him, offering him his badge and pistol... telling him that if he's on the force, she can protect him. Of course, that's kinda like admitting to the entire world that Nightwing is Dick Grayson... ward to Bruce Wayne, who, oh by the way, is Batman. He declines the offer... and heads off. Rohrbach's husband whatshisface comments that it looks as though our hero has been put through the wringer... you just wait, pal.
We follow Nightwing to the Haven Hotel (which looks more like a Motel)... and meets up with Ms. Michaels. He implores her to keep his secret private... but she ain't feeling it (but would like to be "feeling" him). Turns out she's a pretty decent reporter... she learned that Dick Grayson was shot in the shoulder, then noticed that Nightwing was favoring the very same shoulder... from there, she just connected the dots. Man, if only there was a Batman in a rainbow costume to distract her! Anyhoo, she's still planning to run the story... but it's a moot point, as while she and Dick are talking... she gets shot in the head.
The culprit? Why it's Blockbuster, of course. I remember very little from this era... but I believe Blockbuster was some sort of Kingpin-esque figure these days... industrialist, politician... something like that. Anyhoo, he bursts through the window to confront Nightwing.
It's a contentious, and uncomfortable chat... Blockbuster makes it crystal clear that he "knows". He taunts Nightwing with how the secret isn't really "the weapon", alluding to all the damage he can now do to Dick Grayson's loved ones and associates. Despite being pounded into the ground, Nightwing won't stop taking it to Desmond... and the altruism does not go unnoticed.
They fight down a hallway and into a stairwell/fire escape. Well, it's really not much of a fight... it's more like ol' Mr. Desmond is a cat playing with a three-legged mouse. Finally Nightwing gets in a flurry of offense... which only tickles Blockbuster more. With every punch he names people he can... or has hurt in order to get to him.
Then... Tarantula shows up, and she's packin' heat.
She tells Dick to back off so she can take Desmond down... but he refuses. Blockbuster cockily laughs, realizing that Nightwing actually values his (Desmond's) life more than his own. To which, he laughs... and tells Dick that it's never going to stop. He will hurt everyone Dick knows and loves... it will never stop. And so, Dick relaxes his grip and... walks away.
Tarantula pulls the trigger... killing Blockbuster... and Nightwing allowed it to go down.
Dick crawls up to the roof... and collapses. He apologizes to Bruce for what he just allowed to happen... just as Tarantula enters the scene.
Annnnnd, then the scene this book is known for begins. Tarantula heads over to Dick... and it looks like she's there to comfort him. He apologizes for failing her (he'd sort of taken her under his wing)... to which she holds a finger to his mouth to shush him. Suddenly, Dick goes numb... she flips him over... and despite his struggling and contesting... they have sex.
As Tarantula... thrusts... she assures Dick that all of their problems are behind them. All he can think of is how his problems are "never gonna stop".
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So...what do we all think?
Well, before we go "there"... let's talk about everything leading up to it. I gotta admit, I was prepared to come into this with pitchforks and torches... I assumed that I was going to hate this from soup to nuts. Devin Grayson's Dick... Grayson was always a bit "iffy" to me (more on that in a bit), but I will concede that the first three-quarters of this issue were some damn fine superhero storytelling! Like, really good! Perhaps taking a bit from Daredevil: Born Again, but still... really good.
This comes from a time before everything was written "for the trade", and as such we get a good page or two of catch-up exposition... and thank goodness for that! This really helped to bring me up to speed... without feeling like a complete info-dump. As I said last paragraph... just some damn fine superhero work. Great pacing.
It's clear from Dick's behavior... and Patrick Zircher's amazing artwork that he's had quite a time of late. He's beaten, battered... frazzled, and at his wit's end. And this brings us to the "core" of his character, something I feel like Ms. Grayson really gets. Dick Grayson is an altruistic character... to the point where it's basically a burden.
It's plainly clear that he's not fighting for himself... he's fighting for other people. He's fighting to keep Batman's secret... he's fighting to keep his friends and family safe, he's fighting for Bludhaven, he's fighting for Tarantula... he's fighting for frickin' Haley's Circus. He's just piled on so much responsibility... that it stands to reason that he'll eventually crack. And, he does!
