What were they smoking? My reaction to all those critics who hated Man of Steel

Man of Steel, guilty of failing Superman?

And it gets tiring really. I don't get it why the critics (and some bandwagon pseudo critics) are lambasting the Man of Steel. I mean, I do understand that the majority of them are pining on the nostalgic 1978 Superman movie starred by Christopher Reeve. It's even a shock to me that many are preferring Superman Returns (the one starred by Brandon Routh) over Man of Steel. But clearly, Man of Steel is not the Superman for that 70's generation where times were more innocent. Below are some of the comments that I would like to answer.

"Gone … are any of those lighter moments, fondly remembered from Supermen past, in which our hero – in or out of disguise – used his powers for decidedly non-super feats and, by doing so, grew closer to his fellow man, One longs to see this Superman change a flat or rescue a kitten from a tree or take Lois for a flight around the block." Variety's Scott Foundas wrote.

Superman, grounded?

Man of Steel is grounded in realism, in a post 9/11 world where threats to humanity is a serious threat. The appeal of the film for me is that it does not gloss over Superman's presence in this world as a charming alien. Because truth be told, we don't react kindly to the things unknown to us. We don't accept aliens with open arms. When Superman in 1978 first appeared, people in the film embraced him readily without curiosity or fear. There was a sense of amazement and wonder. But that generation is still yet to experience real fear. Or to put it more succinctly, Amercia does not know fear and terrorism yet. In Man of Steel, we are shown a mirror of our reflection of how we react to aliens like Superman. An alien just can't quickly charm a woman and convince her to fly with him. Our world don't trust easily.

However, IndieWire's take on the movie was less enthusiastic, with Eric Kohn writing, "The dreary atmosphere underscores unremitting commitment to a brooding storyline that creates the illusion of meaning behind the abundant CGI."

Too dark?

That dreary atmosphere was what made Man of Steel so emotionally arresting. Clark's journey in finding his place in this world and the flashbacks shown of his growing up years tugged my heartstrings that even a number of my friends shed man tears. It was an essential mood to bring out an inspirational story of how one's uniqueness could someday chart a greater destiny. Clark Kent was a brooding traveler who never had a connection with people (except his adoptive parents) because he was so unsure of himself. He didn't know if he could trust people. And as that Priest he visited said, he has to take a leap of faith before he can find out which one of those who he can really trust. That leap of faith is a courageous decision not different from the decision to fight for Earth. These were not put on the movie just to satisfy those who would be looking for more meaningful scenes beyond the explosive action. This was an integral part of Superman's being. Not a lot of people understands Superman's character. But Superman is not Super because of his powers. He is for me Super because of the values that he chose to upheld.

"It all started really strong with the scenes in Krypton and then suddenly we are rushed into an adult Clark while doing a lot of flashbacks that frankly affected the pacing."

Cavill in his best Clark Kent form from the movie

The pacing of the movie is quite fine. You can't cram all of the important scenes together because this is not a TV series. This is one whole movie. I am already very thankful that we were not given a bland Krypton that just appeared on the film because it had to. Krypton became alive in this movie. And if there was some lesson to learn from this, it's the lesson that we should take care of our environment lest we would want our planet to suffer the same fate as Krypton. So how do you forward a movie without boring the audience with an origin story that they might not get interested in because they came to see Superman, not a young Clark Kent? You give them the now, and you give them the what had been. The flashback were a great tool as it took all of the best parts of Clark's growing up years and made us understand why he chose to be the wanderer that he had turned into. His evolution into becoming Superman comes in full circle when he finally embraced his Kryptonian roots.

 And the efforts to make Amy Adams' Lois Lane a journalist first and a love interest second have not pleased everyone; as Andrew Pulver wrote in the Guardian, "You're left with the nagging feeling that you just can't work out what the central twosome see in each other. And for Superman and Lois Lane, that's hardly ideal."

"By having Lois discover Clark’s true identity so early on, “Man of Steel” relinquishes the halting romantic chemistry between the two characters that brightened previous versions of the tale"

Journalist or just plain love interest?

