(Book Review)
Yet another novel based on comic book characters . As to be expected this isn't a great work of art, although this little paperback is readable enough.
The author Roger Stern is a name well known to comic book geeks. He's worked on a number of publications over the years, but perhaps most famous for his run on the Superman titles. So it is nice to see an old hand at work here. Lots of minor characters from the Superman comics like Bibbo, Dan Turpin and Cat Grant.
The story is a bit weak. Basically a couple of super villains are manipulating the weather and causing all sorts of natural disasters which Superman and the rest of the Justice League have to stop. (Despite Superman snagging the cover title, this really is a Justice League book and the other members get almost equal time to Superman).
This is probably just personal preference, but I never really cared much for natural disaster type stories in my superhero books. I prefer more tangible villains. The first couple thirds of this book I was slightly bored by. I thought it picked up in the end when the villain was revealed to be Kobra. (Kobra is apparently one of the more infamous villains in the DC universe, but I had somehow missed him during my comic book Geek days, and I enjoyed the education this book gave me).
This book also showcases a lot of the superheros in quieter moments. For example in one place Superman and Lois Lane spend a good ten pages simply talking about their love for each other. Other similar scenes are written in for other characters. I suppose you could argue that this is either a master story teller showing off how he can keep the reader's interest even while slowing down the pace of the story and adding characterization. Or you could argue this is filler for a story that doesn't have much of a plot, depending on whether you were inclined to be generous or critical.
There's a bit of philosophy thrown in here. References to the Paradoxical Commandments, and a parody of religious fundamentalism. It's not quite enough to boost this book to this book up to high brow respectability, but it does help to heighten the overall enjoyment.
Link of the Day
Thank you for introducing Oita particularly Aki town.
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