This book is an adeptation of the last half of Dragons of Winter Night. It is a very thick comic book that was written in 1985 after the original chronicles came out. I have only books 1,2,3, and 4 and all of them are pretty acurate in there interpretation of the original.

i havent read it yet but i have a feeling that this will be an excellent novel

I have almost 80 DL novrls and Ive never heard of thes

Elliot Maggin has crafted a fine addition to THE SUPERMAN MYTHOS.
The villain is THE DEVIL himself (this time sobriqued C.W. SATURN).Maggin's supplies some fascinating SMALLVILLE background for both Clark Kent and--as in the current TV series--boyhood compadre, Lex Luthor.In fact the story is as much about how Clark/Superboy becomes SUPERMAN as how young Lex becomes nefarious genius and arch-enemy of the Man of Steel. The story itself is complex blend of Superman adventure; sci-fi speculation (on the nature of Time and inter-dimensional Travel); and occult-challenge Quest. MIRACLE MONDAY would make an excellent movie,or subject for graphic novel treatment. Perhaps its somewhat "hokey" title prevented the book from being better
received, or author Maggins from continuing the series...he also wrote SUPERMAN: THE LAST SON OF KRYPTON...as intended. Nevertheless, MIRACLE MONDAY is a Superman epic of first rank and will not disappoint readers fortunate to find a copy.(4 & 1/2 stars)

...and find the only two books (that I know of) that Mr. Maggin wrote in this series. I remember reading them nearly twenty years ago and loved them then.

Time has only made me appreciate the writing even more. Not only are the characters drawn with a finer hand than in the movies, but you really get a feel of the heroic dimensions of Superman. The personalities, the history, the sheer scope of what it means to be a superman are all made as realistic as you could imagine.

The synopsis has been written about in earlier reviews. I'll just say that of the two, I preferred Miracle Monday somewhat more because of the intergalactic scope. But the first book was great as well.

If only there had been more in the series. These books are on my shelf of "oldies but goodies" and I when I'm looking for a great read, Mr. Maggin's books never fail.

This was one of the best prose adaptions of Superman. I haven t even read it in years but I remeber it fondly. I really wish todays comic writers would all read it and focus on quality not quantity. If you are interested in Superman as a comics fan or for his mainstream sell this book is a great read (although some things about Mork and Mindy date it a bit).

I loved Kingdom Come, but the same author. So I read this, an earlier book of his. It's nowhere near as good.

The most problematic element of the novel is Superman himself, with all his glorious abilities and imperfection. In Lost Son Maggin reminds us in a few places that Superman can fly through the heart of the sun without harm. At one point he actually does it, after a late night session of doing medical research on a deadly virus (flying through the sun before going to work sterilizes him so he doesn't carry the contagion to Metropolis). And isn't Superman powerful enough without being able to trace a phone call with his x-ray vision?? Then there's his "super ventriloquism." Not only can he throw his voice anywhere, he can disguise his voice so that it sounds like Lex Luthor's voice coming over a bad guy's radio headset. You get the picture. Maggin faithfully described a character who was bursting at the seams with about forty years of accumulated "innovations" by contless writers. There's a good reason the Superman character has been revamped in recent years -- the character was simply untenable otherwise.

Maggin had no way of knowing how his subject material would be updated for modern tastes in the decade after he wrote his novel. Last Son was probably more palatable for readers at the time it came out. Today it is a lot of fun, but it's fun in part because it takes you back to a bygone era of comics. This means the book may appeal most to older readers interested in a nostalgic experience, or to those who read it for academic and historical reasons. In much the same way that nobody reads Le Guin for fun or excitement, Maggin's Last Son of Krypton may be a sort of "classic" for historical reasons, not because it's a great read. Serious fans of Superman of superhero novels will really enjoy this novel. I read it because I so loved Maggin's work on Kingdom Come. But for most people who are regular science fiction or comic book readers, this novel probably won't seem worthwhile.

