Superman: Dawnbreaker (DC Icons, #4)

by Matt de la Pena

The blockbuster DC Icons series that began with Leigh Bardugo's Wonder Woman, Marie Lu's Batman, and Sarah J. Maas's Catwoman continues with the story of the world's first super hero - SUPERMAN - from award-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author MATT DE LA PEÑA.

Clark Kent has always been faster, stronger, better than everyone around him. He knows drawing attention to himself could be dangerous but lately it's difficult to stay in the shadows. A dark secret is lurking in Smallville and he's not the only one hiding something.

With his best friend, Lana Lang, at his side, Clark is determined to discover what evil lies below the surface of their small town. But there are secrets in Clark's past that threaten to destroy the future Man of Steel.

Before he can save the world, he must save Smallville.

• ISBN10: 0141386851
• ISBN13: 9780141386850
• Publish Date: 7 March 2019 (first published 5 March 2019)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 13 October 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[Jamie]

I liked it and it covered the basic premise of Superman's origin story along with some of how we me Lex Luther. It also did cover some issues that affect us today like the issue of the Dreamers program in the US.

I would recommend. A more in-depth review can be found on the blog.

[Nessa Luna]

If you know me, you know I’m not a fan of DC in general and especially not of Superman (and Batman). However, I have been enjoying the first two DC Icons books very much (partly also due to the authors that wrote them). I have yet to read the Catwoman book, but I decided to pick up the Superman book first. I knew nothing of Clark Kent and his past, so all of this was completely new to me. Still, I very much enjoyed this book and while it has not made me want to watch any Superman movies, it has made me want to read more of Matt de la Peña’s books. If you love Superman and YA books, I do highly recommend you read this book!

CAWPILE: 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 (Avg: 7.71)

[thepunktheory]

Full review on my blog!

Well, Superman didn't save the day here.
There are a few issues I have with this book, but the biggest one is how the story is spread out.
It's a little over 200 pages long and almost nothing happens for almost 90 pages. So all the main showdowns, resolves and epilogues are squeezed in the final 20 or so pages. I got rather bored because even the setup of the story is not too exciting. There isn't much going on either and ultimately many questions remain unanswered.
When it comes to logic, Superman is doing a little better than, for example, the Batman book. However, there are still a few irritating moments, especially with the fight scenes, where I had trouble figuring out what de la Pena was actually describing.
The overall vibe I got here was the same I already got from Batman. This book could be the plot for an afternoon TV series but I certainly don't want to read 200+ pages of that.
I found Superman rather slow-paced and thus a bit boring. I wish de la Pena had spread out his story in a different way as I did see a lot of potential in the idea. Had he focused more on the conflict and resolve of that the book would have been so much more fascinating! But as is, I can't help but get the impression that he didn't really know where he was going with it either.

1,5 stars

"He could never turn back. Not now that he knew the truth."

Superman: Dawnbreaker is the most disappointing read in the DC Icons series.

The characters are so bland. Clark is perfect, righteous and feels guilty about everything that he can't control and that's what Superman is all about. However, what makes Superman interesting is how he deals with the burden of his powers and his responsibility. I expected Superman: Dawnbreaker to deal with Clark figuring out who he is and dealing with his new found powers and added responsibilities, but he remains extremely underdeveloped. I was expecting Superman: Dawnbreaker to have a vibe similar to Smallville (one of my favourite TV series) where Clark has the potential to be Superman but he's still a relatable and imperfect teenager.

The secondary characters which consists of Lana, Gloria, Bryan, Lex and a bunch of random football players are also bland and underdeveloped. The secondary characters and the villains could have been replaced with cardboard cut-outs of themselves and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The dialogue between the secondary characters is also cringy.

The plot revolves around current issues, mainly immigration and racism, but these issues are not fully unpacked and feel forced and out of place in Superman: Dawnbreaker.

Too much is going on at the same time in Superman: Dawnbreaker. There's Clark trying to deal with his new found powers, immigration and racism, people going missing, Mankins Corporation, weird science and military-like activity and a romance that has no chemistry. Superman: Dawnbreaker tries to achieve too much and fails.

Superman: Dawnbreaker is predictable and unsurprising. I knew exactly where the story was going and the plot twists are visible from miles away. I don't mind a predictable plot if I'm enjoying the book and I love the characters, but Superman: Dawnbreaker contains neither of those aspects.

Superman: Dawnbreaker isn't terrible, but it's extremely boring. I could have stopped reading at any point and I would be totally okay not knowing how Superman: Dawnbreaker ends. It's a good thing that I read this book during hell week because it's so putdownable.