Saturday, March 21, 2015

Superman #39

   Are secret identities old hat?

   That seems to be the decision modern writers and editors keep arriving at - but while it works for some characters to have their identities known (Iron Man, Captain America), for many others their secret ID is a crucial part of the character (or at least a fun aspect of the character).

   Many times heroes have revealed their identity (most notably Spider-Man) only to force a future writer to jump through numerous hoops to reestablish it.

   Is Superman about to join their ranks?

   Last issue he revealed his secret identity to one of his human (non-super-hero) friends, and this issue we see how that works out - especially since Superman is temporarily de-powered.

   So it's a day in the life of Clark Kent, who shows what it is to be a hero, powers or not.

   It's a solid issue, with strong art by John Romita, Jr. and Klaus Janson, and a good script by Geoff Johns.

   I'm still not convinced that Clark should be going around revealing his identity like that - but if you can't trust your best friend, who can you trust?

Grade: A-

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2 comments:

Mr. Brooks said...

I feel that some writers & editors are leaning too heavily on "realism". Led by Dan DiDio DC is determined to make the characters his version of "hip". Secret ID's are a fundamental part of being a super-hero. It lets the hero relax and join us. The minute the secret is known the super-hero name is used less and less. For example, take an issue of DAREDEVIL. I guarantee you will see more "Matt' and "Murdock" and less "Daredevil".

Some heroes' secret IDs should NEVER be revealed and Superman is on the top of the list.

Chuck said...

Well said, Mr. Brooks! I think Daredevil is one of the rare exceptions - a series that reveals the hero's identity and continues to create great stories despite it. But I agree that Superman (and Batman) should never have their identities revealed to the public. And Spider-Man.