Lois Lane in the comic books did not automatically swoon for Superman the way Lois Lane was portrayed by Margot Kidder in the first movie. Man of Steel had to establish that Lois is not your damsel in distress because truthfully she isn't. How can she be underused when she played a big part in the movie when she (along with Col. Hardy and Prof Hamilton) was able to send those Kryptonians back to the Phantom Zone. Is being Superman's love interest first and reporter/heroine second more important than giving Lois her own legs to stand with or without Superman? Lois is given a bigger role in the movie, more than just being Superman's love interest because it brings depth to the character. Her scenes with Professor Hamilton and Col. Hardy were plain awesome because this was just like your average alien/disaster movie where the humans collectively do their part in triumphing over a disaster. It uplifts the human spirit that we are not as helpless as we thought to be in the face of these disasters. And no I don't accept the idea that "By having Lois discover Clark’s true identity so early on, “Man of Steel” relinquishes the halting romantic chemistry between the two characters that brightened previous versions of the tale". Because there is still the very real question of what would happen if you fall in love with an alien? This is what would make their romantic chemistry halting because Lois will have to deal with the physiological reality that Superman is not human. They just can't have sex and think that nothing is wrong with that. Superman and Lois in the current comic book continuity (as Superman is romantically involved with Wonder Woman) aren't even lovers. I know this caused a lot of outrage with the fans (me included) but it is what it is. At least with Man of Steel, they made an effort to have both Superman and Lois romantically attracted to each other.

"Too Dark, Too Big, Too Loud, Too Much"

Too much action scenes like this ain't fun?

What would you expect from a Superman film? All dance numbers and comedic spiels? Superman had evolved over the years. Nothing has been the same since Superman died at the hands of Doomsday. For sure, a lot of fans would still cling to the smug and smiling confident Superman of the silver and bronze age. This is not your Superfriends' Superman. The battle sequences are epic in nature because that's how it's supposed to be played out. You don't pit two Kryptonians against each other and expect minor dents to the surroundings. For me that was what made this movie amazing. Those buildings crashing down, ground shaking, and all of the necessary destruction are epic in scale because it shows us the clear threat of a battle of the gods. Honestly, I still would have preferred Superman for the more innocent times, but we no longer live on those times. Man of Steel is what this generation needs, just for Superman to gain the respect that he deserves. Superman 1978, despite it's stature as an epic superhero movie, has become the laughingstock of this Marvel dominated audience. It felt campy and ridiculous to the modern audience when compared to let's say Iron Man. Nobody respects Superman anymore. Man of Steel is clearly a clear and present threat to Marvel's superhero film making formula. Superman needs not to be subtle in his introduction in the modern world. Back in 1938 in Superman's first appearance to the world, he was not quite subtle as his appearance totally changed the way comic books were written.  

"Cavill's performance is less memorable for his introspective brooding than for his six-pack (a fetish for Snyder, the director of "300"). He's handsome and capable, but one can't help missing Christopher Reeve's twinkle. At least he smiled."

Henry Cavill v.s. Christopher Reeve

What does Cavill's Superman need to smile for? An alien world that is of your heritage is invading your world that you consider home. Should you smile about that? Cavill's Superman lacks the confidence of his character because he was still in his growing pains. Superman should not became a confident hero overnight. Specially not when you are going up against your fellow race. There were no reason to smile for during those intense moments of the journey, the invasion, and the battle. Sure there were a couple of lighthearted moments, and Cavill delivered those when needed. But Man of Steel is just an intense and serious film that it's crazy to think that he would just broke out a smile like Reeve's. Reeve's Superman again was released in a period where Superheroes were more revered for their fantastical powers than their personal issues with their lives. We can't let Superman be stuck with his fantastical powers because that's what made him a very difficult character to write in the first place. Chris Reeve's Superman was hated by Batman and Marvel fans because he was smug. Man of Steel adapts a more conflicted and human Superman and still it gets burned for that. Sadly, this makes Superman in a no win situation. Highly opinionated individuals who either are 1.) die hard Superman fans of the traditional Superman or 2.) Individuals who really don't have a clue about Superman's character are I guess the ones who are complaining about the movie. Me, I'd rather have a progressive Superman than a Superman that sticks too much to his tradition to the extent of extinction. Man of Steel delivered without sacrificing the core values of Superman.


"He's not Superman because he never attempted to save anyone during that battle in Metropolis, he allowed people to die"

Man of Steel is basically Superman Year One. He basically is yet to learn how to be more strategic in his battles. During the Metropolis battle scene, he was too occupied to stop those ships that was terraforming Earth to New Krypton. If he kept his focus on saving the people in Metropolis, then maybe after all the saving, there would no longer be a Planet Earth. The so called "Old" Concept of Superman was never changed. Man of Steel just brought a more plausible tale to Superman's story than having him appear out of nowhere and then automatically earn everyone's praise. And do you actually believe in wars/battles with that magnitude, there would be no collateral damage? I think not. Avengers or Incredible Hulk is a joke if they actually made us believe that they were able to save all the people during their battle scenes. 

