mike_of_tomorrow's reviews
58 reviews

All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Content Warnings

Superman '78 by Robert Venditti

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

When first getting into comics around fourteen years ago, I was drawn (as I’m sure most moody teenagers are) to The Dark Knight. For me, Batman has always been the DC Superhero I have found the most interesting. Yes he possesses genius levels of intellect, a mastery of multiple martial arts, languages, forensic and other detective skills, and of course billions of dollars in wealth, but the fact that he is human, that he hurts, he bleeds and he loses; appealed to me more. Superman on the other hand, never did. The ever ginning, ever optimist, big blue boy scout just never appealed to me whatsoever, until I saw Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Those two movies made me care for Superman in a way I never had done before. I finally found the character interesting. Along with the CW series ‘Superman and Lois’ I have become more of a Superman fan than I thought was possible and as a result; I have finally made my way into the world of Superman comics.

Having only watched the first three Christopher Reeve movies properly for the first time back in 2023, I do not have the same level of nostalgia that many have for this interpretation of the character. However over the past year and a bit, I have found myself becoming more and more enamoured with this iteration of the character and world. For many, Christopher Reeve was, is and shall always be ‘The Man of Steel’, and after reading this comic, I too have fallen deeper in love with him as Superman.

Robert Venditti is clearly someone with a great love and affinity for the original Superman movies of the Late 1970’s-1980’s. For some, this comic could quite easily come off as simply just a piece of nostalgia fest, and whilst that is an interpretation that I don’t agree with, Venditti goes out of his way to ensure that this is a story worth telling and that can stand on its own merits. In just six issues, not only does he manage to capture the style, warmth, wit, humour and heart of the original Superman movie, but he also manages to make new and bold creative choices that don’t ruin or damage the pre-existing world in which this story takes place in. Perhaps, in my opinion, his most crowning achievement is being able to capture the incredible wit of the late Tom Mankiewizc, screenwriter of Superman: the Movie and The Richard Donner Cut of Superman II. Another thing Venditti nails is the character voices. No line of dialogue from any of the characters feels like it doesn’t come from them. It all remains true to those characters.

Brainiac, having been suggested as villain in the original story outline of Superman III, is finally realised in the DonnerVerse to brilliant effect. Now I am not all too familiar with the specificities of Brianiac as a character (I know the basics), but his motivations in this story, again, don’t feel out of place with the pre-established tone and world. Like the Cybermen in Doctor Who, he seems to work on some fucked up form of altruism where he saves members of a species that are about to go extinct due to their own nature, whilst allowing the rest to die, owing to the fact his own people where whipped out and that he does not wish to allow any other civilisations to become lost to time and the ether. Not knowing if this is what his motivations in the mainline comics are, I cannot speak to whether or not this is a true characterisation. However even if it is not, I do not care as it makes for a compelling and fascinating read.

The artwork by Wilfredo Torres is simply stunning and, like the writing, is perfectly in keeping with the first Reeve movie and the cinematography by the late Geoffrey Unsworth. The colours by Gavin Guidry are rich, bright and vibrant and, somehow, with the softness that produces the almost dreamlike quality to Superman: the Movie. Great care and attention to detail has been placed in every panel, especially to the likenesses of the actors that are being portrayed. There were times when I was reading this where it felt as if I was watching the movie!

I did not expect to love Superman ‘78 as much as I did. It is by no means perfect, as it did feel like the ending was just a tad rushed, however the feeling and emotions that this comic gave, are enough for me to overlook those minor issues and give this a perfect five stars. Like I said earlier, this could’ve been a cheap nostalgia grab (like many current Hollywood movies), yet, thankfully, this is something so much more! A wonderful continuation of the DonnerVerse, packed with wonderful Easter Eggs that expand this universe in an completely unobtrusive way! It also serves as a wonderful tribute to the late Richard Donner and the late Christopher Reeve, both of whom made us believe that a man can fly, and with this comic; you will believe that a man can fly…again!

For Special Services by John Gardner, Jeremy Northam

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adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

License Renewed by John Gardner

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

A History of Britain in Ten Enemies by Terry Deary

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

4.75

A great, funny, witty and informative little book. Not the most in depth and at times is a little bit thin in some area and does lose some focus here and there; but overall a highly enjoyable and quick little read that I can see encouraging further deep dives into the many areas covered.

Having read Deary religiously as a kid, I can certainly say he has lost none of his spark, humour, satirical and anarchic qualities that appealed so much to me when I was younger and helped ignite a passion and love for history that continues to endure!

A great present for the history lover in your life and great way to rekindle a love for history that his other books ‘Horrible Histories’ may have inspired when they were younger.

COLONEL SUN by Kingsley Amis

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced