Stuff I Read This Week Episode 20 or If Only Troy Davis Had A Friend Like Captain America....

Hunger #1: It's unanimous (more or less) that Marvel's Age of Ultron story arc ended in surprisingly (though it shouldn't be) unforgivable manner. Seriously, reading that miniseries was the equivalent of getting halfway through Blade Runner only to have someone come in and put on Transformers 3. Anyway, what's done is done and the best we're left to hope for is that we can get some decent titles from the smoldering wreckage. One interesting thing we were left with was the introduction of 616-Galactus into the Ultimate Universe. This book is a jumpstart to exactly the kind of shake up I've been waiting for in the Ultimate books since, with the exception of Ultimate Spider-Man, the existing books have fallen sort of flat. Joshua Hale Fialkov sees you continuity fiends ready to pounce and wants you to know he hasn't forgotten about Warren Ellis' Ultimate Galactus trilogy from a while back.

In the first issue, we are reintroduced to the Rick Jones (Ultimate Nova), who has been away exploring space to get comfortable with his powers. His back-and-forth with the Watcher serves as a well written vehicle to keep us going through the story not unlike Richard Rider Nova's relationship with the Worldmind computer. Jones comes across every bit as relateable as his current 616 counterpart, Sam Alexander, reluctant at all the wrong moments and impulsive at all the right ones. Leonard Kirk's artwork is the icing on the cake here, laying out an amazing space battle seems to never get boring to look at. I'm convinced that if any other team were working on this, it would suck. That's probably the main reason this is a win in my book. That and the WTF ending. That's all I'm going to say.

Bottom Line: A well done starting point to springboard into the upcoming Cataclysm event. 8.5 out of 10.




Superior Spider Man Team-Up #1: As we trudge on closer to the end of "Superior Spider Sucks Month," Marvel shut a door and opened a window. We had to say goodbye to Christopher Yost's brilliantly written Avenging Spider Man to...well, I'm not going to lie to you, actually. We didn't have to say goodbye to anything. This is essentially the same book. They basically dropped "Avenging" from the title and replaced it with "Superior."

The main difference is that, instead of existing slightly outside of current Spider canon, this issue is up to date with the events of the most recent issue of Superior Spider Man where Doctor Spiderpus is enjoying quite a few victories in winning over the city's hearts. However, the Avengers still aren't terribly happy with the contents of papa's brand new bag and are back for another intervention. Opening up with Webhead's run-ins with the street level status quo in New York was awesome and sort of hilarious to read. Yost knows how to build tension while still keeping it light for a fun read. The fundamental problem with this particular story is that it uses Captain America's bottomless well of clemency. There's no way the Avengers could possibly so stupid as to seriously believe that there's NOTHING amiss about this hard charging, less jovial, know-it-all Sheldon Cooper version of Spider-Man. I mean, for fuck's sake....

"Sure, he's being uncharacteristically dick-ish, but he's probably just going through a rough patch, so leave him be. I mean, Wolverine's a stone cold killer and Spider-Man hasn't done anything nearly that...wait...he DID kill someone? Oh, I'm sure it's fine."

 Also, David Lopez's artwork wasn't really bad, but it was sort of a hit or miss scenario. The first half of the book is beautiful, but it's the second half that's a little off-putting because his style is a little too plain and straightforward and the Avengers should be more exciting to look at. This isn't a perfect way to transition from Avenging, but I was entertained enough to pick up another copy.

Bottom Line: If you liked Avenging Spider Man, you might not be as impressed. If you didn't like Avenging Spider Man, you might find something to like here. Either way, it's the little things that make and/or break this book. 7.5 out of 10.


Justice League Dark #22: DC is has officially entered the halfway point of their obligatory "Holy Shit Something's Happening That We Should All Do Something About" event, Trinity War. Geoff Johns has handed the baton off to Jeff Lemire in a fairly seamless fashion which might not be the biggest plus for this story. Why, you ask? Because it's halftime and I still have no earthly idea what's actually happening.

