Morning Reader Edition #5

It's been a long time. There will have to be some changes.

• Firstly, this blog isn't much for an audience anyway (hello future readers) so I'm going to officially make note that this blog is for me, a way to track the books I've read, what I thought of them, what happened, and whether or not they are worth giving as gifts to various persons.
• As such, not that I ever said I would, I'm saying that if you really want to read my posts subscribe, I'm not going to hold to a schedule. I may not post for months, but I may post a couple times in a week, or even a day.
• Since I just posted two comic book reviews, you can see that I'm widening the field a little. I mean, I already did audiobooks.
• There will be spoilers on this blog, but I will try to contain them to certain sections of each post, or at least to the post. I won't spoil Book 2 in a review of Book 1 for example.
• I have a lot of catching up to do. 
• The Nightrunner Series, which I love!
• Many Teen Titans and Young Avengers comics.
• Some history books. I started a couple and now...
• Doesn't sound like a lot, but I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch of things.
• I also got some books which I have shared on the instagram (follow me @auroralector) but not here.

Toodles!

Superman #1: What Price Tomorrow?

Superman (2011) #1: What Price Tomorrow?

I'm only going to mention this once: despite being a popular way to be abstract about the costs of freedom, justice, honor, "tomorrow", I'm not fond of how the title rolls off the tongue. Moving on...

There's some kind of alien sending a signal out into space, and then an alien shows up at the Aerodrome? That's not a coincidence, although you always have to ask what they want there. Unless I'm missing some specific piece of backstory, an Astrodome is a stadium right? Or an aptly named super-planetarium. I know it's a favorite of DC stories to have things happen in stadiums, but I don't see anything immediately advantageous to aliens there.

Maybe they're setting up a bigger thing with that Alien in the Hindu Kush... or Himalayas. Somewhere in that neck of the world anyway.

D.B. Woodside

There's a lot being setting up in this comic series, including a new totally not evil! boss in a media buy-out. Seriously, the amount of time he spends calling himself a good guy makes me seriously doubt his creds. I mean, we just need D. B. Woodside to play him and we'll be golden.

Click to get the context

It almost felt like this was a direct continuation of Action Comics #1 in its reference of the bad guy Superman picked up in those first pages: Glenmorgan. But he's little more than a random reference. (In fact, he isn't even going to be the biggest baddie we'll see in the entire run of Action Comics, being only the tail-end of the before arc of Clark's origin.) As I read elsewhere though, since Superman is much stronger and experienced in this comic, his adversaries here must raise the bar as well, creating a challenge for him, consequently a more interesting story for us to watch. In terms of mystery, that was easily achieved here, we know very little about the motivations and history of any of our baddies.

But also, there's also kinda-not-really a spoiler for Action Comics as well, Lois and Clark still aren't together, but that's a tale as old as time. It's a little jarring to see it in such a modern context, Clark knocks at her door and some attractive presenter looms from the bedroom in a towel. Clark Kent is keeping distance, but you know he's pining because that's what Clark Kent does. When we talk about slow burn and will-they-won't-they? Lois Lane and Clark Kent did it first.*

You know what else Clark Kent does? Get exclusive interviews with Superman. As I mentioned in the review of Action Comics #1, I fell in love with Metropolis and The Daily Planet in Superman: The Animated Series. Once of the greatest moments of that series was when Clark Kent tells Lois Lane he's Superman and that's why he get's all the exclusives. But she doesn't believe him. To see that here, in it's own way, with Clark Kent's article overlaid on Superman's actions as the adventure is happening, was a trip of itself. And maybe this shows me off as the n00b I am, but it was my favorite part of this.

(Well, maybe tied with mopey-Clark in Lois Lane's hallway. Get your act together dude! I know you're gonna be dating the Goddess of War in 3 years, but -- get your act together! We can fix it in an alternate timeline!)

Lois Lane:
     I'm confused, Kent. See, I've lived in Metropolis most of my life and I can't figure out how some yokel from Smallville is suddenly getting every hot story in town.
Clark Kent:
     Well, Lois, the truth is, I'm actually Superman in disguise and I only pretend to be a journalist in order to hear about disasters as they happen, and then squeeze you out of the byline.
Lois Lane:
     You're a sick man, Kent.
Clark Kent:
     You asked.

