1792 Coins

As a kid my uncle Steve took me to see the Superman movies.  I remember this day like it was yesterday.  I'd seen superheroes on magazine stands at our local grocery store, the toy aisle at Wal-Mart, and advertising various products on television, but this was my first real introduction to what a superhero really was.  Christopher Reeve was, is, and always will be Superman to me.  I left this film with a desire to become a superhero.

I then felt that I should go buy Superman comics to read.  Off to the grocery store, on my, presumably, lead filled BMX bike.  I was looking over the magazine rack for Superman in comic form.  I found a couple, opened them and immediately started thumbing through it, and examining the art on the cover.  As I was admiring the cover art I saw the issue number in the corner.  I approached a clerk and asked about the other several hundred issues, as I wanted to start and the very beginning and not miss a single frame.  He chuckled and explained that there were not only several hundred issues of this particular Superman series, but entirely separate Superman titles with their own set of hundreds of issues.  I felt this weight, like a ton of bricks, settle onto my shoulders.  How was I ever going to find all these issues?  How could I ever pay for them all?  Would I ever be able to catch up?  In the words of Charlie Brown, "AAUGH!"

I didn't know whether to thank or hate this grocery store clerk.  I purchased one of the few available issues from the rack and headed home to get started.  Unfortunately for me, and DC Comics, this was one of the more lackluster issues of Superman ever published, in a decade that comics weren't doing so well.  Needless to say I was less than impressed.  What happened to the beauty of the film version Superman character?  Where was the action, suspense, mystery?  It wasn't in this particular issue, for sure.

This bad taste lingered in my mouth for almost 20 years, until, a coworker and friend brought in a short box of comics to read to pass the time.  At the time I was working for a telecommunications company that was feeling the sting of the new information age.  That said, we had spans of time with very little to do but play catch, shoot the bull, and in Jeremy's case, read comic books.  Out of utter boredom I asked to see what he was reading.  The taste of that poor comic experience from my childhood was fresh as I took the comic from its protective sleeve.  I flipped through it, shocked at how beautiful the artwork was.  Amazing enough to cause me to start to read the first couple frames.  Before I knew it, I'd read through the entire issue, and was hooked by the cliffhanger ending.  I begged for the next issue, which he graciously provided.  In the matter of the afternoon I had become a slave to the comic book universe.

So what was this comic masterpiece that restored my faith in comic books?  The 7-issue DC series, Identity Crisis.  Without ruining the plot, it is basically a superhero's wife is found, apparently burned to death in her apartment, and an all-star cast of superheroes unite to solve the case.  If you haven't read this series, let me implore you to do so.

Identity Crisis #1

After finishing the series, I bugged my friend to no end for recommendations.  He was extremely patient with this new comic junkie seeking a fix.  He next handed me a one shot graphic novel labeled 'Superman: Speeding Bullets.'  This was my first prestige format comic book / graphic novel, and my introduction to the DC Elseworlds imprint.  The Elseworlds imprint contains classic characters of the DC Universe taken out of their environment or modified from their original form.  In this specific book, Kal-El (baby Superman) crashes not in Smallville, Kansas, but rather into the arms of Thomas and Martha Wayne, and is named Bruce Wayne (Batman).  Without ruining the plot, you basically have Superman with all his super-human powers, raised as Batman with all the gadgets, cave and car.  For me, this fantastic book ended way too soon.  I could have read an entire series of this story arc, but alas it remains a noble one shot.

Superman: Speeding Bullets

I'll even go so far as to provide a hid.im, of the comics mentioned in this post, below.  If you like them, please pick up a copy over at Midtown Comics, the best, hands down, comic store on the planet.  I've gone through a few local comic stores and never received the personalized and professional service that was demonstrated by the folks over at Midtown Comics.

Identity Crisis

Superman - Speeding Bullets

As always, feel free to comment or ask questions about any of the ideas shared in this post.

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