Man and Superman: A Blast From the Past

This is a story that truly gets to the heart of Superman and reminds the reader why they love Superman so much. From now on, this will be my first suggestion to anyone who claims they find Superman boring because he’s too powerful because this story shows without a doubt, it’s not about the powers, it’s about the man.

Marv Wolfman claims this is the greatest Superman story he’s ever written and it’s hard to disagree but at the same time, it’s hard to call this a Superman story. This is a Clark Kent story. This is a story that digs into a man’s doubts and fears as he tries to find his place in a new and unfamiliar city after growing up on a farm in a small town. Sure, it’s a man who possesses god-like powers but in a lot of ways that just makes the idea of him failing even more of a concern than with the average man. Wolfman truly captures what makes Clark Kent tick and why Superman is still a beloved character 80 years after his introduction.

The story is only made even more awesome by the beautiful art of Claudio Castellini, beginning with what instantly became one of my favorite Superman covers and continuing onto the pages with even more breathtaking art that helps the reader to really feel the story. On the first page we follow Clark’s shadow as he leaves the serene fields of Smallville, travels over busy city streets, to finally come to a halt, beautifully outlined on the globe of the daily planet. Followed by a splash page of Clark walking down the streets of Metropolis where we are not only overwhelmed by the business and size of the city but we are shown how maddening superhearing could be as Clark hears every conversation happening around him.

The only real complaint after reading this issue was thinking about the fact that it’s been complete for a decade but we are just now getting to read it but I honestly couldn’t even get too upset about that since the story reads like a fresh new tale even after all those years. This is sure to become a timeless classic to be loved by Superman fans for many years to come.