‘Superman: The World’ (review)

Written and Illustrated by Various
Published by DC Comics

This is the third book by DC Comics called “The World.” These are very interesting books and a good experiment from the company. Basically, they are short stories by creators from all around the world focusing on an iconic character.

This leads to some really interesting work, particularly in how artists from other cultures interpret these characters. The first hardcover featured Batman and the second was the Joker. This time, DC turns its sight on Superman, perfectly timed to the release of the new blockbuster film.

These are a lot like any other anthology book that DC (or even Marvel these days for that matter) put out these days. Some stories are definitely better than others and the end result is always a mixed bag. But this is still well worth picking up.

These books always have an iconic writer and artist team from America to start the book off and this volume is no different.

The first story is by writer Dan Jurgens and artist Lee Weeks and they both couldn’t be any more perfect to start off this edition. The story is called “Let Slip The Dogs of War.”

And I’ll start of by getting this part out of the way first: The art by Lee Weeks is absolutely stunning. It is also a very pointed and effective story that shows Superman going off to save people against a foe and the military gets involved. A lot of the story shows how one person can matter. It also demonstrates the difference between Superman and the military with their values. There is a lot of energy in this story and the characterization is perfect here as well. It is a stunning reference point for the rest of the stories around the world. This was a strong start to the book for sure.

The next story is by superstar artist Jorge Jimenez. He does a solid job writing his Superman story as well as drawing it. This time Clark goes through Granada and it involves Superman helping a child. It is cute and well done but doesn’t really go too deep. I didn’t really care for the next story called “Superman’s Inferno.” It leaned too heavily into some strange religious themes and it got a little cringey at points. The artwork is really nice in this story but the writing felt really off as a whole.

I wasn’t too big a fan either of the entries from Serbia nor Cameroon. They seemed like the creators have never read a single Superman story. The villains of these pieces just did not work for me and the artwork didn’t really appeal to me too much. I went through them quickly because they were a bit boring. Luckily, the follow up chapter was a bit better than these two misfires.

I enjoyed “The Last Seed of Krypton” though it did get a little wordy and weird. The script by Mauro Mantella is pretty good. The artwork by Agustin Alessio is fairly unique as well. The story has Superman looking for an artifact from his Kryptonian past. The next installment is definitely the best of the book. It is called “To Be A Hero” and it has a compelling story by Rana Daggubati and phenomenal artwork by Sid Kotian. It has Superman fighting bandits and it does get pretty intense. I love the art so much in this story. I’d love to read more of the pair’s other work.

Those are definitely the best of the bunch though. As you go on, the concept starts to wear on you a little. Some of these did little to nothing for me. The entry from Japan called “Superman Versus Convenience Store Dining Space” is the strangest one of all. You have to read the book backwards, which I didn’t mind at first, but the story is so lacking that it feels a bit like a fetish piece. It was a strange one to end the book on. I actually wondered out loud why this story was even included. I couldn’t tell you.

Overall, it is a cool book to read, and I’ll keep reading them for different characters if they come out. I love seeing the different cultures and the different cities and various interpretations of the characters. It is a neat concept, and it does make for a different experience than the normal American comic book fare.

RATING: B