Well this will be my last piece of opinion for the controversial ending and Superman not saving people or not taking the battle to a secluded place... For those who are railing about this, can't you guys understand that this is a Superman ORIGIN story. Meaning this is YEAR ONE. Heck it's not even a year. How about SUPERMAN WEEK ONE. Let's give the guy a break. He is still inexperienced with this Superhero thing. The Superman that you keep on comparing to him already had years of experience under his belt. Surely there was a more solid reason why he now usually takes the high road. And if you think about it, MOS has planted those seeds. This is not a one shot movie. All will be explained in due time. And for those who are complaining about Superman's demeanor after (where he traded banter with Swanwick), we don't even know how much time had passed by before that scene. But I agree that that immediate scene could have been better. 

Bonus: What the!?! Superman is not suppose to kill

Superman's lone killing act in the comics

Well it did happen. And in the comic book, there was one instance where Superman killed. But that instance made Superman suffer a consequence that was too much for him to take. He had to exile himself. Since then, he had vowed to never take a life again.  For more about that, visit this site
As a Superman fan, I'm not supposed to be okay with that scene specially since this is going to be presented to a larger audience who might not be ready to accept a Superman that kills. But I understand where this would be heading. This can be a very good plot device for someone like Lex Luthor to use as he rallies the human race against Superman. This I believe should be explored more in the sequel as his killing of Zod is the most significant image in the movie. You could see Superman's raw emotions after he killed Zod. Screaming in pain to have realized that he has broken his moral code and had taken away a Kryptonian life, perhaps his last remaining link to his alien roots. And also that image (before Superman snaps Zod's neck) of a father trying to protect his family from Zod's heat vision must have struck a cord in Superman as he should never again want anyone to lose their life under his watch (like how he was rendered helpless when he couldn't save his father). It's a pivotal moment and shocking ending. I know Superman fans will be talking a lot about it. But whatever Snyder's reasons for doing that, I hope he could utilize it as a tool in the sequel.

Which among them is really the best Superman for this generation?

I know there are a lot more criticisms out there and I can't possibly answer all of them. But simply put you can't appreciate Man of Steel if you continue to pine for the Chris Reeve Superman. That conundrum is pretty much like how people used to pine for George Reeves (Superman TV series actor of the 50's) as the best Superman when Superman the movie first came out in 1978. I think this is a generational thing. Most film critics still have not gotten over Reeve's portrayal of Superman. So much so that the 2006 Superman Returns movie garnered good reviews from the critics since it was a pseudo sequel to Reeve's Superman movies. Which is very much like how I still haven't gotten over the fact that the Superman that I knew and grew up with in the comics is no longer around and is now replaced by a younger Superman in the New 52 continuity. Reeve and Routh's Superman sadly are no longer acceptable for this new generation of movie goers. They have been spoiled by the big action sequences that Marvel had popularized in their comic book movies. Man of Steel is a good blend of Reeve's Superman and the Marvel way of doing comic book movies but amp up 100 hundred times more. Man of Steel's action sequences trumps Marvel's Avengers'. This might have upset the film critics who wanted a more grounded Superman. For whatever opinion formed about the movie, Man of Steel for me is the perfect reboot for this new generation of viewers. All of those who say otherwise will have to deal with the nostalgia of the older Superman movies and just watch reruns of those on the DVD. Whatever versions you prefer, Superman is here to stay.

By the way my Film Review is posted here:

http://actionfigureplanet.blogspot.com/2013/06/man-of-steel-movie-review.html

Man of Steel Movie Review

Man of Steel

I will be writing my personal thoughts and review of the Man of Steel movie for this entry. But a little disclaimer should be put in order. I'm a huge Superman fan. I own a plethora of Superman merchandise and a wealthy amount of comic books and Graphic Novels (to my estimation, I own 75%-80% of all the Modern Age Superman stories released in comic book form). I own  all of the Superman Movies released on DVD. I have seen all of the Live action TV series ranging from Superboy, Lois and Clark, to Smallville. I have also seen all of the Superman Animated movies or series. In short, I'm a Superman geek/fanboy. And I'm reviewing the movie as a Superman geek. But mind you, geeks/fanboys are the hardest to please when it comes to Superhero movies (though I'm not saying that the quality of the movie will be less appreciated if you are not a Superman geek). You don't shoehorn fanboys as bias when they talk about the character that they are a fan of because they can spew venom just like what they did to that Superman Returns movie. With that being said, Man of Steel is easily the best SUPERHERO movie ever!

