"Lex Luthor: Man of Steel" impressions [Archive]

Forsaken_One

02-22-2005, 02:20 PM

The preview is here (http://www.popcultureshock.com/reviews.php?id=3908), all whopping eight (8) pages of it.

I have to say, looking at these pages... this is exactly the Lex Luthor I've always wanted. Intelligent, ruthless when needed but kind to those who don't threaten him, and a complete hardcore humanist. Some might label him as xenophobic but I've always thought he should see himself as looking out for humanity first and his own interests second. In other words he doesn't see himself as a "bad guy" at all.

I'm definintly getting this. What do you all think?

Kilgore Trout

02-22-2005, 02:32 PM

I liked this line:

"Fresh off his dynamic run on SUPERMAN, Brian Azzarello...

Dynamic... Oooookay... That's one thing you could call it. You could also call it incomprehensible, although I'm sure EVERYTHING will be explained to Brian's satisfaction with the final installment...

I’ll be skipping this one. I've pretty much had enough of Azz for a while. I don't need to spend the money on another mini series that I'm too stupid to understand :rolleyes:

kash

02-22-2005, 03:04 PM

this looks wicked good from the preview

save JLA i never get Superman titles but this mini, Winick's CM/Supes three parter and Gail Simone on Action my wallets gonna be much smaller soon

HartyPotter

02-22-2005, 03:42 PM

This looks like it could be a first-rate book

Sean Whitmore

02-22-2005, 04:13 PM

I like Luthor a lot, so I'm definitely getting this. Hopefully Azz had already moved past the circle-jerk that is "For Tomorrow" when he wrote this.

I also don't think Luthor is Satan incarnate, but it's a little generous to just define him in terms of hating Superman. Long before Supes ever showed up, Lex was still a crimelord. He may not think of himself as a bad guy, I just hope the writer keeps in mind that he's a bad guy.

I liked seeing Lex chat it up with the janitor. Not for a second do I believe he cares about the guy, but it's illustrative of the act Luthor put on for years to make people think he's a great guy.

SEAN

Forsaken_One

02-22-2005, 04:28 PM

Well he's done what are generally seen as immoral things, but I honestly don't think anyone sees themselves as evil. From the worst people according to history (Hitler, Stalin, etc) to some punk selling crack on a street corner or someone robbing a liquor store, I don't think they see themselves as evil. Desperate perhaps, sometimes doing what they do for the greater good, sometimes doing something that's wrong so that they can make life right again, whatever other reasoning they might have. But I don't really think someone goes "Well, I'm evil I guess. I'm going to go beat an old lady upside the head with a baseball bat now." Or something to that effect.

So no, I don't really expect Luthor to be pure and moralistic outside of his hate for Superman (and probably by extention all those other aliens like Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, and possibly even metahumans such as the Flash). I do however expect what he does to have justification, even if that justification is the standard line that there will always be a supply for a demand, and he might as well be that supply.

And I guess I should be glad I don't read standard Superman comics, so I'm completely unfamiliar with Azzarelo at this point. It's kinda funny, I haven't read a superman comic reguarly for years and yet I buy the elseworlds and one-shots set in that world all the time (Secret Identity, Red Son, Question, now Lex Luthor).

Sean Whitmore

02-22-2005, 05:34 PM

That's why I'm glad Azz has a background in crime comics. He should be able to inject Luthor with at least the level of guilt/denial that, say, Tony Soprano has. He can do some absolutely wicked things, and figure out a way to justify it afterwards.

Oh, and nothing wrong with sticking to side projects like Secret Identity and Red Son. Saves a lot of heartache. :)

SEAN

Kilgore Trout

02-22-2005, 06:24 PM

Oh, and nothing wrong with sticking to side projects like Secret Identity and Red Son. Saves a lot of heartache. :)
SEAN
Truer words were never spoken! :)

Kojiro

02-22-2005, 08:02 PM

I'm certainly getting this book, you bet'cha.

The French Touch

02-22-2005, 08:08 PM

I'm getting this mostly for the Bermejo art.
In the end, I'm expecting to be disappointed by the story. I can never get into Azz's story. 100 Bullets, Broken City, For Tomorrow, they all lost me.
But I want to support Bermejo.

