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Superman has returned to our cinema screens - but what happened
while he was away? This volume explores the five-year gap
between the Man of Steel's departure from Earth and his homecoming
in Superman Returns. Revisit his origins during the
last days of Krypton; learn what role his adoptive mother
played in keeping anyone from suspecting that Clark Kent's
disappearance had anything to do with Superman's; see how
Lex Luthor proved his genius in the absence of his greatest
foe even while imprisoned; and discover how Lois Lane coped
without her true love and what led her to write that the world
doesn't need Superman...
The
movie's scriptwriters Bryan Singer, Michael Dougherty and
Dan Harris provided the storylines for the four-issue miniseries
collected here. As such, these prequels inhabit the same muddled
world as Superman Returns, a strange parallel universe
in which it seems that the events of Superman: The Movie
and Superman II took place, though about twenty years
later than the versions we've seen, while those of Superman
III and IV did not (Martha Kent is still alive
and well).
Each
of these stories elaborates upon pivotal moments from the
first movie, such as Jor-El's unheeded warnings about the
destruction of Krypton, the Kents' discovery of the infant
Kal-El, Lex Luthor's original real-estate scam, and Lois Lane's
interview and subsequent flight with Superman.
Sometimes the artists choose to depict the actors as they
appeared in the Christopher Reeve movies. Such is the case
with Jor-El and his fellow Kryptonians and with Jonathan and
Martha Kent in Krypton to Earth, as realised by Ariel
Olivetti. Conversely, Karl Kerschl shows Eva Marie Saint's
version of Martha in Ma Kent. Penciller Wellington
Dias and inker Doug Hazlewood combine the two approaches in
Lois Lane, giving us the old-style Perry White, the
new-look Jimmy Olsen and a generic Lois and Superman. Superman
and Lex are similarly generic in Lex Luthor, with pencils
by Rick Leonardi and inks by Nelson, though Jimmy Palmiotti
and Justin Gray's script does explain the change in Luthor's
physique during his time in prison. I must also mention Adam
Hughes's beautiful cover art for Lois Lane, which skilfully
blends the likenesses of Kate Bosworth and Margot Kidder.
I found myself in what must be the rare position of not having
seen the film until after I had read this graphic novel. I
can therefore tell you that it does work and does make sense
even if you haven't seen the movie - though Marc Andreyko's
script for Lois Lane appears to contradict the film
on the matter of Jason's paternity. (Highlight the following
spoiler if you wish to read it: Perhaps
Kryptonian pregnancies last longer than regular human ones,
so initially Lois thinks Richard is the father. In Krypton
to Earth, Jor-El indicates that Kryptonians age at a slower
rate than humans.)
On the whole, these prequels work a heck of a lot better than
George Lucas's Star Wars ones.
Richard
McGinlay
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