Wednesday, December 31, 2014

[BOOK REVIEW] Lex Luthor: Man of Steel by Brian Azzarello





Title:  Lex Luthor:  Man of Steel

Author:  Brian Azzarello

Artist:  Lee Bermejo

Genre:  Action / Adventure / Alternative Universe / Superheroes

Year Published:  2005

Year Read: 12/31/2014

Publisher: DC Comics

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 12+  (Some Language and Intense Situations)

Buy or Add on:  Amazon  //  Goodreads





Introduction:

Lex Luthor is well known as Superman’s greatest enemy and I have been wondering what his ideal world would be like if Superman is viewed as a terrible force of nature rather than the good natured savior of Earth.  Well, we finally get the answer to that in Brian Azzarello’s story “Lex Luthor: Man of Steel” and it was truly one experience that I would like to relive over and over again!

What is this story about?

In this graphic novel, we are treated to the world of Superman through Lex Luthor’s eyes. In this universe, Superman is shown as a red eyed alien menace that covers his true intentions by acting as the world’s greatest savior and Lex Luthor believes that he is actually the world’s only savior.  This story also goes into detail about how Lex Luthor tries to create a female clone of Superman called “Hope” who also saves the world, but under Lex Luthor’s watch.

What I loved about this story:

Brian Azzarello’s writing: Now, I will admit that when I first heard about this book and saw on the cover that Lex Luthor had a blood stained “Superman” sign on his chest, I actually thought that this story was going to be about Lex Luthor literally becoming “Superman” and we would see what the world would have been like if he was Superman.  However, Brian Azzarello turned my expectations on its head by actually making this story about how Lex Luthor himself viewed Superman as a person and how he knows that Superman is not really a human being and that he believes that Superman is tricking the public into thinking that he is mankind’s savior.  This line of thinking really brings so much depth to this story as we finally get inside Lex Luthor’s head and see how he views Superman and how he wants the perfect world for the citizens of Metropolis and we get to see a more humanized side to Lex Luthor in his quest to make a better world for people, according to his views.  There were actually some parts in this story where I actually did sympathize a bit with Lex Luthor about how he truly believes that he is the true savior of the world and not Superman and it makes me see his viewpoint of Superman in a new light.

Lee Bermejo’s artwork:  Probably the best part of this graphic novel was Lee Bermejo’s artwork as they look truly gorgeous and I really loved the way that the characters’ bodies and facial expressions look so real that I actually found everything in this story to be believable!  I also loved the way that Metropolis is being drawn as it feels like I am exploring the insides of an actual city!

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

For anyone who does not like language in a graphic novel, there is some language in this story, but it is not as strong as some other graphic novels out there.  Also, there are many moments where people are put in real danger and the scenes that involve the Toyman might either be too frightening or intense for some people. 

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Lex Luthor: Man of Steel” is probably one of the best Lex Luthor stories out there and I would highly recommend this comic book to anyone who is a huge fan of Lex Luthor!



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