The Death and Life of Superman, by Roger Stern

[Listener]

$7.50 / $10.00

I never read the comics from the early 90s when Superman died and was reborn.  I always wanted to, though.  So when I saw this book on the discount rack at B&N, I had to get it.

Roger Stern had never written a novel before, although he had a long history in comics.  It shows.  His comparisons are simplistic (everything's a similie), and the sections in the chapters are sometimes far shorter than they should be.

That being said, the story itself is excellent.  Stern and his comics editor, Mike Carlin, go into the genesis of the story in the beginning, and how they decided to bring Superman back after his death.  Stern brings it to life quite well, from beginning to end, managing to explain even to a comics layman like me the backstory behind Superman, Supergirl, the Kents, Lois, Clark, Lana, Pete Ross, the Justice League, the Green Lantern, Guardian and the Newsboy Legion, and Lex Luthor, allowing me to get caught up on the story after only a few chapters.

The fight with Doomsday is epic, although it gets a little repetitive.

The best stuff, though, is in the funeral and the rebirths of the various Supermen.  (Yes, there were several.)  Stern really captures the kind of thing that's hard to bring across in some comics:  the deep, long-winded thoughts of characters.  We really feel for Lois, Jimmy, the Kents, and all the rest.  Plus, as the Supermen come to be, there's a lot of great stuff from people whose lives were touched by Superman, and how his death has affected them.

The final battle sequence is pretty good.  Not great, but not bad, either.  It just seems like, okay, Superman died, but he didn't, and nothing short of Doomsday can really put a dent in him.  (That's not really a spoiler, because there's a lot that goes into that sentence.)  Also, the ultimate villain of the story (which ISN'T Doomsday, oddly enough) has a pretty generic superhero-comic premise behind him, and the explanation of how he came to be is Night-Court-in-fifth-season-lame.

Still, overall, the book comes together very, very well for all its flaws.  If you've never read the Death and Life of Superman in the comics, check the book.  Good stuff.

***

I read way too fast; that's two 300+ page books in less than 10 hoiurs total.  No wonder all my money goes to books.

Next up:  the novelization of the film Serenity, followed by the original Phantom of the Opera.

[ReBurn]

It would take me a year to read a 300 page book.

[dazie]

It would take me a year to read a 300 page book.

YOu can read more than one page a day...

[swolt]

I loved that book. It went deeper than the comics explaining what really happened after he died.

Another really good comic to novel book is Batman: Knight Fall.

[ReBurn]

It would take me a year to read a 300 page book.

YOu can read more than one page a day...

Wanna bet?

[Gamplayerx]

It would take me a year to read a 300 page book.

YOu can read more than one page a day...

Wanna bet?

I do!

[ReBurn]

It would take me a year to read a 300 page book.

YOu can read more than one page a day...

Wanna bet?

I do!

You are so gonna lose.

[Gamplayerx]

It would take me a year to read a 300 page book.

YOu can read more than one page a day...

Wanna bet?

I do!

You are so gonna lose.

Note the terms of the bet:  CAN read more than one page a day.  We're betting on ability, not accessibility or motivation or any other factor.

[ReBurn]

It would take me a year to read a 300 page book.

YOu can read more than one page a day...

Wanna bet?

I do!

You are so gonna lose.

Note the terms of the bet:  CAN read more than one page a day.  We're betting on ability, not accessibility or motivation or any other factor.

So what's your point?

[Gamplayerx]

It would take me a year to read a 300 page book.

YOu can read more than one page a day...

Wanna bet?

I do!

You are so gonna lose.

Note the terms of the bet:  CAN read more than one page a day.  We're betting on ability, not accessibility or motivation or any other factor.

So what's your point?

Um.  I have no point.

[ReBurn]

It would take me a year to read a 300 page book.

YOu can read more than one page a day...

Wanna bet?

I do!

You are so gonna lose.

Note the terms of the bet:  CAN read more than one page a day.  We're betting on ability, not accessibility or motivation or any other factor.

So what's your point?

Um.  I have no point.

I don't have 50 pages of unread topics for nothing, you know.