BWilly

02-22-2005, 08:24 PM

The preview looks great, but then again, so did Azz's Superman preview. I was planning on picking this mini series up when it was first announced. Since then I have found that Azz's Superman run has done nothing for me. I'm going to rely on the reaction of the community here once the Lex mini is out before picking it up.

Forsaken_One

03-02-2005, 08:51 PM

Well there's no real need to create another topic for this, so I'll post what I think now that I've read the first comic here.

There might be spoilers, and from here on out it's okay to post spoilers here. Because I say so. :p

I liked this book. I liked Lex's reasoning and I liked the slice of life we saw of Lex. I liked that he helped people out but didn't care about those he hurt while doing it. That said I have some complaints.

First is the pacing. I realize this is a miniseries and it will probably read a lot better in trade but... man was this slow paced. It was basically a ten minute span of Lex talking to some of his employees and then himself. Sure it had a bit of action in the form of that videotape but still... you could tell that this is somewhat written for trade. Which is dissapointing.

I'm also somewhat confused by the timing. This isn't really Azzarelo's fault but this series seems to play parallel to the current Question miniseries, what with Lex Luthor being a buisness man who's currently building the Science Spire (which I woudln't know what it was if I hadn't been reading the Question) and so forth.

I'm not really a huge Superman reader but I do remember that Lex was supposed to be the President of the United States of America. Then he went all crazy pre-crisis under Loeb's pen (because apparently smart means duking it out with a national hero on live television). Then Talia stole all his assets and Bruce Wayne bought up Lexcorp. But from what I remember of those shots there was no Science Spire (which would be obvious on any skyline from what we've seen), just the Lexcorp towers. So is Lex a fugitive? Is he a buisnessman? Is he running Lexcorp? Is this set in the past or the future or the present? Some clarification would be nice, though considering what the Question has done I don't really expect it.

The only other complaint I have is the idea of Superman flying over to Lex and staring at him for a few seconds before flying off to fix another problem. It's not really that big a deal, it just seemed weird when I realized Lex was actually talking with Superman floating in front of him, not imagining the image or having it reflected from his television or something.

What'd ya'll think?

IamtheRock3

03-02-2005, 09:53 PM

took that as it was one of his big window TV screen

This actully fit with Azz tommorow superman which is more inhuman and godlike. Think he much better and writter Lex viewing him as that. Interesting take.

Think this in a let the reader decide time frame..similar to what All stars is.

TCJohnson

03-03-2005, 08:45 AM

I thought the story was ok..I awlays picture Lex as being a lot more ruthless.

However, the art was just beautiful! Completely blew me away.

Justin D.

03-03-2005, 03:33 PM

I'm waiting until the mini is finished before reading any of the issues. The current Superman book is pretty indecipherable and more than a bit pretentious. However, I like the preview I read of Lex is mostly in line with what I think of the character. Even though the art is breathtakingly beautiful, the first issue is a prime example of why I'm not picking up the mini until it's completed. Simply flipping through it in the store, I saw that most of the issue was Lex having a conversation with himself. There seemed to be a few other conversations, but I do want a bit more meat to my stories and feel that I need the complete run to get something worthwhile.

bannermanonemillion

03-03-2005, 06:25 PM

I'm curious to see how Batman plays into this one....

Windbreaker

03-03-2005, 06:26 PM

8/10, I thought (http://comic-reviews.blogspot.com/2005/03/lex-luthor-man-of-steel-1-of-5.html). Haven't read his Superman run yet, so Batman's "Broken City" is all I know of Azz. I like the pace of #1. It's a mini, so we shouldn't expect grand themes being prepared. I think minis are much more effective when they focus on a narrow subject, and add flair where necessary. (see Office Space for flair etiquette)

Art was awesome. Very Daredevilish. Lots of detail in facial expressions, skin texture, etc. Fits nicely with the mood established.

cactusmaac

03-04-2005, 07:12 AM

Enjoyed #1 and looking forward to the rest.

CodeMonkey

03-06-2005, 02:16 PM

I love when villains actually have a reason for doing what they do. I love when villains aren't just cut and dry, black and white bad guys.

This is why I have always loved Lex Luthor when a writer with half a brain does a story with him.

Azzarello happens to qualify. And while I'll agree that at times, he can go super-confusing plot twist of doom on you, with a limited series the odds are good that he won't.

So, we get this book, which I enjoyed quite a lot. It touches on just why Superman refuses to accept Superman. Yes, it's been done before, but Azzarello is handling it well and I certainly am enjoying the book, and the artwork that is accompanying it.

