Another snapshot of my old 2002 AOL homepage on comics, this time from the R’views section (‘R’views’ is my shorthand for ‘Rios’ reviews’. Crazy to think I’ve been using it for this long). The following is a look at Superman For All Seasons by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale with colors by Bjarne Hansen. It’s less a review and more an analysis of sorts, with a little bit of Footnoting going on as well. And clearly I needed an editor: spelling mistakes everywhere – apparently I wasn’t fond of the spellcheck feature on my old Gateway. Ha. I’m sure my grammar is all over the place, but that’s fine. I know my limits as a writer – that’s why I’m a performer. Even through all of that, I enjoyed the reread. Many of the observations could be explored further but I like the connections that are discussed throughout the review – a strength going back to my love of trivia and to script analysis for theatre, etc. I’ll let the R’view speak for itself from here. Hit the images for a larger view.
I finally read this last summer while on vacation. Easily one of the best Superman stories I’ve ever read – and I say that as one who is generally not a fan of Loeb’s writing (though I feel he does excel in retelling stories, like this expansion of Superman’s origin; he is able to make connections and expand scenes from the originals that really add to the overall tale). Tim Sale has a lot to do with that, but as you point out, there are some beautiful bits of dialogue that infuse a scene with emotion in a succinct manner that is impressive. The copy I read was loaned out from the library, but I think I will have to add this to my collection at some point, especially if my youngest son continues with his burgeoning appreciation of comic books.
Definitely speaks to the power of the character – writers can tell stories in ways that just don’t work with other characters. No way could this be an Iron Man story. Or Elongated Man. lol