Superman: American Alien

author: Max Landis
name: Wayne
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2017/03/13
date added: 2017/03/13
shelves: graphic-novels
review:
'Superman: American Alien' collects all 7 issues of the series by Max Landis and a host of great artists. Each issue has a different style and tone, both in storytelling and art. Each chapter is named after a creature that flys.

An early story shows how Clark can't control his flight and just seems to float upward. In his early teens, he is still figuring out how much force he should be using. In one, he is mistaken for Bruce Wayne at a party on a yacht (Bruce never shows up to these things). Batman shows an interest in this strange man and that leads to Clark "borrowing" a few things from Batman. He slowly learns and discovers who he is and who he is supposed to be.

Many times when people talk about Superman, he can seem sterile and uninteresting, but in the best stories, this is not the case. This is an amazing arc of stories from the early life of Superman. We see a frightened child and his family trying to figure out a strange phenomenon. We see an all too human Clark making the mistakes that teenagers do. We also see his friendships and who he tells his secret, and who he doesn't.

The included materials include a cover gallery, and some layouts for each issue. There is also the original story pitch which tells the tone for each issue. Some are based on Pixar or sun and sexy, others are action movie. The artists picked reflect the style of the story very well. My personal favorite is Eagle with art and color by Francis Manapul for the sheer joy of a goggled and gloved Superman eating Chinese food on a rooftop. I'm sure you'll find your favorite.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from DC Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.


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