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ultimatecryptid's review
It's fine, I just got bored with it. Doesn't really compare to All Seasons.
dmcke013's review
4.0
It's funny, but while - like, I'm sure, most people out there - I may know (of) the origin of the Man of Steel, I've never actually seeing it written down anywhere.
Thinking about it, I think that knowledge comes from the Christopher Reeve Superman films, and the more recent TV series Smallville.
That TV series was still running when this graphic novel series was released.
This goes back to Superman's earliest days in Metropolis, with a brief flash-back to his high school Smallville days, to present a new take on the origin of the character - Jimmy Olsen? Check. Ma and Pa Kent? Check. Perry White? Check. Lois Lane? Check. Lex Luthor? Also check!
As such, I found this an interesting take on the character, with some dynamic action sequences and some stand-out visuals (Clark Kent soaring over a herd of stampeding Zebra's, for instance).
Thinking about it, I think that knowledge comes from the Christopher Reeve Superman films, and the more recent TV series Smallville.
That TV series was still running when this graphic novel series was released.
This goes back to Superman's earliest days in Metropolis, with a brief flash-back to his high school Smallville days, to present a new take on the origin of the character - Jimmy Olsen? Check. Ma and Pa Kent? Check. Perry White? Check. Lois Lane? Check. Lex Luthor? Also check!
As such, I found this an interesting take on the character, with some dynamic action sequences and some stand-out visuals (Clark Kent soaring over a herd of stampeding Zebra's, for instance).
avinash_pandey's review
4.75
That last panel was beautiful and something that I never knew needed from a Superman book.
damalur's review
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
talentedcain's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mindespair's review
4.5
i normally don't leave reviews at all for comics but i was screaming crying throwing up. mother... father... i made it...
robotswithpersonality's review
Not a lot of graphic novels can make me cry twice! The first time, there's a moment where the story set up and the art combine that just HURTS. The second I honestly should have seen coming but it still GOT ME! Waid skillfully draws the strong parallel between the many advantages of Lex Luthor and the many advantages of Superman, the potential for isolation on both sides, and how much fear vs acceptance can make a difference. I'm a sucker for a refreshed origin story, and this one really worked for me. Only thing that could have made me love it more is a change in the art style. While heightened emotional moments were skillfully conveyed in how human faces and figures crumpled into grotesqueries of pain or fear or distress or anger, I found the everyday panel to panel rendering of people just a bit off kilter and distracting. I'm all for stylized to fit a mood, but this kept wandering into uncanny valley - too close to be unique artistic choice, not close enough to feel natural. The number of times I realized I was staring at Kent's teeth trying to figure out what was bugging me? Just...little weird. Purely subjective issue? Maybe. 🤷🏼‍♂️
chknwng205's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
trin's review
4.0
In some ways, what Waid is trying to do with this graphic novel is the exact opposite of what [a:Tom De Haven|9226|William Gibson|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1192825810p2/9226.jpg] was attempting in his (prose) novel [b:It’s Superman]. That book returns Supes’ origin story back to the 1930s, the era when the character was conceived; Birthright updates it to modern times with things like an internet-savvy Martha Kent and a Lois Lane who’s striving to break stories on The Daily Planet’s blog.
While it did not blow me away quite like It’s Superman, Birthright was still really good. Like De Haven, Waid does a great job of humanizing Clark, while at the same time emphasizing the ways in which Clark Kent is Superman in disguise (and not the other way around). Things get a little hammy at the end, but in general, there’s a nice emotional and psychological realism that makes the story compelling. The Lex backstory was especially inspired: Waid writes him as a disturbed genius who feels as alien in his brilliance as Clark is in origin. Reading this graphic novel is a kind of revelation: “Oh yeah! This is what Smallville would have been like if it were good!”
While it did not blow me away quite like It’s Superman, Birthright was still really good. Like De Haven, Waid does a great job of humanizing Clark, while at the same time emphasizing the ways in which Clark Kent is Superman in disguise (and not the other way around). Things get a little hammy at the end, but in general, there’s a nice emotional and psychological realism that makes the story compelling. The Lex backstory was especially inspired: Waid writes him as a disturbed genius who feels as alien in his brilliance as Clark is in origin. Reading this graphic novel is a kind of revelation: “Oh yeah! This is what Smallville would have been like if it were good!”