In a way, putting a spoiler warning on this seems a little silly, because frankly nothing happens in this issue that would be a gigantic surprise to anyone with more than the most rudimentary knowledge of Superman.
That said, I enjoyed it immensely.
Geoff Johns has the tone down perfectly. This is a Superman story. This is Superman's origin story.
The story has played out so many times in so many ways that it's become as comforting and familiar as any other childhood fairy-tale. It's modern mythology, plain and simple. And Johns does a fine job retelling that well-known myth. An argument can be made that Johns isn't bringing anything really new to the table here. There are elements and allusions to so many incarnations of the Superman mythos. What Johns has done is a bang-up job in weaving all those disparate elements together into one coherent tapestry. I readily (and gleefully) recognized elements from different comics interpretations of Superman's origins--Golden Age, Silver Age, Man Of Steel, Birthright--as well as those from other media--Superman: The Movie, Superman: The Animated Series, Smallville. The way Johns has brought it all together reminds me of the periodic retellings of Superman's origins in the Silver and Bronze Ages of comics, each of which absorbed new wrinkles added by creators since the last retelling. It puts me in mind of the vast Weisinger-era mythology that always fascinated me so as a child. This is Superman storytelling in the most traditional vein, incorporating elements from different spins on the character into a coherent whole just as the comics of the past gladly absorbed elements from, say, the radio series or the Fleischer animated shorts. Johns does clever work in tying disparate elements together. For instance, we have from the old comics the idea that Jonathan Kent fashioned the lenses in Clark's glasses from Kryptonian glass salvaged from the rocketship, plus from Smallville the idea that Clark's heat vision is triggered by feelings of--er--amorous arousal. Johns links these ideas deftly, with the idea that Jonathan had Clark wear the glasses (which, being of Kryptonian material, block his heat vision) in order to avoid accidentally starting fires. For once, the glasses are not explicitly an attempt at a disguise--though of course, they quickly begin to serve that purpose as well.
Apart from the Kents, we are introduced to Jor-El and Lara as well as the familiar Smallville faces: Lana, Pete Ross, Lex Luthor... old Ben Hubbard gets a mention, too, and Pete--whose arm is broken after a football mishap with Clark--even sports a cast which includes a signature from a 'Chloe S.'
Johns moves the story along nicely--not much decompressed storytelling here. We get glimpses of the development of Clark's powers, his feelings of alienation, his affection for Lana; we get Jonathan and Martha Kent's deep and abiding parental love, wisdom, and guidance. We get a glance at misunderstood, troubled boy genius Lex Luthor. We get Kryptonite, we get Jor-El and Lara's recorded explanation of Clark's heritage (complete with some Richard Donner-insipired monologues). And, interestingly enough--on the last page we get teenage Clark in costume (along with his vow never to wear the ridiculous get-up) and a promise that the next chapter features Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes. That's right: it's been hinted at very strongly since Infinite Crisis, but now we officially see Superboy--Superman when he was a boy--brought back into DC continuity.
I want to mention Gary Frank's art as well. I've become a big fan of his Superman work. He brings a nice touch of Curt Swan into the mix, and his characters are distinct and consistently rendered--his teenage Clark looks believably like a younger version of his Chris Reeve-inspired adult Superman. His Jor-El and Lara are quite striking, too, calling Marlon Brando and Susannah York to mind without being direct likenesses.
So yeah, I really enjoyed this issue, and I hope Johns and Frank keep up the momentum they've built up here. It's clearly a labor of love for them, and that carries across to make an enjoyable read.
Good stuff.
--g
That said, I enjoyed it immensely.
Geoff Johns has the tone down perfectly. This is a Superman story. This is Superman's origin story.
The story has played out so many times in so many ways that it's become as comforting and familiar as any other childhood fairy-tale. It's modern mythology, plain and simple. And Johns does a fine job retelling that well-known myth. An argument can be made that Johns isn't bringing anything really new to the table here. There are elements and allusions to so many incarnations of the Superman mythos. What Johns has done is a bang-up job in weaving all those disparate elements together into one coherent tapestry. I readily (and gleefully) recognized elements from different comics interpretations of Superman's origins--Golden Age, Silver Age, Man Of Steel, Birthright--as well as those from other media--Superman: The Movie, Superman: The Animated Series, Smallville. The way Johns has brought it all together reminds me of the periodic retellings of Superman's origins in the Silver and Bronze Ages of comics, each of which absorbed new wrinkles added by creators since the last retelling. It puts me in mind of the vast Weisinger-era mythology that always fascinated me so as a child. This is Superman storytelling in the most traditional vein, incorporating elements from different spins on the character into a coherent whole just as the comics of the past gladly absorbed elements from, say, the radio series or the Fleischer animated shorts. Johns does clever work in tying disparate elements together. For instance, we have from the old comics the idea that Jonathan Kent fashioned the lenses in Clark's glasses from Kryptonian glass salvaged from the rocketship, plus from Smallville the idea that Clark's heat vision is triggered by feelings of--er--amorous arousal. Johns links these ideas deftly, with the idea that Jonathan had Clark wear the glasses (which, being of Kryptonian material, block his heat vision) in order to avoid accidentally starting fires. For once, the glasses are not explicitly an attempt at a disguise--though of course, they quickly begin to serve that purpose as well.
Apart from the Kents, we are introduced to Jor-El and Lara as well as the familiar Smallville faces: Lana, Pete Ross, Lex Luthor... old Ben Hubbard gets a mention, too, and Pete--whose arm is broken after a football mishap with Clark--even sports a cast which includes a signature from a 'Chloe S.'
Johns moves the story along nicely--not much decompressed storytelling here. We get glimpses of the development of Clark's powers, his feelings of alienation, his affection for Lana; we get Jonathan and Martha Kent's deep and abiding parental love, wisdom, and guidance. We get a glance at misunderstood, troubled boy genius Lex Luthor. We get Kryptonite, we get Jor-El and Lara's recorded explanation of Clark's heritage (complete with some Richard Donner-insipired monologues). And, interestingly enough--on the last page we get teenage Clark in costume (along with his vow never to wear the ridiculous get-up) and a promise that the next chapter features Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes. That's right: it's been hinted at very strongly since Infinite Crisis, but now we officially see Superboy--Superman when he was a boy--brought back into DC continuity.
I want to mention Gary Frank's art as well. I've become a big fan of his Superman work. He brings a nice touch of Curt Swan into the mix, and his characters are distinct and consistently rendered--his teenage Clark looks believably like a younger version of his Chris Reeve-inspired adult Superman. His Jor-El and Lara are quite striking, too, calling Marlon Brando and Susannah York to mind without being direct likenesses.
So yeah, I really enjoyed this issue, and I hope Johns and Frank keep up the momentum they've built up here. It's clearly a labor of love for them, and that carries across to make an enjoyable read.
Good stuff.
--g
