Part of what’s great about comics is that the familiar can suddenly become exciting and inspiring again. All it takes is a new writer, a solid artist and a good idea. And here, almost out of nowhere, is one of the best interpretations of Superman’s origin there’s ever been. It’s almost a shame that this isn’t the official post Infinite Crisis version and that it has to compete with Geoff Johns’ Secret Origin. What’s even more surprising is that this is coming from JMS who has underwhelmed with his ordinary Superman run and been so completely off base with his Wonder Woman reboot.
Earth One see’s the newly graduated Clark Kent arriving in Metropolis to decide what he should do with his life. Being a genius and super-strong means a guy has a lot of options. There’s the expected first appearances of Lois, Jimmy and Perry White, but what absolutely shines is Clark. Who he is a man and what drives him to do what he does has never been more clear or more appealing. He can do all these amazing things but it’s his compassion and sense of right that makes him Superman.
The bad guys, the aliens responsible for the destruction of Krypton, are sadly rather one dimensional and uninteresting and even visually don’t really engage, looking like a cross between Lobo and X-Men’s Archangel. To use anything other than an established villain was brave but one wonders if a few tweaks to Brainiac, General Zod or even Doomsday couldn’t have done the job just as well. The final section, an “interview” with Superman written by Clark and introducing Superman to the world doesn’t feel quite right either and lacks the finesse of the main story.
Ultimately that’s just picking holes. This is not only a fantastic modern day Superman story, but it’s the one that got JMS away from Wonder Woman. What more could anyone want?
5/5
Adventures in Comics 