New 'Superman' film offers hope
Word Balloons #1276: James Gunn's film launches new universe to theaters, but is satisfying on its own
Superman is back in movie theaters this weekend with “Superman,” directed by James Gunn.
David Corenswet stars as Superman and Clark Kent in the new film, which is the theatrical kickoff of a new DC Comics film universe, but works well enough on its own to be completely satisfying.
Nicholas Hoult, who I’ve been a fan of way back to his “About a Boy” days, is a wonderfully twisted Lex Luthor, who believes the alien Superman is keeping humanity from achieving its true potential.
(In something that adds to the meta-irony of the film, Corenswet actually beat out Hoult for the Superman role before Hoult was invited back as Luthor.)
Rachel Brosnahan is a gritty, gutsy Lois Lane who’s in a relationship with Superman, but isn’t sure he always thinks everything through as much as he should.
Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen provides an energetic take on the cub reporter who makes a key break in the Daily Planet’s investigation of the ongoing crisis. As seen in the trailers, the super-dog Krypto is a key player.
Watching 2025’s “Superman” has the feeling of picking up a comic book off the stands decades ago and being dropped in the middle of a world of wild excitement that’s already spinning. Everything doesn’t need to be completely explained — things start off and you are underway.
Green Lantern/Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) aren’t given an extensive explanation as the “Justice Gang” of heroes, but they fit right in, as do Luthor’s henchmen, the Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría) and Ultraman.
Superman in this film wants to share optimism and do good, and if that’s underlined pretty heavily a few times, I think that’s OK, at least for me and the way I feel about the character.
There are many comic-book inspirations for the film; several are collected in the “Superman Legacy” graphic novel box set coming in August. If you don’t have these yet, it could be a fun way to get caught up on some of the inspirations for the film.
This set includes softcover editions of:
All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly
Superman for All Seasons by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, by Alan Moore and Curt Swan
Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross
These are possibly my four favorite Superman stories (though Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ “For the Man Who Has Everything” is also up there), so I’d recommend checking them out either through the box set or through other collections.
The “Summer of Superman” this year has provided some great content as well, with this week’s “Superman Treasury 2025: Hero for All” serving as a great jumping–on point for those who want to catch up with the Man of Steel in comic books.
This oversized edition (10 ⅛ X 13 ⅝ ) is written by Dan Jurgens and drawn by Bruno Redondo, with colors by Adriano Lucas.
“Since Superman is the cornerstone on which our entire industry is built, the term ‘Treasury Sized Edition’ seems to be the perfect vehicle for him,” said Jurgens in a news release.
Jurgens notes that ‘Treasury Editions’ tended to be very special projects, many of which featured Superman — including “Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man” and “Superman vs. Muhammad Ali.”
“It was an honor, years later, to be able to add to that lineup of Treasury Editions with ‘Superman vs. the Fantastic Four,’” Jurgens said.
Redondo adds this new material at treasury size has been a long time coming.
“There’s been more than 25 years since DC published their last original Treasury Edition—double size of a regular comic book!” Redondo said in the release. “So, having the chance to participate on this is something really special, and I’m really giving my best for it to be special.”
I had a treasury-size edition featuring “behind the scenes” material from the first Superman movie that I “treasured” as a kid, so I felt like I had to grab the movie cover for this week’s Treasury Edition, which features bios of the key players and an interview with Hoult.
If you’re a Superman fan, it’s a great week to enjoy the optimism and hope around the movie release, and the comics and ancillary merchandise getting a boost from the movie hype. As a Superman fan, I’m trying to just soak it in a bit.
Matthew Price, matthew@matthewlprice.com, has written about the comics industry for more than two decades. He is the co-owner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman, Oklahoma.