Blind Assassin
04-16-2004, 07:13 AM
I am giving this topic a *bump* since the tpb comes out this week.
Hopefully those of you who waited for the SC will remember to pick it up
I have seen people on various message boards who have asked “should I plunk down 25 bucks for this original hardcover?”
In a word ‘YES!’ This book gets a big old A+!!
Let me preface this review by saying two things:
1. If you are looking for a Superman book, look elsewhere, as he is not the main character in the book, and featured very little.
2. I have not bought a Superman title in ten years, nor read the character in that time, either.
So, why would I pick up this book, you ask? Well, for starters, I had fallen in love with the collaboration of Seagle and Kristiansen when they worked together on Vertigo’s now-defunct ‘House of Secrets’ title back in the late 90’s. They seemed a perfect fit, and this book is no exception.
This 116 page original hardcover is an intensely personal story. Seagle tells the story, bouncing back and forth in time from him as a child, to him as an adult, and lets the story build. He speaks to the reader by looking at him/her directly in the comic panels. The use of a different color word balloon lets the reader know when he/she is being addressed. It feels more like a conversation with the writer himself, than a reading of his work. He tells the tale directly to you, and that makes the experience more intimate.
The book begins when Steven is 5 years old. He is at the hospital with his family. His grandmother is dying. His family is tense, and speaking to the doctors in hushed whispers. To help the boys (Steven and his brother) pass the time, he gives them a SUPERMAN comic book her bought at the hospital gift shop. And then, the grandmother dies. Her l death is the beginning of a mystery…a secret that is referenced only in hushed whispers and angry faces. His grandmother’s death is the beginning of a secret that will tear the family apart years later, causing them all to keep a secret from their friends and loved ones…and from each other as well.
The book then jumps forward to present day. Steven is a writer at DC comics. The phone rings, and his editor tells Steven that he has a dream job for him…he wants him to be the new writer on SUPERMAN. The only problem is, Steven doesn’t want the job. He feels that SUPERMAN is too much of an icon—that he, as a writer, can’t write him because he feels that both he, and the readers, can find nothing in the character that they can relate to. His editor tells him to take a couple of days to come up with a proposal…to think about it. In the midst of all this, Steven’s mother calls on the phone. She is frantic. Steven’s dad has suddenly gone missing…..
What follows then is a story of unresolved issues of love, loss, and rage. As Steven searches for his missing father, he also tries to figure out why people are so excited by Superman. He examines all of the aspects of Superman’s character that make him who/what he is. From the costume, the invulnerability, the powers, and The Fortress of Solitude, all are examined—but then applied in a real-world context that proves what looks great on the printed page of a comic, doesn’t always translate well in the ‘real world’
As the story wears on, the reader gets a sense that the writer hates Superman, and that is explored and explained as well. By the end of the book I was, quite literally, in tears. That’s how moving and beautiful this story is. This is one of those books that elevates the comics medium to a level above…books like Maus, Stuck Rubber Baby, or Blankets… a work that is more than the sum of its parts, but one that works as a whole.
Kristansen’s art is perfect for this project. The reason is that he is not your traditional artist—and that works great for a non traditional story. It says in the dust jacket, that Kristiansen used 21 distinctly different styles of art (which was all painted) for this project. That dedication and talent has paid off. Had there been another artist, this book would not have had the impact it holds for the reader.
Even Todd Klein’s lettering can not be understated. I say this, because I never bothered to think of the letterer at all in other books. I wanted to know who did the lettering here, because the placement of the words is so very important, and the way they are written is also part of the journey here.
As Grant Morrisson put it, quite perfectly, in the introduction on the book’s inside flap: “ Quite simply, this is Superman for grownups.”
Hopefully those of you who waited for the SC will remember to pick it up
I have seen people on various message boards who have asked “should I plunk down 25 bucks for this original hardcover?”
In a word ‘YES!’ This book gets a big old A+!!
Let me preface this review by saying two things:
1. If you are looking for a Superman book, look elsewhere, as he is not the main character in the book, and featured very little.
2. I have not bought a Superman title in ten years, nor read the character in that time, either.
So, why would I pick up this book, you ask? Well, for starters, I had fallen in love with the collaboration of Seagle and Kristiansen when they worked together on Vertigo’s now-defunct ‘House of Secrets’ title back in the late 90’s. They seemed a perfect fit, and this book is no exception.
This 116 page original hardcover is an intensely personal story. Seagle tells the story, bouncing back and forth in time from him as a child, to him as an adult, and lets the story build. He speaks to the reader by looking at him/her directly in the comic panels. The use of a different color word balloon lets the reader know when he/she is being addressed. It feels more like a conversation with the writer himself, than a reading of his work. He tells the tale directly to you, and that makes the experience more intimate.
The book begins when Steven is 5 years old. He is at the hospital with his family. His grandmother is dying. His family is tense, and speaking to the doctors in hushed whispers. To help the boys (Steven and his brother) pass the time, he gives them a SUPERMAN comic book her bought at the hospital gift shop. And then, the grandmother dies. Her l death is the beginning of a mystery…a secret that is referenced only in hushed whispers and angry faces. His grandmother’s death is the beginning of a secret that will tear the family apart years later, causing them all to keep a secret from their friends and loved ones…and from each other as well.
The book then jumps forward to present day. Steven is a writer at DC comics. The phone rings, and his editor tells Steven that he has a dream job for him…he wants him to be the new writer on SUPERMAN. The only problem is, Steven doesn’t want the job. He feels that SUPERMAN is too much of an icon—that he, as a writer, can’t write him because he feels that both he, and the readers, can find nothing in the character that they can relate to. His editor tells him to take a couple of days to come up with a proposal…to think about it. In the midst of all this, Steven’s mother calls on the phone. She is frantic. Steven’s dad has suddenly gone missing…..
What follows then is a story of unresolved issues of love, loss, and rage. As Steven searches for his missing father, he also tries to figure out why people are so excited by Superman. He examines all of the aspects of Superman’s character that make him who/what he is. From the costume, the invulnerability, the powers, and The Fortress of Solitude, all are examined—but then applied in a real-world context that proves what looks great on the printed page of a comic, doesn’t always translate well in the ‘real world’
As the story wears on, the reader gets a sense that the writer hates Superman, and that is explored and explained as well. By the end of the book I was, quite literally, in tears. That’s how moving and beautiful this story is. This is one of those books that elevates the comics medium to a level above…books like Maus, Stuck Rubber Baby, or Blankets… a work that is more than the sum of its parts, but one that works as a whole.
Kristansen’s art is perfect for this project. The reason is that he is not your traditional artist—and that works great for a non traditional story. It says in the dust jacket, that Kristiansen used 21 distinctly different styles of art (which was all painted) for this project. That dedication and talent has paid off. Had there been another artist, this book would not have had the impact it holds for the reader.
Even Todd Klein’s lettering can not be understated. I say this, because I never bothered to think of the letterer at all in other books. I wanted to know who did the lettering here, because the placement of the words is so very important, and the way they are written is also part of the journey here.
As Grant Morrisson put it, quite perfectly, in the introduction on the book’s inside flap: “ Quite simply, this is Superman for grownups.”