Review of SUPERMAN: ESCAPE FROM BIZARRO WORLD Trade Paperback

SUPERMAN: ESCAPE FROM BIZARRO WORLD by Geoff Johns & Richard Donner, writers; Eric Powell, illustrator.  (DC Comics, May 2009)  Trade paperback, 160 pages.  ISBN # 9781401220334. Collects Action Comics #855-857, Superman #140, DC Comics Presents #71 and The Man Of Steel #5.  

 

Summary from the Goodreads website . . . .

 

The dynamic writing team of Geoff Johns & Richard Donner joins artist extraordinaire Eric Powell (Eisner Award winning writer/ artist of THE GOON) for SUPERMAN: ESCAPE FROM BIZARRO WORLD!

 

Bizarro, the twisted, imperfect duplicate of Superman, has kidnapped Pa Kent, and now the Man of Steel must fly to Bizarro World to rescue his adoptive father. On this cubic world, populated by Bizarro versions of the Justice League of America, Lois Lane and more, Superman must stop Bizarro's tormented, Frankenstein-like rampage long enough to get away -- but will Bizarro versions of Doomsday and other evildoers prove to be too much for Superman?

 

 My review on the Goodreads website  . . . .

 

     Too often I find Superman tales either too serious or just boring. He's not my favorite superhero simply because he's too all-powerful and hard to take down - - - hence no suspense. 

 

     However, the more light-hearted Superman stories from the past featuring Mr Mzytyplx (I know it's spelled wrong, but I think you know who I mean) and Bizarro are often amusing and entertaining. Pair up a great superhero comics writer like Geoff Johns and an imaginative and quirky illustrator like Eric Powell -- and you have magic. 

 

     Johns (with an assist from movie producer Richard Donner) spins a good tale where Pa Kent is abducted to the Bizarro planet and Superman needs to rescue him. I love the cartoony take on standard Superman images from Powell's pencils, and the caricature-like facial expressions he places on the Man of Steel are classic and unlike anything I've seen before. 

     Pairing the original story up with reprints of some classic Bizarro tales from Superman's earlier days makes this an above-average trade paperback, and a cool introduction to a funny character in the Superman canon.