By now DC's New 52 has well and truly launched and caused the intended market surge, as well as a mostly positive response from fans. As a comic reader who never really got into DC (besides some Batman trades), the relaunch was great news, and now that we've seen the products I can say for sure that I will be back for some Issue #2s. But this is not what I want to talk about now.
What I want to talk about now is Superman. Oh Superman, you ever-present but never-really-there omnipotent immortal, I've wanted to love you. As a comics enthusiast, if not devotee, I've always wanted to get to know Superman, the King of Superheroes, but I never really felt like I managed to scratch the surface. Maybe the problem is with me; after all, I started both Birthright and All-Star Superman, two widely respected comic arcs, but I never managed to finish them. On the other hand, I've made it over a hundred issues into certain other comics. After reading DC's new Action Comics #1 I fully intend to get #2 and Superman #1, but they are not my most anticipated titles (for some reason Aquaman is right up there, but we'll leave that for a therapy session). So I like Superman, but I've never really been a Superman fan. I guess I've never felt like he's been done right (which I know is unfair as I've never been involved enough to say for sure what "right" is, but there you go).
Until last night, that is, when I started watching Superman: The Animated Series from the 90s. Suddenly Superman, who had until then merely appeared, fired lasers from his eyes and punched holes in things, then left, had seemed to me to be a person rather than some avatar of pure power. I have been a huge fan of Batman: The Animated Series as well, and for me that has been the definitive version of the Bat, but until now I hadn't realised the writing wizardry extended beyond the one character. Oh how it does. In Superman, none of the characters feel like bland archetypes and none of the scenarios, while absurd, feel contrived or unreasonable for this world. The deeper storytelling format, with 20 minutes or so of setting, dialogue and action, to me serves the stories better than comics, where the dialogue must be squashed between backstory and action.
Maybe it's just Paul Dini, who appears to be the mastermind behind these gems of superhero storytelling. I seem to remember Dini being involved in Batman: Arkham Asylum, probably the only game based on non-original material that I've ever enjoyed, at that was largely (but not entirely) due to the story. Hell, I think that's one of my favourite games of all time!
So while I will be following the New 52, I think I'll be spending the majority of my free time watching animated versions of the source material and allowing my imagination to be punched and heat-rayed to new heights. Oh, and I'll be searching for everything Paul Dini has ever written.
Steve.
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