Superman Unchained - Comic Review

The Superman Story of the 2010s Decade

In June 2013, a comic book premiered around the same time as Man of Steel. That comic was called Superman Unchained. Written by Scott Snyder, a man who is considered one of the best new writers of this decade, with art by Jim Lee, considered one of the greatest artists from the 90s generation, this comic has hype written all over it. Though it is no surprise that Jim Lee would tackle Superman once again, especially since this is the New 52 incarnation, what was surprising to most comic fans is Scott Snyder. The guy is most notoriously known for his successful horror comic, American Vampire, and for writing the New 52 incarnation of Batman. In other words, this guy is dark. Very dark. What does a guy who is usually associated with darkness have to do with a character that is suppose to symbolize hope? He does the unexpected by not telling a story about hope but rather the idea of Inspiration.

As a fun note: I find it funny that both of the people working on a Superman property have the last name, Snyder. Zack for film and Scott for comics. Funny coincidence. No family relation.

The Basics

The Premise of the story is about a young Superman, but a lot more experienced. There are currently three New 52 Superman titles going on with Action Comics dealing with his younger years while Superman and Justice League deal with his older years. And somewhere in-between or around those continuities is this story and Superman/Wonder Woman, the comic dealing with his relationship with Wonder Woman. So in this story, he has grown to be more closer to the Superman people know, but he still has a lot to learn. And that big lesson comes in the form of a shocking secret: THERE WAS ANOTHER SUPERMAN ON EARTH SINCE 1938!

Who is he?

This new (but really old) Superman is called Wraith which is actually an acronym for, "William Randolph's Ace In The Hole." His origin bears many parallels with Superman but in a more deeper sense. Wraith arrived on Earth during WWII after a message was sent into space saying "Help us become better." And so, under the orders of his people, Wraith gets sent to Earth to make the world better. More specifically, he's there to make America better.

It is no coincidence that Snyder would have him land on Earth in 1938. The first issue of Action Comics was published in 1938, and that issue featured the very first appearance of Superman. Snyder also knows that around WWII, Superman was used as a propaganda tool in order to help inspire the youth as well as soldiers overseas. So in reality, the basis of Wraith is what if Superman was still an American Propaganda Tool? After all, we live in a time where Superman is concerned about the entire planet and not just one country. Wraith on the other hand is different.

To him and his people, since America was the country that sent out the message, that means it is the country worthy of being saved. Wraith is pretty much the ultimate super soldier, as he demonstrates his loyalty by pretending to be the second bomb that decimates Japan during WWII. His code is to remain hidden as the phantom that writes history. He could care less if he killed millions of people or if other countries are suffering. All that he cares about is helping America. And that is mainly attributed to General William Randolph, the officer responsible for making him an American asset.

Although that description makes him sound like a cold hearted and ruthless killing machine, his personality doesn't line up with that. In fact, he's polite, courteous, and thoughtful. Exactly the same as what people would expect from Superman. This is obviously another parallel that Snyder wanted to have between Wraith and Supes. He doesn't want to fight Superman, in fact he wants to teach him how to use his powers. Since they have the same method of creating powers, and being on the planet for 75 years, Wraith has developed his powers to a level that Superman could never dream of. He tries to make himself a father figure to Superman, as they are both aliens from different worlds with the powers of gods. But in the end, the extreme almost fascist pro-American belief that Wraith possesses is enough to separate these two from one another. Which is where most of the conflict centers on.

A God or an Inspiration?

The biggest recurring theme in this story is a question that many people have wondered: Is Superman a God who lives off of admiration or is he simply a person who wishes to inspire? The former is the theme that is put front and center for most of this story. And while Wraith is the obvious preacher of this belief, the one who crafted the sermon is Lois Lane's father, General Sam Lane. He's pretty much the General "Thunderbolt" Ross of the DC Universe, but instead of trying to bring down a Hulk he's trying to bring down a more unstoppable being. He is raised on a pretty straight forward belief about Superman that is best described through this excerpt from the story:

To many DC Comics fans, this is the most hated approach of telling a Superman story. I find it interesting that most fans of DC Comics hate seeing writers look at Superman in a different light. Especially when it deals with whether or not him being a hero is really to the benefit of mankind or to himself. Because for DC Comics fans, Superman is suppose to be the epitome of what a superhero should be. He's good because he's good, no flaws, and no need to question whether his actions have any weight to them. Which, as a DC Comics fan, I think is complete bull shit. It is a wonder why DC Comics is afraid of doing anything innovative with their characters because the fan base is so old school that it makes me want to snap some necks (haha get it? Bad joke.)

Yet while I stated that the theme is mostly about the former, Superman's actions and his true ideals are more about the latter of what people have wondered: He's an inspiration. This is how he sees himself and that's how he holds himself. He keeps doing what he's doing not because he wants the public to adore him, but he because he believes he can inspire people to do better. Which is the complete opposite of Wraith's ideology. In a way, Wraith is manipulating the world to make America better, which can be viewed as how people would expect Superman to act. Luckily for us, he's not like that. And Snyder excels at illustrating these contrasting points in a very interesting story.

