Superman: American Alien #6 “Angel”
Max Landis’ account of the early days of Superman has been a delight and after the heroic heights of issue five, things come down to Earth somewhat. So far the series has been an uniquely humanizing origin story that makes Clark Kent seem less like a mega powered alien destined to be the beacon of truth, justice and the American way and more of an everyman. This Clark Kent is more relatable, and very much a man of our times.
Clark gets a visit from his Smallville friends Pete Ross and Kenny and the issue focuses on the young men reconnecting after some time apart. With Clark still in the early days of his fledgling superhero career, the visit from Pete and Kenny and their analysis of his baby steps into notoriety could easily be paralleled in real life by a sports star being visited in the big city by childhood friends.
The local boy does good angle works really well and Landis does a great job of capturing the disconnect between old friends as their experiences have veered off in wildly different directions. Watching Clark’s exploits from afar, Pete and Kenny, are simultaneously in awe and concerned about some of the choices their old friend has made. For Pete, in particular the trip is anything but hero worship.
Angel tackles some interesting topics including identity, celebrity, and personal and social responsibility. Landis balances the potentially heavy subject matter with some humor and even throws in an unexpected superhero appearance for good measure. Jonathan Case’s artwork compliments the story and helps to make it feel as though the reader is watching an indie film instead of reading a Superman comic book.
Superman: American Alien continues to successfully chronicle Clark Kent’s awkward and humorous first steps on the road to becoming a hero. It succeeds not only because of its unique reimagining of Clark, but because it reveals that there’s a little bit of Superman in all of us.
