DC Comics Presents: Son of Superman #1

June 3, 2011

Title: Son of Superman

Writers: Howard Chaykin & David Tischman
Art: J.H. Williams III
Inks: Mick Gray
Colors: Lee Loughridge
Letters: Kurt Hathaway
Cover: J.H. Williams III & Mick Gray
Editor: Andrew Helfer     
Publisher: DC Comics

Another original graphic novel (this one from the Elseworlds imprint) is brought back in the nifty DC Comics Presents format. This 1999 volume by Howard Chaykin and David Tischman projects a future where Superman has long since vanished and the Justice League has become a government arm, locked in a perpetual battle against a terrorist group, the “Supermen of America,” led by Pete Ross and Lana Lang. Jon Kent, the son of Lois Lane, is shocked when he suddenly develops incredible power and learns the truth about himself – he is the son of the missing Superman. The question now is, will he side with the League, with the Supermen, or will he find his lost father and forge his own legend?

The story’s pretty good, if not spectacular. There have been hypothetical stories about Clark Kent’s son for decades, after all, and putting him in a sort of dystopian future isn’t that big a stretch. While this is, of course, an Elseworlds, I wasn’t really happy with the characterization of some of the Justice League (Wonder Woman and the Martian Manhunter in particular). If the idea was to present this as a “potential future,” I can’t imagine either of those heroes ever reaching the state they were in throughout this book. Jon isn’t really a likable character either, although that’s more forgivable, as part of the story is watching his growing and maturation into a hero worthy of calling himself Superman’s son.

J.H. Williams and Mick Gray are really the stars of the book. Their artwork was fabulous then and hasn’t lost a step in the years since. If you’re in comics more for the artwork and you’re a fan of these guys, the book is well worth picking up. If you like alternate versions of Superman, you could do worse than getting this story. But ultimately, it’s not really anything memorable.

Rating: 7/10

Somebody’s First Comic Book: Badrock Annual #1

Wondering what Somebody’s First Comic Book is all about? The explanation is on this page!

CREDITS:

Writers: Tom & Mary Bierbaum
Penciller: Todd Nauck
Inker: Jeanette Ubando
Colors: Scott Baumann
Color Separations: In Color
Letterer/Associate Editor: Kurt Hathaway
Editorial Assistant: Tom Reiter
Cover Artist: Arthur Adams
Publisher: Image Comics/Extreme Studios

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: None. Looks like this dude is made out of rock. And… um… he’s “Bad.”

IMPRESSIONS: The story begins in medias res (that means in the middle, for those of you who didn’t pay attention in English class) with the titular Badrock throwing down with some guy with the unlikely name “Re-Coil.” Apparently, the two of them have bounced away from a fight between Badrock’s team Youngblood and Re-Coil and his partner… :chuckle: coil. A second group of superheroes, Freak Force, hears about this on the news and rush out to help their hero, Badrock.

Well, sorta. As it turns out when they arrive, they’re really more bounty hunters than superheroes. And while they are fans of Badrock, they’re apparently not above poaching his collar to get the reward. Badrock gets into a pissing contest with the Freak Force tank, Barbaric, and the two of them decide to trade blows and settle their differences in an “abandoned” neighborhood. You can probably guess how that turns out.

This is, to be frank, a remarkably stupid story. The characters act childish and sophomoric, and the fact that one of the other characters recognizes this and points it out doesn’t really help the situation very much. Some of the characters pop up out of nowhere and have little or no development. In several cases, I don’t think their names are even mentioned at any point in the comic book (the blond dude in the Superman cape, for example).

But we have to be fair to the rules of this little experiment, and that means being honest. As mind-bogglingly stupid as these characters are, can I understand what’s happening? Yes. And with perfect clarity. I don’t exactly know who all the players are, but I know the main characters and the situation itself is presented cleanly, without really requiring massive amounts of backstory knowledge to get the drift. And on that basis, this comic scores relatively high.

GRADE: B

Green Lantern #170 (1990 Series)

October 25, 2003

Quick Rating: Poor
Title: Greetings From Sector 2814

Kyle Rayner sends a message home to the friends he left on Earth, forcing Jade to decide exactly what she wants to say back.

Writer: Benjamin Raab
Pencils: Chris McLoughlin
Inks: David Roach
Colors: Moose Baumann
Letters: Kurt Hathaway
Editor: Bob Schreck
Cover Art: Ariel Olivetti
Publisher: DC Comics

In one of my favorite novels, The Princess Bride, William Goldman writes with the conceit that he is abridging another writer’s work. At one point, he “abridges” an entire chapter because nothing happened in it. The chapter was summed up as, “What with one thing or another, five years passed.”

The best way to sum up Green Lantern #170 is to say, “What with one thing or another, two weeks passed.”

Absolutely nothing happens in this issue. Lianna, the Amazonian Guardian of the Universe, comes to Earth with a message from self-exiled Green Lantern Kyle Rayner. The first half of this issue is Kyle’s message, during which he recaps everything that has happened to him in the past dozen issues or so. In the second half of the book, Kyle’s friends record their messages to him, in which they recap everything that has happened to them in the past dozen issues or so. At the end of the issue, absolutely nothing has changed. The one effort at development in the last three pages just hits the readers over the head with a point that anyone who has read the last two issues knew already.

McLoughlin’s artwork is passable, but many of the characters look way too old, particularly Jade and the Flash, whose costume was also off-model. On the plus side, we do get a beautiful cover by Ariel Olivetti, which is the only new thing in the entire issue.

Perhaps this was an effort to provide a jump-on point for new readers. Every title needs that once in a while. The trick is to do that in such a way that doesn’t make regular readers feel like they’ve blown $2.25 on 22 pages of information they already knew.

Rating: 3/10