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May 7, 2014: "Adventures of Superman" - A Retrospective Examination

Over the course of its 51 chapters, the "Adventures of Superman" digital-first comic book series had a couple of reviewers here at the Superman Homepage. Shawn Morrissey and Alisa Gossage look back on the series one final time.

DC Comics - No Boy Scouts in Red Trunks Allowed

By Alisa Lea Gossage

If you are reading this, you must love Superman. I know I do. I've loved him since I was a child. However, until recently, I had no reason to articulate why I loved him. He was the good guy, and we were supposed to like the good guy and hate the bad guy. That was the formula. And how could you not like Superman? He was polite, got cats out of trees, often saved the world and was in love with a strong, independent woman. Plus, Superman was (and still is) hot!

But something happened. Apparently, for some people, that wasn't enough. I had no idea so many people hated Superman. Okay, Superman isn't for everyone, I get that. But... hate Superman? That's like hating puppies and kittens.

And as I traversed the internet, I began to hear a slogan repeated over and over by the anti-Superman gang. Apparently, some people found Superman... un-relatable and boring. This fact tells us a lot about our culture. Apparently, a good man choosing to use his extraordinary powers to do good is... un-relatable and boring. That's just sad... and a little scary.

Adventures of Superman was a testament of that by-gone era when people did good things just for the sake of doing good. No cameras. No flashiness. No drama. Superman helped people because he could. There was no ulterior motive. No dark past. No fighting the darkness within. He was raised in a two parent house-hold where right and wrong was taught, and people were held accountable for their actions. I guess people find all that boring now.

I don't. I loved the Adventures of Superman title, and I'm going to miss it. Yes, there were some issues that were not so good. Then, there were issues like the sweetly-sad 'Flowers for Bizarro' and the weirdly, tripped-out stories like 'Strange Visitor'. I especially liked the cover for 'The Sound of One Hand Clapping.' And 'The Coming of... Sugar and Spike...' was just plain fun.

But the most important thing in all the issues, good or bad, was that Superman was Superman. He didn't question himself or what he believed. He was confident, strong, smart and caring. He was the Big Blue Boy Scout in the red trunks. That was the Superman of Adventures of Superman. I'll miss him.

I'd like to give Steve Younis my heart felt gratitude for giving me the opportunity to write the reviews for DC's Adventures of Superman. It was fun. Sorry I didn't always get them to you on time. Also, I would like to thank everyone at the Superman Homepage for all the hard work they do. The love they pour into the character we all know as 'Superman' is without measure. Lastly, to those who read and commented on my reviews... thanks. I appreciate the fact that you took time out of your day to respond to my reviews.

Alisa

-=-

Adventures of Superman

By Shawn Morrissey

The cancellation of Adventures of Superman was unfortunate, not only because it took away from us an out-of-continuity digital-first Superman title, one which we could enjoy weekly and cheaply, but also because it was so sudden. It seems no one other than DC was privy to the cancellation. I didn't know until I read the synopsis for issue #51. Although my overall feelings for the title are moderate, Adventures of Superman delivered some of the best stories in superhero comic books during its run, and, as I've never been shy to note, the single greatest Superman story of 2013.

I aimed high with my Adventures of Superman reviews. I approached most of them creatively, consistently thinking how to spin the standard and give my readers a different experience. I wrote reviews as ace Daily Planet reporter Morris E. McShannigan (#1, "Violent Minds"), from the perspective of Bizarro (#3, "Bizarro's Worst Day"), via an editorial by Perry White (#5, "Slow News Day"), with a graph breaking down why I think the relatability argument is bunk (#7, "Faster Than a Bullet"), as Ma Kent writing in her diary (#12, "Savior"), and more. I also got a little personal a couple of times, talking about how the stories affected me with regards to suicide (#19, "Saved") and raising a congenitally sick daughter (#28, "Dear Superman"). I was on review duty for the first thirty issues (and had great substitutes in Marc Pritchard and Alisa Gossage on a couple issues) and had a great time. My schedule got too tight by the end of November 2013, forcing me to step down. At that time, Alisa stepped in to take over.

Adventures of Superman was mostly a mixed bag. The majority of the stories were entertaining enough, but didn't pull enough weight to endear themselves to my memory. With the tough task of keeping up with the couple of gems published in the Adventures of Superman's earlier issues, things started going dry by the time the title hit the teens, and drooped almost entirely by the twenties. In my review of "Space, Actually" (#21) I noted that Adventures of Superman sometimes "soars to lofty yarn spinning heights" but that too many of the stories are "so dry and lethargic that their pitchy mundanity risks shadowing the fewer tales that gleam with excellence." The title's first let down was "The Bottle City of Metropolis" (#4). At the time of my review I called it one of the most inconsequential Superman comic books I've ever read. I've since read many more, and my claim remains in tact. This and "Infant in Arms" part 2 (#14) were the worst Adventures of Superman had to offer. This level of uneven, rushed storytelling became more persistent as the title entered issues numbered in the 30's and 40's.

