A book that's a fraction away from being four stars if wasn't for the sections that can only be described as boring. There's a lot of good stuff here, ranging from some fantastic artistic choices and a portrayal that wonderfully captures who The Man of Steel is. It manages to add in every Superman story cliché in a way that works, especially since it's an introduction to a character who's received more than his fair share of origin stories.

I think it’s safe to say that Mark Waid loves Superman like I love my children. And, I REALLY love my children. So, there’s that.

Look, I’m a Marvel zombie. As a general rule, I’ll take a mediocre Spider-Man book over a good Green Lantern book any day. To trot out a hoary old chestnut that’s not necessarily true anymore, Marvel heroes are human, fallible, and relatable, whereas their DC counterparts are godlike, perfect, and aloof. They’re just more interesting.

But, here comes Waid, his writing cape flapping in the breeze (it’s actually pretty dangerous to wear a cape whilst writing, as they tend to snag on one’s chair, and you often trip over them when getting up to get some coffee…not that I know anything about wearing a cape whilst writing…ahem), giving us a Superman with heart, humor, and *gasp* hipness (well, square hipness). Sure, he’s just as indestructible as ever, physically speaking (notwithstanding that kryptonite is to Superman as daycare germs are to my kiddos), but this is an emotionally vulnerable Clark Kent, a man trying to find his place in the world, navigate a complicated relationship with Pa Kent, and reconcile the fact that, for all of his powers, he just couldn’t save Lex Luthor from going down a very bad path.

A few months ago, I attended a comic con* at which Waid was the Guest of Honor (not sure if we capitalize that sort of accolade, but it feels right, so let’s go with it), and during a panel celebrating Waid’s career, he was asked a question about Superman. And, just like I do on occasion when talking about my kids (because I’m tough), Waid literally broke down into tears talking about how Superman was always there for him through a rough childhood, even going so far as to cite a ridiculous story from the early 60s in which the IRS tries to nail Superman for unpaid taxes for all of the miraculous treasures he has recovered, coal he has turned into diamonds, etc. (side note: I’d like to be reincarnated as a comic writer in the era where one could basically do the gluteal equivalent of kegels while sitting on a typewriter and produce a story someone would publish). The upshot of that ridiculous yet ridiculously touching anecdote was that, at story’s end, the moronic IRS guy’s boss pointed out that Superman doesn’t owe anything because he could make massive deductions by claiming everyone in the U.S. as a dependent because, well, we ALL depend on Superman…just like Waid did as a child.

I’m never going to feel THAT strongly about the Man of Steel (he’s not going to supplant Spidey in my heart anytime soon), but after reading Birthright, I get it. I get why Superman was a life raft for Waid to cling to as a kid. I get how the combination of square-jawed heroism and almost pathological need to engage in do-goodery is appealing to a kid in search of something to believe in. I get how one can get chills just from seeing Big Blue streaking through the sky, and how one might take comfort in knowing that he’s out there, always out there, watching over us all, ready to leap into the fray at the first sign of trouble.

And, now I want to read more Superman stories—a compulsion I’ve never really experienced before. (Suggestions welcome and appreciated, incidentally, Supes fans.) So, well played, Waid.

You know, it occurs to me that I’ve never seen Mark Waid and Superman in the room at the same time. Just sayin’…

4.5 Stars

*At that same con, I also discovered The Perhapanauts, which has proven to be a highly entertaining series. Worth checking out if you’re in the mood for something different.

I'm trying really hard to raise this review to three stars, but I can't. I just don't like Superman and for all of Birthright's efforts to make the kryptonian more human, I still don't like him. So be prepared for a fully biased character unappreciation post, thinly disguised as a review!

This is a retelling of Superman's origin story, updated to suit our modern times. It opens with the destruction of Krypton and baby Kal'El's parents' difficult decision to risk shipping him off to who knows where. Move on to Clark Kent in Africa reporting on the violent conflict between two neighbouring tribes. Clark frequently but secretly uses his powers to protect Kobe Asuru, the Ghuri tribe's leader. He ultimately fails to protect the man, but succeeds in saving his legacy when he reveals himself to fight the opressers. He comes to understand that his purpose, to do good and be a good man by giving his all, as taught by his parents, is limited by the need to keep his heritage a secret. When he returns to the Kent farm in Smallville, he decides that its time to take up his birthright - the "S" symbol and whatever it means. With the help of internet savvy Martha Kent, he puts together his costume as well as his disguise as the mild-mannered reporter - much to Jonathan Kent's disappointment.

