Superman: Secret Identity

[Space Pirate Roberts]

This book is great. I know it's a bit old now, but I just discovered it (I'm a fairly casual comic reader - the only thing I've bought monthly in years is Dan Slott's She-Hulk) and saw that it hadn't really been talked about here, so I decided to remedy that. It manages to simultaneously spin a great (even if waaaaaaay out-of-continuity) Superman yarn, serve up poignant metaphors for all the major stages of human life, and examine the appeal of the superhero genre. Busiek's writing is brilliant (which I hear is par for the course), especially the pervasive narration by his Clark-who-is-yet-isn't-Clark, and backed up by some drop-dead gorgeous art from Immomen, especially the flight sequences, which convey a sense of beauty and wonder bordering on Miyazaki's.

Here's the review I stumbled across and immediately decided I needed to read this book, spoiler tags added for your protection:

Imagine you're a kid growing up in a small town in Kansas. Imagine that your parents, in a fit of lunacy, decided to name you Clark when their last name is Kent. Imagine growing up in the shadow of a fictional character, always getting Superman memorabilia as gifts, being teased at school. Imagine not wanting anything to do with Krypton, Smallville, or anything related to this other Clark Kent. Imagine all of that.

Now imagine waking up and discovering you can fly.

A simple premise, no? And yet, Kurt Busiek has managed to turn it into one of the single greatest Superman stories I've ever read. Although, I suppose calling this a Superman story is a bit disingenuous, since it's not REALLY about Superman. It's not an Elseworld, after all. Nor is it an ASTRO CITY style comic, although it does have that sort of feel. No, this is something in between, an examination of Superman via proxy, while placing him in a real world context. That's the trouble with innovative stories; there are no preexisting labels you can use to describe them.

Part of what makes this book so much fun is all the little beats that Busiek uses that somehow work in a real world context. If you discover you have Superman's powers, are you going to use them while dressed as a ninja? No! You're going to dress like fucking Superman! There's also the moment where Clark meets his Lois, a scene that could easily have derailed the whole story, but manages to work wonderfully, specifically because she isn't Lois Lane. In fact, other than her first name, she's nothing like Lois Lane. As for Clark, yes he's a writer, but he's a novelist, not a reporter. Both these characters are their own people, more than just Lois and Clark.

There is a subplot, one that I know put Superman junkie Village Idiot off this series, where the Feds are tracking young mister Kent in an effort to capture and study him. While this bit is initially a familiar device, it does develop into something different. But more than that, it's only a subplot. The driving force behind this series isn't some government mouse hunt; it's the life and hardships of Clark Kent. And as an aspect of his life, these elements work.

But what puts this series over the edge, what makes the story that much better, is Stuart Immonen. The art in this book glows. Every nuance is a beauty to behold. Each panel feels like a splash page. Superman has never looked this good, especially in flight. Every image of a flying Superman is filled with an ethereal joy like I've never seen before. This is some of the best artwork I've ever seen in a book from DC, and if anything it makes me eager for his turn on ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR.

This is the best Superman book that will come out this year. This is the best mini that will come out this year. This may, in fact, be the best damn story to come out this year. From its simple beginning to its poetic end, this is going to be a comic people will remember for a long time to come.

[Space Pirate Roberts]

Oh, and might I add, in a theoretical perfect world, WB would have the stones to make a movie out of this instead of rehashing the Salkind films.

[bloodyarts]

What I first thought was a ridiculous premise, Secret Identity turned out to be a damn good book.

Stuart Immomen is an awesome and diverse artist, yet underappreciated. Everything he's ever worked on looks fabulous.