The best thing I can tell you is that Pandora's Box is out in the open and some people seem to be worried about it....for some reason. It's starting to suffer from one of the primary problems that Avengers vs. X-Men did except there are actually characters here that seems to know what this is all building to and just don't seem to feel like talking about it. It's one thing to build suspense and keep the readers in the dark, but you would think one of these mysterious good guys would make a better effort to try to get all of the other good guys on the same page. Instead, they seem to be completely fine with the various Justice Leagues beating the shit out of each other. The standout moment to look out for here is the awesome exchange between Wonder Woman and John Constantine which helps to showcase Lemire's characterization skills. Mikel Janin's pencils certainly deserve a round of applause as well. All of the action looks clean and deliberate, facial expressions look distinctive on purpose and, with such an enormous cast of characters, it's amazing that there was never a feeling claustrophobia in this issue. This isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I'd just like it a lot more if someone could explain it to me.

Bottom Line: This issue makes all three Justice League entertaining enough to watch fighting. I just wish I knew why they were fighting. So far it's less of a superhero comic and more of an old Kaiju monster movie. 7 out of 10.

Stuff I Read This Week Episode 19 or It's Only A Matter of Time Before Tom Sawyer Comes to Harlem

Watson and Holmes #1: I suppose it was inevitable that somewhere along the way, someone would decide Sherlock Holmes should be black. So, I shouldn't have been amazed when I saw the cover of the first issue of Watson and Holmes and found two brothers ready for action. I picked it up skeptical at first because, honestly (and I'm bracing myself for the internet backlash here), despite what the message boards think, I just don't feel every character needs a more ethnic counterpart (even though half-black Spider-Man is awesome). However, I was left with a smile on my face at the result. This incarnation places the "consulting detective" in Harlem with Watson as a medical intern and confident army veteran from a tour in Afghanistan, unafraid to throw himself into the action. His narration feels familiar yet also gives the reader a sense of being introduced to something completely new....which leads me to my issue with the book.

The problem with trying to modernize Sherlock Holmes is everything around the character tends to get modernized more than the character himself (modern day London, Watson as an Asian woman, grittier Victorian-era London, etc...). Sure, it takes place in Harlem and, yeah, Watson is working his way through medical school and, okay, Sherlock Holmes has locs now....but there's not much different about Holmes aside from that. On one hand, it's good to preserve the essence of what we love about a character, but he doesn't have to be hermetically sealed, either. To attach a different exterior to the same interior is akin to putting Pocahontas in space, painting her blue and casting Sam Worthington as John Smith. Oh, wait....

This copout of sorts in innovation is annoying, but it's kind of unfair to lay at this particular book's doorstep when it seems to do enough things right. The story could probably stand to offer a mystery that makes better use of Holmes' deductive abilities. What's always been so intriguing about this character is he breaks seemingly impossible circumstances down to their most basic parts and reveal the ruse. The conflict here in this book comes across as a child's puzzle the legendary sleuth could solve in his sleep. Still, the book gets off to enough of a very well-meaning start that we can appreciate what we've been given and feel optimistic about what's to come.

Bottom Line: A decent start for a modernization that's been long overdue. Hopefully, the conflicts become more challenging for a hero of this caliber. 7.5 out of 10

Superior Carnage #1: As "Superior Spider Month" (I call it "Please Don't Give Up On This Horseshit....It'll Be Over Soon") continues whether we like it or not, we're given yet another title about Carnage. Let me just say that I have NEVER understood the allure of this character. He's basically Venom except he stabs people. He's like this relic of the 90's that hasn't realized his irrelevance in time to fade away with dignity like Ricki Lake or Snoop Dogg/Lion/Tiger/Bear/OhMyWhateverTheFuckHeIsNow.

The book opens up narrated through the eyes of a white collar inmate being transferred to a supervillain prison, dreading the idea of being in close quarters with a brain dead Cletus Kasady. To the shock of NO ONE, Carnage will find the possibility of freedom through unexpected means in the form of C-list baddie, the Wizard. Kevin Shinick's take on this character is pretty paint-by-numbers. Nothing about this book is a huge shock. "Carnage is an evil uncontrollable monster....someone wants to control him....he'll probably kill everyone in the book sooner or later." We're supposed to believe that, with the alien symbiote in complete control of the host body, Carnage will be more dangerous than ever before now that he has no singular goal, but the truth is he NEVER had a real point or purpose outside of stabbing people. Stephen Segovia's artwork is servicable, but leaves something to be desired in terms of pulling the characters off of the page and giving a feeling of actual movement as opposed to a general storyboard of what's going to happen. If anything, this title is a cautionary tale about how there are some lingering relics of the 90's that deserve to be left there like Limp Bizkit and Carnage.

