Superman Secret Origin #1
John Wilson on the issue!
Every generation, it seems takes a look at the origin of Superman and decides to retool it. The basics are there...rocketed as a baby from the doomed planet Krypton, The Kents, the glasses, Pete Ross and Lana Lang. But everyone approaches them a different way. With issue one; this new interpretation is by far my favorite. IT brings Clark back to a childhood of dealing with his slowly emerging powers rather than the fully powered man of the Byrne reboot. Returned are the relationships between Clark and Lana, the young love that defined the early Smallville with the twist that she knows all about his powers from early on. And many of the things that go into building the origin actually make sense in a story context. For example, the glasses are explained. There is a reason for their need and size beyond just "hiding" his identity. Clark's heat vision triggered when he was kissing Lana and he set fire to a banner at school. Later, Clark struck his spaceship when he first found out the facts about his birth and pieces broke off which Jonathan Kent fashioned into lenses that blocked Clark's heat vision. In Johns' hands, I hope that some of the more out there aspects of the origin are handled in such a true to life and completely plausible manner.
The thing that struck me most about the issue was the art of Gary Frank and more specifically the eyes of Clark. To call them pictures of wide eyed innocence would be an understatement. The eyes were so blue and so engaging that you feel like you are looking into the eyes of a real person instead of ink on a page. Truly all the characters are fully realized and detailed characters that inhabit their space instead of just being in it. Particularly this interpretation of Jor-el and Lara. Gone are the Shi'ar-esque costuming, the antiseptic, emotionless Krypton and the need to make the characters look like their movie counterparts. The characters and the images of Krypton harkens back to the early days of Krypton, as a place of exploration, adventure and Buck Rogers like fun. It is an interpretation that has been sorely missed and in my opinion, explain as much about the character as his upbringing with the Kents, which is being handled as well as it every has. The only aspect that I am guarded about is Lex Luthor. His brief appearance left me slightly cold, but I will reserve opinion on an otherwise fantastic issue.
The Official Word
Hot on the heels of their acclaimed run on ACTION COMICS, superstars Geoff Johns and Gary Frank reunite to present a 6-issue event that spells out the definitive origin of Superman for the 21st century - and it all starts with a gigantic 48-page issue! Chronicling Clark Kent's journey from the cornfields of Smallville to the skyscrapers of Metropolis, you'll witness a whole new look at the beginnings of Lex Luthor, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Lois Lane, Metallo, Jimmy Olsen, the Parasite and more! It's a look at the mythic past of the Man of Steel with an eye toward the future!
DC Universe | 48 pg. | Color | $3.99 US | On Sale September 23, 2009
Written by Geoff Johns | Art by Gary Frank and Jon Sibal | Cover by Gary Frank
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