I LOVED this book. It may have been enhanced reading it after being disappointed by All Star Superman but this is the characters as I love to see them. It's an elseworld where Clark is an open secret in Smallville and tracks his journey to becoming Superman. We see Clark discovering who he is and what he wants to be in the world. We see Lois as someone who sees Clark for the wonderful man that he is and doesn't get too caught up in Superman. I loved the friendships with Pete, Jimmy and even Ollie.

The character work made me so, so happy and the action sequences were just long enough to make the point and didn't drag on, which is the problem I have with so many comics. I know I will read this again and again. ( )

In parts, really good. In others, I'm not really sure.
I enjoyed all the different art styles, I just sort of wish they'd stuck to a single one throughout the story. I think at this point, I'm burned out on various takes on the origin story. My favorite Superman stories (Red Son, Kingdom Come, Secret Identity) really went out of their way to avoid being just another origin story - American Alien was interesting and unique, but I couldn't help but feel I've read this sort of thing before.

After 13 Superman stories, it's no wonder.

Here's where I get off the Superman train and move onto other things - I'm glad I forayed into them, it was a nice change of pace and a very easy read for all of them during the holiday season. I was surprised at how much I liked the best ones; I was certain none of them were going to compete with some of Batman's best (Long Halloween, White Knight, Killing Joke) but they're so different and fun in their own way that I found myself enjoying them more than I thought I would. ( )

Max Landis is an absolute dickbutt. The stories were interesting but I felt like it needed one more to feel complete. ( )

Always sharply written, but the art seemed hit or miss. The mini-stories were odd and sort of irrelevant but I still enjoyed them for what they were. Overall, this is an interesting take on a young Clark Kent and his struggle to become a Superman, compiled as a collection of short stories. It's not my favorite, but it is undeniably exceptional. ( )

Max Landis is my hero. See, Superman and I never really meshed before. He's always been this superhero who, at least for me, was unreachable. He didn't feel human (which yes, I know he's an alien technically) and his bevvy of superpowers always kept him at arms length for me. I like my superheroes with a little more fight in them, I guess. It's tough to love a guy who is all but unbreakable.

Enter Max Landis' take on Superman. Here was a Clark that I could actually fall in love with. Each issue is a separate part of Clark's life, from childhood up through adulthood. Each one also has a different artist. I LOVED this. It felt like the illustrations grew, right along with our young superhero. He became a real person for me. There were points where he was adorable, awkward, debonair, and lost. I've never cared about Superman at all, until this comic. That's saying a lot. ( )