Multiversity vs The DCnU: A Look at the Superman Titles

Originally this task was delegated to Gil, our resident Superman fan. However, due to complications beyond his control, you readers are going to have to deal with the second biggest fan: me. I apologize in advance if I don’t do it the same justice he would’ve.

Either way, in the last installment of our solicit analysis, we look at the final four titles DC announced: the Superman books. We’ve got cornerstones and we’ve got character reinventions here, people. We’re three screaming fanpeeps away from a riot even!

Take a look after the cut for some thoughts on what awaits the Man of Steel in this bright new day.

Action Comics #1

Written by GRANT MORRISON
Art by RAGS MORALES and RICK BRYANT
Cover by RAGS MORALES
Variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
On sale SEPTEMBER 7 – 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US – RATED T

The one and only Grant Morrison (ALL-STAR SUPERMAN) returns to Superman, joined by sensational artist Rags Morales (IDENTITY CRISIS), to bring you tales of The Man of Steel unlike any you’ve ever read! This extra-sized debut issue is the cornerstone of the entire DC Universe!

Let’s not even try and kid ourselves here: this is the only title that every comic fan should definitely add to their pull come September. It doesn’t matter if you’re not that big on DC; this is where the relaunch technically begins. Sure, Justice League might feature head honchos Geoff Johns and Jim Lee piloting the future and modern elements of this fantastical reimagination of everything, but it’s right here – in the most important comic title of all time – that the real DC relaunch begins.

So what do we have? 73 years after the first true superhero debuted on the scene, DC is relaunching Action Comics for Grant Morrison (a superhero in his own right) to retell the origin of the world’s first hero and “the greatest idea the human race has ever had” (his words, not mine – though I can agree). This is, in no shorter terms, the new history of the DCU, let alone just Superman. Sure, Superman has had his origin refined quite a few times in recent years (Secret Origin by Geoff Johns, which followed Mark Waid’s Birthright, which had replaced John Byrne’s Man Of Steel, etcetera), but this isn’t just his story. This is the story of everything, seen through the eyes of the most important superhero of all time. It’s quite exciting conceptually.

Of course, anyone who has even remotely touched All Star Superman will know that Morrison is the writer who Superman needs, as well as deserves. If we’re going to modernize everything for a new era, we need a writer who understands the intense importance of the character to the point that he (or she, respectively) can effectively mix the old with the new in a way that feels appropriate. Morrison, a fond believer in the “everything ever is canon” philosophy, is the perfect comic scholar to undertake the task, and with his note that Action Comics will indeed be a comic full of action and not just philosophy it should certainly be interesting to see what he and comic artist extraordinaire Rags Morales come up with.

Which is a long way of saying: did you not read my first sentence? This should have been on your pull before it was announced.

Superman #1

Written by GEORGE PEREZ
Breakdowns and cover by GEORGE PEREZ
Art by JESUS MERINO
On sale SEPTEMBER 28 – 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US – RATED T

The new adventures of Superman begin here! What is The Man of Steel’s startling new status quo? How does it affect Lois Lane and The Daily Planet? There’s no time for answers now, because Superman must stop a monstrous threat to Metropolis — one that he somehow is the cause of!

So here’s the question I’m sure you have: while that’s great and all that Action Comics is the origin story, what about the current story? What about Clark Kent, and his marriage to Lois Lane, and his work as a reporter in step with his protector of the planet job? While I can’t begin to tell you what’s going to happen other than to regurgitate rumors and/or solicited information, it’s obvious that this is the place you’ll find out.

Beyond that, there is no explicit reason to get this book. I’m a Perez fan, but I love him for his art and not his writing. His writing is take it or leave it. While Jesus Merino has illustrated a number of books that I very much enjoy, there is no way that his interior work will be half as good as Perez’s exterior cover, as that is just a sad fact of life. On top of that, when compared to your other places to get your dose of Superman (Action Comics and Justice League, respectively), there is nothing in this solicit that screams at you to come here first. Action Comics is the history of the DCU! The Justice League is the most relevant book of the modern times! Superman’s titular book has Superman in it! Hmm.

But hey, it’s always fun to see Superman smash up a monster, right?

What you’ll get from Superman is a writer who is in love with the Golden/Silver Age of comics attempting to match the glory of those stories in with the modern take on the Man of Steel. It could be entertaining, but t could also be very ham fisted in its attempt to keep up. Perez should work in comics forever, but somehow I’ll go out on a limb and guess that his writing is not going to reach the same audiences that Geoff Johns’ and Grant Morrison’s will.

Which is a long way of saying: If you’re a Superman fan already, give it an issue. Otherwise, look to Johns and Morrison to shape Superman for your future. At least for now.

Superboy #1

Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art by RB SILVA and ROB LEAN
Cover by ERIC CANETE
On sale SEPTEMBER 14 – 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US – RATED T

They thought he was just an experiment — and a failed one at that! Grown from a combination of Kryptonian and human DNA, the Clone was no more than a set of data to the scientists of Project N.O.W.H.E.R.E. But when the scope of his stunning powers was revealed, he became a deadly weapon! Now the question is: Can a clone develop a conscience?

My goodness. That is certainly a solicit, is it not? And by that I mean I am personally completely turned off to the book already.

Let’s look at it this way: Superboy was brought in a very funny time to reminisce about in comics, and took a long time to become “serious” and “relevant.” Johns’ run on Teen Titans really worked heavily on the motif that this character is a clone, not just of Superman but of Lex Luthor as well. Throughout the 40 or so issues that he actually lived during, the battle between his alien heritage, his human heritage, and his clone/hybrid nature was one that was waged in an incredibly intriguing way that really made it no longer necessary to ever try and tell that story again. As Johns left the character post-Final Crisis, it became Jeff Lemire’s job to say, “Ok. He’s a young man. Let’s find out what that means.”

No we’re back to cheap and boring sci-fi buzz words about clones having a conscience. I’m sorry, but we’ve already been over this enough. I get that this is a reboot, but just because you’re starting a character over from scratch doesn’t mean you have to completely re-do every important milestone the charact–oh wait a minute, what am I saying here? If I bring up that point, I’m going to have to rewrite every DC solicit commentary we’ve made so far…

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Which is a long way of saying: do you have a copy of Blade Runner on DVD? Yes? Watch that.

Supergirl #1

Written by MICHAEL GREEN and MIKE JOHNSON
Art and cover by MAHMUD ASRAR
On sale SEPTEMBER 21 – 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US – RATED T

Meet Supergirl. She’s got the unpredictable behavior of a teenager, the same powers as Superman — and none of his affection for the people of Earth. So don’t piss her off!

One more history lesson before I let you go: Supergirl was brought back into the DCU by Jeph Loeb during his run on Superman/Batman, which led to her own spin-off book in which Loeb and eventually the talented Joe Kelly would write her continued adventures. However, it wasn’t until Sterling Gates (the most underrated man in the DC arsenal) came on board that the character became 100% relevant within the DCU, moving beyond the stereotypes of the average “misguided teenager” and coming into her own as a real character, full of depth and originality that began to fully blossom has a member of the extended Superman family.