Superman: Secret Identity, written by Kurt Busiek and art by Stuart Immonen contains hands down the most reader-friendly and unique Superman stories ever told. Busiek’s four-part story takes place on a Earth just like ours, where Superman is a comic book hero, a part of pop culture, but not real. The main character is a kid named Clark Kent, whose parents named him Clark for the comic icon. Because of his namesake, he is constantly teased with superhero jokes, until one day he realizes he has powers himself. Trying to live a normal life, he secretly helps people much as Superman would, eventually adopting the familiar red and blue costume. The story follows him as he gets married and has a family of his own, trying to protect them from the very real threat of government agencies trying to hunt him down for testing.

Busiek crafts a masterpiece in which the reader exhibits the same confusion, exhilaration, anxiety, and rage that Clark feels throughout the story.

The story flows very simply, making it unusually accessible to a reader who may not be familiar with the genre. Stuart Immonen’s art is breathtaking. Mixing pencils and various painting styles, the artist creates a very real look, with shots that seem much like a movie. His style plays along well with Busiek’s realistic story. Busiek also utilizes the artist’s strengths, sometimes letting the art tell the story, without any caption or dialogue, a true sign of a great artist/writer duo. The story is in the same spirit of Marvel’s popular Ultimate stories, in which age-old characters are recreated with modern influences, remaking them into very accessible to a new generation, free of decades of additions and confusion. Also, the story intertwines an occasional page or two of classic Superman comics that parallel with the “real life” scenario occurring in the story. All in all, it is a fresh breath into a classic character, a fulfilling reading experience that allows the reader to remember what made Superman so enticing upon his original creation.

Special Features

This edition is rather limited in extras. There is an insightful introduction by Kurt Busiek explaining the mini-series’ origins from 20 years ago and the extensive process that it took to get it published. It does provide a look at the writer’s love for the character, which is good to know on the reader’s side.

Grade: B+ Though the trade lacks in special features, the sheer depth of the story and art makes this at the top of every Superman fan’s reading list. It is also a good gateway story for non-comic fans into the genre.