It's a very passive "crack" though. He doesn't kill Blockbuster himself... but also, doesn't step in to stop Tarantula from getting the job done.
Before moving further... let's quickly discuss the impact of Blockbuster's death. We started this issue with the knowledge that three people know Dick's secret... Captain Rohrbach (who can be trusted), Maxine Michaels, and Roland Desmond. Now, Nightwing isn't the type of book we'd expect "mindwipes" in, so our only way out of this dilemma is the, ya know, nuclear option. Sure enough, 22-pages later, both Michaels and Desmond are dead.
I'm not usually keen on killing off long-standing villains to suit a story, but... when you're written into a corner (like we are here), I think it's more important to "stick the landing" than do some wacky cop-out. So, I guess kudos for that?
Alrighty... so, to be clear... I personally thought the first three-quarters of this issue was really good. My only real complaint is having Maxine Michaels sorta throw herself at Dick. Felt like I was reading Mother Panic for a minute, where everyone just instantly wants to be with the lead. Otherwise though, I dug it.
Now... for the ending.
What we have here is pretty clearly a rape scene. Dick is poisoned and paralyzed... and despite his telling her "Don't... touch me", she does anyway. Now... before continuing, I want to make it clear that I haven't been personally affected by rape. As far as I know, the people I know and care about have not been either... so, I'm sorta coming at this from a position of... ignorance (maybe?). I sincerely hope nothing I'm about to say will be taken as offensive... and humbly apologize if I do somehow offend.
Does this scene belong in a Nightwing comic book? Well... if I were writing Nightwing, this scene would never have happened. That said, I don't know that I have too much of a problem with it existing... simply because it shows that sometimes bad things happen to good people. That's sorta what Nightwing's been all about during this arc. He's a guy doing his best to keep everyone safe... to the point where he's allowing himself to be hurt.
In reading this all these years later... I dunno if it's just a sign of what comics have become in the interim, but... it feels far more tame than I remember. Again, I'm not saying this is a "tame" act... or not a big deal, because it is (picture me nervously twiddling my thumbs and second-guessing discussing this book at all at this point)... but, for a fictional story... which will have ramifications... it's, well... a thing that happened.
Do I want this scene here? Of course not. Would I prefer it not exist? Yepper. Am I asking myself easy questions to assuage my discomfort in discussing this event? You betcha!
Now, in and of itself, this scene is unfortunate... but that's not really the story of this issue. The real controversy started afterwards. Once the internet started internetting, Devin Grayson backpedaled on the scene... claiming that it wasn't a rape scene... but instead, a scene which depicted "non-consensual" sex. We can get out the forensic comb and look over that sentence for days... but, I think we'll still come to the same findings. Poor form on Ms. Grayson's part... I think if you're going to write this scene... you kinda have to own it. We may not like or agree with it... but, if you stick the landing... at least we can respect you for that.
In the weeks after this book hit the stands, it seemed like more and more Devin focused stuff hit the 'net. Old fan-fictions where the object of the main character's desire was an unnamed (but blatantly) Nightwing. The fact that she changed her last name to Grayson. A romantic link in the comics industry. It just felt like a pile-on... and, I recall feeling really bad to see it unfold. I'm not one to judge anybody for anything, long as you ain't hurtin' nobody. Way I look at it, we only get one "go round", and we may as well try and be happy.
As I said in the preamble, I had Ms. Grayson pegged for great things in the comics field. I figured she'd be a cornerstone in the industry for years to come... and it's kinduva a shame that she's not writing a Rebirth book right now. If we look at this issue alone... there's some solid stuff here. Of course, there's also the ending. Feels like, and this is me talking out my backside, she couldn't get out of her own way. I mean no disrespect in saying that... just as an outsider looking in, without much in the way of context... it's what comes to mind.
Overall... should you read this issue? Well, I can't rightly say. That really depends on you. This is available digitally.