Henry Cavill as Superman

Now I'm saying SUPERHERO movie and not COMIC BOOK movie because this will be a major point of discussion for this entry. So far, film critics have panned the movie simply because they were looking for the humor part of the movie. They were expecting Man of Steel to feel like a Marvel movie (since Marvel seems to be the standard for Comic Book movies nowadays). Thus, they were disappointed when Man of Steel strained away from the usual Comic Book movie formula of giving us some humor, lighthearted moments, and the lack of Clark-Lois sexual tensions. Simply put, they were never able to move on from Christopher Reeve's 1978 portrayal of Superman. Now honestly I really love Christopher Reeve's Superman, but his Superman is outdated. The world needs an update of Superman in the big screen for this current generation. And I believe Man of Steel did not disappoint. You don't put Man of Steel in the context of a Comic Book movie, because it isn't. If The Dark Knight trilogy is not your typical Comic book movie as critics would prefer to call it a crime drama/Superhero movie, Man of Steel can be best described as a Sci-Fi disaster/Superhero movie. Marvel's direction leans heavily towards the cartoony and childish, and I credit them for being great at creating COMIC BOOK movies. DC is leaning more on the serious side of things. And this is why the so called critics are panning the movie. It's actually a bad thing when film critics pigeonhole Comic Book movies as something that should lack seriousness. I actually feel sorry for them if they choose to view Comic Book movies as movies that are just for kids. Something like the long standing belief that comic books are just for kids.

Russell Crowe as Jor El

The movie opens on the Planet Krypton at the height of political tensions between Jor El (played by Russel Crowe), Superman's/Kal El's biological father, and the Kryptonian Council. General Zod (played by Michael Shannon) served as the wild card as he is bent on preserving the Kryptonian race by overpowering the council and seeking to create a New Krypton. The current Krypton is dying due to the Kryptonians' abuse of the planet's natural resources. Jor El is hell bent on saving his son by sending him to Earth, a planet he carefully chose knowing that this planet will make his son God like in strength and abilities. General Zod meanwhile initiates a coup, waging war against the council but was eventually captured (but not before killing Jor El in their fight for the Kryptonian gene codex that could rebuild a New Krypton) and was sent on exile. This opening sequence gives us Krypton's mythology that is never before seen on the big screen or the small screen. From the get go, the opening scene and sequence are filled with dazzling imagery of a Kryptonian planet that is more alive compared to the icy cold Krypton of the first Superman movie back in 1978. I was actually on the edge of my seat from the beginning til the end because right from the get go, we are presented action packed scenes that are worthy for a summer blockbuster movie. Alas, film critics are complaining that this movie is too loud and noisy because of the over extended action scenes.

Jor El v.s. General Zod

Superman's first flight

But mind you, those were not the best part of the movie. Personally, as a Superman fan, I have always looked at the heart of the stories that Superman is in. I am apalled that the film critics failed to see the heart and soul of the movie; Clark Kent/Superman's discovery of himself after all of the values imbued in him by his adoptive parents Jonathan (played by Kevin Costner) and Martha Kent (played by Diane Lane) was finally realized. For me that was the best part. There were a lot of quotes said by both his biological and adoptive parents that are very good inspirational sound bites that one can use in relating to Clark and his internal struggle to mean something in this world. Following the Krypton scenes, we are introduced to a Clark Kent (played by Henry Cavill) whose existence felt like a ghost as he conceals his identity every time he does some superhuman feats while saving those who are in trouble. Each one of us have this need to be relevant in this world, we can see our selves in Clark's struggles. Flashbacks of Clark's childhood and all of the ugly and terrifying things that he had to deal at such a young age are interspersed in between his present struggle. Clark only began to embrace his destiny when he finally was able to meet and talk to his biological father Jor El, thru a key that Jor El sent along with Clark to Earth, which was activated thru the Kryptonian ship that crash landed on Earth years ago. This is where we get a first glimpse of Superman in his full costume regalia. Henry Cavill is the perfect Superman for this current generation as his appearance makes you actually believe that this is how Superman should look like in the world today. His wandering Clark Kent (who was most of the time topless) gives you this strongman persona with his buff and chiseled body complete with an unshaved beard. As he emerges from the ship wearing the Superman costume, you could actually feel his majestic presence. Well he doesn't wear the familiar spitcurl that Superman is known for. But his strong jaws makes him look Superman enough with or without the hairstyle that Superman is more familiar with.

