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k8brarian's review
4.0
I really liked this. One of the blurb-writers calls it "Steinbeck meets Smallville," and while I don't think that description holds water beyond the surface, it gives a pretty good idea of what to expect. Lots of realistic historical details that put you right into the 1930s, plus a believable, sympathetic, three-dimensional look into Clark Kent's evolution into Superman.
balkeyeston's review
4.0
I would've given this a lower rating, except the ending made me fangirl ridiculously.
Basically, the beginning and the end were what made this book great. For some reason, I found the finding-yourself-by-becoming-a-vagabond in the middle a smidge unnecessary from the book and Clark/Superman's existential crisis. Or at least, it could've been shorter.
I keep repeating to myself that this is a VERSION of the Superman coming-of-age tale, but I would have loved to see some crucial characters and events make an appearance. For instance:
- Jor-El; in this novel, Clark doesn't make the journey to the arctic North and throw the magic Kryptonian crystal in the Arctic Ocean, causing the Fortress of Solitude to rise from the waters. So, Clark doesn't realise who he really is, who his father is, or where he comes from.
- Lana Lang. Clark had a sweet disposition towards her in his teenager days, and I would've liked to see how that relationship worked out.
- The deaths of Jonathan and Martha Kent. In this book, the deaths were reversed, and Martha died first instead of Jonathan, which definitely threw me off.
- JIMMY OLSEN. I love Jimmy Olsen. With a dying passion. I mean, I can see Willi Berg (the on-the-run photographer who befriends Clark in his teenage years but then moves on to be a professional photographer) channeling Jimmy a bit, but I would've LOVED to see the real Jimmy Olsen battling for the best photos and wearing those quirky bow ties.
Also, Lex Luthor. I love his role in this book, especially his relationship with Superman towards the end, but...really? Is THAT the best bit of villainy you can do, Luthor?
One thing that I did like, however, was that because the author lived in Richmond, Virginia (not too far from me!), he added some local counties and cities. Willi and Lois heading to Washington, DC. Lex Luthor growing up as a kid in Ashland. ASHLAND. I live about three minutes away from Ashland. It seems surreal to me, having a fictitious villain growing up where I live. It also makes me wonder what would've happened if a REAL Lex lived here...
Basically, the beginning and the end were what made this book great. For some reason, I found the finding-yourself-by-becoming-a-vagabond in the middle a smidge unnecessary from the book and Clark/Superman's existential crisis. Or at least, it could've been shorter.
I keep repeating to myself that this is a VERSION of the Superman coming-of-age tale, but I would have loved to see some crucial characters and events make an appearance. For instance:
- Jor-El; in this novel, Clark doesn't make the journey to the arctic North and throw the magic Kryptonian crystal in the Arctic Ocean, causing the Fortress of Solitude to rise from the waters. So, Clark doesn't realise who he really is, who his father is, or where he comes from.
- Lana Lang. Clark had a sweet disposition towards her in his teenager days, and I would've liked to see how that relationship worked out.
- The deaths of Jonathan and Martha Kent. In this book, the deaths were reversed, and Martha died first instead of Jonathan, which definitely threw me off.
- JIMMY OLSEN. I love Jimmy Olsen. With a dying passion. I mean, I can see Willi Berg (the on-the-run photographer who befriends Clark in his teenage years but then moves on to be a professional photographer) channeling Jimmy a bit, but I would've LOVED to see the real Jimmy Olsen battling for the best photos and wearing those quirky bow ties.
Also, Lex Luthor. I love his role in this book, especially his relationship with Superman towards the end, but...really? Is THAT the best bit of villainy you can do, Luthor?
One thing that I did like, however, was that because the author lived in Richmond, Virginia (not too far from me!), he added some local counties and cities. Willi and Lois heading to Washington, DC. Lex Luthor growing up as a kid in Ashland. ASHLAND. I live about three minutes away from Ashland. It seems surreal to me, having a fictitious villain growing up where I live. It also makes me wonder what would've happened if a REAL Lex lived here...
gibberishmon's review
2.0
this book was a big disappointment for me . for one you would think that a book called its superman in with an exclamation point after it would have superman as a main character but youd be wrong the main character is some guy called william berg.william is a bit of a jerk and seems to be using clark throughout the book as for superman he doesnt do anything interesting until the last one or two chapters of the book. the rest of this boook is just events in the lives of characters who arent around enough for us to care about for example theres a cop who shows up just to be lois's sort of boyfriend he gets shot and thats the end of his contribution theres also his partner who investigates lex luthor but we dont get to see that the first we hear about it the investigation is over and he immediantly gets killed. all in all this book feels like a big waste of time.
thebigcomedown's review
4.0
I thought this book was great, the author kept it interesting but still simple enough that it really felt like a novelization of a graphic novel...Which makes little sense to me kind of. Also? I think I'm in love with Lois Lane. I'm pretty sure, actually.
spazenport's review
3.0
While I thought this was a good retelling, I was slightly lost with how much the story made Clark Kent emotionally unstable. I loved the fact that he starts weak and gradually grows stronger, but the character development that is supposed to bridge the gap between Clark Kent and Superman I felt was missing some sort of key element. Otherwise, this book was definitely worth my time.
trin's review
5.0
I didn't really know what to expect with this novel; I'm not particularly interested in Superman and I'm actually rather suspicious of novels based on others' works (which is rather bizarre for a fanfic writer, I must say). I guess I was sucked in by the fantastic [a: Chris Ware|5112|Chris Ware|http://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1348449077p2/5112.jpg] cover. And hey, for once judging a book by its cover turned out to be a good thing: [b: It's Superman!|198076|It's Superman!|Tom De Haven|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386924599s/198076.jpg|435262] is immensely enjoyable, sweeping, and highly visual even without the aid of comic illustrations. De Haven reexamines Superman's origin story, bringing the setting back to the era of the character's creation, the 1930s and the Great Depression. Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor are all compellingly presented, and seem like real people—Clark's self-doubt does a lot to make Superman more interesting, and more human. (No offense to the people of Krypton intended.) De Haven's OCs (oh, and now watch me slip into fanfic parlance) are fun and interesting too. The book is a good 425 pages long and when I reached the end all I wanted was for it to keep going.
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