SUPERMAN: True Brit
Written by Kim "Howard" Johnson, with John Cleese;
Art by John Byrne and Mark Farmer
Published by DC Comics, 96 pages; $24.95
Wot? A hardcover Elseworlds book with the premise
of infant Kal-El's rocketship crash landing in the
present-day smaller than Smallville town of
Weston-Super-Mare, England? And Monty Python's
John Cleese has the bloody nerve to co-author it?
Smashing! Jolly good show! Or is it?
Let's have a look, shall we? Here, Kal-El is given
the adoptive name of Colin and is adopted by the
Clarks, a very private couple whose motto is
"W.W.T.N.T;" what would the neighbors think? As
such, as nebbish Colin grows up and discovers his
powers, his folks would prefer he keep them under
wraps. At college, his head is turned by Louisa
Layne-Ferret (who has a familiar American cousin).
Colin is smitten, but Louisa could care less
about him, only trying to further her journalism
career. Eventually, Colin gets a job for a
British tabloid called the Daily Smear, run by
Peregrine Whyte-Badger, who apparently owns every
paper in the country and is considerably less than
ethical kind of a chap.
The book doesn't get bogged down by Superman
mythos, per se; nor should it. Yes, there's it's
own versions of the Kents, a Jimmy Olsen, and even
a "Bat-Man," but not one as you might expect.
Superman: True Brit DOES have humorous moments
sprinkled throughout; especially pertaining to
Colin getting a handle on his powers, his naivete,
and some parts that I can only describe as "VERY
British" (without spoiling them). There is a fair
bit of the British wit, as well. Superman is
given three "impossible" challenges: make the
train system run on time, reduce the waiting time
for hip operations, and raise the quality of
programming on the BBC. I was reminded of Python
(naturally) and some of the Peter Sellers Pink
Panther movies. I did laugh out a few times.
John Byrne's art is suited for the graphic humor
bits, as there are some visual gags, too.
I wish to register a complaint. It is an
expensive book. Granted, it is a long book as
well. It should be for the price. Presumably, this
book will be released in softcover format at some
future date. I'd likely give that a stronger
recommendation (solely based on price) than I
would the hardcover version. Read and enjoy!
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