American Alien begins with a
young Clark Kent discovering her can fly. The second issue finds a teenage
Clark Kent losing his control over his heat vision on criminals who have taken
a family hostage. The third issue sees Clark Kent meeting Oliver Queen who
confuses him for Bruce Wayne. Later in the same issue Deathstroke arrives to
assassinate Bruce Wayne but Clark takes him out. The
fourth issue begins with Clark in Metropolis where he meets with Oliver Queen
and Lex Luthor for private interviews. Lex Luthor drops him at the Kids Zone
where Clark meets Dick Grayson which leads him into a confrontation with
Batman. The fifth issue sees Clark take to the skies with Batman’s cape he took from last issue. He flies around helping people until he faces the Parasite and confronts Luthor on his creation. Luthor calls him a post-human Superman which he takes as his name. Issue six sees Pete Ross and Kenny Braverman visit Clark in Metropolis. It is here we see an African-American Jimmy Olsen so we know this mini-series is not part of the New 52 history. The Green Lantern Corps arrive and Clark discovers he is from Krypton. The final issue sees Superman confronting Lobo as the world watches as he throws him into space.
Each issue of American Alien is an anthology showcasing Clark Kent in different periods in his life. The series could have been done with seven one-shots since each story barely touches on the past issues. Writer Max Landis has brought out the human aspect of Clark Kent which makes him more relatable when he becomes Superman. He also brings out nice surprises like Deathstroke, Dick Grayson, Batman, and the Green Lantern Corps as well as the backstories with Doomsday, Parasite, and others. Overall this is a personal story of Clark Kent compared to John Byrne's Man of Steel, Mark Waid's Birthright, and Geoff Johns' Secret Origin.
RECOMMENDED - 4 OUT OF 5
