Superman: Birthright

November 15, 2004 | Trades

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Superman: Birthright
Mark Waid, Leinil Yu, Gerry Alanguilan
DC Comics
$45.95 (hardcover)
**** (out of five)

Post-9/11 society, particularly in America, is must more guarded and more jaded than ever.
We don’t trust people the way we used to — no matter how good someone appears to be.
This dynamic plays a central role in Superman: Birthright, a 21st century re-imagining of the origin of the Man Of Steel.
While the basic facts remain the same — a spaceship from Krypton crashes in Kansas; the baby inside is raised by humans; he grows up and becomes a reporter at the Daily Planet in Metropolis — Birthright draws on the cynicism of the masses to put a more real spin on what might happen if a superhero landed in our midst.
Flashing back between Clark Kent’s upbringing in Smallville, where he meets an arrogant young Lex Luthor and the present where Luthor is trying to play on the public’s fears to make Superman seem like a threat from space, Birthright is an elegant update on one of comics’ most familiar faces.
Just don’t call it Ultimate Superman.

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