The timing, I am a bit confused with as well, since last I knew, Luthor was MIA (post break down and losing his presidency), but I'm trying to ignore the exact timing and just enjoy the story.

choisez

03-08-2005, 12:11 AM

Yeah, I've always been a fan of villain books too and it doesn't get much better than Lex. Well, I'd also like to see another Deathstroke series, but for entirely different reasons.

Azzarello and Bermejo's Luthor is appropriately dark and I love Lee's Superman here. The little touches to his costume like the seams and embossed "S-shield" look great. I like seeing more of Orr in this book too and hopefully this series should tie-in to what Azz has been doing on Superman with Jim Lee too.

And just a guess, but I think Batman's gonna side with Luthor here and make a bid to get rid of the alien. Can't wait.

-Eddy
Art of Jim Lee (http://groups.msn.com/artofjimlee)
Art of Travis Charest (http://groups.msn.com/travischarest)
Art of Lee Bermejo (http://groups.msn.com/leebermejo)

Brian R

03-08-2005, 12:15 AM

I dunno, it just didnt hook me. I wasnt planning to pick this up, but my store owner recommended it, so I did. I have to say, while the art was nice, it felt like nothing happened at all. Now, I understand first issues tend to set things up, but the first issue should also get you excited about the project, and this didnt do it for me.

Probably not picking up number two. :(

the Monitor

04-01-2005, 07:02 AM

I'm not really a huge Superman reader but I do remember that Lex was supposed to be the President of the United States of America. Then he went all crazy pre-crisis under Loeb's pen (because apparently smart means duking it out with a national hero on live television). Then Talia stole all his assets and Bruce Wayne bought up Lexcorp. But from what I remember of those shots there was no Science Spire (which would be obvious on any skyline from what we've seen), just the Lexcorp towers. So is Lex a fugitive? Is he a buisnessman? Is he running Lexcorp? Is this set in the past or the future or the present? Some clarification would be nice, though considering what the Question has done I don't really expect it.

These were my questions exactly. Did you get any answers I've missed, Forsaken One?

Forsaken_One

04-01-2005, 09:57 AM

These were my questions exactly. Did you get any answers I've missed, Forsaken One?
Well, I learned this miniseries was delayed a bit over a year. That probably has something to do with it. I've also heard this is the Man of Steel miniseries from Lex Luthor's point of view, which would account for the early timeline, though I still don't remember the Science Spire in Metropolis. Admittedly I don't read much Superman though.

SuperManny

04-05-2005, 01:41 PM

I just couldn't get interested in it.
How are you guys liking this story?

So far, it's great! It explores another level of hate by Luthor. Before, the motivation behind his animosity seemed to be because of the fact that Superman was simply better than him: utter jealousy. Post Birthright, Waid and Azzarello are setting the tone that xenophobia is involved. He now regards Superman more "alien" and sees him as a total threat to mankind.

Funny..........Post-Byrne, he called him an "alien" simply as a ways to insult him ;)

Forsaken_One

04-11-2005, 03:24 PM

I'm going to bring back this thread just to say that this cover is so freaking awsome!

http://images.comicbookresources.com/solicits/dc072005/batman_superman/big/LexLuthorManOfSteelCv5.jpg

Oh my GOD I love this art.

Mr.Wednesday

04-12-2005, 03:41 PM

Who's that girl in the canister?

Forsaken_One

04-12-2005, 04:17 PM

Who's that girl in the canister?
That would be hope. She's relatively new, introduced in a JLA arc a few years ago (Obsidian Age I believe), her superpowers seem to be that everyone who meets her automatically trusts her (including Nightwing) and some hugely powerful electrical/energy powers that were never really explained except that they were very powerful. As in "bigger than superman" powerful. She was in Obsidian Age as part of Batman's backup Justice League, previously working for the government.

The Joker

04-13-2005, 05:19 AM

Looks good to me.

The art is simply AMAZING! And the writing seems to be pretty good as well. Havent read it, but am very much looking forward to it. You bet!
Ever since I've heard of the concept, I've been waiting to see Luthor's presepective of Superman. Should be some weird, wild stuff!

