Superman: Earth One

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Written by:
J.Michael Straczynski
Pencils:
Shane Davis
Colors:
Sandra Hope
Letters:
Rob Leigh
Cover:
Shane Davis
Publisher:

DC Comics

 First things first, a quick warning to all the Superman fans, this is not the Kal-El you grew up with. The Earth One universe is an alternate version of the DCU and works outside the normal canon. the purpose of Superman: Earth One, and the upcoming Batman: Earth One, is to produce a modernized, updated and reworked origin tale. Tales that are both easily accessible to new readers and entertaining for the long time fans. Now just because this isn't the Superman we all know and love doesn't mean that this is a book you should overlook or a book that you won't find entertaining. After all the original Superman was pitched as an orphan who couldn't fly from an unknown alien planet, Ma and Pa Kent, Kansas and Krypton all came later. My point is change can be good, in this case it's very good.

J. Michael Stracynski's Clark Kent is in his early twenties and just heading into Metropolis to find his own way after the death of his father. One of his main goals is to find a job that can take advantage of his unique abilities, including a freshly minted superior intellect courtesy of JMS, and earn him a bucket load of cash so he can help his mother back on the farm in Smallville. Right away we see the difference in this CK, he's younger, brooding, disconnected from the world and without the classic moral center of the modern Superman. He tries his hand in the fields of sport, science and engineering, excelling in all endeavors but ultimately finding them unsatisfying. Even rejecting the Daily Planet which seems to be the only place he doesn't immediately become the company MVP. All the while the familiar red,yellow and blue sits in the closet courtesy of Ma Kent who seems to be the only one who knows where this road will lead her adopted son. It isn't until Metropolis is attacked by unknown alien invaders and he witnesses the courage and bravery of Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson first hand that he dons the cape and walks that road coming to the aide of a crumbling Metropolis.

JMS crafts a powerful, intriguing story here showcasing a more reluctant hero than we are used to seeing in the world of Superman. His only focus at the outset is to take care of himself and his mother any way he can. He's a young man in a world he feels is not his own craving that human connection he feels he can't have. This version of CK needs more of a push to become Superman, yes it seems less heroic but in the end it doesn't make him any less of a hero. As good as a story SEO is there are obviously going to be things that people will disagree with but it's a story that is based less on making all the right choices and more on making the one right choice that really matters when push comes to shove.

Shane Davis's artwork is serviceable here, although it can feel a little muted and washed out at times it tends to fit well with the recession hit version of Metropolis we see here. One advantage of penciling an alter-verse story is that the characters don't have to look exactly like the versions we are used to. Which is good here because CK looks like he walked out of a My Chemical Romance show, Lois looks like she should be in the final three of American Idol and Jimmy, well, just looks kinda like Oz from Buffy. One thing that is a little less forgivable is that CK seems a tad too short in some panels, yes he's younger but he ain't Wolverine, it just doesn't sit well with the man of steel. These minor gripes aside there is nothing particularly bad about the art and I am sure, as we see a lot these days, that SD will only get better with time.

In closing SEO is definitely worth picking up for both old and new fans, it's an entertaining book that offers up some tantalizing questions and possibilities for future volumes. A view seemingly shared by the DC brass as they have, understandably considering how the Grounded storyline has ground to a halt, pulled JMS off his monthly Superman gig to fast track an SEO sequel. I for one can't wait to see what he comes up with next.