Despite, perhaps, the most well-known origin in all of comics, folks keep re-telling stories about young Superman across all media. Often times, the stories are meant to recontextualize the story, add some edge to it, or make it about a deep underbelly of Smallville that only its favorite son can crack.
Thankfully, the “Aww Yeah Comics” crew of Art Baltazar and Franco have no concern for such trivial matters, and instead just tell a series of fantastic ‘young Superman’ stories, freed from any other context or agenda.
Written by Art Baltazar and FrancoCover by Art Baltazar
Illustrated, colored, and lettered by Art BaltazarCan Superman keep Smallville from going to the dogs?
Acts of awesomeness are happening around town. People are being rescued, runaway tractors stopped, and fires extinguished. This is all in a day’s work for the hero known only as “Superman.” But who is he, really?
Thirteen-year-old Clark Kent knows. He has a super-secret—one his parents are constantly worried will get out. Clark promises to be extra careful, but when random objects begin to take flight and disappear, his parents threaten to ground him. Except he’s innocent! If Superman isn’t responsible…who is? Join Clark in this hilarious adventure as he sniffs out the real culprit.
From New York Times-bestselling and Eisner Award-winning creators Art Baltazar and Franco, comes a fun, whimsical story featuring young Lana Lang, Lex Luthor, and of course Clark Kent.
Sometimes, stories about young Clark Kent think they are stories of young Jesus of Nazareth. where Clark is presented as chaste and pure, without a selfish thought in his head, always looking out for neighborhood cats and old ladies. And while that innocence is part of the Superman story – an essential part, I’d say – he’s still a teenager, and still needs to have teenage stuff going on.
As mentioned in the open, other stories, like Frank Miller’s “Superman: Year One,” go the other way and make him sleep with mermaids to show that this isn’t any old origin story (for real; that book is a trip). Baltazar and Franco split the difference in a very satisfying way, giving him a healthy ego, a budding crush, and some classic teenage flaws, but never pull him too far from being Superman.
Little touches, like Clark’s tendency to float when he is happy or comfortable, is a cute addition to the Superman origin. But beyond that, there isn’t that much new to the nuts and bolts, and that’s a good thing. We get a relatable and loving Ma and Pa Kent, teenage pals Pete Ross and Lana Lang, as well as some classmates from various older versions of the story. Like in early “Superboy” comics and Smallville, Lex Luthor is a Smallville denizen alongside Clark, and he is as paranoid and brilliant here as ever. Also introduced is Brad, Lana’s erstwhile boyfriend from Superman III. Little touches like that help populate this world and make it feel more rich and complete.
Baltazar’s art should be familiar to anyone who has picked up a “Tiny Titans” or “Superman Family Adventures” comic. His work is cartoonish and simple, though full of life, with masterful visual storytelling. This work is, perhaps, a little more polished than some of his prior DC work, but that also may come from a less crowded cast of characters and a familiar and simple setting. Each of Baltazar’s characters reveals their true selves in how they’re illustrated: Lana is all innocent smiles and freckles, Pa Kent is farm strong with an all-American charm, Lex is shifty and uncomfortable.
The four chapters in the book all flow into one another, and more or less tell a complete story. The best bits, and this may be my dog-owning bias showing, are the Krypto moments. Everything about the Krypto origin is spelled out before it is revealed, so it is hardly a surprise when the mysterious white dog turns out to be Kryptonian. But Baltazar illustrates him in such an iconic yet adorable way. Krypto has charm for days, and even when he’s flexing his Kryptonian eye lasers, you still want to pet his belly, because he’s a good, good alien doggo.
Despite the somewhat redundant nature of yet another Superman origin comic, Baltazar and Franco manage to find a lot of fertile ground to mine here, both in terms of classic Super-stories, and in crafting a book that could fall into the hands of any new reader and fit comfortably. While I love the parts of their work that are full of in-jokes and references, those can be tricky to place in the hands of a kid who doesn’t have the same cultural touchstones. While my daughter loves “Tiny Titans,” having to explain who Captain Marvel Jr. or Ravager is can be a little tricky sometimes.
Not so here; this is a perfect Superman comic to plunk into the hands of any kid who might want to hear tales of a strange visitor to our planet with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men.