Adam West

04-18-2005, 03:52 AM

That would be hope. She's relatively new, introduced in a JLA arc a few years ago (Obsidian Age I believe), her superpowers seem to be that everyone who meets her automatically trusts her (including Nightwing) and some hugely powerful electrical/energy powers that were never really explained except that they were very powerful. As in "bigger than superman" powerful. She was in Obsidian Age as part of Batman's backup Justice League, previously working for the government.
You mean Faith?

Forsaken_One

04-18-2005, 10:07 AM

You mean Faith?
Yep. I get those two mixed up. :p

Daniel Hopkins

07-02-2005, 01:20 AM

I bought the 1st issue of LL not thinking it would turn out to be anything great but was pleasently supprised.

The art is fantastic and the story should be an excellenet insite into one of the most infamous minds of DC.

Highly Recommended ;)

Anybody got any opinions?

Guts/Batman

07-02-2005, 02:46 AM

It owns, yes. Hopefully, we won't get a jumbled ending to the mini series this month.

So many loose ends. I hope they will tie them all up.

Daniel Hopkins

07-02-2005, 03:26 AM

what did u think of the art?

I like the look of the metropolis while Lex is loooking out of his window

Guts/Batman

07-02-2005, 01:04 PM

Everything about this mini series owns. Art, story, evertyhing. Though I don't know how they will be able to finish it in one issue.

Bakema NL

07-02-2005, 03:48 PM

Absolutely great mini so far. I hesitated getting it, but boy I'm glad I ordered it.

Core

07-03-2005, 12:57 AM

I picked up the first issue of this mini solely for the cover art: that parodic image of Lex is great.

I picked up the following issues because the story in issue #1 was well crafted. Good stuff.

PrimalScream

07-03-2005, 05:52 AM

wats it about?

Musichead

07-03-2005, 08:40 AM

What issue is this mini up to? I've been pretty busy and haven't really kept up with newer issues lately.

Guts/Batman

07-03-2005, 01:37 PM

What issue is this mini up to? I've been pretty busy and haven't really kept up with newer issues lately.

It's through 4 of 5 issues. #5 will be coming out this month.

wats it about?

It is about Lex Luthor. Explaining his reasons why he thinks Superman needs to be killed. But it doesn't depect him as a villain but as a businessman. Explaining his character, in a dynamic way, IMO.

Hound

07-05-2005, 10:24 AM

Almost didn't pick it up, did so relucatantly, and was very, very pleasantly surprised. A quality book that I'm glad I'm getting...though #5 will, obviously, go a long way to determining how I look back on the series.

SuperManny

07-07-2005, 04:23 PM

666MasterOfPuppets

07-07-2005, 05:19 PM

There's no evidence of this anywhere so far besides her powers.....chances are she's just around for the entire run of the mini.

It would be a cool link though!

I had the impression that Hope was Faith. But then again, I didn't remember that the JLA girl was called Faith.

So, I don't think Faith=Hope...

*Looking forward to issue #5*

Daniel Hopkins

07-10-2005, 11:15 PM

Does anyone think they will make a TPB of this?

Guts/Batman

07-10-2005, 11:16 PM

Yes, don't they make TPBs of almost any miniseries?

Now the question is when it is coming out.

terminallunch

07-11-2005, 01:11 AM

When is this set? Earlier? What about that Question miniseries? Is the Luthor from Superman/Batman 19 (unhinged, out of the closet villain) the current version

Guts/Batman

07-11-2005, 01:24 AM

When is this set? Earlier? What about that Question miniseries? Is the Luthor from Superman/Batman 19 (unhinged, out of the closet villain) the current version

Not sure to tell you the truth.

He isn't President.

It also appears that Superman/Batman are not friends. So I would guess this is elseworld-esqe.

Bored at 3:00AM

07-11-2005, 10:47 AM

SuperManny

07-11-2005, 12:13 PM

I'm also confused as to when this series is supposed to be taking place. Clearly Luthor isn't President Lex here, but he's not the overtly villianous Green & Purple Armor Luthor either. Maybe this is supposed to be a post-Infinite Crisis story.

This series is supposed to capture Lex Luthor from his early run-ins with Superman, post-Birthright. Maybe a year-one or year-two kind of character, because he seems still madly in love with the city and humanity itself.
Plus, if it was post-presidency, he's a wanted criminal :p

It's kinda cool of the DCU to have two wanted ex-presidents :eek:

Bored at 3:00AM

07-11-2005, 12:25 PM

This series is supposed to capture Lex Luthor from his early run-ins with Superman, post-Birthright. Maybe a year-one or year-two kind of character, because he seems still madly in love with the city and humanity itself.
Plus, if it was post-presidency, he's a wanted criminal :p

It's kinda cool of the DCU to have two wanted ex-presidents :eek:

Oh, that makes perfect sense. This is basically, Birthright: Year Two or Lex Luthor: The Early Years.

