Comic review: December '08. DC - Lex Luthor: Man of Steel
Lex Luthor: Man of Steel
A Review by Rebeccasaurus Rex
So, it's been awhile since I posted any new art in this journal. I have new art, I've just been incredibly lazy about scanning/photographing it for upload purposes. However, since I don't have any of my sketches prepared for everyone today, I thought I'd do something a little bit different instead.
Just in case any of you don't know this: my main focus in art school is comics/graphic novels. It is my dream to draw Western comics, specifically of the superhero variety. I've been into comics since I was around nine or ten years old but didn't become a legitimate comic nerd until I was around sixteen or seventeen. Nowadays, I read quite a few comics, although I'm still behind on some arcs I've been meaning to get around to. Anyway, I figured that since I love comics, some of you out there must love them too.
And thus, I bring you the first of my comic review posts. In these posts I will review a specific arc/series and, hopefully, will be able to inspire a few of you to investigate further.
Please note: I am an extremely opinionated person, and as such, there is bound to be some bias to my words. If you disagree, I would love to hear why, so long as you can be respectful about it. I enjoy hearing alternate viewpoints and am always more than happy to explain my own should anyone require further information.
Lex Luthor: Man of Steel is quite possibly one of my favorite DC arcs of all time. In this six-issue arc, readers delve into the world of Lex Luthor, the long-time nemesis of Superman and all-around bad, bald guy. Perceived by many to be little more than a heartless narcissist driven by a slew of daddy issues and an inferiority complex rooted in his lack of flowing locks, an arc centering around Lex seems laughable at best. After all, Lex is a villain. He exists solely to torment Superman and drill kryptonite while fucking over his employees and the various companies that his corporate monster, LexCorp, makes highly questionable deals with. Villains are evil, driven by revenge or by their greedy lust for money and power, so what could DC possibly tell us about Lex that we don't already know?
How about why he hates Supes? I don't know about you guys, but I'm the type of reader who undergoes that peculiar, Stockholm Syndrome-esque shift during some comics - and NBC's Heroes - where I invariably end up rooting for the villain to win. I dig Clark Kent, he's a cool dude and a real stand-up citizen, but I've always wanted to see Lex come out on top. Along the way, I started to wonder precisely what it was about Lex that I admired. Why did I want this megalomaniac with a machinery fetish to defeat the perfectly handsome, charmingly fifties alien with superpowers and a killer set of baby blues?
When I figured it out, it was simple: I love Lex because he represents human achievement in the face of extraordinary odds. In this case, those extraordinary odds come all wrapped up in a pair of blue footie pajamas and a shield that stands for "super."
Lex believes in people and their ability to achieve greatness. Thus, when the man from another planet with fantastic abilities that garden-variety humans can only dream of is so readily embraced by the public of Metropolis, Lex's core values and ideals are challenged. He seems convinced that it's only a matter of time before Metropolis's golden protector changes his mind and turns on the people he's supposed to be aiding. After all, it wouldn't take long for a man with laser vision, super-strength, and nigh-invincibility to decimate the entire populace of the utopia that Lex, his peers, and their predecessors struggled so diligently to build. What can one man do when faced with a godlike being from the farthest reaches of the cosmos? Why, he can study the being's actions, he can study the being's weaknesses, and he can use every resource at his disposal to build a better god.
With cameo appearances by the loyal butler Alfred, billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, and Gotham's Dark Knight himself, Lex Luthor: Man of Steel shows we readers the other, lesser-known side of the story. The human side. The side that attempts, and errs, and fails, and still gets back up again; the one that fights tirelessly for its values even when pitted against something indestructible; the one that isn't afraid to stand alone if it means its fellows will be spared; the one that is committed to preserving its way of life no matter what the cost.
Even if you think Superman can do no wrong and are one hundred percent certain that your mind will never be changed on that point, I would suggest reading this arc. It opened my eyes to the constant struggle faced by a person who's willing to sacrifice everything, who's willing to be hated and despised, if it only means that his or her beliefs will live on.