I was harsh on Adventures of Superman's misfires. It deserved it, of course, as it published some of the most undaring and conventional stories in the mainstream industry. Some of the stories were so directionless they were a chore to read and I wondered how literature of such shallow wit and dim craft could pass editorial. Through the Superman Homepage's out-of-five grading system I handed out a couple of ones, a few twos, but mostly threes. Fours popped up, and only twice did the stories I review deserve a five. Some fans were less than pleased with what I had to say. I had constant criticism thrown at me. Some of the more colorful and questionable criticisms came as pseudo-insults: I was too young to understand the stories; I like "modern" storytelling, and the Adventures of Superman stories are "traditional"; I don't understand Superman. These were all just excuses, of course, merely self-therapy to comfort the detractors from the dread that anyone could hold a different opinion. The truth is I labored over my reviews, contemplating how well they exemplified the craft. In the end, many of the stories I reviewed in Adventures of Superman just weren't well written.

Much of the support for Adventures of Superman, it seems, came from leveling the title against the New 52 rather than holding it responsible for its own merits. Honestly, I believe a lot of the adoration for Adventures of Superman came from a comfort zone cushioned by what is perceived as "classic Superman". I can't get onboard with that, especially when I was in charge of critiquing the stories. It takes a lot more than a Superman that saves people, wears red trunks, dates/marries Lois, breaks chains, and embodies hope to tell a good story. Those are character details and characters alone don't tell stories. There are elements of writing, masterful manipulation of grammar, slick usage of vocabulary, and a keen sense of the craft necessary to tell good tales. Coupled with all of that, a bravery to break convention and push creativity carries stories beyond the page and shatters expectation. Convention equates mediocrity, and that's not what I look for in fiction from any genre or medium. I like seeing Superman being what is expected of him - the epicenter of superheroism in his world, sacrificing his time and life to his diligence and dedication to all people, quick to pull a boy and his dog out of the way of a speeding truck just as confidently and admirably as he stands before the dreadful might of Darkseid - but if the way his character unfolds isn't lit by the brilliance of literary craft, then the story isn't really worth a damn. That's how I see it, and that's how I reviewed the title. It's rather convenient to conclude that my negative reviews of Adventures of Superman were the result of me not understanding Superman. It's more likely that my detractors simply didn't understand me.

Just as I pulled no punches with Adventures of Superman's blunders, I was glowing and gushing with its triumphs. The best stories in Adventures of Superman oddly didn't focus on Superman. Many times throughout the series, Superman was on the peripheral, while other characters nestled at the core, carrying the plot to exceptional ends. It isn't surprising that these stories, the ones that tilted slightly the common approach to Superman, represent Adventures of Superman's top tier. Two stories that stand out are "Savior" (#12) and "The Way These Things Begin" (#15), with the former, as my review stated, delivering one of the best representations of Ma Kent to ever grace the page... or touch screen.

Only twice did I hand out perfect scores. As I alluded to above, a reviewer should be picky. A reviewer has to perform dissection, pulling the guts out of a story to see what makes it tick. The organs and arteries have to be understood themselves, and moreover how well they work within the body. I believe that if this is done honestly, a perfect score will always be hard to come by. Fives-out-of-five don't come every Wednesday when we pick up our pull lists, and it certainly didn't come every week with Adventures of Superman. When a perfect score is given, it's a symbol of something truly magnificent, something different. It's something that deserves a pedestal because it's better. The second story I gave a 5 out of 5 was "Dear, Superman," aforementioned as a story that drew out of me a very personal review. About a young girl battling cancer finding strength in Superman's inspiration, the story confirmed for me the power of Superman's influence and how I and my little girl, sick with a presently incurable and potential fatal syndrome, have to keep hope and live happily and fully. I should note that "Dear, Superman" was written by former Superman Homepager Josh Elder, who kindly noted after reading my review that his story was written for people like me and my girl. The first perfect score I gave to the title was also the best Superman story of 2013: Jeff Lemire's "Fortress". The second installment in the series, "Fortress" is a story of scraped knees, secret hideouts, and capes made out of towels. No Superman story published since, nor for ages before, has captured so exquisitely the essence of Superman's influence on children of the real world. It's not so much a Superman tale as it is a love letter to a childhood blooming out of comic books, and especially Superman comic books. There's little more I can say about it. It's better you read the story, and my review, for yourself.

And now Adventures of Superman is gone, made more frustrating due to the ninja-like tactics behind its cancellation. Overall, I didn't love the series. Its inconsistencies in quality held it back from allowing me to adore it. I can't agree with the idea that during its run Adventures of Superman was the best Superman title available. Those pesky inconsistencies again. At times it was just as dour as anything Scott Lobdell plunked down in his Superman book. Yet, because it was out-of-continuity, it was always something to look forward to every Monday. I liked hoping for the title, because I wanted it to be great. I liked hoping for another "Fortress" and dreading another "Infant in Arms." Ultimately, I think Adventures of Superman will be well remembered despite its overall mediocrity. It was the first purely Superman digital title, leaping forward and keeping up with changing times. It established an initial mark in the digital comics age for Superman, pursuing the future and manipulating the medium through which the Man of Tomorrow's stories are told. Whatever changes are in store for the comic books medium, here's hoping Superman charges right along with it.

Shawn

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