Top, Top Supermanning from the boy Busiek

[stubbleupdate]

I know that I'm a day late for the Family Themed post, but phneh. This is worth it.

It's from Superman: Secret Identity, which I believe is out of print. Hopefully it will be reprinted in the next few years considering that Kurt Busiek and John Paul Leon are going to do Batman: Secret Identity, a "thematic sequel".

Superman: Secret Identity is about a boy called Clark Kent in a world without superheroes, except as fictional characters. He isn't the last son of a doomed race. He hasn't been adopted by kindly old farmers. He does have parents and family members who buy him Superman tat for his Christmas and birthday because it's funny and his friends set him on dates with every Lois, Lana and Cat that they find because that's funny too.

I will admit that I haven't read a lot of Superman, but I'm happy to say that this is the best Superman story that I've read and the best DC book that I have on my shelves. When I first saw this on Fullscans_Daily, I sat in my dressing gown in my freezing cold flat, hunched over my laptop, compulsively reading until about half past 2 in the morning.

The story came in 4 different issues, titled Smallville, Metropolis, Fortress and Tomorrow, each charting an important part of our Clark's life.


This section comes from Tomorrow, when Clark is married to a Lois and has twin daughters.
He actually does have superpowers and has been Supermanning around the world in costume (because in a world where Superman is a fictional character who would believe you if you said that he saved you?), usually unseen, evading and sometimes working for a government handler.

Usually, it's support in natural disasters that he provides



Our Clark is also a journalist of sorts, a Pulitzer prize winner who writes books.

Later, clark finds out the truth about the two women who broke up the tornado

This is where I confess again that Superhero vs. Runaway Public Transport just does it for me.


Yes, those are his daughters.

And because it's by the most versatile and impressive artist working in comics just now, we get lots of grand, beautiful double page spreads.

Let's recap.
Art by Stuart Immonen. Check
Story by Kurt Busiek. Check
Some real gut churning stuff in the middle sections. Check.
Some heart warming family and aging stuff in the end sections. Check.
Outstanding, cinematic double page spreads. Check
Kinetic storytelling. Check.
Almost unobtainable for a reasonable price. Check.+

Comments

[ejne7]

I'd never heard of this; thanks for sharing it. It's gorgeous. What're the origins of Clark's powers, if he's not Kryptonian?

[fifthie]

I remembered this being amazing, but I didn't remember it being this amazing.

[arbre_rieur]

Possibly my favorite superhero story ever.

[misterbug]

Dear Stuart Immonen,

Do you mind if I hang outside your house until you let me become your apprentice and learn the essence of pure draftsmanship? I will provide you with a stick to hit me with.

Yours,

A Very Impressed Fan.

[aelflar]

Wow, just great stuff. I wish I could buy it now. Thanks for sharing :)

[kagome654]

Thank you for posting this. I found a copy at the library a couple of years ago and was so bummed when I couldn't find it to buy anywhere (I had plans to loan it to non comic appreciating friends to hear their verdict). I share your hopes that it will see a reprint.

[valtyr]

Wow, this is beautiful, and sounds really interesting.

The bit about 'ten years ago... two years ago'. Is that because he's ageing, or something else?

Gosh, and his daughters are so cute. It's nice to see a world where Clark got to have kids and raise them with Lois. I love the panel where they're chatting in the air - it's so hard to make flight look natural to humans, but that's a lovely job.

[thebigapricot]

It is wonderful. And like you I think it is one of the best Superman stories I've ever read. You can actually see more of it at these posts including the relationship with Lois which is lovely.

http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/1208611.html
http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/1228835.html
http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/1242843.html

[kusonaga]

Bought this when it came out, best Superman story ever.

[nezchan]

Wait...superheroic women...wearing pants!?

Man, this has to be an Elseworlds.

[warpedhand]

I have to say, the only thing I didn't like about this entire mini was the last 2 or 3 pages.

[akoya]

Man, I LOVE this Superman story.

But only one think irks me (and I hate myself for getting irked at this), but I'm pretty sure Saskatchewan does NOT have cliffs. Or the TransCanada rail way on a cliff. I've driven across it more times than I can count and it' was pretty flat through out. Granted I have not travelled every inch of Saskatchewan, an this could be the north, where I have not been.
But again, this is, like, the stupidest thing to pick on and I should be glad somewhere other than Ontario or Quebec was in a comic book.

[ancarett]

If they reissued this, I'd buy multiple copies. As it is, I have ooh-ed and aah-ed over a friend's copy more than once. Beautiful artwork, unique storyworld.

[thehefner]

Since Secret Identity was an expansion of the Superboy Prime concept, my ideal take for the Batman one would be to follow the Bruce Wayne of To Kill A Legend. It would be different enough so as not to feel like a retread, while being very much grounded in our real world. Really, I'd just love to see what kind of Batman that Bruce would grow up to be.

[retro_nouveau]

Must have this. Love looking into all the corners of the multiverse.

[silverzeo]

MUST BUY THIS BOOK!

[proteus_lives]

Great art.

[calvision]

I'll only be the hundredth person to say so, but oh, the art. Me likey. Me likey muchly.

[psychopathicus_rex]

The 'two super-daughters' thing seems to be a recurring theme in these Elseworlds-type stories. Supes had two granddaughters in the second 'Generations' series, as I recall correctly, and over at Marvel, I think Hawkeye was planned to (although I don't think he actually did; could be wrong) have twin archer daughters in 'Earth X', or one of those. I guess there's just something appealing about the concept.

[technacothaka]

The interview mentions that the idea of a Wonder Woman title never came together for him, so what do people think one would or should be like?

[sunaya]

When I got this from the library a couple of weeks ago, I had to put it down a couple of times while reading it, overwhelmed by the emotion and beauty of it all. So very amazing.

[ninjapeps]

if memory serves, I was the one that posted this on fullscans_daily.

I first read this from scans a friend lent me. it was incredible. I couldn't believe my luck when I found a copy maybe a month later.

[halloweenjack]

I really, really regret not getting this when I had a chance.

[bruinsfan]

Dear Santa,

Can the next Crisis reboot replace the current Earth-Prime Superboy with this continuity? Pretty please?

[arxh]

and its damn near impossible to find, for some reason DC just refuses to reprint the best superman story ive ever read...