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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A sad little retelling of Clark Kent's life in Smallville and early years in Metropolis (and back again). There's no real joy in the characters, the plot is meanderingly glum, the art style does nothing to stop the drab colouring from making this even more of a sad experience even when the plot isn't at all grim - just glum.
I got this book on the strength of the writer and artist's excellent work in Batman: The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, and while they excelled there something is dragging them down here.
It probably doesn't help that this is at heart a rather slight story about growing up and leaving home and making your mark in the world - and finding out that life isn't always that linear nor that straightforward. While on the surface that fits the broad strokes of the Superman story, all the characters and trappings expected from that story just bog down anything you try to put on it. Lois Lane, Perry White, even Lex Luthor just kind of get in the way, as does the expectation that Jonathan Kent should die at any moment (given that's what usually happens) - but take those trappings out and there isn't really much left here either.
Stuck in bed sick, this sad-sack book is definitely not what I needed to lift my spirits!
I got this book on the strength of the writer and artist's excellent work in Batman: The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, and while they excelled there something is dragging them down here.
It probably doesn't help that this is at heart a rather slight story about growing up and leaving home and making your mark in the world - and finding out that life isn't always that linear nor that straightforward. While on the surface that fits the broad strokes of the Superman story, all the characters and trappings expected from that story just bog down anything you try to put on it. Lois Lane, Perry White, even Lex Luthor just kind of get in the way, as does the expectation that Jonathan Kent should die at any moment (given that's what usually happens) - but take those trappings out and there isn't really much left here either.
Stuck in bed sick, this sad-sack book is definitely not what I needed to lift my spirits!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Pandemic/Epidemic
I wish more creators took this comic to heart when creating Superman stories. I don’t think it’s understood that being kind, simply for the sake of it, is special.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Heartwarming in a way only a Superman story can be. It captures his warmth and empathy perfectly.
emotional
reflective
There is nothing quite like the Spring chaper, especially that two page spread with Pa Kent and Clark gazing off into the sunset. Never get tired of looking at that. Guess I never will.
hopeful
fast-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The greatest superhero never wanted to be, but was called to be. Jeph Loeb’s writing is at his most inspired, with For All Seasons playing as a Fordian coming-of-age instead of the epic legend we may be used to nowadays. It doesn’t just revision Clark Kent’s upbringing to strike the Midwestern heart, but it also makes his emergence as Superman feel less like a radical transformation and more like the next natural flowering of himself, his ideals. With the Kryptonian powers, he has power, but it was the Kents, and his identity as a Kent, who created the responsibility of Superman (eat your fucking heart out, Spider-Man). The illustrations by Tim Sale and Bjarne Hansen contribute tenfold to its nostalgia and sincerity, creating a mosaic of memories. Without a doubt, my favorite interpretation of America’s true folk hero.
"We can be grateful for the seasons, no matter how cruel or harsh they may seem, for it is only through their passage that we can truly appreciate the future."
Damn! Seasonal Depression cured (not really). What a good book! I think the partnership of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale is probably the best thing that ever happened to comic books, graphic novels and maybe superhero media in general
Damn! Seasonal Depression cured (not really). What a good book! I think the partnership of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale is probably the best thing that ever happened to comic books, graphic novels and maybe superhero media in general
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
I don’t think I have ever read a comic so beautiful and emotionally impactful as this one. The artwork is phenomenal. Interiors are rendered with such intricate detail and exteriors have an incredible sense of scale and awe. This is truly some of the most striking and vibrant comic art I have seen in my life. The story is grounded in personal struggle over the weight of one person’s responsibility to do good and how his actions impact the people around him. If you have struggled to “get” the man of steel, this is the book you should read. If you can only read one Superman story, this is the one.