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Red Hood and the Outlaws #0 (November, 2012)
"Everyone Has to Start Somewhere."
Writer - Scott Lobdell
Artists - Pasqual Ferry, Ig Guara & Brett Booth
Colorist - Blond
Letterer - Dezi Sienty
Assistant Editor - Darren Shan
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
When The New-52! was announced, there were a handful... well, more than a handful of titles that made me groan. I'm thinking of books like I, Vampire and Voodoo... books that I really didn't think had a reason to exist in this new DC landscape. I mean, who's gonna buy those books? (spoiler alert: very few people).
One of the titles that sorta intrigued me in a "so crazy it just might work" sort of way was Red Hood and the Outlaws. Now, I wasn't exactly on board with the whole "bring Jason Todd back to life" thing... I sorta stuck him in the bin with Uncle Ben, Bucky, and Gwen Stacy... those characters that should never be brought back. Well, as ever... the joke was on me.
When the first issue came out in the Fall of 2011, I... didn't buy it. So disenfranchised with the entire New-52! exercise, I didn't care enough to check it out... and of all the titles I didn't check out that month... this was probably the only one that kinda ate at me. Not sure why... maybe it's my blind devotion to things written by Scott Lobdell... maybe I just really dug the concept. Dunno.
Fast-forward to my deciding to quit my temper-tantrum and attempt to collect all the stuff I'd initially passed on... and, here we are. Was Red Hood worth the wait? Let's find out.
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We open on the happiest day of Jason Todd's life... the day he was born. We meet his mother... who is less than pleased to be in labor, and his father... who, devoted "baby daddy" that he is, is hanging at reception hitting on a reception-ist. A little background on them... Mama was a student at Gotham Academy... Papa was a kid from the wrong side of the tracks... I feel like we need some John Cougar Mellencamp to properly frame this.
As is to be expected, Papa wasn't someone who could be counted on... and so, Mama turned to drugs. Jason Toddler was thrust into a position of responsibility very early on in his life. He'd look after his mother when she was on benders... and tuck his drunken dad into bed each night.
It wasn't all bad though... Hell, this one time his Pop would come home and tell stories about running into a certain caped-n-cowled celebrity! Then again, we also see a bit where Jay has to bring him to an underground "hospital" to have a bullet removed from his back. Remember this scene... we'll be coming back to it later.
Next is the bit where everything changes. Papa Todd gets arrested... and we learn he dies in jail. Not too much later, Jason find his mother... dead from overdose (remember these scenes as well!).
He turns to a life of petty crime... and it turns out, he's not very good at it. One time, after a very thorough butt-kicking, he wakes up at the clinic of Leslie Thompkins. She treats him well... helps him recover... and to show his appreciation, he steals from her.
As he fled, he finally runs into the Batman. I think I'd have preferred him trying to steal the tires off the Batmobile, but whattayagonnado? Anyhoo, Batman slams the boy into a car and goes to arrest him (with actual handcuffs!), but Leslie stops him... imploring him to give the lad another chance.
This, of course, leads to Jay's becoming the ward of Bruce Wayne... and ultimately to his taking up the mantle of Robin.
From here it's a montage of Batman and Robin butt-kicking. Turns out Jason's pretty good at this... but, perhaps a bit too violent. His skull-splitting ways get him assigned to "monitor duty"... which really just feels like Batman mitigating the risk. Wonder if this Jason "let that dude fall". Anyhoo... while on monitor duty, Jay sees... his mother?!
And so, without even a note for Bruce, he takes off to the Middle East to follow up. While there he finds and reunites with his mother... 5,343 people dial 1-900-720-2666... and he gets killed.
Next thing we know, Jason's being laid to rest... but, not for long. We shift scenes to the Lazarus Pit... and our boy's eyes spring open!
This leads us to a sorta-kinda back-up story, that we'll call The Man Who Created Red Hood. It's narrated by the Joker, and flat out states that he was behind pretty much every big event in Jason Todd's life (and, er, death of course). He first saw our boy that night he brought his father to the underground "hospital" to have that bullet removed from his back. Toldja we'd come back to that.
