About the Author

J. Michael Straczynski has worked in television, comics and, most recently, motion pictures. In comics, he is known for The Amazing Spider-Man, The Twelve, Thor, and Silver Surfer- Requiem. He is nominated for the 2009 Best Writer Eisner Award. In movies, he is known for Changeling and such upcoming films as World War Z, Ninja Assassin, a forthcoming reinterpretation of Forbidden Planet.

Shane Davis is a graduate of the prestigious Joe Kubert school and current exclusive artist for DC Comics. Although he is relatively new to the industry, he is a fast-rising star that has made a name for himself with his breathtaking artwork on titles including GREEN LANTERN- RAGE OF THE RED LANTERNS, MYSTERY IN SPACE and SUPERMAN / BATMAN- THE SEARCH FOR KRYPTONITE.

Reviews

"JMS has created a brilliant breathing world of consequence and DC is delivering this vision in epic scope.. . . Masterful. . . . truly extraordinary" - AIN'T IT COOL NEWS"This is a Superman for the 21st century. With SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE, Straczynski and Davis inject the folk tale and legend that is Superman's origin with a modern, vital and forward-looking energy that makes for a refreshing, epic and challenging super-hero adventure. . . . SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE channels the best tales of Superman with a look toward the future, by two of the brightest talents the industry has to offer."--/FILM"Excellent.... From its poignant domestic moments, delivered in mostly warm, fuzzy flashbacks, to its blockbuster battles, Straczynski's Superman: Earth One renders like a feature film just waiting for adaptation. "--WIRED"Artist Shane Davis rightly gives the book a photorealistic look to drive home that this is more science fiction than superhero romp. . . This is a handsome, rock-solid Superman fable that gets to the scifi pith of his legend."--io9"Brooding."--CNN"What do you get when you combine Twilight and a classic superhero? The new Superman."--THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER"The new Superman doesn't sparkle, but he does brood and smolder. Artist Shane Davis has created a moody 20 year-old version of the iconic hero who rocks a hipster look."--NEW YORK PRESS"Shane Davis really shines in this book. . . . The art comes alive with energy and design"--IFANBOY"Davis provides sleek figures, intense detail, and subtle integration of current hairstyles and fashions (including a nip and tuck to the old supersuit itself) that do the lion's share of the contemporizing ... [and] Straczynski . . . distinguishes the work, humanizing the dynamic between characters and adding a compelling twist of melancholy to young Clark Kent's search for purpose."--BOOKLIST"Straczynski, a master of building characters, brings depth and emotion to the Man of Steel and Davis' artwork is a joy to behold."--AM MEW YORK

Superman's origin has been reimagined many times over the years, most recently in DC's "New 52" reboot (LJ 11/15/12), Geoff Johns's lackluster Superman: Secret Identity, and this compelling series. In the first volume, Krypton's destroyers track that world's last survivor to Earth and threaten to destroy this planet as well, forcing a young Clark Kent to step up to its defense and publicly reveal his powers. Here, he's pitted against a new, serial-killer version of the energy-draining Parasite, a villain who opens up new possibilities to the U.S. government's quest for a potential countermeasure in case Superman ever goes rogue. VERDICT Eisner Award winner Straczynski (Babylon 5; Amazing Spider-Man) does more than contemporize Superman's story; his hero is a wild card who grew up alienated and isolated, whose human parents' wishes for him are more about self-actualization than doing good deeds, and whose birth parents have tasked him with avenging Krypton against its enemies. And his new girlfriend, Lisa Lasalle, has a shameful secret that has nothing to do with aliens, villains, or super-science. Davis's artwork combines classic superhero design with contemporary detail and a slightly dark edge. Fine stuff.-S.R. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.