Steel (2011) #1

January 22, 2011

Title: Full Circle (Reign of Doomsday Part 1)

Writer: Steve Lyons
Art: Ed Benes
Colorist: Blond
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Cover: Alex Garner
Editor: Matt Idelson
Publisher: DC Comics

Nearly 20 years ago (real-world time), a terrible beast called Doomsday killed Superman. Four men stepped forward to claim his mantle before the real one returned, and all of the others have stuck around in one form or another. Now, Doomsday has returned, and this time it’s John Henry Irons who steps up to fight the beast.

In part one of the Reign of Doomsday event we see Steel – in my opinion one of DC’s most underrated characters – as he tries to hold the line against Doomsday. The problem with Doomsday, though, is that his primary power is the ability to evolve and compensate for anything that’s able to harm him. Every time you face him, he’s more powerful and harder to kill. The book works really well as a look into Steel’s psyche. We see what makes him work, what makes him tick, and why he – out of all the people who tried to take Superman’s place – was the only one who had the heart of a man of steel.

Ed Benes has been bouncing all over the DC Universe for some time now, and this book is a pretty good fit for him. I like his versions of Steel and Doomsday, especially the changes to Doomsday that happen throughout this book (as he continues to evolve). The cover by Alex Garner is really great, a wonderful image of John Henry.

The ending of this book is deliberately ambiguous – we don’t really know Steel’s fate, but as this is part one of a storyline, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. As I’ve said elsewhere, I do worry about him taking the big nap here, instead of using this story as a chance to give him more of the spotlight he really deserves.

Rating: 8/10