Clark's motivations are somewhat questionable. Is he saving the world because he cares about it and wants to be the good man his parents raised him to be? Or because he gets a thrill from it? Either or both is fine, but I'd rather the book have allowed him to figure that out and let him be more than just the proverbial boy scout. A friend and I had a discussion comparing Superman to Captain America and we concluded that Cap was a better "boy scout" because he did good because that was who he was and he empowered and encouraged people to do the same. Superman has always seemed to do the right thing basically because he was taught to and has the power to do so. However, Clark did show a lot of anger and even hatred in the scenes when he was confronting bad guys. It implied that there was an edge that Clark could step over.

Otherwise, there just wasn't enough of a personality defined, beyond the one he and Martha formulate for his mild-mannered reporter role. This is one of the two places where Superman fails for me: he really has no personality beyond the boy scout. Reason number two is the fact that he is pretty much a god in human form and he does not relate to me in any way. I have similar issues with Wonder Woman. Sure she's a female and has to deal with sexism, but she's also invulnerable and hangs out with gods and is made from clay. Does she even menstruate? How do I truly relate to her? Maybe it's because I started with Marvel first, but I just have never been able to get into these two iconic DC characters because I could not relate to them in any way. They are above humanity, no matter how much they try to blend into it with their concocted alter egos. (Batman is similar, but perhaps his humanity makes me give him a pass.) Meanwhile, in spite of the out of this world powers the X-Men have, Marvel has always maintained their humanity as something readers can completely relate to.

But I digress.

I read this for the n  Gender through Comic Booksn course, so I will touch briefly on some issues related to that. As Superman, Clark Kent is supposedly the epitome of manly manliness. In physical form, Leinel Francis Yu's art certainly maintains that image, often making him larger than life, but we did get a few moments of Superman showing non-kryptonite induced weakness, such his sappy resignation letter where he felt he'd failed to do the good he intended. Waid even allows Superman to cry, which, I understand, has been a cause for contention among fans. Real men don't cry! I did appreciate this attempt to allow Superman to have and openly express sadness, loneliness and loss.

In the female corner, we have Lois Lane, the feisty, stubborn reporter. I'm not sure if she's changed much in her personification. I've always known her to be this way and appreciated her depiction here, even if it seemed to be the standard for her. She remains a strong, independent female character, but I like that her dominant traits aren't associated with being a "bitch." She is, first and foremost, a reporter intent on getting her story and a person who is unwilling to let bullies get away with anything.

Plot-wise, I really did not enjoy the forced connections between Clark and Lex. I understand that in n  Smallvillen, Clark and Lex had a relationship. That is brought up here, but then I'm forced to believe that, on top of everyone's inability to see the similarities between Clark and Superman, Lex, his friend, has some how completely excised everything about Smallville from his memory, including his friendship with Clark. Lex has, however, been working diligently with the kryptonian information and materials he found and uses it to bring down Superman, for whom he has a deep, deep hatred. Why? Well, because. He sets about to discredit Superman and his motives, culminating in an elaborate hoax involving a kryptonian "invasion," but the people see through it and fight at Superman's side.

Frankly, I could have done without this completely. I understand that Lex is supposed to be a big part of Clark's life, but I really did not enjoy this depiction. It demeaned Lex's intelligence and just made him come off as crazy with undefined jealousy. Oh and somewhere in there, Clark got a brief insight into who his birth family was and why they sent him away. This was also extremely disappointing because, with this supposedly being about Clark wanting to embrace his birthright, he is the only person who didn't put any effort into researching his origins, even when Lex started broadcasting images from Krypton. Excellent investigating reporting there, Clark.

