Superman Returns and Supreme Power: Hyperion

[selenak]

While in London, I was able to catch up on JMS' Supreme Power, by reading the Hyperion miniseries, which makes an interesting compare, parallel and contrast to Superman Returns, which I watched last night. So I'll review both, and hope it won't be confusing to readers who are unfamiliar with one of them.

Comments

[londonkds]

A few things:

Another really good meditation on Superman, though it isn't really a superhero story, is Rick Veitch's graphic novel The Maximortal. That one brings in a lot of references to the actual events surrounding the Superman character in the real world, such as Siegel and Shuster's treatment by DC and the suicide of George Reeves. It also has some really horrible superpowered-toddler stuff.

In case you don't know, Supreme Power is a sort of Ultimate version of a 1970s Marvel comic series called Squadron Supreme, which is currently available in TPB and was probably the first of the now-familiar "hubristic superheroes take over the world" stories in superhero comics (I still think the best is Mark Millar's Superman: Red Son). And the characters were analogies to DC superheroes in the original, because they were originally introduced into a Marvel comic as a joke, in a story in which a bunch of ridiculous arsehole superheroes turn up from a parallel universe, and of course bear a suspicious similarity to DCs Justice League

[selenak]

I did know it's a new version of an old Marvel series, though no details.

which is currently available in TPB and was probably the first of the now-familiar "hubristic superheroes take over the world" stories in superhero comics (I still think the best is Mark Millar's Superman: Red Son

*ponders* Is Watchmen a version of the theme? Not that Ozymandias takes over the world, but, well, what he does...

Will check out Red Son.

[londonkds]

Watchmen is sort of vaguely linked to the stories I'm thinking about, which deal more with open "benevolent" super-dictatorship.

Red Son is fantastic. It's an AU in which Superman lands in the USSR instead of Kansas, and it does some really cool things with the origins of other DC superheroes if you're aware on them - the version of Batman, for instance, is a wonderful comment on the standard version. It's also Millar being forced to write at a "PG" rating, which I think is great as he's so much better when he can't just rely on his usual "look at how adult I am" graphic sex and drugs and rape schtick.

[selenak]

It's also Millar being forced to write at a "PG" rating, which I think is great as he's so much better when he can't just rely on his usual "look at how adult I am" graphic sex and drugs and rape schtick.

This reminds me: I recently read Garth Ennis' Fury and was put off by just this (and the horrible sexism). Your take on Ennis?

[empresspatti]

I enjoyed your analysis more than the actual movie. Maybe I should have read this before I went.

As my daughter (who was equally bored) put it, "Superman files around with Lois Lane, fights Lex Luthor and saves a lot o people, same as always."

But then, maybe that is the whole point?

[likeadeuce]

Actually, "the whole point" of Superman Returns is "James Marsden really knows how to wear a dress shirt." Collar buttoned, collar open, sleeves down, sleeves up, collar open and shirt dripping wet, sleeves rolled up and bad-hair kidlet around his neck, sleeves rolled up looking earnestly at Lois, shirt dripping wet as Superman grabs his arm --

*pause*

Oh, wait, there probably were other things in that movie. I confess, the rest of it is kind of a blur.

[likeadeuce]

Or conversely would have made the movie shorter.

Yes, I think that's definitely the best idea out there --

This movie has faded a bit in my mind (well, you know, except for Richard's amazing shirts) and I'm waiting for second run to catch it again, after having read a lot of meta. I was going to link my first impression review, but it sounds like you already read it so I don't have much to add. I thought Singer might have had some interesting things to say about the story, but the themes and a lot of the characterizations didn't really get there -- I had trouble caring about Lois at all, a lot of which I put down to Bosworth, who was liveliest in her scenes with Spacey, as I recall. And of course I'm on the lookout for the JMS series now.

Also, re: your comment about Lois and Richard not being married, that would explain Jimmy's "don't ask about that" as a backhanded swipe by the writer/director at the studio or whoever made that decision. Which makes me giggle.

Finally, xenokattz came up with a very inventive X3/SR crossover here;

[selenak]

Oh, you must read the JMS series. The series proper currently consists of three volumes, which must be read in order:

Contact

Powers and Principalities

High Command

Then there are three miniseries, two not written by JMS, but more about them once you've read those three volumes.

Here's a taste for starters:

Teenage Mark demonstrates to his "father" he's not as clueless as certain people think

And since you're a Batman fan of sorts, here's the origin story of Nighthawk (Kyle = Bruce)

Once upon a time
...there were parents and a son

And then there's the meeting of Nighthawk (Batman) and Hyperion (Superman). Who get on ever so well on first sight. This is during an early stage of Mark's career, before the break with Uncle Sam, mind you.

So he meets Mr. Congenial

...who is ever so thrilled

..and sees Mark without prejudice

..they part with a compliment

All scans made by thete1, by the way.

[likeadeuce]

And. . .you just made me buy more comic books.

I got the first volume (Contact) and will look at it soon.

On a shallow level, the art is pretty. It reminds me a little of Cassaday's in AXM.

And for the record, I actually have a fairly strong antipathy for Batman-the-character -- my current favorite DC-verse character is a Gotham PD cop (Marcus Driver in Gotham Central) who can't stand the guy (welll, not current because the series is cancelled, but they're still coming out in TPB which is how I'm reading them). I mean, Batman's an interesting character, just not one I personally like.