Continuity has been a sore spot in the comic world where parallel universes, what-ifs, and plain sloppy writing can destroy a character’s back story. Attempts have been made in the past to simplify the DC universe (Crisis on Infinite Earths, for example), but that only serves to muddy the water. Marvel acknowledged this when it attempted to reboot their universe with the Ultimates line. DC has come to terms with this universal truth: too much back story baggage can turn off new readers.
No one has more back story than Superman. Superman comics were old when my dad was a kid. Who can forget his epic battles with Colonel Future, or his grand adventures with Beppo the Supermonkey… wait? You don’t remember them? You’d need to be a superman yourself just to remember his enemies.
Superman: Earth One is DC’s latest attempt to address this problem and attract new readers. Our story starts with a young Clark Kent coming to a modern Metropolis. The story quickly takes a left turn, with Clark trying out for a football team and dominating each position. I couldn’t help but see an undertone of “using his powers for personal gain”. They go on to show that with his skills and abilities, he can literally do anything with his life. Superman isn’t just a strong guy that can fly – he’s a “super man’ in the most literal sense.
As the story progresses, we see flashbacks with his parents and phone calls with his mother. They reveal that Clark has never donned his costume; he wants to lead a normal life. This hope is shattered when the earth is attacked by an alien civilization. Needless to say, they’re looking for the last son of Krypton, and will destroy the Earth to find him, forcing Clark to don the cape for the first time.
The story has the cornerstone superman elements – Clark is still a Kryptonian adopted by the Kents in Smallville. Perry White, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson work at the Daily Planet, where Clark ends up working. There were a few interesting changes as well. Jimmy is now known as Jim, and is no longer a wimpy he-damsel in distress. The photographer shows no fear, and is willing to risk his life for the perfect shot.
Unfortunately there are several changes that appear to have been borrowed from another superhero’s origin. The parallels were obvious to me, and I can’t help but wonder if they were intentional. As the story progresses, I’d like to see much less emphasis on these aspects of the new superman. They were distracting, transparent, and somewhat disappointing, as minor as they were. See if you can’t guess who Superman resembles:
- Clark is in his late-teens/early twenties.
- Clark is raised by his adoptive elderly mother
- Adoptive father died tragically in Clark’s arms
- Clark manages to get exclusive material on Superman that no-one else can.
Despite the web-slinging parallels, I enjoyed the book. Superman: Earth One has a low barrier of entry for non-comic readers, and would easily recommend it for someone wanting to read superman comics (but feels intimidated by the large back story). For comic geeks, you can view this as yet another parallel universe. Much like Marvel’s “Ultimates” line, I sense that the new DC Earth One line won’t completely replace the existing continuity.
The Master and Overlord or better known as the hubby who keeps LE running. He rarely reviews, but he's the one who keeps everything running smoothly from the IT perspective.