Welcome to "The New 26", "Crisis on Infinite Formats", or "Format Reborn"! Our first foray into the new format is now available for your downloading pleasure (subscribe in iTunes/RSS). Sorry for the late posting of this Reading List installment. Reboots are a lot of work!
This past week's primary topic covers "Superan Origin Retellings" and Man of Steel. Joining me and co-host John Gholson is Justin Korthof, die-hard Super-fan who previously ran BlueTights.net.
Comics legend J.M. DeMatteis, one of my writing heroes, is this week's interview. He will return in future on the show, including in an episode this summer that will focus on Doctor Strange.
The weekly chat with Austin Books and Comics returns this week, in episode #27.
If interested in more Superman jumping-on points, check out the Reading List for episode #28 of the now-retired Comic Shack.
Reading recommendations from Giant Size #26:
From the Panel Discussion
John Byrne's Man of Steel Vol. 1
TPB: $10
ComiXology: $2 per issue
One of the biggest, most long-lasting overhauls to the Super-mythos, John Byrne's revamp was the foundation of many modern readers' perception of Kal-El/Clark.
Superman: Birthright
TPB: $16
ComiXology: $36 ($3 per issue)
Whether outright acknowledged as such or not, the bones and a lot of the meat in Man of Steel the movie come from this outstanding 12-issue run by Mark Waid.
Superman: Secret Origin
TPB: $15
ComiXology: $18 ($3 per issue)
This re-revision of Superman's origin came less than ten years after Birthright, only to itself be undone by The New 52 wiping the slate clean.
Action Comics: The New 52
Vol. 1/2 TPB: $13/$19
ComiXology issues #1-12: $36 ($3 per issue)
John has really enjoyed Grant Morrison's run on Action Comics. I trust John's taste.
Superman: Earth One
Vol. 1 TPB: $11
Vol. 1/2 Hardcover: $14/$16
Vol. 1/2 Kindle: $10/$13
There are a lot of major detractors of this "Superhoodie" origin reboot, which I wish they had used to signal a separate line of "Earth One"-universe comics, in the mold of Marvel's Ultimate line. In a separate Earth One continuity, DC could actually full-on kill major, iconic characters and leave them dead. Since Volume 1's publication, they've done a Batman: Earth One and a second volume of Superman.
Superman: Secret Identity
TPB: $16
ComiXology: $12 ($3 per issue)
Kurt Busiek's re-imagining of the Clark Kent of Earth Prime really grabbed me, and is a nice afternoon-worth of reading. Earth Prime is essentially our real world, where all the heroes we know are found in the same comics Earth Prime people know them from. There are no super beings until a Kansas farm kid named (as a joke) Clark Kent discovers he has the powers of Superman.
Superman: Speeding Bullets (OOP)
TPB: used from $22
Unfortunately out of print, J.M. DeMatteis' brilliant reconnection of the Super-myth alters the landing site of the Kryptonian capsule to Gotham City, where Thomas and Martha Wayne find baby Kal-El and name him Bruce Wayne. DeMatteis and I talk about this briefly in this week's interview segment. Somebody help me find a decently-priced copy of this one.
Superman: Red Son
TPB/Kindle: $14/$11
ComiXology: $9
Whether Mark Millar was directly inspired by DeMatteis' earlier "what happens when the capsule lands somewhere else?" story or not (my bet is that he was), having Superman raised in the workers' rights-centric Soviet Union is another fascinating twist on the concept DeMatteis pioneered with Speeding Bullets. This one is in print, and readily available all over the place.
It's a Bird
TPB: $9
Briefly mentioned on the show by Justin, writer Steve T. Seagle put together an autobiographical tale focusing on his juggling the various hardships of life with...writing Superman. A different kind of origin story for sure (the origin of a retelling), but very interesting in the context of the discussion, and added to my enormous "to read" list.
From the Interview with J.M. DeMatteis
The aforementioned Speeding Bullets
Moonshadow
"The Compleat" TPB: ~$30
A personal story with fantastical elements, it tells the story of a half human, half alien trying to find his way in the world.
Brooklyn Dreams
Hardcover: $28
ComiXology: $10
As I put it, DeMatteis' followup to Moonshadow could be considered his telling of his own origin story. It was recently reprinted by IDW, and shouldn't be hard for your LCS to find if they don't already stock it.
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
Paperback/Hardback: from $7/$14
One of Bradbury's best works, it explores the joys of a boyhood summer.
From the After Dark (#391)
Doctor Strange: Into Shamballa (Out Of Print)
TPB: used from $15
It will take a great deal to unseat this as my favorite Strange "tale". It contains so much of what I consider the undiluted essence of the character. As DeMatteis so eloquently puts it, that he boils down to "the moment of surrender" in the face of his shortcomings. It features gorgeous painted art by Dan Green, and can be found secondhand for under $20 in general.
Doctor Strange: Master of the Mystic Arts Vol. 1 #54
Co-written by DeMatteis and Roger Stern, this was his first touch on the character that he's returned to nearly as often as he has the Justice League. Unfortunately, there's no in-print collection I could find, nor is it available on any digital service, including both ComiXology and Marvel Unlimited.
The Defenders: Indefensible
TPB: used from $8
A lighthearted, different take on both Doctor Strange and the Defenders team that's relatively recent, and not too hard to find.
The next episode of Giant Size is the first in a two-parter that checks in on the state of Marvel NOW!, an initiative six months old and, in some cases, twelve months worth of issues in.
