Sent to Earth to survive, the last Kryptonian must decide what he wants to make of his life here.
What They Say:
J. Michael Straczynski, the creator of Babylon 5, joins forces with rising star artist Shane Davis (SUPERMAN/BATMAN: THE SEARCH FOR KRYPTONITE) to create this original graphic novel that gives new insight into Clark Kent’s transformation into Superman and his first year as The Man of Steel. This is the first in a new wave of original DC Universe graphic novels, featuring top writers’ and illustrators’ unique takes on DC characters.
The Review:
The number of times Superman has been re-imagined is probably higher than most any other character outside of Batman, and a lot of that simply comes from the length of time they’ve been around. DC Comics has gone back to that idea once again but with a significant difference to it. They’re attempting to tell more accessible stories here by starting from scratch with a new universe for these characters and a more modern take on it. The Earth One series, with Superman naturally being the one to kick it off, takes us to the present day and updates the characters, their arrival on the scene and origins to conform to more modern sensibilities. With Superman, it’s clear the kind of world that we’re going to get with this series.
Having read comics since the late 70’s and becoming a big DC Comics fan with Crisis on Infinite Earths, I am very much of the mind that every couple of decades the entire comics universe of a shared number of series needs to be rebooted. And not just a tweak or two to try and change things up. But a full on reboot with the intent of updating core origins to be more relevant, to tell classic stories with new twists and to allow new creators to make their mark on characters without having all those years of convoluted continuity taking its toll on their attempts to tell a story. Marvel tried doing this with their Ultimates line, but I felt they missed the mark in a big way. They made that world too real, too grim and to connected to current events which meant that it wasn’t the kind of escapism it should be.
DC Comics is riding the line very close to that with this inaugural volume. My experiences with Superman have run the gamut over the years, with pre-Crisis stories being fairly goofy and silly to the really strong work I felt John Byrne did on the reboot to the eventual weekly run of interconnected books that kept it fresh and exciting with a tight team. Superman is a difficult but not impossible character to write for but the longer the character is around, the more established in the continuity, the stronger leadership position he inhabits, the harder it gets because the foes have to be even bigger than before and the moral issues have long been dealt with. He doesn’t get to coast, but the quality stories end up being done in in the specials and side stories rather than the main books.
As an origin story, Straczynski crafts a decent tale here introducing us to Clark Kent who has to face a world altering event as aliens have arrived in search of him, having spent the last twenty or so years scouring numerous star systems for him since he is the last survivor of the assassinated world of Krypton. We do get an interesting take on the history of Krypton this time around, but the more that the lead villain of Tyrell told the tale, the more it felt like it as being made more complicated than it needed to be. Using this method of introducing Superman isn’t a bad choice since they make the play that he’s conflicted about what his role will be, so showing him that he cares and wants to help, to do the right thing as his core state of being is definitely a strong way to go since it is what he’s so heavily defined with.
Unfortunately, the first half of the book makes it hard to believe that’s how he really feels. We’re introduced to a Clark that’s come to Metropolis to find his place by trying all sorts of jobs to the full extent of his natural abilities. Not the flying and heat vision of course, but the exceptional intelligence and basic physical abilities. As he goes to each type of job, he passes with flying colors and is regularly made top of the line offers, especially for the football and science fields. But it all feels hollow and so does Clark. Even the newspaper gig doesn’t feel like a good bet since the industry is falling under and the Daily Planet has lost its luster as it’s a just a shadow of its former glory.
That emptiness to Clark should be filled up with the flashbacks to the past with the time spent with his parents, but even there he just comes across as a dour and sour young man. He’s not been able to really cut loose in his life and he’s had to keep it all locked down, but he’s missing that spark. And it doesn’t appear anywhere in this book. When he dons the threads that will set him apart for the rest of his life, he looks very out of place in it. You don’t expect him to feel comfortable since it’s the first time, but it has that child playing the role of an adult look. He’s got that kind of bored and unhappy look that he has to go and do this, though there’s also the realization of what’s at stake. It’s here that we’re supposed to get that he’s about defending the weak and innocent but it instead turns into a story about revenge.
Building a new series of original graphic novels with your starting point of a Superman that’s been sent out to avenge his parents doesn’t exactly inspire me with the next round. While you do want them to take their own path when you free yourself from continuity, you don’t want to stray so far as to make the characters unappealing. Giving us an emo-ish Superman that doesn’t look like he belongs in the suit is one thing. Giving us a Superman that doesn’t inspire you with hope and optimism misses the point of what Superman is about. If this was a one-off Elseworlds kind of story, it’d be a non issue. But with this launching a new line of seemingly more modern and accessible to the mainstream stories, I think it’ll do alright but it isn’t what’s needed. If this one is as dark as it is, an unwelcome trait for Superman, I can only imagine how grim the Batman book will be.
Grade: C
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