Superman Earth One: Bok 2

by J. Michael Straczynski

Other authorsShane Davis (Illustrator), Shane Davis (Cover artist), Tom-Erik Fure (Translator)
Paperback, 2014

Description

Following the events of the New York Times bestselling graphic novel by acclaimed writer Michael J. Straczynski and superstar artist Shane Davis, comes the long awaited sequel Superman: Earth One Vol. 2! Young Clark Kent continues his journey toward becoming the World's Greatest Super Hero but finds dealing with humanity to be a bigger challenge than he ever imagined! From a ruthless dictator to a new love interest who's NOT Lois Lane, things are never easy for this emerging Man of Steel. And the worst is yet to come, in the form of a man-monster with an insatiable appetite, the Parasite! The only thing that might appease his hunger is The Last Son of Krypton! But that will also mean he will have Superman's powers without his conscience, and Kal-El cannot come anywhere near him, even though he has to stop him!.… (more)

Original language

English

Original publication date

2012-11-06

Physical description

128 p.; 6.7 inches

Publication

DC Comics (2014), Edition: First Edition, 128 pages

Pages

128

ISBN

140123559X / 9781401235598

Library's rating

½

Rating

½ (62 ratings; 3.6)

User reviews

LibraryThing member burnit99
This sequel continues a very welcome and freshly imaginative re-telling of Superman's early years, as he finds his footing in his new job at the Daily Planet, where he draws the suspicions of Lois Lane, who finds Clark Kent's total standardness and small-town ways a bit unbelievable. Clark moves
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into a bit nicer apartment, where he draws the interest of a perkily comely neighbor, and for the first time I see that Clark's father apparently gave him the "talk" I always used to imagine a cautious father would give a super-powered son ("All I'm saying, son, is... man of steel... woman of tissue paper.")

The action comes from a thoroughly creepy Parasite, who comes very close to killing Superman, and for the first time in his life he is without powers until they recharge, and he realizes just how vulnerable (and brave) humans are to go out the front door, heedless of the many ways death can come unexpectedly. What is so well done in this book is how the humanity of Clark balances out the power of Superman, and what a toll that balance has taken on him. The end of the book leaves us optimistic that Clark is beginning to learn how to be a part of the humanity he has sworn to protect. Excellent artwork by Shane Davis as well.
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LibraryThing member rivkat
Accidentally or not, this has essentially the same cover as Irredeemable vol. 8: Hands fisted by his side, Superman/the Plutonian floats in front of a world on fire, his eyes glowing. Here, however, Clark is struggling with the implications of his power, and the moral use thereof, in a world where
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dictators promise to slaughter everyone they can if he crosses their borders even to help deal with natural disasters. Also there’s a power-sucking monster, and Lois Lane snooping to find out more about Clark’s mysterious rise to public prominence with his career-making interview with Superman. Satisfying, though I didn’t have a burning need to find out what was next.
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LibraryThing member EricKibler
A pretty average comic book offering, not at all justified by the fanfare and format. The reinvention of Superman that Grant Morrison has been doing in the mainstream Action Comics series is far more interesting.
LibraryThing member rodhilton
Disappointing followup to the excellent Earth One Volume 1. Whereas the previous volume was an interesting modern-day take on Superman that had a lot in the way of exploring the character of Clark Kent, this was mostly just a bad guy shows up and Superman is no match for him. And the villain, by
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the way, is drawn in such an absurdist manner it completely clashes with the "modern day mythos" style of the Earth One series in general.

I read this book last week and honestly, I can't remember much of anything else to say about it. Lois is suspicious of Clark and starts looking into his background a bit, but largely drops the issue. I think the most that happened in terms of character development was a bit about Clark wanting to have sex. No joke, his next-door neighbor throws herself at him (and she's drawn in such an overly sexualized way that it really ought to embarrass the comics industry in 2012. Move past this stuff, fellas), but he's worried his Super-spunk will kill her. We even get a flashback to Pa Kent warning him about such things.

Pretty forgettable, but generally enjoyable. Or at least, not objectionable really. I really would like to see a followup more like Volume 1.
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LibraryThing member DanieXJ
I'm still getting used to the slightly different Superman and Clark characters, but I definitely like the idea of the Earth One books. It's sort of like it's totally from the beginning. So I seem to be good to go as long as I read the Earth One books with no preconceived notions.

For example, I
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really liked the Parasite's back story and really, really liked the new look the artist gave him. He wasn't the same old purple blob as in the other Superman comics and animated serieses.

I liked the art a lot too. But unfortunately there were a few characters who weren't supposed to look like Clark, but who definitely did. Also, Lois' character wasn't memorable at all. I think that the Lois character should always be a memorable one. Here she was just sorta blah.
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LibraryThing member devilwrites
The premise: ganked form BN.com: Following the events of the NEW YORK TIMES bestselling graphic novel by acclaimed writer Michael J. Straczynski and superstar artist Shane Davis, comes the long awaited sequel SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE VOL. 2!

Young Clark Kent continues his journey toward becoming the
Show More
World's Greatest Super Hero, but finds dealing with humanity to be a bigger challenge than he ever imagined! From a ruthless dictator to a new love interest who's NOT Lois Lane, things are never easy for this emerging Man of Steel.

And the worst is yet to come, in the form of a man-monster with an insatiable appetite, the Parasite! The only thing that might appease his hunger is The Last Son of Kryptonian! But that will also mean he will have Superman's powers without his conscience, and Kal-El cannot come anywhere near him, even though he has to stop him!

My Rating: Good Read

While I didn't enjoy Volume 2 quite as much as I did Volume 1, there's still a lot to love. The art, of course, is swoon-worthy (to me). I also love how Volume 2's main arc leads into some interesting turns that promise to make Volume 3 more than a little interesting. Which means, of course, I'm on board for Volume 3, whenever DC decides to release it (and let's face it, it'll probably take at least a year). Clark/Superman still exhibits plenty of angst in terms of where he fits in with normal people, but the developments in this book give Clark new insight as to what that means and how he regards those who don't have his powers. There's good stuff, and the book's an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.

Spoilers, yay or nay?: Yay-ish. I want to talk about some of the differences (okay, one major difference) between the Earth One continuity and what we typically associate with Superman continuity. So if you don't want to know what that one thing is, DO NOT read the full review at my blog.

Everyone else, comments and discussion are most welcome, so feel free to click the link below for the full review!

REVIEW: J. Michael Straczynski's SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE: VOLUME TWO

Happy Reading!
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LibraryThing member datrappert
The second volume of Straczynski's trilogy maintains a high level of excitement, although the fact that the villains are drawn because Superman is on Earth is a bit annoying, since it means he is indirectly responsible for lots of death and destruction. Having almost finished listening to
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Straczynski's Becoming Superman, it is also interesting to see how much the Superman character reflects his own life--although while Superman had two sets of loving parents, Straczynski had done. An early girlfriend also makes an appearance, in the form of the sexy redhead who tries to seduce Superman and who has a predilection for pockets whose bottoms have been cut out....
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LibraryThing member bdgamer
Nowhere near as good as the first book, but pretty damn good when it comes to humanizing Parasite and introducing Luthor(s) in the story.
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