Because I've done nothing informative in a while, a guide to the man of steel in prose with occasional snarky comments/reviews from me.
Straight up novels about the Man O' Steel
The Adventures of Superman by George Lowther
The first ever novel featuring a character created for comic books. And it's not bad. It's out of print and kind of a pain in the ass to find, but get it if you can. It's fun, the stuff in Smallville is the best part, and the prints and sketches are gorgeous.
Last Son of Krypton by Elliot S! Maggin
Miracle Monday by Elliot S! Maggin
I've not read these, which is a damned shame because Maggin is my favorite Superman writer who isn't named Siegel or Morrison. You should get them.
The Further Adventures of Superman by various authors
A short story anthology. It's not great. Even the Mark Waid story falls flat, which is surprising, but he's great at Superman normally. You can skip this one.
It's Superman! By Tom De Haven
This is a good one. A superman novel that takes place in the the 30s, which many feel is the best era for the character. It is decidedly not the Golden Age Superman, though. A friend who doesn't even like Superman under most circumstances gave this one to me after enjoying it so much. Check it out.
The Last Days of Krypton by Kevin J Anderson
It's offensive to all that is good in the universe.
DCU series
Justice League of America series: JLA Exterminators by Christopher Golden
Justice League of America series: Superman, The Never Ending Battle by Roger Stern
DC Universe: Trail of Time by Jeff Mariotte
DC Universe: Last Sons by Alan Grant
I've only read one of these, Last Sons, which is more a Lobo novel featuring Superman and Martian Manhunter than anything else. It's basically that episode of Superman TAS that guest starred Lobo with mild cussing. The others I would assume are average super hero novels. Nothing terrible, but not great. Take or leave 'em.
Novelizations of comic books
Kingdom Come by Elliot S! Maggin
Death and Life of Superman by Roger Stern
Superman: Doomsday and Beyond by Louise Simonson
Crisis On Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman
Infinite Crisis by Greg Cox
52 by Greg Cox
Kingdom Come is actually better than the comic it's based on. I can't recommend it enough.
The others, meh. If you've read the comics you don't really need the novels. (Death and Life and Doomsday and Beyond are both the same story; Death of Superman through Reign of the Superman. Doomsday and Beyond is the junior reader version.)
Movie/TV tie ins (original material)
Lois and Clark: A Superman Novel by CJ Cherryh
Lois and Clark: Heat Wave by MJ Friedman
Lois and Clark: Exile by MJ Friedman
Lois and Clark: Deadly Games by MJ Friedman
The first was a stand alone, and released in paperback in paperback and hardcover. I've owned it but never read it, despite having read some good reviews out there. The others I just assume are awful because the tv show was.
Smallville: Strange Visitors by Roger Stern
Smallville: Dragon by Alan Grant
Smallville: Hauntings by Nancy Holder
Smallville: Whodunit by Dean Wesley Smith
Smallville: Shadows by Diana G. Gallagher
Smallville: Silence by Nancy Holder
Smallville: Curse by Alan Grant
Smallville: City by Devin Grayson
These are all aimed at teenagers to adults and are awful.
Smallville: See No Evil by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld
Smallville: Flight by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld
Smallville: Animal Rage by David Cody Weiss and Bobbi JG Weiss
Smallville: Speed by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld
Smallville: Buried Secrets by Suzan Colon
Smallville: Runaway by Suzan Colon
Smallville: Greed by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld
Smallville: Temptation by Suzan Colon
Smallville: Sparks by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld
This batch is aimed at a adolescent crowd and are also awful. Though in the interest of full disclosure, I've only read bits and pieces of books from both Smallville series because they were just too bad to plow through.
Superman Returns: Strange Visitor by Louise Simonson
A young reader prequel to Superman Returns. Meh.
Movie/TV tie ins (novelizations)
Superman III by William Kotzwinkle
Superman IV by B. B. Hiller
Ignore them.
Smallville: Arrival Michael Teitelbaum
Adapts the pilot of the series. Ignore it.
Superman Returns by Marv Wolfman
Notable because it kills the tie between Superman and Lois' son. Not worth reading though.
And that's it. Every Superman novel I've ever heard of.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
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7 comments:
How does Wolfman kill the tie between Superman and Lois' son? Very curious.
William Kotzwinkle, who wrote the Superman III adaptation, could once write. He wrote a story called "Elephan Bangs Train" which has the simple power of a good superhero story.
By simply not mentioning it. The thug he kills by throwing the piano at him is instead murdered by Lois with a bookcase. And the scene with Superman giving the father/son speech in his room is left out.
Huh. I wonder if that was his decision or if it was made by someone higher up the line, perhaps to keep it from being spoiled. It seems like an awfully ballsy decision for a writer-for-hire to simply ignore a major plot element like that.
My guess would be it was the studio's decision to keep it from being spoiled. Superman's kid is a pretty big thing to have revealed before the film is released.
"I've not read these, which is a damned shame because Maggin is my favorite Superman writer who isn't named Siegel or Morrison."
Read them. Really.
I'd caution that ignoring the S3 novelization by William Kotzwinkle is a mistake. Where would we be if we'd ignored the threat of, say, Hitler, or Osama bin...ooh, sorry, scratch that one.
I read that one as a kid, as well as his novelization of ET, and even then it struck me as a mistake to hire a writer so cynical and seemingly contemptuous of the source material, to adapt such light and optimistic movies.
So ignore William Kotzwinkle at your peril. He is the enemy of all that is good in movie tie-in novels. The Anti-Alan Dean Foster, if you will.
I've read the JLA one, and I say it's probably one of the best Superman stories I've read. Go after it.
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