Bottom Line: If you actually like Carnage, by all means, buy this book. If you're not a fan but you want to see people stabbed, buy a Wolverine titles. There's so many to choose from and they're ALL better than this. 5.5 out of 10


Batman #22: If there's one thing you have to know about DC Comics, it's that they will squeeze every red cent available out of Batman. They would readily gag him, tie him to a tree and beat him with Old Testament resolve if someone told the dollar bills would gush from his guts. This means that we, the readers, are occasionally subjected to an unnecessary "event" like Zero Year. 

This story arc comes as a double edged sword for readers, retreading familiar territory but with a trademark panache that only Scott Snyder can pull off. This book comes across as more of Bruce Wayne's beta test for his quest to save Gotham City than Year One did. We see a less calcuated, more improvisational hero taking on the Red Hood gang as their crime spree on the city seems to go relatively unchallenged by the authorities.

Snyder wisely glazes over flashbacks to Bruce's childhood without stopping to harp on things most readers probably already knew.We also see a familiar ideological dialogue between Bruce and Alfred that ends on a satisfying note we don't often see with these particular characters. Two issues in and his one man war against the Red Hoods, while still fun, may be starting to grow a bit stale. Hopefully, a rising subplot will lead away from that for a bit to delve into reimaginings of other characters. Another high point is Greg Capullo's art which isn't surprising to anyone who has followed the series up to this issue. The particular highlight of this issue is the puzzle-like dialogue between Bruce and Edward Nygma that was so interesting to look at. This is one of those moments that could only be pulled off in comics and reminds you why this is still an innovative medium that all others can learn something from.

Bottom Line: This is a story arc that SHOULD be beyond stale by now, but fortunately, Scott Snyder is the star of the show. 8 out of 10.

Stuff I Read This Week Episode 18 or Why Hasn't Apple Thought Up an Evil Version of Siri?

Superior Foes of Spider-Man #1: Okay, let me just start off by saying that I think the idea of a "Superior Spider Month" is ultimately a futile, redundant venture. Essentially, it asks us to pretend that Spider-Man (although he is a character I truly love) isn't already shoved down our throats on, more or less, every front. If Marvel characters were real people, I suspect Spider Man would locked in a sweatshop autographing action figure packages alongside Wolverine and Iron Man. EVERY month is Spider Month. And it's gotten even worse now that Peter Parker has seemingly been discarded altogether in exchange for his nemesis, Doctor Octopus. Superior Spider Man, despite some genuinely funny moments and great artwork, has limped on along its ever fraying tightrope of mediocrity, trying to convince us that Doctor Octopus in a Spider Man costume is...well...Batman. With this change is status quo being as polarizing among fans as its been, this marketing ploy just screams "Oh, come on! Remember how much you love all things Spider-y. Please. Pretty please" as if Marvel is a junkie caught in the act, offering sexual enslavement in exchange for silence.



Having said that, Superior Foes of Spider-Man is actually a good idea and, in an even more shocking twist, a well executed book. DC did something similar to this a few years back with Secret Six, basically chronicling a super-villain team working together for....umm...something. It turned out to be a really big hit and Marvel has tried to recreate the magic there a couple of times with Thunderbolts (at least when Warren Ellis was writing it) and Dark Avengers (Brian Bendis leaving that book was like the Comic Curse of the Bambino).

Now, they're taking a very promising swing for the fences with this story about a team of Z-list baddies having a go at being the next Sinister Six...even though there's only five of them. But thus far, it doesn't seem to be an all-out antihero adventure so much a comical yet sad look at a Bad News Bears type group of lowlifes trying to get out of their own ways. Think Matt Fraction's Hawkeye, but for villains. There's no real superpowered showdowns here and more hare brained caper bumbling not unlike that of Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad. This issue, in particular, focuses heavily on narrative from the perspective of Boomerang as he tries to get by while cooling his heels in jail. We don't enough fleshing out of his teammates, but given the formula of the inaugural issue, there's hope that each member of the group will be given his or her time in the sun individually.

Speaking of parallels to Hawkeye, Steve Lieber, who did pencils on a particularly awesome previous issue of Matt Fraction's Eisner nominated masterpiece, breathes a similar life into Superior Foes. Lieber is every bit as effective as David Aja at a clean but easily accessible approach to the "sucks to be me" formula that makes both books as strong as they are. It's kinda early judge whether or not this book is as awesome as Hawkeye or Secret Six, but so far so good.

