Superman: True Brit
This weekend, I finished reading Superman: True Brit, a stand alone alternative take on the Superman legend. Essentially the question driving True Brit is what would Superman have been like if his spacecraft had landed in England, instead of the United States?
It’s a great concept but unfortunately, it isn’t explored to its full potential. There are elements that do work- Clark Kent (here Colin Clark) works for English tabloid The Daily Smear, using his superpowers, like x-ray vision and super-hearing, to get the latest smuttiest scoop on celebrities. Colin’s Superman alter ego allows him to make amends for his unethical behaviour. As Superman says, ‘If I’m helpful, pleasant and nice, nobody will ever think I’m a tabloid journalist.’
Another major positive in True Brit’s favour is the beautifully drawn artwork by John Byrne and Mark Farmer, and bright colouring by Alex Bleyaert.
The problem is though that the story is very bitty, and ends up being very disappointing in terms of missed opportunities. The legendary John Cleese has had a hand in contributing to the story, which is chiefly written by Kim “Howard” Johnson, so there definitely is some British influence there. It’s just that the whole enterprise feels done by people who have no real sense of English culture or life. This shows up particularly in the scenes depicting cricket. For some reason, the cricket ball is black (sacrilege!) and no one is wearing the appropriate leg pads or helmets.
There are so many directions the story could have been taken. There are one or two scenes in a pub, a night club and even a shot of Supes eating fish and chips, but there is no sense of realistic, day-to-day English life. Mostly it’s stereotypes, and lame predictable jokes based on these stereotypes. Perhaps I was expecting too much, but I found Superman: True Brit to be a disappointment. I just felt its makers came up with a great concept and then sat on their laurels expecting the concept to sell the trade paperback, regardless of the quality of the execution.
It’s a great concept but unfortunately, it isn’t explored to its full potential. There are elements that do work- Clark Kent (here Colin Clark) works for English tabloid The Daily Smear, using his superpowers, like x-ray vision and super-hearing, to get the latest smuttiest scoop on celebrities. Colin’s Superman alter ego allows him to make amends for his unethical behaviour. As Superman says, ‘If I’m helpful, pleasant and nice, nobody will ever think I’m a tabloid journalist.’
Another major positive in True Brit’s favour is the beautifully drawn artwork by John Byrne and Mark Farmer, and bright colouring by Alex Bleyaert.
The problem is though that the story is very bitty, and ends up being very disappointing in terms of missed opportunities. The legendary John Cleese has had a hand in contributing to the story, which is chiefly written by Kim “Howard” Johnson, so there definitely is some British influence there. It’s just that the whole enterprise feels done by people who have no real sense of English culture or life. This shows up particularly in the scenes depicting cricket. For some reason, the cricket ball is black (sacrilege!) and no one is wearing the appropriate leg pads or helmets.
There are so many directions the story could have been taken. There are one or two scenes in a pub, a night club and even a shot of Supes eating fish and chips, but there is no sense of realistic, day-to-day English life. Mostly it’s stereotypes, and lame predictable jokes based on these stereotypes. Perhaps I was expecting too much, but I found Superman: True Brit to be a disappointment. I just felt its makers came up with a great concept and then sat on their laurels expecting the concept to sell the trade paperback, regardless of the quality of the execution.
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