Perhaps Last Son would come across better if it was judged purely on its own merit, and not viewed through the prism of two decades of change in society and the comic book characters. It could be seen as a kind of grand operatic fantasy. The more modern, less eccentric version of Luthor may be absent, but in compensation, this book's Luther is generally funny. Some of the banter between this amoral but affable genius and his colorful hirelings recalls the best of Gene Hackman's scenes from the Christopher Reeve Superman movies. Put can you really remove this novel from all context? As an independent satirical fantasy Last Son certainly can't be compared to Candide or The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or A Canticle for Leibowitz. This novel's satire isn't even about real society, but about the world of the Superman comics. People are going to read a book about Superman because it is a book about Superman, not because of who wrote it or because of its philosophical themes. Context is important.

I'm a Superman comic-book reader since 1990 and this book, even though it isn't faithful to the comics in many senses, it is a great read for a Superman fan. Superman doesn't appear as the perfect superheroe. The image created by the author is the classical "last boy scout" image. On the other hand, Luthor is awesome. At some point of this book, I started to favor Luthor instead of Superman. Check this out, Superman is really fast right? But in the book, he flies 100 km. in 35 minutes (that's like 40 miles an hour), but in the following pages, Lex creates a bomb to escape from prison out of a pen cap, some glue, and a sheet of paper. Anyhow, the thing I loved the most was the descriptions about Luthor's passions, hobbies, and way of thinking. I'll stop talking, just do me a favor and get this book ASAP.

I had forgotten about this novel and its sister title Miracle Monday, both scripted by Elliot S! (the 's' stands for superman)Maggin until I was searching for the novelization of Kingdom Come. These are great books and really emblematic of the classic Man of Steel. There is great characterization in "Last Son", particularly the Lex Luthor character who is portayed as a truly three dimensional character. The way Luthor stores his many revolutionary and futuristic weapons and inventions is inspired. It also provides some insight into why a man of Luthor's capabilities would choose to become the man he is, an arch-villain. If you can find either of these books, and have an interest in Superman, you could do no better.

Maybe I'm the wrong audience for this book. I consider myself not a fan of comics, after all, but a fan of literature in whatever form it presents itself. Watchmen? Dark Knight Returns? Both brilliant stories, drawn with style, and told in a way that welcomes both the fanboy and the neophyte. Kingdom Come, however? Blech. Though its artwork is fantastic, beyond all reproach, its story boils down ultimately to a superhero name-dropper's wet dream, a procession of DC cameos and self-references. I felt like an idiot every time a Darkseid got mentioned, a Spectre got revealed, a John Constantine fluttered by without an explanation. This book might be heaven for the Comic Book Guy on the Simpsons. To the casual reader, though, Norman McKay seems to be merely preaching to the choir.

Kingdom Come is an extraordinary work of illustrated fiction, and I call it this because the term "comic book" doesn't do this masterpiece justice. The story, scripted by Mark Waid is a complete original (interpreting the Book of Revelations as a war between metahumans) and the artwork by Alex Ross is absolutely breathtaking. He paints (and redesigns for the future) nearly every DC character you can think of exactly as they would appear in the real world. The result is awesome. Probably his best work in a career that has produced nothing but greatness. The story is by no means a happy and pleasant tale, but it starts down a dark path and culminates in an incredible climax, yet despite the apocalyptic tone of the story, it ends on kind of a high note. Everyone picking up the pieces of a devestating battle and looking ahead towards a better tomorrow. Writing this powerful has seldom been equaled in a comic before (except maybe Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns) and there has never been a comic book artist with the talent of Alex Ross.

I normally just skip over all the 5 star reviews....

Anyway almost every list of best graphic novels you will ever see looks something like this:

1. Watchmen
2. Everything else

In my mind the list should now look like this:

1. Watchmen
2. Kingdom Come
3. Everything else

I always was kind of disappointed with Comic Book art, some of it is well pretty bad and almost none of it is the kind of stuff you would want on your wall. Then I found some work by Alex Ross. The art is simply amazing and if you haven't seen his work before you owe it yourself to get something that he has done just so you can see. alexrossart.com has some samples if you really want to see something before you buy it.