Bottom Line: Funny, charming, cleanly drawn....it's a lot like Hawkeye. That's a good thing. And thank God there's not much of Doctor Spiderpus in it. 8.5 out of 10.

Avengers A.I. #1: First things first....Age of Ultron ended on a "what the fuck" type of note and not in a good "Is that the ending to the Sopranos or is there something wrong with the cable" kind of way. It was more of a "I can't believe I let M. Night Shyamalan pull this sorry shit on me again" kind of way. Essentially, acting as a newsletter for what titles and characters Marvel was going to shoehorn into our longboxes, Age of Ultron ended up doing the exact same shitty thing DC Comics did with Flashpoint except it did it while raising the bar for shittyness. I think if DC holds the book to their ears, they'll hear the sound of Marvel execs singing "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better."
However, if you look close enough, you can find a strawberry in every shit sandwich. So far, Avengers A.I. is lobbying to be that strawberry. Every few years, Henry "I'm a Superhero Who Created a Genocidal Robot and Still Gets to Keep My Job" Pym decides to pick himself up and do something to make up for nearly inadvertently eradicating humanity via the evil iPhone 4 known as Ultron or, in this case, the computer virus that killed Ultron...I think. This time, he's assembled a team of tech-oriented Avengers to fight perversions of technological advancement. Hopefully, we'll see an issue where they take on Windows Vista, T-Pain and Kanye's 808's and Heartbreaks album.

Sam Humphries offers us a fun look at Henry Pym as an adventurous, cocky douchebag scientist whose history of cocky douchebaggery is often stuck in the shadow of Tony Stark's (I'm just saying....read Civil War...hard to get more dickish than that). To the book's credit, it doesn't waste too much time getting the band together and getting right to brass tacks.

There are a few standout elements here storywise. The first is Monica Chang, who some of you will remember from the Ultimate Comics universe as Nick Fury's nigh-psychotic ex wife. This 616-continuity version doesn't seem to have that same baggage here, as far as we can tell and is all set up to be as cast-iron tough as Maria Hill. Also, there are some awesome reworkings of the Vision's powers here that make the action really fun to look at, almost like the Martian Manhunter meets Inspector Gadget. My personal favorite part of this team, however, is the Doombot. Seriously, a repurposed mechanical minion of Doctor Doom fighting for good, berating his team every step of the way....how could that possibly be anything short is hilarious? And Andre Lima Araujo's artwork does a good job of lending itself to Humpries' lighter atmosphere where the stakes aren't quite as "fate of the universe" as other titles in the franchise like New Avengers. Whether that works for the book or against it is yet to be seen, but it's a promising start.


Bottom Line: It has all the right working parts, but it's too early to call it a slam dunk. Pretty good. 8 out of 10.

A Few Other Things About Man of Steel (Yes, I'm Going to Talk About the Zod Thing)....

So, after my Man of Steel review, I instantly got a few criticisms about the movie and the review that deserve to be addressed. WARNING: There are spoilers ahead. If you don't want to know some parts of the movie, jump out now.

Last Warning...there are spoilers. Okay, you had your chance.



1). There were a couple of problems I had with the movie that I didn't mention.

-For one thing, the Lois/Superman romance was a little rushed. A kissing scene after he's just killed a man with the backdrop of a half-leveled Metropolis played out on screen a lot like the end of a Godzilla movie where, "Sure, he wrecked all of our shit, but we're alive and he beat up the monster, so thanks, Godzilla! You're alright."

-With the exception of Superman's costume, the color palette for this movie was really sepia. I don't have a good joke for that. I just found that kinda odd.

2). There were a lot of people who feel that the death of Krypton should have been skipped altogether and although I don't agree, it's a fair reaction to have. After all, you'd have to travel a long way to find someone that doesn't know that Superman's an alien raised by kindly midwestern farm people. However, it's also fair to say that the last time we saw an origin story on the big screen was over 30 years ago. I literally hadn't even been conceived the last time a movie depicted Jor-El shooting his only son off into space. There's a whole generation who hasn't had the chance to have the same experience we did. Furthermore, the larger reason it's important to, at least, glance at the final moments of Krypton is to add gravitas to the hero's journey. Not for the hero, mind you, but for the viewer. I detest the idea of risking a discussion about comparing Superman to Jesus, but please bare with me.

