January 21st, 2020
It’s safe to say that some writers will go down in history for their brilliant use of storytelling, their impact on the industry or particular characters. Brian Azzarello is considered one such writer. His indie works, such as 100 Bullets, are praised for their storytelling and his run on Wonder Woman in the New 52 is held in high regard. Primarily, his work seems to focus heavily on a crime noir style, with a strong emphasis on mystery. In Superman: For Tomorrow, Azzarello applies his talents to the Man of Steel. Question is, does his style fit our big blue boy scout?
No, not really.
Superman: For Tomorrow is an interesting story, though not one that seems to fit Superman. The story revolves around a million people on Earth suddenly vanishing, including Lois Lane. Superman feels tremendous guilt for not being able to save those taken. He finds himself confiding in a priest who is himself riddled with cancer, and is close to death. Superman tells him about the war he’d seen in the middle east, and how he’d tried to help, but only made things worse. That the device that seemed to cause The Vanishing is in the middle of it all, and that Superman’s actions there caused the Justice League to turn their back on Superman. The revelation as to what happened to the people of Earth, who caused it and what is inside the machine is the primary focus of the story.
A big problem with the story is Superman himself. Particularly his ‘motivations’ by the stories end. He talks a lot about how guilty he feels for being the sole survivor of Krypton, and wanting to be able to save more than one person if the same fate ever befell Earth. But while his motivations are reasonable, his actions feel heavily out of place. A lack of explanation to the people effected, and particularly to the outside world. While his goal was to save people, he seems to do more harm than good.
The book also seems to heavily play on the ‘Superman as Christ figure’ cliché. Far too heavily for it to be accidental. The first time we see Superman, he is presented like that of an angel descending onto the Priest Danny Leone. Father Leone frequently asks him questions relating to god and Jesus. Such as weather or not he can walk on water or cure cancer. Fused with the Superman’s harsh dialogue throughout, he comes off far more alien than he ever has before. Like the people of earth are his pesky children that he is burdened to protect. It comes off even more jarring in his conversations with his fellow League members. Even asking them to call him Kal-El rather than Clark.
Superman: For Tomorrow is certainly one of the weakest stories of the Post-Crisis/Pre-New 52 error. While the art is what saves it from becoming a forgotten moment in the canon, the story as a whole feels like a first draft rather than a finished product. Through the story, it feels as though Azzarello wrote the story and fitted Superman into it, rather than actually telling a Superman story.