My Superman fan absolutely loved it ^ I bought this as a gift for my husband, who collects Superman comics. It was unique enough to stand out from his collection, and he was fascinated with the background info on Lex. This book really created a spark in him, and it was nice to see him get so excited about his hobby again. Even though I am not as much of a comic book reader, I also found it very interesting and well written.
The Possible Origins of a Super Villian. ^ As the Joker is to Batman so is Lex Luthor to Superman. For over thirty years, very little was known about Luthor's background. Originally Luthor was characterized as being a sort of mad scientist, but in the mid-1980s Luthor was re-characterized as a cruel and manipulative businessman bent on grand power and world domination. As part of this transformation, new information about Luthor's past was supposedly uncovered and thus came LEX LUTHOR: THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY.
This short graphic novel is written in the form of crime noir fiction. Peter Sands is a down-and-out reporter who can't find any work. Desperate, Sands convinces a publisher to give him an advance for writing a book: a biography about Lex Luthor. Sands' research begins simple enough in the library and like a good reporter he discovers holes in Luthor's "official" life. It takes work, but eventually Sands begins to uncover some shady details about Luthor's life. Unfortunately for Sands, his discoveries come with a price and he finds himself confiding in the only person he can trust: Clark Kent.
There are some really amazing illustrations in LEX LUTHOR: THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY. Much of the story is quite vivid and visual, but tinted by darkness and shadows typical of crime noir. The pictures add rather well to the seedy mood of the story.
LEX LUTHOR: THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY wasn't a huge success when it was originally published. Since that time, however, as more and more Superman fans have discovered the book, it has grown in reputation and is now a key piece of the Luthor-legend, pre-"Smallville" (due to the success of that television show, DC has once again been hampering with the histories, back stories, and cannon of many DC characters). Taken out of its context within the Superman universe, LEX LUTHOR: THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY is still a great crime story. It's full of twists and turns, shady characters, and seedy locations. It's a great book to own if you're a fan of Superman, and especially those who like Lex Luthor.
It's not a rip off at all ^ This book is not a rip off of any movie. I should know. I wrote it and had not seen that Orson Welles film at the time. I've also had peopel compare it to Citizen Kane, but I hadn't thought of that. I merely devised a story structure that worked for this book.
As for it being different than the silver age Lex Luthor, that's the way I had to handle it, as Lex Luthor had been changed by John Byrne and Marv Wolfman in the regular books.
This was my attempot to do a crime fiction story featuring a major comic book villain. Despite these two negative reviews, it has been very well thought of by many people. I still get compliments on it.
Wizard Magazine recently rated it one of the best stand alone comics stories of all time.
James Hudnall
Great as a kid ^ I originally read this when I was sixteen and thought it was great. Becoming a movie buff later, this a plain rip-off of Orson Wells' Mr. Arkadin (And so was X-Men :The Hellfire Club). If you don't believe me, see the movie!
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