As they do in those aforementioned series, Loeb and Sale take Superman back to fundamentals. That means exploring the central contradiction of Superman, an all-powerful alien raised as a wholesome midwesterner. For All Seasons follows Superman’s last months in Smallville and first months in Metropolis, where he carries the lessons he learned into the rest of the world.
Sale heightens his exaggerated, cartoony style to make both Clark and Superman big lunks, retaining that central charm even when he’s flying through the Metropolis sky. Sales’ fluid line work keeps the compositions loose, helping us see all the people in his depictions of overcrowded Metropolis and lush Smallville. Even better, Bjarne Hansen adds warm watercolors to the images, giving the book the feel of a Norman Rockwell painting with superheroes in it.
As always, Loeb knows how to distill a classic character’s essence into a single scene and line. For All Seasons offers many contenders, including a wonderful sequence of Clark saving people during a tornado storm in Smallville. But the best might be the first splash page with him as Superman, responding to a little boy who compliments his suit. “Thanks,” smiles the godlike galloot. “My Mom made it for me.” That one page is enough to explain everything great about Superman. And then Loeb, Sale, and Hansen give us 100 more.
What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way (2001)
In another world, “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way,” the lead story in Action Comics #775, would read as a solid, but somewhat redundant story about why Superman matters. Written by Joe Kelly and penciled by Doug Mahnke and Lee Bermejo, the issue pits Superman against the Elite, a crass team of anti-heroes moddled directly on the Authority. Led by the English telepath Manchester Black, the Elite considers Superman too out of date, too stodgy for the modern world. By the end of the story, Superman has proven them wrong.
Again, it’s a good story, but it covers a lot of the same ground as Kingdom Come, then only five years old. But Action #775 hit shelves a few months before 9/11. America was about to need a Superman more than ever, less for the power fantasy he offered than for the moral guidance he provided.
For Black and the Elite, Superman doesn’t use his powers correctly. He’s incredibly strong and fast, but he doesn’t use those to beat up bad guys or stop evildoers preemptively. To prove their point, they put Superman through a type of gauntlet, one that leaves Supes battered and exhausted, but ultimately victorious.