Thanks Manny.

666MasterOfPuppets

07-14-2005, 12:26 PM

This series is supposed to capture Lex Luthor from his early run-ins with Superman, post-Birthright. Maybe a year-one or year-two kind of character, because he seems still madly in love with the city and humanity itself.
Plus, if it was post-presidency, he's a wanted criminal :p

It's kinda cool of the DCU to have two wanted ex-presidents :eek:

A wanted criminal?

I was under the impression that to the general public, he just "disappeared" (remember that Daily Planet front page in Superman/Batman #6)?

Hmmm... My memory is blurry...

SuperManny

07-14-2005, 12:32 PM

I was under the impression that to the general public, he just "disappeared" (remember that Daily Planet front page in Superman/Batman #6)?

Good point.....but my impression is that after that issue, all the illegal activity he was undergoing became exposed. That's why the government jailed Amanda Waller, I believe. See Superman: Secret Files and Origins 2004 for more on that.....but I'm pretty sure even the JLA has exposed him.

Curious!

666MasterOfPuppets

07-14-2005, 02:27 PM

Good point.....but my impression is that after that issue, all the illegal activity he was undergoing became exposed. That's why the government jailed Amanda Waller, I believe. See Superman: Secret Files and Origins 2004 for more on that.....but I'm pretty sure even the JLA has exposed him.

Curious!

Hmmm...

I'll try to check it out. Gonna be damn hard for me though: it's gonna be tough for me to find that Secret Files.

SuperManny

07-14-2005, 03:13 PM

I'll try to check it out. Gonna be damn hard for me though: it's gonna be tough for me to find that Secret Files.

The story is in the collection just recently released, Prelude to Infinite Crisis.

I'm going to have a look at it tonite.

comicster

07-20-2005, 01:05 PM

Lee talks about his drawing style in this interview with comic foundry. check it out here (http://www.comicfoundry.com/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=132). the guy is amazingly talented.

Headhunter

07-20-2005, 10:44 PM

Looks good, I've never come across a Lex Luthor that felt right.

Bit off topic, but when did PopCultureShock turn into Buzzscope? What happened to all of their archived wallpapers?

666MasterOfPuppets

07-21-2005, 10:23 AM

The story is in the collection just recently released, Prelude to Infinite Crisis.

I'm going to have a look at it tonite.

Thanks for the info. I'll see what I can do.

Matt K

10-17-2005, 05:50 PM

The place where I order comics priced this at $6.50 and I'm thinking of getting it. Can someone give me a brief idea of what the series was like? Also I'm pretty much a DC newbie would that pose a problem? Thanks.

Forsaken_One

10-17-2005, 06:11 PM

Stunning art and a damn good storyline, definintly worth picking up. There are some seemingly random parts that don't make a whole ton of sense, but they fit in with the overall storyline and really only confuse people who carea bout continuity. Technically this ties in with a couple other miniseries but, in truth, so long as you're generally aware of Superman and Lex Luthor's relationship (i.e. they aren't buddy-buddy) you can go into the miniseries with no problems whatsoever.

EyesWideOpen

10-17-2005, 06:16 PM

i thought it was great. it shows how by changing perceptions and putting Luthor as our protaginist you get a different look at the Superman character.

Azrael52

10-18-2005, 11:49 AM

I agree with what's been said here for the most part. The issues read alone are really good. The series as a whole seemed to lose whatever story it was trying to get acroos, but it did great portraying the way that Luthor thinks. You should read it if you get the chance. As for you being a newbie to DC, welcome, and don't worry about that effecting your enjoyment of the book. As for a $6.50 price, I'd say wait for the TPB. My 2 cents.

mohammedali

10-22-2005, 07:46 AM

I think any comic that can reinvent a character who has been a villain for over 50 years as someone who is, in his own way, doing what is best for humanity, is worth buying. The artwork is also really good and it shows some Bruce Wayne/Lex Luthor interaction. A rare treat considering we barely get to see much Bruce Wayne on his own even in the Batbooks.
Oh, and I don't think this was supposed to be an elseworld. It's seemed to show one of the very early meetings between Batman and Superman. Who says they need to be friends straight away anyway?
All in all, strongly recommended...

