Clark Kent is fresh out of junior college, fresh into his 20’s, and fresh in the big wide world. He moves to Metropolis to get a job. He applies for big time jobs with science research facilities, Forbes 500 businesses, and tries out for Metropolis’ sports teams. He quickly gets multiple job offers, the salaries blank for Clark to write in any amount. Though he has incredible powers, the only thing Clark Kent wants is to blend in, live a normal life, and fulfill his father’s last wish: to provide for his mother and take care of her. Though Ma Kent encourages her son to reveal himself and his gifts to the world, Clark only wants to remain in anonymity just like everyone else. However, when an entire army of alien warships, led by one calling himself Tyrell, arrives on Earth and demands his “target” reveal himself, Clark knows the message can only mean himself. Torn between keeping his head down and letting people die vs. revealing himself to likely be killed, what will Clark do?

Maybe the Earth One Batman and Wonder Woman set too high a bar, but I found Earth One Superman disappointing. You know how it’s going to go as soon as the aliens invade. There’s only one way for the story to go, and the reason you know is simply because that it’s a Superman comic. This origin offered nothing new to the accepted Superman canon, whereas other Earth One titles have challenged and turned accepted canons on their heads.

Don’t get me wrong. J. Michael Straczynski is the reason I picked this up. He’s a phenomenal author who writes Superman flawlessly. The first dialogue between Clark and his mom moved me to tears. But nothing new was offered in terms of writing in this Earth One title. Maybe I just don’t know any better since I haven’t read as much Superman as I have other heroes, but this didn’t feel any different than a regular Superman origin story, and in that regard I was disappointed.

The art was serviceable but a bit too, well, Gotham for my tastes. The art is drawn and colored as though we’re looking through a grimy lens. There’s a muddy brown overtone to the entire book that weighs it down and makes you trudge through it instead of breezing through. Though the characters are for the most part drawn well, Clark at times appears gaunt as a skeleton, and much older than the early 20s he’s supposed to be.

If you’ve read other Earth One titles and expect more of the same fresh takes on old canons, don’t look here. I feel like I would have liked it more had it not been under the Earth One title and therefore not had that expectation. If you’re a die-hard Superman fan, go for it, but otherwise it can be skipped.

– Kathleen

Straczynski, J. Michael, and Shane Davis. Superman: Earth One (Vol. 1). 2010.