He was also there the night Papa Todd was arrested... and the night Jason found his overdosed mother. Turns out what she "O.D.ed" on was nothing more than a rare African flower that made her look like she was dead... another machination of the Joker, natch.
The clown also dropped the lad at the door of Leslie Thompkins... and before he knew it... he wound up have created another Robin. I've got a little bit to say about this, but we'll save it for the end.
Bada-bing bada-boom, he kills Jason... who later returns to life using the Joker's own "Maiden Name" of Red Hood... annnnnd, we're out.
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Well... that didn't tell us a whole lot about "the Outlaws", did it?
Now, for those who have visited the blog before... you'll know that my New-52! game is kinda lacking. I really can't speak with a whole lot of authority on much of it... it's kinda like current day Marvel... just books I dismissed as "not being for me", and paid very little mind to. That said, many of my concerns here will likely be things that have already been answered/resolved.
First... let's get what this book "wasn't" out of the way. I was hoping to see a bit of Roy's origin. Having de-aged Green Arrow to match up with the TV show, I was curious as to how Roy now fit into his life. I'm sure this has been answered by now... but, it's really the story I cracked this book open to see.
I was pleased that this wasn't Starfire's origin... because all that Tamaran stuff really bores me. I'm glad we didn't have to see her enslaved... married off... enslaved again... fighting with her sister... enslaved again... and married off again here. The Tamaran stories were always the second roughest ones to get through back in the New Teen Titans days (the first roughest were any having to do with Azar, by the way).
So, what we do get is a soup-to-nuts on Jason Todd... which is fair enough. It was an enjoyable, if not a little cliche, read... and it was beautifully drawn by all the artists involved. That's one thing I kept noticing about this title... it always had awesome artists!
Now, my only concern (I wouldn't call it a "complaint") is... just how much does the Joker know? Again, pardon my New-52! ignorance, but... is this a clear indication that he knows Bruce Wayne and Batman are one in the same? If he meticulously plotted for this "kid nobody cares about" to become Robin... he's gotta know, right? Dropping him off with Dr. Thompkins... knowing he'd be taken in by Bruce Wayne... I mean, he's gotta know... right?
It's not like we haven't gotten the impression that the Joker "knows" from time to time... I think that ambiguity is key to the Batman-Bruce Wayne-Joker "hate-triangle", but, did he really have a clue this early on?
Again... apologies for being "outta the loop" on more contemporary Bat-lore... but, this wrinkle really makes that hamster start running on that wheel I got in my head. Maybe folks with more familiarity can fill me in... or at least direct me to books where I can find the answers.
Overall... I had a really good time with this... and I'm pretty psyched to continue my journey with the Outlaws (I have a lot of the run... but, still need to track down #1!). I'd definitely give this a recommendation. It's been collected in the scarily -spendy DC Comics: The New 52 Zero Omnibus, and is (for your... wallet's convenience) available digitally.
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Who's Who in the New 52!
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Superman: Secret Origin #1 (November, 2009)
"The Boy of Steel"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Penciller - Gary Frank
Inker - Jon Sibal
Colorist - Brad Anderson
Letterer - Steve Wands
Assistant Editor - Wil Moss
Editor - Matt Idelson
Cover Price: $3.99
Trying to do a bit of clean-up this week... trying to actually cover some books that I allude to/refer to pretty often. Over the past few days we've done some Convergence-ing... because, yeah... I refer to that story a lot, and it's nice to now have a discussion I can link to.
Today we're going to discuss another story that I refer to when discussing books of a certain vintage... Superman: Secret Origin. I've long wanted to cover this here, however it just happened to hit the shelves during that "missing" year of my life where I was without work. The reason it's taken so long to cover this is... didn't have any of the single-issues (we don't call them floppies here), and the first rule of Chris is on Infinite Earths is... I gotta have the actual physical book before I cover it here. It might be a silly rule... and it certainly limits me from discussing some of the spendier books out there, but it works.