Mohammed Ali

megladon8

12-16-2005, 12:09 PM

Azzarello and Bermejo. Sounds like a match made in heaven, to me.

How was it? I'm thinking of picking up the trade.

Even if it ends up sucking, the art alone will make the purchase worthwhile.

http://www.dccomics.com/media/covers/4567_400x600.jpg

http://www.supermanhomepage.com/images/solicitation-artwork/April-2005/LexLuthorMOS2.jpg

http://comixtreme.com/gallery/data/media/19/LexLuthorManOfSteel3.jpg

http://img232.exs.cx/img232/4590/390878so.jpg

Bored at 3:00AM

12-16-2005, 12:15 PM

megladon8

12-16-2005, 12:24 PM

Its a nice Luthor story. Better than "For Tomorrow", in that its a lot more linear and less pretentious. Well, there's still a lot of pretentious dialogue, but its coming from Luthor, so it fits the character.

I've never been able to see why people find For Tomorrow to be pretentious and/or confusing.

I thought it was pretty straight forward.

Bored at 3:00AM

12-16-2005, 12:35 PM

I've never been able to see why people find For Tomorrow to be pretentious and/or confusing.

I thought it was pretty straight forward.

Different strokes.

I enjoyed For Tomorrow much more the second read through. Dialogue was still pretty wretched at times, but damn if there weren't some cool moments.

Guts/Batman

12-16-2005, 02:52 PM

I've never been able to see why people find For Tomorrow to be pretentious and/or confusing.

I thought it was pretty straight forward.

The timeline of the story really screwed me up. The elementals, the OMAC, Zod, and all that stuff...didn't really mesh as I was reading it.

It was hell on me for reading it a few issues at a time. Now if I had read it all at the same time (which I might do one of these days), it might be different.

megladon8

12-16-2005, 08:56 PM

The timeline of the story really screwed me up. The elementals, the OMAC, Zod, and all that stuff...didn't really mesh as I was reading it.

It was hell on me for reading it a few issues at a time. Now if I had read it all at the same time (which I might do one of these days), it might be different.

Yeh I started to get back into comics when the run was almost over, so I got all the back issues and read it all at once.

Calamas

12-18-2005, 02:40 PM

I liked this mini very much. I did not expect to. I was put off by how it was promoted, particularly the tagline, something like: “This time Superman is the villain.” Superman is never the villain. But Azzarello did an excellent job showing Superman from Luther’s viewpoint without desecrating his character. The last issue loses some momentum as it draws to a conclusion, and I wasn’t familiar with one of the prominent characters in the story, but that did not mar my enjoyment.

I can recommend it.

stealthwise

12-29-2005, 07:39 PM

Lurker

12-29-2005, 08:29 PM

Grabbed the trade today

Myself as well.

My overall opinion from reading this is Luthor is an idiot and the best laid plans of mice and men or whatever.

Without getting real spoilerific, what did he think he was going to accomplish with his actions in the last chapter? It seemed to me his greatest enemy was himself rather than the alien. He came out loooking absolutely [expletive deleted] pathetic.

Joker2503

12-29-2005, 08:39 PM

Lurker

12-29-2005, 09:33 PM

I was blown away by this series. Art, dialogue, story, everything. As far as the continuity issues go, I tried not to think about when this is happening at all. It's almost like "All-Star Lex Luthor."

As far as the trade goes, what kind of extras does it have? I've got the whole series, and I'm wondering if picking up the trade is worth it on top of the individual issues.

No extras, save your mula.

And don't get me wrong, I liked it alot. I just came away from it thinking Luthor tooled himself.

Luthor should have an ongoing. He's a very interesting piece of work.

666MasterOfPuppets

12-30-2005, 05:38 AM

Kriminal

12-30-2005, 04:50 PM

Grabbed the trade today and it was really entertaining. A nice look at Luthor as more of a tragic, evil figure rather than just straight-forward lame villain. The art was breathtaking, and Azzarello's writing was much better than in For Tomorrow.