Everything is connected

While the premise of the story is Superman meeting a more powerful and patriotic version of himself, the main thrust is actually the threat of a terrorist group called Ascension. And while that is going on, Lois Lane is brought back into stubborn, yet caring, reporter prominence as she goes after a lead from a mysterious man claiming ties with Ascension. And while ALL OF THAT is going on, Lex Luthor is taking advantage of the situation and hatching his own elaborate plan that involves Superman's pal, Jimmy Olsen. Snyder has managed to keep all these parts moving in a very fluid way with each separate component locking into place to tell a pretty grand story.

On the surface, Ascension appears to be Superman's equivalent to The Court of Owls who reside in Gotham. Both villainous organizations were created by Snyder and both deal with the an unknown part of history that is tied directly to the hero. Ascension for Superman and The Court of Owls for Batman. But because The Court of Owls had a longer story arc in the Batman main series, in this mini-series, Ascension was not given that much room to develop and ultimately become a cliche from a Michael Bay Transformers conspiracy plot. Except... you know... Better. But it still doesn't hide the fact they weren't that interesting. Which is fine because the obvious primary opponent of the story is suppose to be Wraith, so they mainly serve as something to allow Superman and Wraith to display their ideologies. But where Snyder may have not much success in creating new characters, despite Wraith being fairly fresh, he does excel even more with the establish characters. Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Lex Luthor are just exactly how casual fans know them to be, and that is a good thing.

A criticism of the New 52 Superman line is the change of Lois Lane and Superman not being romantically linked at all. Everyone knows that the two of them are in love, but in the New 52 they're not remotely interested in each other. But in this story, we see something that has not really been explored that much in the New 52: The moment they realize they might feel something for each other. Not love, but feel. After all, if one is keeping track of the timeline in continuity, Superman is currently in a relationship with Wonder Woman, who does show up in the story. But Snyder makes a smart decision in not showing Superman and Wonder Woman together or acknowledging they're suppose to be a couple at this time. This helps new readers who are expecting a Superman story that has Lois potentially discovering that she feels something for Superman. It is a nice way of having these two being there for each other, but also for New 52 readers to feel some relief that finally the core relationship between the two characters is definitely going to happen soon.

Lex Luthor is also what people would expect from a casual fan of Superman. In this one he dresses like the business man mainstream Superman fans know, but his execution is definitely more in line with his classical mad scientist personality from the old comics. Snyder obviously loves the classics because this story is filled with them, so it really should be no surprise that his Luthor is a classic take on the character. He talks in long speeches, the way a classic comic book villain would, except when he does give his speech it is after he has done something or when he is in prison. But because we are dealing with the modern age, Snyder does let Luthor keep the business suit. However there is no denying that this Lex Luthor is a throwback to the original mad scientist. Yet Snyder refines him with a very philosophical edge. One can almost say that he is the exact same Lex Luthor from the legendary All-Star Superman storyline, which is by no means a bad thing. At first he may seem out of place, especially since his sub plot mainly involves Jimmy Olsen, but when it does come together at the end, he fits in quite nicely.

Overall Impressions

If you didn't read all that and just wanted to know what I thought about this 9 issue series, then the answer is simple: It's good. This is a good comic for the average comic book reader and casual Superman fan. Old school Superman fans who have been angry with the New 52 should give this book a chance as it is a standalone story that offers nice throwbacks to the old school Superman comics with a very modern story. Wraith is a great new anti-villain who I can picture coming back as an anti-hero character, and a welcoming addition into Superman's rogues gallery. It isn't the greatest Superman story of all time, but compared to everything the New 52 has been doing with Superman, it is the best Superman story of the New 52 era. I highly recommend this book. Even though the ending is the only predictable part of the story, it is a throwback to classic comics with a modern twist. And in those classics, you know the hero is going to win. Which is fine for a story involving Superman.

Superman Unchained is now available in DELUXE HARDCOVER EDITION, which is the only way this comic should be read. Check out the cover down here.

NOAH - Movie vs Graphic Novel

There's always something different

**THIS ANALYSIS CONTAINS SPOILERS**

This is an analysis on the differences between the film and the graphic novel, NOT the actual Biblical account. For my thoughts on Biblical Film Adaptations see:

Film Adaptations - Going Biblical

AGAIN, this is an analysis and semi-review of the NOAH film and graphic novel.

If you are reading this, then I'm assuming you have seen the film or read the graphic novel or done both. However if you are reading this without having seeing the film or reading the graphic novel but still wish to do so then I advise seeking this article at a later time. If you do not care about seeing the film or reading the graphic novel...then go right on ahead.

