Gerber, Steve
AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:
3.3 out of 5
(3 books)
TOP PICK:
Superman: Last Son Of Earth - Book 1 Of 2
Superman: Last Son Of Earth - Book 1 Of 2
(Art by Doug Wheatley and Chris Chuckry)
An Elseworlds story in which Jonathan and Martha Kent, learning that Earth is about to be destroyed by a meteor, send their infant son Clark into space in a rocket. The child ends up on the planet Krypton, where he is adopted by Jor-El and raised as a Kryptonian, albeit one with uncharacteristic disabilities.
Elseworlds stories need two things to be really good and all too often lack either of them. They need an interesting core 'What if...?' premise and they then need to do something interesting with that premise. I'm pleased to say that this book has both elements to it.
The idea of Superman being a refugee from a doomed Earth arriving on Krypton is so simple that it amazes me I've never encountered a story based on that idea before. But as well as being simple, it's interesting; allowing the writer to invert all the established lore about Superman's biology in relation to the two planets. The concept is then taken in an interesting direction by having Kal-El's unusual nature give him a personality which clashes with the stagnant and indolent culture of the Kryptonians. Throw in a Green Lantern ring and there's some really interesting stuff to enjoy in this sadly too-short book.
I've also loved Doug Wheatley's artwork since his work on the Star Wars franchise for Dark Horse Comics.
4 out of 5
Superman: Last Son Of Earth - Book 2 Of 2
(Art by Doug Wheatley and Chris Chuckry)
The second part of this Elseworlds story, in which Superman is a refugee from Earth raised on Krypton, sees Kal-El travel to Oa to train as a Green Lantern and try to unlock his fragmented memories of his homeworld. Eventually finding his way back to the devastated ruins of Earth, Kal-El chooses to weigh in amid the warring tribes of survivors against the fascistic dictator Lex Luthor.
This is definitely something of a step down from the first book, mostly because it returns Kal-El to Earth, where he has to basically just be Superman. It squanders some of the interesting novelty of this particular Elseworlds premise by returning too close to the original version of Superman. Sure, Earth's a post-apocalyptic wasteland now, but feisty Lois Lane and proud Perry White leading the resistance against Lex Luthor's ambitions of world conquest are just too familiar even with the changed context.
This isn't a bad story but I definitely preferred seeing Superman as an alien on Krypton as an engaging new take on the character.
3 out of 5
Superman: Last Stand On Krypton
(Art by Doug Wheatley)
An Elseworlds story and the follow-up to 'Last Son of Earth'. Kal-El has helped to rebuild the devastated planet Earth but finds himself rejected by those in power, suspicious of his upbringing on Krypton. He returns to his adopted homeworld to discover a schism in Krypton's culture spurred by his own actions there. As tensions between the faction led by his father, Jor-El, and the forces of General Zod escalate, Lex Luthor arrives as the spark of open conflict.
I enjoyed seeing this story return to Krypton, with that part of this reversed Superman story being what I found most interesting in 'Last Son of Earth'. I liked the way that Kal-El's own actions have caused a revolution among some Kryptonians and put them into opposition against the established authorities and their desire to maintain the status quo. We also get a delightfully unhinged version of Lex Luthor here, whose lunacy means that he feels like a true chaotic threat.
Ultimately, however, despite the good stuff this book has, the overall product is just okay rather than exceptional.
3 out of 5
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DC Comics (here)