So next time you're looking to pick up a comic book, think of Lex, and don't be afraid to get a little villainous.
A Review by Rebeccasaurus Rex
So, it's been awhile since I posted any new art in this journal. I have new art, I've just been incredibly lazy about scanning/photographing it for upload purposes. However, since I don't have any of my sketches prepared for everyone today, I thought I'd do something a little bit different instead.
Just in case any of you don't know this: my main focus in art school is comics/graphic novels. It is my dream to draw Western comics, specifically of the superhero variety. I've been into comics since I was around nine or ten years old but didn't become a legitimate comic nerd until I was around sixteen or seventeen. Nowadays, I read quite a few comics, although I'm still behind on some arcs I've been meaning to get around to. Anyway, I figured that since I love comics, some of you out there must love them too.
And thus, I bring you the first of my comic review posts. In these posts I will review a specific arc/series and, hopefully, will be able to inspire a few of you to investigate further.
Please note: I am an extremely opinionated person, and as such, there is bound to be some bias to my words. If you disagree, I would love to hear why, so long as you can be respectful about it. I enjoy hearing alternate viewpoints and am always more than happy to explain my own should anyone require further information.
Lex Luthor: Man of Steel is quite possibly one of my favorite DC arcs of all time. In this six-issue arc, readers delve into the world of Lex Luthor, the long-time nemesis of Superman and all-around bad, bald guy. Perceived by many to be little more than a heartless narcissist driven by a slew of daddy issues and an inferiority complex rooted in his lack of flowing locks, an arc centering around Lex seems laughable at best. After all, Lex is a villain. He exists solely to torment Superman and drill kryptonite while fucking over his employees and the various companies that his corporate monster, LexCorp, makes highly questionable deals with. Villains are evil, driven by revenge or by their greedy lust for money and power, so what could DC possibly tell us about Lex that we don't already know?
How about why he hates Supes? I don't know about you guys, but I'm the type of reader who undergoes that peculiar, Stockholm Syndrome-esque shift during some comics - and NBC's Heroes - where I invariably end up rooting for the villain to win. I dig Clark Kent, he's a cool dude and a real stand-up citizen, but I've always wanted to see Lex come out on top. Along the way, I started to wonder precisely what it was about Lex that I admired. Why did I want this megalomaniac with a machinery fetish to defeat the perfectly handsome, charmingly fifties alien with superpowers and a killer set of baby blues?
When I figured it out, it was simple: I love Lex because he represents human achievement in the face of extraordinary odds. In this case, those extraordinary odds come all wrapped up in a pair of blue footie pajamas and a shield that stands for "super."
Lex believes in people and their ability to achieve greatness. Thus, when the man from another planet with fantastic abilities that garden-variety humans can only dream of is so readily embraced by the public of Metropolis, Lex's core values and ideals are challenged. He seems convinced that it's only a matter of time before Metropolis's golden protector changes his mind and turns on the people he's supposed to be aiding. After all, it wouldn't take long for a man with laser vision, super-strength, and nigh-invincibility to decimate the entire populace of the utopia that Lex, his peers, and their predecessors struggled so diligently to build. What can one man do when faced with a godlike being from the farthest reaches of the cosmos? Why, he can study the being's actions, he can study the being's weaknesses, and he can use every resource at his disposal to build a better god.
With cameo appearances by the loyal butler Alfred, billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, and Gotham's Dark Knight himself, Lex Luthor: Man of Steel shows we readers the other, lesser-known side of the story. The human side. The side that attempts, and errs, and fails, and still gets back up again; the one that fights tirelessly for its values even when pitted against something indestructible; the one that isn't afraid to stand alone if it means its fellows will be spared; the one that is committed to preserving its way of life no matter what the cost.
Even if you think Superman can do no wrong and are one hundred percent certain that your mind will never be changed on that point, I would suggest reading this arc. It opened my eyes to the constant struggle faced by a person who's willing to sacrifice everything, who's willing to be hated and despised, if it only means that his or her beliefs will live on.
So next time you're looking to pick up a comic book, think of Lex, and don't be afraid to get a little villainous.