General Zod and Faora

Michael Shannon as General Zod

Just as Superman appears and all of the notions that this is a comic book movie, the movie takes a surprising turn as we are treated to an impending alien invasion through General Zod's awakening and discovery of Earth as the planet where Jor El sent his son. He issues a threat to the world to surrender Kal El within 24 hours or else suffer the consequences. Now this isn't like this was never done before in a comic book movie. Marvel's Thor briefly touched upon this, and their Avengers movie used this to the hilt with Loki's Chitauri invasion. But those were never as menacing as General Zod's threat. Aliens just don't fall out of the sky. At least there should be an effort first to communicate. And that is what General Zod did. The accompanying musical score by Hans Zimmer on the Kryptonian invasions also complimented well with the visuals that we've seen. The music gives the visuals a more terrifying feel.  This gives the movie a certain realism that we have not seen in previous comic book movies dealing with aliens. It doesn't help that Shannon's acting as General Zod was so superb and menacing that you'd actually think that this is what would happen if ever aliens would invade Earth. Faora (played by Antje Traue) also has this quiet but chilling demeanor as Zod's second in command. Their motivations are quite simple really, to use Earth as the New Krypton. It's a noble motivation, if only not at the expense of an entire human race. As I said before, this is not your typical Comic Book movie. From hereon after, the movie no longer feels like a comic book as the force of the full scale Alien invasion felt like this was a disaster movie. This began to turn into a sci-fi movie as all of the Kryptonian powers and genetics are explored. It's not like they possess these powers just because they have to, or they have these weaknesses just because they need to have it. Scientific explanations are given. This is not for those who prefer to watch brainless action movies.

General Zod in his Kryptonian armor

Antje Traue as Faora

Superman deals with trust issues as he contemplates on surrendering to the human authorities or just offer himself to Zod straight on despite the General's history with Krypton. Good thing that he had Lois Lane's (played by Amy Adams) attention in their initial meeting. It took a leap of faith to trust the humans and allowed himself to be delivered to Zod (who also took Lois along with Superman). This trust however was short lived as Zod reneged on his promise of leaving Earth alone once Superman is surrendered to him. Instead, he initiates an attack to reshape Earth and turn it into a New Krypton. Of course Superman must defend the planet that has adopted him and a full scale battle against the invading Kryptonian invasion begins.The military included Superman as one of their targets but a few heroic acts later, the military became convinced that Superman was on their side. Lois is given a more proactive role in this film as she gets involved in fighting off the Kryptonians during her escape. We've never seen Lois in the big screen with this type of role as the previous Loises (Margot Kidder and Kate Bosworth) were more the damsel in distress type. I hate it that the film critics were looking for a deeper exploration of the Lois and Clark dynamics when in fact this movie's Lois is very much faithful to the Lois Lane of the comic books. There is no need to rush the Lois and Clark relationship as this is an origin movie. The romance is still budding and we are given short glimpses of that in this film.

Superman surrenders to General Zod

Faora v.s. Superman

What follows is an all out slam bang action that the critics deemed as loud and noisy. Well if they find it too loud and noisy, I find it to be just apt. What do you expect to see when two god like super powered individuals clash? Small dents on the buildings and the structures surrounding them? Of course explosions aplenty and ground shaking and what nots are to be expected. For fans who are itching to see Superman use his powers in a fight, this is the movie that we have been waiting for. The fight scenes in this movie makes the fight scenes in the Superman II movie between Superman and Zod look cartoonish. Fists were flying at super speed. Heat vision was burning all over the place. Super speed were used that I can barely contain the excitement every time I see the bursts of speed. These were not too loud for me. They were just enough. Superman also did not have the monopoly of the fight scenes. As I have mentioned before, this movie also felt like a disaster movie, an alien invasion movie. We see military troops battling the Kryptonian invasion with their futile weapons. Exploding buildings, people running for their lives, people saving other people (Perry White played by Laurence Fishburne saving his staff), Superman isn't the only hero here, even the ordinary everyman gets to be a hero. Something like how disaster movies always have this human element in them where the humans rise above from their flaws and turn heroic. Lois gets to be a hero too. Along with Col. Hardy and Emil Hamilton, they finally put an end to the Kryptonian invasion wtih the help of Jor El's guiding spirit by sending these Kryptonian invaders to the Phantom Zone.