The story itself is excellent as well. Not as good as Watchmen but certainly better than that "other" iconic graphic novel "The Dark Knight Returns." (For those of you who don't know Dark Knight starts off really strong but ten goes downhill once we get Batman involved with mutants and 13 year old girls, whatever you think of its story its influence can not be denied though).

The many many sub plots and references (there is a copy of "Under the Hood" in a bookstore) will keep long time DC comics fans busy. However, this is also my mane point of criticism of the work. So many of sub plots assume you know what they are talking about that readers without an understanding of the comics history will miss out on a lot. The reunion of Nightstar and Dick Grayson, for example, is a minor sub plot told mainly with pictures, is meaningless if you have no idea who Nightstar is. These many references are something of a double-edged sword in that respect as many people will miss most of them but those who do will enjoy them greatly.

If you don't know a lot about the DC universe I suggest you scroll down and look at reviews by other people who don't before buying, for people who do this is a definite "must have" graphic novel on the level of Watchmen.

The standout character of the novel is the new student from Nebraska, Walter Nowland, codenamed "Statis" because of his ability to manipulate ambient static electricity. Walter is the only really three-dimensional character in the book, and he largely saves it from being completely pedestrian. He is also largely figuring out what menace the group faces, and for thwarting it. Walter is a very endearing character with surprising depth and originality, but the regular characters actually suffer by comparison.

Unfortunately, this means that while Generation X isn't a complete waste of paper for fans of the series, it does little to supplement one's understanding of the regular characters. The novel leaves so much potential material untapped. Any one of the kids could easily be the focus of an entire novel. The fact that Generation X barely probed depths beyond what can be found in a regular issue of the comic book series was a disappointment.

The lack of great character insights and exploration is not even offset by a great action-packed plot or compelling villain. The main plot basically has most of the team filled with despair. I actually found this very unusual and interesting. But I'm sure that many readers won't find malaise a sufficiently exciting central theme.

One strong redeeming feature in the novel is Maggin's subtle but well-executed venture into areas of faith. Even when faced with a terminal illness, Walter has an amazingly positive attitude, due in part to guidance from beyond the grave (a ghost named Hiram) as well as faith in an afterlife. Maggin is a practicing Jew and has brought an intelligent, affirmative faith-based perspective to all of his novels, this one included. These elements are not overwhelming in the book, and are handled so generically and thoughtfully that they will not bother non-religious readers. But Maggin's appreciation of spirituality, ethical values, and non-quantifiable truths mark him as a student of such talented and well-rounded writers as C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesteron, Orson Scott Card, and J. R. R. Tolkien.

Unless you're a diehard fan of Generation X, Scott Lobdell, or Elliot S. Maggin, Generation X is a novel you should probably avoid. Fans of the series will find this prose treatment format interesting, especially as it was co-written by the series creator. Fans of Maggin's novels will find it interesting to see how this work fits in between his earlier Superman novels and his later masterpiece Kingdom Come. Thus, the novel may satisfy certain academic curiosities. But as a source of simple reading enjoyment, this book will only be read enthusiastically by young or fairly inexperienced readers.

I love Generation X, it's one of my favorite X-teams. I enjoy the story and the way it developed but there really was no depth to the story. Usually we get a kind of extra insight or understanding of these characters but I missed this in the book. I understand that you can't get into the mindset of these characters in a short novel but still..... Oer all it's a good plotline story if not character development-wise.

I thought this book was one of the best books I have ever read. A perfectly drawn Gen X reality. It reflects the comic book perfectly.

The Blue, the Grey & the Bat captures the flavor of the Old West very well and, while hard to find more than a decade after its release, it's well worth scouring your local comic shops to find. Check out the used dealers!!