Jim Lee (1) (1964–)

Grant Morrison is maddening. Much of his work can be dismissed as overloading on either sheer absurdity or distractingly meta deconstructionism. His plots can be loopy. His tone can be dismissive or sneering of the very genre in which he works. But when he lets his inner fanboy loose, he can capture heroic and iconic moments better than anyone. For instance, in Multiversity his homages to Alan Moore's Watchmen and C. C. Beck's Captain Marvel are simply amazing. I would love to see either of show more those chapters expanded to whole works. Same for the chapter featuring Earth-Me. But then the rest of the book revels in and simultaneously mocks every trope of the comic industry major crossover event, using way too many Superman/Batman/Wonder Woman doppelgangers to fill out the sound and fury of it. When I read Morrison I can enjoy moments of his work and then am made to immediately feel bad for having let myself enjoy it. No other comic writer makes me feel as if I am dueling with him as I read him. The challenge can be fun, but it means never letting your guard down and just losing yourself in the story. show less

The thing I really like about Superman-- the thing that I think Superman For All Seasons captured so well-- is that he's a guy who feels like the weight of the entire world is on his shoulders. He doesn't angst out over this, not usually, but feels it all the time. He has the power to do the greatest good of anyone in the entire world; how can that not weigh on him? So he does his best, like any hero would do, but not even Superman's best is always enough. Sometimes, he fails.

For Tomorrow show more begins a year after the Vanishing, an incident where over a million people vanished instantaneously. Superman wasn't there-- he was in space, doing what Superman does, helping people-- and he holds himself accountable, not the least because among the Vanished is one Lois Lane. Superman travels to the apparent origin point of the energy waves that cause the Vanishing, tracking them down to a country in the Middle East. When he arrives there, he doesn't find the source of the Vanishing, but he does find a civil war: one he decides to end.

All of these events are being narrated by Superman to Father Daniel Leone, a Catholic priest. Exactly why Superman feels the need to deliver his story under the seal of confessional isn't clear, but he tells Daniel that his sin "was to save the world", and it's certainly related to the actions he took after the Vanishing, which were drastic, to say the least: he stops a battle in the civil war, tracks down the leader of the insurgents, only to find he's already won. So he helps stabilize things by cleaning up the area. But what he eventually discovers is that the now-toppled regime was who created the Vanishing device, which has fallen into the hands of General Nox, the insurgent leader, and Equus, his cybernetic henchman. The dialogue between Superman and Father Leone runs over all these scenes, proving an insight into Superman's state of mind, and it is immensely well done: Brian Azzarello seems to get Superman. He's upset without being angsty, troubled without being tortured. He sees himself as one of us, and that is why the burden he bears is such a hard one. He doesn't always win, but no one tries harder.

It's hard to judge this story right now, because it's not a story. In its infinite need for profit, DC split the For Tomorrow story up across two different trade paperbacks, so all we get here is the first half. And it's not even really a first half, given the terribly out-of-sequence way we're learning about events. We might have half of the story, but it's not a continuous half. But what's here is good: Superman's frustration is portrayed well, as is his drive and determination. I love the bit where he fights four elementals (summoned by a mysterious woman who I hope is explained in volume two) determined to cleanse the earth of human life, defeating them through cunning and sheer force of will, not punching.

Of course, not everything quite works, not yet. Though I like the disjointed narrative in general, and I love the in medias res opener, there are parts where it's almost impossible to parse what's going on, especially with Superman's talk with the Justice League. Though maybe this will be filled in later. The Justice League's reaction to the Vanishing is oddly muted, too: obviously this is because it's a Superman story in a Superman book... but it makes them look like jerks to tell Superman he's too involved to handle the issue but seemingly do nothing about it themselves. I don't really get what's up with the confrontation with Aquaman, either. And Equus is a pretty uninteresting villain, though on the other hand, General Nox and Mr. Orr are working for me so far. And as for the earth elemental being formed out of Mt. Rushmore...

But the heart of this book are the conversations between Superman and Father Leone, and those work. A lot. Daniel has his own demons to deal with: just like Superman he wants to help everyone, and just like Superman he can't. The rapport the two men have springs up immediately and works very well, giving a focus to the often-disjointed story. I like the banter they have as both attempt to answer the unanswerable, always switching roles as questioner and answerer.

Even when Brian Azzarello's writing slips a little though, it all still works: Jim Lee's art is fantastic. That man knows how to draw Superman in an iconic pose, and that's a good thing given how often the character seems to pose here. His Superman isn't someone you'd want to mess with. All the art is handled well, though, especially the settings, which effectively move from gleaming Metropolis to war-torn desert, from lunar fortress to underwater, from a Catholic church to deepest space.

I don't know where For Tomorrow is going yet, but that doesn't stop me from looking forward to volume two. Superman should always be written this well. show less

Great fun, though not quite as tight as Court of Owls. Running the gamut of nearly every Batman villain is pretty great though, nearly every chapter ends on a fantastic cliffhanger and the romance angle with Catwoman is very interesting. I couldn't quite keep up with the intricacies of the last 10 pages or so, but I think I got the jist of it. It is a phenomenal looking graphic novel and the inner thoughts of Batman are exceptional, even if the story isn't as good.

This volume collects BATMAN #609-619

Considered a masterpiece of the Batman canon, this volume reads like a Greatest Hits of Batman’s friends and enemies.

A villain, hidden in the shadow, seems to know everyone in Batman’s life and everything about Batman’s life. Using this knowledge, he strikes at Batman, using both villain and family to threaten him. While the mystery sweeps the reader alone, with plenty of false reveals and twists, it is the interaction between Batman and Catwoman show more that make the story. Here, we see Bruce struggle to meld the two parts of who he is – Bruce and Batman – and to connect the two sides of his soul. The authors handle his with just enough romance and reality and never slide into the trope or the cheesy.

Fantastic art, with bold colors and dynamic lines, bring the story to life. It’s easy to see why this story arc received the praise that it did. One of my favorite arcs in the Batman story. show less