Last week, DC Comics, Geoff Johns and Gary Frank finished what promised to be the definitive origin of THE icon Superman. There have been a lot of retellings of his origins, so why should you read this one? Well, let’s go on a short little trip so I can tell you why.
First of all, Superman has had a bit of a complicated origin for a long time. You might not realize it, but they’ve been tweaking his origin for almost as long as he’s been around, and it had gotten quite overbearing before the book came out. Was he involved in the creation of the Legion of Super-Heroes? In Pre-Crisis Continuity, he was. In Post-Crisis, he was never Superboy, so there was no Legion! Well, that complicated matters. So what do they do?
Well, with every update (from Secret Identity to Birthright), Superman has had pieces added and more taken away. Is Lex from Smallville? It depends on where you read it. Was there ever a Superboy (before Conner that is), who knows? Well, Geoff Johns changed all that by going back to the beginning. He took the early years of his time in Smallville and restored (almost) all of it to what it was pre-Crisis. Was he Superboy? Yes! Did Lex grow up in Smallville? Yes! Is Lori Lemauris a mermaid? No! (Oh, wait…well, let’s be honest, Clark dating a mermaid is kind of weird). Is Lex still a complete bastard? Well, he always is, but yes!
And let me tell you, Johns does a great job distilling such a large project to its most basic elements to really make it work. Clark is just as clumsy as Superman is graceful; he’s as affable as Superman is iconic. But one thing he balanced beautifully is that while Clark is a bit of a nerd and clumsy to boot, his attitude toward humanity as a whole doesn’t change, and he really is that “aw shucks” kind of character.
He also wins with the villains. In just 6 short issues, he establishes an admittedly bare bones Rogue’s Gallery, mostly centered on the brilliant and evil mind of Le Luthor. You obviously have Lex, but we’re also introduced to the mindless glutton known as Parasite and the militaristic baddie known as Metallo. The latter of which was commissioned by none other than his future father-in-law, General Sam Lane. You guys thought your girl had a disapproving dad, wait until you meet this piece of work. Hoo boy.
I could go on and on about how awesome it is, really. The book shows him at his most hopeful, and his most desperate. There’s a moment where it seems as if all of humanity has turned on him, and he’s hiding in the sewers of all places. The thought of Superman finding refuge in the sewers was a strangely iconic moment, and one that I’m sure was purposeful. The book ends with one of the most beautiful and iconic moments in all of Superman lore, when Superman stands triumphant in his town and Lex hates him just that much more.
And can I go a single post without mentioning my boy Gary Frank’s lush artwork, along with Jon Sibal’s gorgeous coloring. Oh dear me, this is Gary Frank at his best, and he clearly works really well with Geoff on this title. Some people might find it a little shocking that Clark looks exactly like Christopher Reeve, but I think it’s a brilliant way of immersing you into the story. It makes it easier to connect with a character when you hear “their voice” in the word balloons, and part of the immersion is how they look. The book’s artwork is so clean; it was definitely worth the wait.
In the end, I only had one caveat. I’m not sure of the choice in character design for Metallo. I liked the terminator aspect of his look, and I’m not sure what happens to Hiro, the “Not so terrible” Toyman due to this. I love Hiro. I don’t want to see him go anywhere.
Seriously though, this book is absolutely gorgeous, and it’s a brilliant book for anyone just starting on the Man of Steel. Check it out. The hardcover is being released on December 15, 2010, just in time for Christmas. But you can probably find all the single issues at your LCS. Check it out!