Superman Birthright is a Mark Waid retelling of the Superman origin story. In a 12 issue series it starts with the destruction of Krypton. Though mostly the same as in other Superman origin stories, it has subtle differences. Then the story jumps to Clark Kent on Earth. He is now in his 20's and a reporter, covering some African backwater ethnic conflict. During this reporting he gets the idea to "do something" to help others. The story then goes through with him returning to Smallville to enlist Ma and Pa Kent to help. Again, very similar but with subtle differences- Ma Kent is a UFO consipracy theorist (though to be fair, I guess you really can't blame her) and Pa Kent is much more of an emotional whiny old man. The rest of the story is Superman introducing himself to the world and fighting Lex Luthor.
When I started this story I didn't think I liked it very much. But as I continued it began to grow on me. Mark Waids' Luthor isn't just sociopathic but also so supremely arrogant he is unable to interact with most humanity. The only person who is consistently likeable, to me, was Superman. Everyone else is in one way or another- annoying, bitchy or just "off". Perhaps it's a subtle way of showing us how good Superman is. I don't know. Lois Lane comes off as a supremely stuck up bitch, Lex Luthor is a sociopath with Asperger's Syndrome, Ma Kent a loon, Pa Kent overly emotional and stomps around with hurt feelings, etc. That was what I didn't like, but Waid's Superman is truly interesting. He has taken the standard origin and made it into something uniquely HIS. By the end of the story I appreciated Waid's take. The same went for the art. I didn't really know if I liked it or didn't. But as the Story progressed it grew on me. The artwork is expressive, yet in a soft style. It never is very detailed, but there is a lot going on. Some of the splash pages are indeed impressive.
While this may irk some of the traditional Superman fans- I think the new take on his origin, his relationship with Lex, his relationship with the people of Earth and Metropolis are all rather interesting. A good read for people looking for a new look at Superman.

Wow I think I just found my new favorite Superman comic!!! I’ve been a fan of Mark Waid’s work since I read Kingdom Come back in high school and I’m glad to get back into it with Superman Birthright. This comic convinced me on the concept of having Clark and Lex Luthor know each other at a young age. So many creative choices that I adore. And that ending?? Oh man I got chills and teared up a bit. I’m so happy I read this!!

Good. Not my favorite Superman origins book but still good.

Love when a tragic moment early on in a story is reversed in a way that feels magical and unexpected but not cheap.

The second-best Superman comic, after Grant Morrison's All-Star version, and in many respects a better choice for readers disinterested in the Superman perceived as old-fashioned and associated with decades of impenetrable (& frequently nonsensical) continuity. Birthright is a sleek, smart update, paying due respect to the important tropes without being strangled by them.

Waid's writing deftly handles the cast, with standouts being his sympathetic depiction of Lex Luthor and his "special-needs parents by-way-of the X-Files" version of the Kents. His version of Clark is also impressive, noble and decent without hokeyness, and appropriately downtrodden while disguised in Metropolis without being the clown of the Donner/Singer movies. Yu provides impressive, believable art that grounds the story in realism, but gets a fun chance to breathe with the outlandish designs of Kryptonians sporadically appearing through the story.

Birthright isn't quite as charming as All-Star Superman, but it finishes a strong second because of its accessibility and timeliness, thereby providing a perfect counterpoint to All-Star's timeless celebratory version of the mythos.

3.5 stars

Not my favorite origin story but moments "he is with us" and " I made it " hit hard.

A good version of a favorite story.

Good color artwork. Lex luthor a believable lunatic. Clark kent is believable. KAL el is believable. No more two dimensional characters. Plenty of story here.

​It's heartening to see a history of Krypton that doesn't stand completely on ignorance and warmongering. That's so much where Zack Snyder and David S. Goyer (why the "S" flourish, David? Looking for a little righteous respect to go with your toilet humour rep?) fall down on the job like a drunken janitor, leaving it up the audience to fill in anything resembling the one true Kal-El who has a heart and who actually struggles when putting lesser people on their place.

Waid immerses himself in Smallville, so much so he rethinks the origin story into something that actually makes sense and reads like stuff that feels natural to the circumstances. Ma Kent is a UFOlogist, Kent wants to work for the paper to be on top of every newsworthy crisis, and Lex...is a whiny baby who wants to humiliate Supes? Ok, _mostly_ right there Mr. Waid.

At least you got the central conflict between Luthor and Superman to feel earned - because you got a clear picture of how close Lex and Clark were to becoming real friends and staying that way.

Unfortunately there's something a little Bond Villain about Lex gleefully acknowledging his dirty manipulations:


Fortunately, Waid redeems Lex with some deeper insights:



Had fun, would read again.

The best Superman Origin story i have ever read. This book is written from a Sup lovers point of view, and that explains it whole.