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We open in Smallville, where young Clark Kent is playing a game of football with his friends. Gotta get this out of the way up front... Clark's face is... basically Christopher Reeve's face... like Reeve's adult face, which looks really awkward on a young Clark. I mean, there's no mistaking the inspiration... so, points for that... but it is a bit unsettling in some panels. Anyhoo, Clark catches a pass and Pete Ross goes for the tackle... only to have his arm accidentally snapped by his buddy.
Pa Kent pulls up in his pickup truck and hauls Clark's little butt home. He's pretty annoyed that his boy was playing football... as he'd been told not to.
The next day at school an injured Pete is da-belle-a-da-ball, all of the girls in their class are absolutely fawning over him. All except Lana, of course... she's only got eyes for Clark.
As Lana chats Clark up... his vision shifts into the x-ray variety... and he can see Pete's broken arm. This freaks him out, as it should, and he rushes away.
Lana gives chase and finally catches up with him down another hallway. It's pretty clear here that Lana knows Clark is "different". She shares a story of when she (they, really) found out. Years earlier, Lana was almost "threshed" while playing hide-and-seek in an overgrown wheat field. Clark saw that she was in danger, and threw himself on top of her before the thresher passed over. When the dust... and wheat, settled, Clark's shirt was a tattered mess... but he was no worse for wear. They don't say how old they were... but, I'm going to guess "pretty young". Lana's in pigtails... which, when everybody is drawn as having an adult's face, is probably as good an indicator of "youth" as we're gonna get.
Back in "the present" Lana kisses Clark... which triggers his heat vision! He blasts a school banner, setting it on fire... setting off the sprinkler system. Whoops.
Firefighters arrive at the school, and Pa is right behind them to take Clark home. Our boy shares... some of the details of what went down (minus the kiss), and asks why this is happening to him. At home, Ma and Pa discuss whether or not this is the right time to tell him... everything. They finally agree, and escort Clark out to the barn where they show him... the rocket.
While admiring the craft, Curious Clark touches it... which causes it to speak... in untranslated Kryptonese... well, at least at first. A hologram of Jor-El and Lara appear over the ship, and greet their son... sharing with him his true origin as the last son of Krypton.
Jor-El presents Kal with a Sunstone crystal, with which he promises all of his questions will be answered. Clark ain't all that happy with this unexpected turn of events... and enraged. lets loose a blast of heat vision... which refracts off of the crystal shards. This will be important in a bit.
Still not taking the news all that well, Clark runs off into the field... where he eventually trips over a root and face-plants. Pa is hot on his heels, and when he catches up, comforts his boy... and promises that they are still a family, and Clark is still his son.
Elsewhere in Smallville, a red-haired boy runs away from his abusive, drunken father. He winds up tripping over a strange... glowing... green stone. Hmm...
The next day before Clark heads off to school, he is presented with an over-sized pair of specs... with lenses crafted from the Kryptonian crystal shards, to keep the heat-vision in, natch. Is it weird, that in a story about Superman, Ma crafting a perfect pair of glasses out of Kryptonian crystals is a sticking point in suspending my disbelief? Clark threatens to "lose them... on purpose" because he's a little jerk.
After Pa and Clark leave, Ma heads back into the barn to see what this Sunstone business is all about. She touches it... and begins learning the history of Krypton... we even get a cameo from our old friend Doomsday!
At school, we see Clark making up a bunch of excuses not to play football with his pals. They're all flimsy... but his buddies don't press him. They make fun of him, sure, but don't really pressure him. After the geeks disperse, Lana approaches and invites our boy to the Smallville County Fair... which takes us to the first ever meeting between Clark Kent and Lex Luthor.
Now here's where it gets weird. Lex and Clark sorta-kinda hit it off... Lex seems to see Clark as a well-meaning lad with a more curious mind than your run of the mill Smallvillian... and so, he shows him his prized artifact... that chunk of Kryptonite! Clark reacts the way you'd expect... but also, maybe triggers a storm? I mean, it's weird... lightning strikes... Lex drops the Green-K jar, shattering it... and he immediately blames Clark for it?! Dunno... anyhoo, worth mentioning that Lex's hand gets cut by the broken glass.
