Superman Annual #11

Have you ever thought really hard that you own something and yet for the love of it all, you just can't find it? That's how I was with this comic book. For the longest time, I thought I owned this beautiful issue. But it turned out that I merely had a reprinted version of the tale in the pages of DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore.

Well, that all ended this weekend when I found this book at the Raleigh Flea Market. It's a grail find! And I only paid $2 for a Fine or better copy!

'For The Man Who Has Everything.' 

The story has been made into both an animated episode of Justice League Unlimited and an episode of the CW's Supergirl. While I've never seen the Supergirl episode, the cartoon version was a classic. If somebody wishes to go into animation or adaptation script-writing, this should be required viewing. 

Right before he created Watchmen, Alan Moore scripted this delightful double-sized story. It's Superman's birthday. Batman along with Jason Todd, and Wonder Woman have traveled to the Fortress of Solitude to bestow the Man of Steel with gifts. But it turns out that someone has beat them to it. 

In the middle of the fortress stands Superman, entranced. A mysterious flower is wrapped around his body and its thorns are penetrating his supposedly impenetrable body. Inside Superman's mind, Kal-El is on Krypton. It didn't explode. However things are far from paradise.

Jor-El lost face and his position with the Science Academy because his prediction of mass destruction never came to pass. Now Jor-El is embroiled with a group of militants that long to see the old days of Krypton restored. This extremism has caused fractures between the members of Kal-El's family and now the entire House of El is in peril.

I've been a fan of this story for a very, very long time. I love how Superman loses control against the villain who is behind this plot. Normally, the Man of Steel pulls his punches. But since the antagonist is almost as powerful as he is, Superman just beats the living snot of them! 

As this is a re-read, I noticed how much more powerful and terrifying the scenes on Krypton are. Alan Moore's chaotic look on the formerly doomed planet reminds me of how bad things are these days on planet Earth. Jor-El's fanatic cronies remind me of several key players that on really putting a spin on things. I'll make sure that I DON'T SAY anything further about it.

With illustrations by fellow future Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons, Superman Annual #11 is one of the greatest stories ever told and one of my personal favorites. So glad I got to finally add this book to my collection!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.