Superman v.s. General Zod

The controversial climactic battle

The climactic battle between Superman and Zod however would be the most controversial scene in the movie. In a fit of rage and left with no other choice to do, Superman snaps Zod's neck as he stops Zod from burning a cornered family with his heat vision. As Zod dies, we can see Superman's raw emotion and anger, perhaps angry at himself for breaking his own moral code of not to kill. I'm sure a lot of Superman fans would be buzzing at this scene, and this certainly would be up for debate. But again this is not like this never happened before. In the comic books, Superman killed Zod in one of the story arcs. But that killing resulted to tough consequences as Superman's psyche was badly damaged that he had to exile himself from Earth out of his fear that he might go out of control again. Superman always had this moral code of not killing. Man of Steel broke that moral code to a wider audience. It's actually amazing that the film critics never mentioned this as one of the flaws of the film. Surely it means that they are clueless about how Superman should be and was only fixated on the lighter moments of who Superman should be. Some critics describes this movie as dark and edgy. But the movie was dark and edgy for a reason. It's not like they chose to make it look dark and edgy just because that's the popular thing to do. Superman needs to be brought back to the reality of the dark and edgy world that we are living in today, if only for us to find the beauty of the things that we forgot or surrendered in favor of a harsher world. If Christopher Reeve's Superman the movie made us believe that a man could fly, Man of Steel makes us believe in hope. Simply put Man of Steel is the greatest Superhero movie ever.     

Superman/Clark Kent applies for the Daily Planet

The movie actually is not without some flaws. There were a couple I could point out. Like I sometimes felt dizzy with Snyder's choice of shooting some scenes with a handheld camera. The screen had those shaky shots because of that. Also, I'm not quite sold with Amy Adams as Lois Lane only because her voice was soft and cute (not to mention the pointy nose that really annoyed me). But those are just the very minor qualms that I had with the movie. Overall, Man of Steel is a fantastic movie to restart the Superman franchise and kick start a larger DC Cinematic Universe. Feels great to be a DC fan. If you still haven't seen the movie, go watch it. I already saw it twice. And is contemplating a third round before the movie bows out in the cinemas.

DC Direct: New Krypton Commander Kal El

DC Direct Commander Kal El

So I might be down to my last review before Man of Steel hits theaters everywhere. I actually still have a couple more Superman action figures to review but unfortunately time constraints won't allow me to finish them on time before the Man of Steel hits the screens. I'll eventually do them in the coming days however. As for this entry, Superman takes a leave of absence on his Superheroing on Earth to settle down in New Krypton. Read on for more about this story.

New Krypton Commander Kal El

When Geoff Johns took over the Superman titles, Superman fans were in for a wild ride. Beginning with the storyline Brainiac, Johns establishes Superman's Kryptonian roots and brought into the DC Universe the existence of a Kryptonian civilization trapped in a bottle. For his next act, Johns brings this civilization on Earth as one hundred thousands of Supermen (now restored to their original life size) emerged from the shrunken bottle. An all out action ensues as Superman had to deal with the growing uneasiness and restlessness of the human civilization who sees these Krytponians as a threat to their security. Caught in the middle, Superman leaves Earth to join and police the Kryptonians. By the end of the story arc, James Robinson, Greg Rucka, and Sterling Gates took over the titles from Geoff Johns and gave us a Superman story that has more political intrigue and mystery compared to the traditional Superman stories that were released in the previous years. All of these tense build ups however would lead to an epic battle between Superman and the Kryptonian race, as they were now being led by General Zod. A lot of changes happened in these multiple story arcs, we even see a depowered Superman living amongst the Kryptonian race. This self exile however, along with a new unrecognizable military type costume that Superman donned as a member of the Kryptonian army, would only fuel the excitement of the fans the moment Superman returned to Earth (after a year of absence) in his traditional costume via the War of the Supermen story arc.

Kal El as illustrated by Gary Frank

These multiple story arcs were aptly supported by the art of Gary Frank, Pete Woods, Renato Guedes, and others. Frank's Superman artistic style blew away Superman fans as he brought Christopher Reeve's Superman likeness in the comic books. Reeve, revered for his portrayal of Superman on the big screen in 1978 (spawning 4 movies in total), became Frank's model as he drew his Superman's facila features. I was slightly disappointed though that Frank never had the chance to work with 1978 Superman director Richard Donner for the Last Son storyline. This was rectified however by DC when they pulled out Johns and Frank from the regular Superman titles (thus James Robinson and crew took over) and gave them a new limited series epic called Superman Secret Origins. In this story, Johns and Frank recreates the Superman origin story (including some of the scenes from the 1978 Superman movie) for the new generation as it complimented with all of the Superman stories written by Johns. I highly recommend casual Superman fans to grab a copy of the Superman Secret Origins graphic novel. It's all that you'll ever need in a Superman story. And what more can I say when you have a Superman that looks exactly like Christopher Reeve as he appeared in all of those Superman movies in the 70's and 80's.  