One of the prevailing ideas in the Bible is that the morals of the Judeo-Christian faith have an overwhelming impact on those who study them when they understand what Christ sacrificed to convey them. In turn, the idea in Man of Steel is that we, the viewers, are sympathetic to the idea that Clark will never truly know (not firsthand, anyway) what his parents gave (specifically Jor-El) to make sure his son didn't have to explode alongside his people. Glazing over the death of Krypton is tantamount to overlooking the fact that Batman's parents got shot.

3). I read several comments on Facebook and Twitter where people were groaning about all the product placement. I dismissed most of this as the bitter fan-tears of trolls. People whined about this as if product placement were some new phenomenon. The Lone Ranger is selling Subway sandwiches, Iron Man and Mister Spock are selling Audi sports coupes, Smallville was practically an hour long Old Navy ad each week, Batman and Robin (and Sylvester Stallone) sold Taco Bell and NOW people are whining about Corporate America's involvement? Yeah, okay. Next....

4). The complaints about Jonathan Kent being un-Kent-like....**sigh**...okay. There were more than a few people that found it a little left field that, when asked if he should have let the children on the school bus die, Pa Kent replied "Maybe." This was the first time in the history of the mythology I saw Jonathan portrayed as a real person and not what we think kindly midwestern farmers should be like. He sounded like someone my dad would know. My father is honest enough to know he doesn't have all the answers and replied to my questions several times throughout my childhood with "Fuck, I don't know...maybe." It's debatable that, perhaps, he offered mixed messages for his son throughout the movie, but what we saw was a man who'd come face to face with the possibility that he might not be properly equipped to give his son all of the guidance he needs. Just like many real fathers.

5). Another complaint I heard A LOT was about the Zod fight. Two specific things about the Zod fight seemed to rub people the wrong way.

-Apparently, some people were shocked by the wholesale destruction being so....well....destructive. Yes, you heard that right. People were actually mad that Superman beat a bad guy by punching him. I find that particularly silly after this.....


....and this.

  c

Even without the fact that Superman fights have traditionally been just plain destructive, I see where some fans would take issue with the final act in Man of Steel. As a Superman fan, I do appreciate those moments ("All Star" is full of them) when Superman can cure all ails with his never-ending well of compassion and feelings. After all, we've become accustomed to a mythology where Superman always has the right answer and is powerful enough to choose the "third" option that wouldn't always be available to everyday people. He's fast enough to usually get there just in time. He can hear well enough to get to wherever "there" may happen to be. In short, he's able to realize those "nick of time" moments we all wish for in real life. So, it's not unreasonable to consider people being a little turned off by all the death.

Consider the other end of the spectrum, though. I mean, sure, there were TONS of buildings being smashed and yeah, there were people clearly still in harm's way, but Superman was clearly fighting a guy who was a powerful as HE was and twice as dangerous because he a). was severely pissed and b). didn't give a single solitary fuck about hurting humans. The evil Kryptonians were pretty relentless already. I mean there were several times during the fight in Smallville where he tried to get some distance and wasn't allowed a single moment of pause by Faora and Other Guy. Did we really think Zod would be any less relentless? In fairness, Superman did try to knock him into orbit at least once, but it's like I said. Superpowered fights just tend to be really fucking dangerous.

-And of course, there is the death of General Zod. This was something I expected from the moment he killed Jor-El. It's a type of favored "eye for an eye" karmic symmetry in blockbuster action movies, certainly in superhero films. Granted, I wouldn't have predicted Superman snapping his neck Chuck Norris style, but the backlash is understandable. Even though I feverishly disagree with the comparison, I've noticed a lot of people (I know...not everybody) see Superman as a Jesus analog. Whether they're a fan of him or not, wondering what Superman would do is akin to asking what Jesus would do and while my theology is rusty, I'm pretty sure when the Good Book said to "turn the other cheek," it didn't mean "turn thy neighbor's cheek from one side of his body to the other." Having said that, I think that, as I mentioned before, often times, people expect Superman, with all his power, to have the option of an easy way out. But, once again, he was up against a foe every bit as powerful as he is and, in fairness, he pleaded with Zod to stop at least three times. And it's not like he wanted to kill the guy. For fuck's sake, he immediately fell to his knees and cried as Lois held him. I mean he was sobbing about the shit. I appreciate this dimension to the character. Storywise, I like the idea of a Superman that isn't instantly sure enough of the right thing to do to in every situation partly because he's still new.

