Review: Superman- Up in the Sky

Quick Summary

Pros: The stories in this book are mostly compelling. The majority of the stories also provide a unique and individualized look at Superman as a character.

Cons: A few of the stories are just alright. Not every fan will enjoy the unique storytelling tactics within this volume.

Overall: This is a unique volume with equally unique appeal. The book’s main focus is examining and discussing Superman’s character traits through a serious of individual stories. The majority of these stories are successful, though a few lackluster entries can be found here and there. This volume is for Superman fans who want to see the character examined in unique ways, not fans simply looking for a straightforward Superman adventure.

Story

Superman: Up in the Sky, by Tom King, is a different type of Superman book. On the surface, it is about Superman attempting to save someone while encountering numerous obstacles along the way. Looking deeper though, it becomes plain that the entire volume in a unique examination into Superman as a character. Each chapter tells an individual story that highlights what makes Superman one of the world’s greatest heroes. Most of the time, the examination is interesting and leads to a well-written and insightful story. However, there are a few chapters where the story just feels a bit lackluster and forgettable. These occasional flaws and the volume’s lack of a significant overarching narrative may be off-putting for a casual fan simply looking for a good story. Instead, this volume is more likely to appeal to diehard Superman fans who are interested in seeing the Man of Steel deconstructed in compelling ways.

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As mentioned above, Up in the Sky is composed of several individual stories that all attempt to examine Superman as a character and, in most places, these examinations are highly interesting. Superman’s initial decision to look for the girl shows he could never let an innocent slip through the system when he has a chance to do something; the boxing match shows he will never give up; the story about the alien doctor shows his unbelievable capacity for inspiration; and his encounter with Darkseid shows how he’ll always find a way to do the right thing. These chapters are each compelling from a storytelling standpoint while also managing to say something intriguing about Superman. 

However, there are also a few stories that don’t work as well. The encounter between Superman and Clark Kent separates the personalities of these entities in a way that doesn’t feel as true to Superman as the other stories do. Plus, the volume’s final story isn’t as intense as one would expect, as Superman is able to defeat the main villain without much trouble. The collection’s lackluster stories are in the minority though, as the majority are great.

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Art

The artwork in Up in the Sky varies a bit more than one would expect and ends up having mixed appeal. There are places where the artistic combination of Andy Kubert’s pencils, Sandra Hope’s inks, and Brad Anderson’s colors produce some seriously impressive pages. Large spreads focused on Superman preforming an insane feat of strength or montages highlighting characters from the Superman mythos are where this collection hits its visuals peaks. However, there are also pages that simply end up looking weird. A few scenes feature oddly contorted bodies or proportions that don’t seem right. These flaws are not too significant, but they prevent the book from achieving a level of polish I would have expected from an artistic team as impressive as this one. In the end, the visuals here are alright but not as striking as I would have hoped.

Continuity

Superman: Up in the Sky is a standalone story that doesn’t continue the story from any other comic.

The story here ends with this volume and, as of now, does not continue in any specific comic.

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• A race between Superman (Reading Order) and the Flash (Reading Order) is the subject of one of this collection’s chapters. The two famously raced for charity in Superman Vol. 1 #199 but the version presented here is different than the original version.