To see it in all its glory, click no further.

*Not not literally, calm down.

Next time...

Superman #2: Flying Blind

Bonus bad line: is Superman a worse writer than Clark Kent???
(At least it rhymes, I suppose.)

Action Comics #1: Superman Versus the City of Tomorrow

When I was younger we watched DVDs instead of tv. Somehow we got a disk of Superman: The Animated Series, and my brother and I fell in love. That show was funny and awesome. Superman has kind of been my favorite ever since (until we met the X-Men on screen, sorry) but I'd never read any of the comics. There was a digital comics sale and...

Action Comics #1: Superman Versus the City of Tomorrow

DC did a lot of slate-wiping with their New 52 launch. It's been lauded and criticized, but it makes for a good jumping in point, since Superman's comic: Action Comics, has kept its original numbering (and I assume it continuity) since the '30s... that's a lot.

That symbol on stereotypical-creeps tie probably means something. (Are we him Teetotal?)

I'm not going to rehash what I think of the relaunch. I will tell you that there are two superman comics going on, not to mention one about Supergirl, Superboy, the Justice League, a team-up with Batman, a team-up with Wonder Woman, and a trinity with all three. I'm just... it's a lot. What I also understand is that they aren't all happening concurrently (unlike a launch from the 80s?) so if I chose to only stick with one for the time being, it could be a lot worse. In fact, Action Comics takes place a year before Justice League.

Why do I feel that brand of energy drink belongs to you?

So, tonally different according to folks on the internet. Action Comics gives us Clark Kent/Kal-el in the 20s. He's not working for the Daily Prophet apparently (or maybe Lois Lane isn't?) we meet Lex Luthor standing around and smirking, shooting the breeze with a general who is Lois Lane's dad (???). The Superman title is... sometime in the future... I'll read and let you know.

OMG your glasses.

I really liked how he jumped down onto his roof where his laundry was drying, and since his 'costume' consists of jeans, was able to just throw a frumpy sweater on top of his tight super-t. We established his land-lady here, already met the police force that is really willing to shoot at Superman, a dude named Blake, and next meet Lois Lane sorta, through Clark Kent's "best friend for six months" Jimmy Olson.

Superman calls in his latest story (squeezing you out of the by-line, Lois) to Jimmy Olsen. So he's lying to Mrs. N, but anyway, standing next to Jimmy is Lois Lane. So, fine, they don't meet each other yet, she vaguely knows who he is anyway, but she's being her sassy-self and thinks he's trying to ruin a rival paper. Turns out they couldn't drop a good lead and he had to save them by stopping a speeding bullet... train. Hah.

Apparently Lex Luthor thought so too because this was all part of his plan, because if a regular bullet won't stop him...

OMG stop it, Lex!

I don't feel like we know much about Superman yet except he probably doesn't watch any of the tv shows we watch, is okay with wearing those glasses as Clark Kent and is besties with Jimmy. I hate to break it to you, kid, but there's quite a few things you probably don't know...

I liked it, in the end, but I knew I'd like him. He's not really relatable yet, because we know so little about him. This is a warmer superman, but somehow he's as accessible as Lex Luthor who is supposed to fit into the box of 'mystery man'. In contrast, we have a better picture of Lois by what she says about Clark Kent. Her character is much clearer. But maybe that's because we demand a more complete story of why a hero is saving people.

I like the angle of Superman being hunted by the police though. Even if Blake is, so far, lacking anything interesting to distinguish him. But this is only the first issue! Action wise, it really draws you in, here's hoping the story can carry through the next few issues. And the art is really good in some cases, showing how fragile this superman is.

21/36

I don't understand why Superman and several other characters throughout, the general at one point, a wrecking-ball survivor, also have crossed eyes. It must be some kind of error of the inker or the penciller.

So, Lex's plot has succeeded, with the help of other criminals he endangered a crap-load of people (gosh they're desperate aren't they) and caught superman.

Next up...

Action Comics #2: Superman in Chains

He's some bonus, Lois Lane channeling her inner Scarlet Witch. No mutants in this universe, lady!