My Review of Man of Steel (minor spoilers enclosed)

Let's be honest. The last good Superman movie to ever get made was Superman II. Three bizarre, contrived, aimless movies and a slew of successful movies later from several other superheroes, the Last Son of Krypton needed a win. Furthermore, DC Comics needed a non-Batman win. Enter Henry Cavil. Enter Man of Steel, a film that, in many ways, asks old fashioned comic fans like myself to let go a little and open themselves up to a re-imagining of the Superman mythos that could be compared to the early ambitions of Marvel's "Ultimate Comics" line. Gone is Richard Donner's largely optimistic world, traded for a darker tone and more post 9/11 atmosphere of fear (while still goodhearted and well-meaning) in keeping with a slightly more cynical brand of heroes in the current superhero genre. Even the Man of Tomorrow's outfit (referred to as "armor" here) looks like it's meant to be more functional than it's noticably brighter predecessors in the same way Christopher Nolan's Batman forgoes tights for battle armor. With the exception of a few laugh tactics here and there, Snyder's story is light years more serious in nature than anything Richard Donner or Bryan Singer dreamed up.

The origin story of Superman is, in many ways, a challenging one. In many superhero beginnings, we see a character given a drastic alteration necessary for their evolution. Captain America was given his strength via a science experiment. Daredevil was endowed with enhanced senses during an accident with toxic waste. Batman was born of trauma. Clark Kent has always been what he is whether he realizes it right away or not. More than anything, Man of Steel tells the story of a powerful but noble man discovering his place in the world.

A notable departure from tradition is most apparent in the depiction of Krypton, Superman's ancestral home. Though the designs cannot lay claim to being the most original, the lifeless crystal cities we've seen so much of in the past are no more. Here, we see a vibrant planet that's equal parts Dune, Avatar and The Matrix's Zion. Superman's biological parents, Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and Lara (Ayelet Zurer), while intellectual, are also men and women of action, leaping onto flying creatures and shooting down surface air projectiles with little more than a shrug in the face of rebel leader General Zod (Michael Shannon, who has mastered the villainous face clench), who isn't nearly as much the third person talking, would-be-conquerer we saw in Superman II. We find Clark (Henry Cavil) later in adulthood after being raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner, Diane Lane) as a drifter, taking odd jobs, compelled to help people wherever he goes. Eventually, his destiny becomes almost unavoidable when his fate intertwines with the vengeful Zod's as well as that of Earth's.

Cavil gives us an immensely likeable but burdened Superman that recalls key moments in his childhood where he and his parents struggle to understand his powers and the necessity to conceal them. There is an especially awesome scene where Clark is overcome by his super senses to such a point that the whispers and footfalls around him are too much to bear. By far, the show-stealing performance in this movie is almost certainly that of Costner. This is easily my favorite incarnation of Pa Kent because he came across as a man and not an idea much like Martin Sheen's Uncle Ben in the Amazing Spider Man. He was a man that many of us could see in the company of our own fathers who was, sometimes, unsure of the right thing, completely conscious of not being fully equipped to give his son all the right answers in every situation, something many (if not all) fathers struggle with at some point in their lives. Amy Adams was definitely a better Lois Lane than we've seen in a while, capable of getting herself out of most of the trouble she gets herself into. She shoots at the bad guys, uses her journalistic know-how (and honestly, common goddamned sense) to investigate Superman and tells off military officials unapologetically. It's one of the first times we see a love interest (although it's a rushed love) that proves why she's worthy of our hero. Michael Shannon was a compelling Zod, moreso than his predecessor, played by Terrance Stamp, simply because he's a protagonist with more dimension, who doesn't just feel he's doing what he does because the hero is doing the opposite. He thinks he's doing what's right. In turn, Superman seems to understand this much about his foe while still seeing the necessity in stopping him. And that's who this hero is, one who sympathizes and grasps the need for compassion even though he can't always make his enemies see it. Though it's a self contained adventures, it obviously leaves enough leg room for sequels and (who knows) cross-franchising later on to compete with Marvel's Avengers initiative. Good luck with that, by the way.

Bottom Line: This movie is exactly what the Superman of this generation should be: equal parts morality play and slugfest. It's refreshing to see a Superman who is still attempting to figure out who he is and who he wants the world to see him as just like every other person that was raised by human people instead of a hero who instantly knows exactly what to do to solve every problem. 9 out of 10