Lex runs off with his glowing rock just as a tornado rips through the fairgrounds. Clark sees Lana being drawn into the funnel-cloud, and charges in to save her. This is the first time we're seeing our boy fly.
Once he realizes he's flying, however, he kinda loses control... and the two wind up in the lake. Where they kiss a bit. Luckily for Lana, Clark's (over-sized) new glasses didn't fall off while he was in a slap-fight with a tornado... and so, when his heat-vision triggers, her face isn't immediately melted off.
Back home, Clark excitedly shares the events of the day with his folks... and lets Ma know that the glasses indeed work. It's here that he decides to dedicate his life to helping others... which is pretty much what his parents wanted to hear. Ma's already designed him a costume and everything! Clark's all "ixnay on the ostumecay", but Pa talks him into at least trying it on.
Then we come to the end. You remember that first issue of Byrne's Man of Steel? When Clark first tries on the costume... you can almost hear the majestic music start to build... then he proudly takes off, and you can imagine the music hitting that bombastic fevered pitch? Yeah, we get none of that here. What we get instead is a petulant little jerk, who is embarrassed to be wearing "the S". Yeah, that sour taste currently in your mouth... it's from this page.
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Wow... what an ending! You ever have the wind taken out of your sails from a comic book like that before? Not likely, my friends.
I mean, I get bringing Clark forward... and I understand that a child of today is going to act differently than a child of the 1930's... or 1960's, depending on the origin we're playing with... but, there's a lot about him that is just so damn unlikable. And yeah... a lot of this sentiment is stemming from that final page. I was pretty much (begrudgingly) on board up to that point!
I could live with Clark being a little snarky... maybe lying to his folks about "going to the library" when he's really playing football. That's kid stuff, and that's fine. It's his embarrassment that really gets me. First, he's embarrassed to wear the glasses that Ma must've toiled on for hours... even going so far as to threaten to "lose them... on purpose". Then, and it's probably silly that I have such a visceral and intense reaction to this... he's embarrassed to wear the costume. This just doesn't feel like "Clark Kent" to me.
I think, if this happened in the "real world" I'd be totally fine with it. What teen-ager is going to be cool wearing a superhero costume? Probably very few... if any. We're not talking about the "real world" here though. Nobody's going to see Clark and goof on him for being "dressed like Superman" because it's a world where Superman doesn't exist yet! He's reacting like it's a silly Halloween costume... and not the symbol we all know it to be.
And yeah... I totally get how I'm being hypocritical here. When he puts it on for the first time... the symbol is "meaningless" and I'm attributing far more significance to it than it's earned at this point. Yeah... I get that. I guess it's just difficult to separate things and place this in its proper context. It's difficult to reconcile this take on the origin, when we've never seen him be anything but proud to take and wear "the S". It's hard not to compare this to Byrne's Man of Steel.
Speaking of the post-Crisis Superman... with this issue we can finally draw a line under him. They'd been chipping away at that origin for... the better part of a decade at this point, but never outright said "this is the definitive origin moving forward". Even after Infinite Crisis things were kept pretty nebulous. So, if nothing else... at least this miniseries tells us what's what.
Let's shift gears and talk art for a bit. It's kind of mixed for me. I mean, there are plenty of pretty pages here... really dynamic shots, really good stuff... then, there are the faces. It's not every face, and it's not every character... but there are some unpleasant (and creepy)-looking mugs in this book. From Christopher Reeve's adult head on a little boy's body, to sunken-cheeked sunken-eyed "heroin chic" Lex Luthor... there's a little bit of ugly in here. Otherwise though... really nice-looking book!
Overall... looks like I'm gonna ride the fence again. With Rebirth and the subsequent Superman Reborn already in the books, I can't say that this origin is still the definitive one. That's kinda the problem with rewriting a character's origin every few years, ain't it? Since the turn of the century, we've probably had a good half-dozen takes on it... and a handful of reboots ta' boot. If you're down to check out the pre-Flashpoint origin... definitely give this a look, just be prepared to have all the wind sucked out of your sails on that last page.
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