I don’t place the blame on Azzarello for “For Tomorrow’s” lack of resonance, Jim Lee’s characters do not emote, and his sense of design is questionable at best (see General Zod, and Equus).
Azzarello is major, easily one of my favorite writers, and Lex Luthor: Man of Steel was one of the best “Superman” stories I’ve read in a good long time.

Lurker

12-30-2005, 06:12 PM

I don’t place the blame on Azzarello for “For Tomorrow’s” lack of resonance, Jim Lee’s characters do not emote, and his sense of design is questionable at best (see General Zod, and Equus).

So Jim Lee's art was da reason everyone bitched about For Tomorrow?

See your own post (the one with the definition) in the ASB&R #3 thread.

Kriminal

12-30-2005, 10:35 PM

So Jim Lee's art was da reason everyone bitched about For Tomorrow?

See your own post (the one with the definition) in the ASB&R #3 thread.

Did I contradict myself? I’m not a fan of Lee’s, never have been. Also, I believe that I stated a personal opinion, not an all-encompassing fact.
Azzarello is aces in general, but with the proper artist, he shines (see Eduardo Risso & Marcel Frusin); of course, this is the case with almost any creative team. For the most part, I understood what Azzarello was trying to do with Superman, and appreciated it, even if it wasn’t an entirely successful venture.

BTW, stalking people on message boards is creepy.

stealthwise

12-30-2005, 11:42 PM

Did I contradict myself? I’m not a fan of Lee’s, never have been. Also, I believe that I stated a personal opinion, not an all-encompassing fact.
Azzarello is aces in general, but with the proper artist, he shines (see Eduardo Risso & Marcel Frusin); of course, this is the case with almost any creative team. For the most part, I understood what Azzarello was trying to do with Superman, and appreciated it, even if it wasn’t an entirely successful venture.

BTW, stalking people on message boards is creepy.

I dropped "For Tomorrow" after three issues. It had nothing to do with Lee, as the story was boring and plodding, and the dialogue obscure and pretentious. When Azzarello misfires, he really misfires.

Btw, I doubt he's stalking you, more likely just noticed you commenting on the same things and pointing out a discrepancy. It's a small community board.

Lurker

12-31-2005, 01:17 PM

Did I contradict myself? I’m not a fan of Lee’s, never have been. Also, I believe that I stated a personal opinion, not an all-encompassing fact.
Azzarello is aces in general, but with the proper artist, he shines (see Eduardo Risso & Marcel Frusin); of course, this is the case with almost any creative team. For the most part, I understood what Azzarello was trying to do with Superman, and appreciated it, even if it wasn’t an entirely successful venture.

BTW, stalking people on message boards is creepy.

If you don't like people commenting on your posts, don't post them.

And let me point out that I was active on both threads long before you showed up on them. Give your ego a rest and find something better to do with your time.

Calamas

01-01-2006, 12:59 AM

I dropped "For Tomorrow" after three issues. It had nothing to do with Lee, as the story was boring and plodding, and the dialogue obscure and pretentious. When Azzarello misfires, he really misfires.I agree with your opinion of “For Tomorrow,” but I stuck with it all the way because my opinion of Azzarello differs somewhat from yours. To wit: Azzarello is slow getting started but when he finally gets there, you got some very good stuff waiting for you. Turns out you were more right than I. I could’ve bought the last three issues and not missed a thing.

Bored at 3:00AM

01-01-2006, 06:45 AM

I agree with your opinion of “For Tomorrow,” but I stuck with it all the way because my opinion of Azzarello differs somewhat from yours. To wit: Azzarello is slow getting started but when he finally gets there, you got some very good stuff waiting for you. Turns out you were more right than I. I could’ve bought the last three issues and not missed a thing.

I agree, the story almost reads better if you skip to the end, then go back and read the beginning. He was so frustratingly vague about what was actually going on at the start, it felt like it wasn't worth slogging through anymore issues to actually find out. All for General Zod with a costume circa 1995....I'm actually surprised Lee didn't put in any gratuitous buckles and straps

666MasterOfPuppets

01-02-2006, 05:03 AM

Perhaps the things went kinda slow in For Tomorrow, but I think the pace was completely right, fitting the story. Jim Lee's art was absolutely great, and I must say that For Tomorrow was the first time I read Azzarello, and left me with a good impression.

I know it's not what we're used to read in a Superman comic book, but that was the point: something completely different. Not entirely action, but something more introspective, more reflexive.

I freakin' loved it.