Superman: The Man of Steel Vol. 1
Writer: John Byrne
Artist: Dick Giordano
From the Death of Krypton, to the Birth of a Hero: SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL!!!
Ranking: 5 stars
Although thousands of Superman fans believe this origin story to be outdated, I believe that it's the perfect origin for our fellow kryptonian! Personally I don't care if a product is in-date or out-of-date, because if it's still enjoyable, that's all that matters. But enough about the status of products, lets talk about the story itself! The story is set after DC's CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS (Marv Wolfman), which was a universe-shattering event that changed the fate of every character created by DC to be changed forever. As worlds lived and worlds died, each character had their origins and histories retold and revamped for a modern audience. As Frank Miller (SIN CITY, THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS), heavily expanded Batman's origin in BATMAN: YEAR ONE, the duties of retelling Superman's origin were left to writer/artist John Byrne. John Byrne is well know for his artwork on Chris Claremont's sensational run on UNCANNY X-MEN, and now he abandons his artist role to reveal his writing abilities, as he gives us an new look on Superman.
For those of you who do not know, Superman was an alien from the distant planet Krypton, which was at the of exploding when he was only an infant. To save their son, Superman's parents placed their baby in a rocket ship that escaped Krypton's destruction, and landed on a small farm in Kansas. Byrne remains faithful to the classic origin story, but he expands it, and introduces new and important themes into Superman's life. We learn that Superman had not actually been born on Krypton, as his parents placed him in a birthing matrix, and it didn't open until his arrival on Earth. Krypton is revealed to be a cold and sterile world that is dominated by science, and where actual emotion is but a thing of the past. Superman's father Jor-El, is able to realize the sterility of his world when he discovers the cause of what will lead to Krypton's destruction (which I dare not reveal), and wishes to give his son a better life on Earth. Probably the most important theme John Byrne integrates into Superman's life however, is that the Man of Steel views Earth as his real home, as he grew up to Earth's customs, and formed inseparable bonds to humans like John & Martha Kent, Lana Lang, Pete Ross, Lois Lane, and countless others.
Byrne also gives time to introduce Superman's first meeting with Batman, sets up Clark's life in Smallville, and gives an interesting take on Bizzaro's origin. But my favorite change however, is Byrne's remolding of Superman's arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor. Before the CRISIS, Lex Luthor had been an evil mad scientist that created countless inventions to destroy the Man of Steel, but Byrne decided to take a more realistic approach for rebooting Luthor. The post-crisis Lex is now a corrupt businessman and industrialist, whose company Lexcorp, has an iron grip on the city of Metropolis. Possessing billions of dollars, and having a vast company that controls the city's infrastructure, Lex is practically the biggest man in Metropolis until Superman shows up. Seeing Superman as competition for control of Metropolis, Lex dedicates his life to destroying the Man of Steel, in order to prove that he is a better man than him. This new version of Luthor is more realistic than his mad scientist persona, as it reflects on the corruption of business leaders in real life, which gives readers something to relate to.
Overall, Byrne's retelling of Superman's origin is an innovative, and sensational introduction to our favorite kryptonian. He expands Superman's bond to Earth, and reveals the events that gave Superman the morals that make him the symbol of truth and justice that he is today. Forget if the story is outdated, because this is definitely the best place to start with if you're interested in Superman. You can go no better than John Byrne's take on the kryptonian warrior.
From the ashes of Krypton, a hero rises to protect those he loves, and cares about: SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL!!!!