Superman/Kal El

The Action Figure: This was a game changer for DC Direct. For years, DC Direct had been know to feature awesome sculpts but limited in articulation. The New Krypton toy line offered changes in their articulation department (though I think this is not the first time they offered more articulation as that privilege belonged to the History of the DC Universe toy line). The Commander Kal El action figure from the upper waist up sports similar articulations with that of the Mattel DCUC toy line minus the ab crunch. This figure features a ball jointed neck, ball hinged shoulders, swivel biceps, wrists, waist, and boots, hinged elbows and knees, and pivot hips. So play value of the figure is so much better compared to previous DC Direct action figures. The costume looks fairly normal, but it remained faithful to the source material. Awesome detail was given, especially the small S insignia on the figure's left chest as well as the belts and chains sculpted on the figure. But the best part of the figure is the head sculpt, as it features Christopher Reeve's likeness since this figure was based from the art of Gary Frank. A lot of collectors (me included) however were disappointed that DC Direct skipped on releasing a Superman figure in his classic costume based on the art of Gary Frank. It would have been an awesome figure to have as it would certainly become the action figure representation of Christopher Reeve's Superman. That missed opportunity however encourage Superman fans to get creative and create their own Christopher Reeve Superman by using the head sculpt of the figure and creating/customizing a Superman body in his classic costume. My simple creation can be see below and here. I will be devoting a separate entry for my Custom Christopher Reeve Superman in my future entries.

Gary Frank's Superman

Tom Welling, Christopher Reeve, and Brandon Routh

Reeve v.s. Welling

Routh v.s. Welling, Reeve referees

New Krypton Commander Kal El

Superman: New Krypton volume four

Defining Comic book in my collection featuring this figure: The entire New Krypton arc can be accessed thru the 9 part book/volumes (this includes the Brainiac story arc) that DC released as a graphic novel. Superman: Brainiac was the prelude to this epic story line as Brainiac was in possession of the bottled city of Kandor. Superman's Earth father, Jonathan Kent died in this story when he saved his wife, Martha Kent, from Brainiac's attacks. Just when a member of Superman's family dies, a huge number of his fellow Kryptonian race emerges from the bottle and Superman deals with 100,000 more fellow Kryptonians like him (including his Uncle and Supergirl's parents, Zor-El and Alura). 
Helping the Kryptonians' assimilation on Earth, Superman faces a daunting task as these Kryptonians went out of control as they tried to rid the Earth of Superman's enemies. One of these missions caused the accidental death of police officers. This accident enrages the officials of Earth and superhero groups like the Justice League and Justice Society. U.S. Army General Sam Lane (Lois Lane's dad) forms a covert group (which includes Lex Luthor) to battle the Kryptonian "invasion". In their secret mission, they managed to assassinate the recognized Kryptonian leader Zor-El. This caused a full-scale war between the forces of Earth (which includes the Justice League and Justice Society) and the Kryptonians, with Superman caught in the middle. The impending war was only halted when the Kryptonians managed to create a new planet they called New Krypton, which was located at the opposite end of the Earth, hidden by the yellow sun. With no exposure from the yellow sun, the Kryptonians loses their powers. The death of Zor-El would lead Alura to avail the services of General Zod, freeing him from the Phantom Zone (as seen in the events here) and installing him as the lead authority in New Krypton.

Superman joins General Zod and his forces in New Krypton

Commander El garners respect from General Zod

Despite the tensions between Earth and New Krypton, General Zod's involvement with New Krypton would cause Superman to depart Earth and enlist as part of the Kryptonian Military guild and reside in New Krypton in order for him to keep a close watch on Zod. This is where all the political intrigues of New Krypton emerges, with hidden agendas and the like playing out in the whole story arc. Superman, now known as Commander El faces the different challenges of Kryptonian traditions and it's political intrigues. And since Kryptonian criminals were also released from the Phantom Zone along with General Zod, criminal elements existed to wreak havoc on New Krypton. This was part of Commander El's job to apprehend. Political intrigues however causes Commander El to be jailed by General Zod because of treason. But was later freed because of a Kryptonian tradition. General Zod was assassinated during the celebration of that tradition, but a fast acting Commander El managed to apprehend the assassin. His quick actions led a recovering Zod to turn over the leadership of New Krypton to him, just as they discovered that the assassin used Earth made weapons. There was a traitor in their midst, and it was up to Commander El to unmask the traitor. When Zod became fully healed, he demoted Commander El back to commander and he became the General again. Commander El meanwhile successfully unmasks the traitor. And just as he reaps praise from General Zod, Brainiac robots appears all over New Krypton.

