By d. emerson eddy — “You can't save everyone.”

“No. I can't. But maybe I can save her.”

Don't tell anyone, but stories with kids in peril tend to hit me the hardest. Cry like a little baby when it doesn't work out all right, cry harder when it does. Animals too, but it's with the kids that we often get associations with imagination and creativity. That's probably what gets me about a child's life being in danger, that limitless possibility of what maybe they could do. Superman: Up In The Sky by Tom King, Andy Kubert, Sandra Hope, Brad Anderson, and Clayton Cowles is all about saving one child. And why it's the most important thing in the universe.

Up In The Sky was originally serialized across the Superman Giant series that was exclusive to Walmart. Although it does tell an overall story about a little girl who has been kidnapped by aliens, each individual chapter is kind of an existential puzzle piece as Superman attempts to cross the universe to find her. We see Superman tackle determination, guilt, grief, longing, and more. It's a tale of struggle across impossible odds, with each chapter exploring a different aspect of what it means to be Superman and why he continues on the eternal struggle. In this regard, it's actually somewhat similar to It's a Bird... but showing the different aspects in practice, rather than theory.

What really grabs me is the overall level of craft in the storytelling. All of the creators are at the top of their game and it shines through in just how the story is told. Each chapter has its own unique flavour, giving King an opportunity to play with different narration and dialogue styles. Kubert and Hope give us differing layouts and pacing to set the overall tone and atmosphere of the story, seemingly effortlessly capturing both the larger-than-life nature of Superman and also the quiet, tender heart that is the very core of the character. Anderson chooses colour palettes that perfectly match the shifting nature of the vignettes, from the bright open blues of Metropolis to the gritty mud of the Sgt. Rock war sequences. All while Cowles displays his chameleon-like nature that's usually on display between different books with his letters, all in one place, as each segment displays a lettering style both consistent with the overall whole and unique to that chapter. It feels like a tour de force of comics storytelling overall.

Yet, it's truly the heart of the story that resonates. It comes down to asking the question of who to save, who to protect, when you can't save everyone. When if you do nothing, people die. And if you do something, people still die. It's about not giving in to inaction in the face of a no-win scenario, not being paralyzed by a difficult choice, and choosing to do something rather than nothing. All because one little girl loves Superman and has faith that he's coming to rescue her. It gives us all hope. Not that there's someone above us looking out for us (although I'm sure that you can extrapolate meaning from this story both in the form of the Parable of the Lost Sheep and in the idea that there's a benevolent superpower “up in the sky”), but that we can live up to the ideals in Superman. That we can take on the responsibility ourselves and work to make the world a safer, better place.

Overall, Superman: Up In The Sky from King, Kubert, Hope, Anderson, and Cowles reminds us why Superman is such a beloved character. Why you can tell virtually any type of story with him. Why he's an exciting, vital part of the comics canon. And why you can look to Superman in inspiration to being a better person.

Classic Comic of the Week: Superman - Up in the Sky

Superman: Up In The Sky
Writer: Tom King
Penciller: Andy Kubert
Inker: Sandra Hope
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: DC Comics
The all-star creative team of writer Tom King and artist Andy Kubert answer the question: How far across the galaxy will Superman go to bring a single child home? Aliens have kidnapped a young girl from Metropolis. With each stop along the path, the Man of Steel faces new mysteries and new challenges. Is he getting closer to rescuing the girl, or further away? And who is protecting Metropolis in his absence? Collects Superman: Up in the Sky #1-6.
Release Date: April 21, 2020
Price: $12.99
More Info: Superman - Up in the Sky

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d. emerson eddy is a student and writer of things. He fell in love with comics during Moore, Bissette, & Totleben's run on Swamp Thing and it has been a torrid affair ever since. His madness typically manifests itself on Twitter @93418.