My thoughts on the Film

I believed Noah is a great film that is also significantly flawed in a few places. Not so much the execution of wanting to show the madness of a family dealing with the pressures of being the sole survivors of an apocalypse, but rather character interactions. The motivations for the primary antagonist of the movie Tubal-Cain played by Ray Winstone are fairly one dimensional. He is very straightforward in his beliefs: we are the masters of the universe and God (The Creator) has abandoned us. He is the poison that infects the mind of Noah's son, Ham played by Logan Lerman, into plotting to betray Noah. His purpose really is just to be this antagonistic force for the story. He shows himself to be resilient to the point where when his army is killed by the flood he manages to break into the Ark before being drowned. No matter how one looks at it, he is a very straight forward character.

Then of course there is the case of Ham seeking out a wife among the savage army of survivors. He does so by finding a woman named Na'el played by Madison Davenport. She's given enough character to make the audience feel sorry for her when she ultimately gets caught in a bear trap. When Noah has the chance to save her, he does not, and instead leaves her to get trampled to death by an oncoming army.

The reason why I bring that up is because those parts of the film that I viewed as kind of weak are actually made stronger in the Graphic Novel.

My thoughts on the Graphic Novel

As an avid comic book reader, this is one of the most beautifully made graphic novels I got my hands on in a while. The real reason why I picked it up was mainly because the images that were shown to promote the production of the film were directly from the graphic novel. So I was expecting the film to live up to the visuals that I saw in those few images. From those few images and what I saw from the film, I thought Darren Aronofsky did a great job translating his vision from comic book to film. Was I too quick to judge? Apparently yes after reading the Graphic Novel.

As I stated, this is one of the most beautiful graphic novels I've seen. The story, is pretty much beat by beat exactly the same as the one in the film. So comparing which story is better is pretty much pointless. However in terms of which character motivation and development works out better, then that's where the clear distinction lies.

How the comic is better than the movie

Noah in the graphic novel may not be a vegetarian like his film counterpart. In the beginning of the film he stops some hunters from killing a mythical creature. In the graphic novel he stops a group of hunters from killing wooly rhinos for sport. He states that he doesn't mind them killing animals, but he does mind them wasting animals just to take a useless part of them. So he does wish that mankind can go about things differently as opposed to his film counterpart who seems rather indifferent about what humanity does.

When Noah starts to receive visions of a flood, his film counterpart seeks out his grandfather for advice. The graphic novel counterpart still seeks out his grandfather, but before doing so he does something I now realized I wished the film counterpart did: WARN THE SURVIVING HUMANS. Noah takes his eldest son Shem to the kingdom of the last surviving humans of the planet. There he asks permission of their king, Tubal-Cain, to speak before his people about the oncoming storm. He grants them permission. However as one would predict, no one believes Noah's preaching which leads the king to banish him from the Kingdom.

Of course this leads to the chase into the land of the Watchers and that's where the graphic novel realigns with the plot of the film. But that one scene of Noah preaching to humanity and that exchange with Tubal added more character and depth to both of these characters that was missing in the film. In the graphic novel it is clear that Noah is a good but conflicted man and that Tubal is a vile but just king who has some respect for Noah.

This carries over to the portion where they confront each other when the Ark is being built. In the film it was the first time these two meet, but in the graphic novel it is a plea for forgiveness. Tubal pleads with Noah to forgive him and his people for not listening to him. Noah tells Tubal to order his people to start building their own boats, but Tubal knows that they'll never have enough boats in time for the flood. So Tubal makes a deal with Noah that him and 25 other people of his choosing will be allowed entry onto the flood while the rest of his people die. Noah agrees to this only to buy more time to finish the Ark. This exchange is handled much better than in the film, but then again their interaction is far great in the graphic novel. But this interaction will help with another key plot point.

When Ham meets Na'el in the graphic novel, it is the same as the film. However what sets it apart is that the survivors find them and plot to hold them ransom so that Noah will allow them on the Ark. That is when Tubal-Cain comes to Ham and Na'el's rescue! With his royal guard, he saves Ham and Na'el from his own people believing that Noah would still hold up his end of the deal. However upon arrival it became clear that this was not the case. And so feeling betrayed by Noah, he channels the rage of his people directly at Noah instead of him for abandoning them. This small act is what makes the interaction of Ham saving and aiding Tubal in the attempted murder of Noah on board the Ark much more plausible. In the film their interaction prior to working together on the Ark was a small exchange that doesn't plausibly explain why the two would respect each other. But if Na'el was allowed passage on the Ark, then why would Ham help him still? 

Although she was allowed passage on the Ark when Tubal brings them, during the battle Noah deems that she needs to be removed. And so he coldly orders an angel to take her off the boat, with Noah's entire family watching in horror as he does this. It is unknown what happens to her, but it can only be referenced that she gets casted into the oncoming army. This displays the first signs of Noah's madness and exposes it to his family. That alone triggers a lot of distrust and would drive Ham to help Tubal in plotting the murder of his father.

In conclusion

It just makes more sense why Tubal-Cain is the villain that he is and why Ham would try to go about killing his father. And for those who believed that the Noah of the film was heartless, in the graphic novel he does indeed have a heart but his progression to madness is more gradual.

It is amazing that the director of the film could not even adapt faithfully his own graphic novel. And while I'm usually not a champion of the term "the book was better," in this instance I'd have to say that it clearly was.