Superman's allies on Earth while he was away from Earth

General Zod and his forces captures Superman

Brainiac robots appears all over New Krypton and a full scale invasion is on. Zod rallies his Kryptonian troops to ward off the invasion. Meanwhile, Superman and his allies (Supergirl, Mon-El, Superboy, and the Legion of Superheroes) invades Brainiac's ship to rescue the other remaining bottled cities. Superman seemingly dies in his battle with Brainiac, while Zod and his forces continues to battle Brainiac. It was also revealed that all of these machinations were ran by Luthor under the orders of General Lane. He programs Brainiac to attack New Krypton to create chaos and disorder to give General Lane and the Earth forces an opening for their attack. Zod had Brainiac on his knees and was about to deliver the killing blows when suddenly Superman appears and stops him. Superman was revived by Legionnaire Brainiac 5 using blood transfusion from Superboy/Kon El and exposes him to synthesized yellow suns. Brainiac meanwhile snaps Luthor's neck when he found out that Luthor was sabotaging his ship. This Luthor though was actually a robot created by Toyman. This act by Luthor gave him a Presidential pardon and was eventually set free by the U.S. government. When Zod knew about the human's involvement in Brainiac's invasion, he declares war on Earth and rallies his troops against Earth's forces. Upon knowing this, Superman engages Zod in a battle but was outnumbered by Ursa and Non. The other Kryptonians heads toward Earth as they start their invasion. Meanwhile, a captured Reactron detonates on New Krypton, destroying the planet and killing Alura. Luthor, under the orders of General Lane fires a missile towards the Earth's sun, turning it to red and depowering the Kryptonians, suffocating most of them in space to death. Out of the 100,000 Kryptonians, 73,000 dies, leaving behind 7,000 Kryptonians who were able to reach Earth and wreak havoc by killing world leaders and the likes. Ursa heads towards the White House in search of the U.S. President with Supergirl hot on her trails. Superman on the other hand stands atop the Daily Planet as he waited for Zod's arrival. In the final battle, Supergirl narrowly defeats Ursa, Superboy uses the Phantom Zone projector against Non just when Non was about to beat the Justice League, and Superman defeats Zod with the help of Superboy by sending him back to the Phantom Zone. Meanwhile General Lane commits suicide as he realizes that he went overboard in protecting Earth from the Kryptonian invasion and his role of sparking this war by coaxing the Kryptonians who were living peacefully on New Krypton.    

Superman v.s. Zod, the Final Battle

The Art of Gary Frank

Although Frank had a good run illustrating Superman, I still find it not enough as I believe Frank could have illustrated more Superman stories. But then again, after the events of the New Krypton Saga, Superman would face an identity crisis as he literally walks all over America to find himself as he answers the question "Must there be a Superman?" The final story arc of the Modern Age Superman would pit him against Doomsday, the monster that had killed him before. But that threat is nothing compared to what would happen next. Superman would face the biggest challenge yet. A change of continuity, the end of the Modern Age Superman. A new Superman emerges, familiar yet strangely different. The age of New 52 thus began!

Man of Steel Philippines Press Launch

Man of Steel Press Launch

So yeah, after that disastrous experience in contributing for toy exhibits, I was invited for the Press Launch of the Man of Steel at Mall of Asia as a blogger. Naturally I had to go and visit the launch (even if I have already seen the movie trailers almost a hundred times). The launch formally opened to the public the activity area where kids can have their photos taken with the replicas, props, toy exhibits, and mini games. The launch included a mini Fashion Show from Penshoppe where ramp models sported the Man of Steel related apparels. There was also a dance group to entertain the audience and a raffle draw that gave out limited edition Man of Steel watches by Axis, as well as a Lenovo flat screen T.V. for the major prize. I think the event had a decent budget as the organizers even created a replica of that squid like Kryptonian vessel from the movie. Pinoy Superman Herbert Chavez was also in attendance though he wasn't the "official" Superman cosplayer on that day as the honor belonged to Gerard Sison. What I'm curious about however was the Toy Exhibit or the so called Superman Memorabilia Exhibit. I wonder if the toy exhibitors were handsomely paid. The press and the guests of the event however were given "Press Kits" as their sign of appreciation. Man of Steel opens on June 12, 2013. This is a must watch movie for Superhero fans and casual fans alike. See below for more photos of the event.

Penshoppe Man of Steel Fashion Show

Dance Group

Pacific Licensing

Exhibits

Kryptonian Battle Ship Replica

Giant S insignia

Movie Posters

Jor El

Flight

Man of Steel

Superman

Toy Exhibit/Superman Memorabilia from the collection of Jeffrey Velazquez, Jeffrey Quillope, and Mae/Tochi Pimping

AXIS Limited Edition Man of Steel Watch

Kryptonian Key Replica

Activity Center

Superman Cosplayers

Gerard Sison

Herbert Chavez and Gerard Sison

Press Kit