I know this is late, but here’s my Superman #1 review. The New 52 is being billed as not really a reboot, but in the case of the Superman titles, it’s hard to describe it as anything else. This new version of Superman wears armor, he’s young and brash, and he’s not nearly as powerful as readers remember. I like some of these changes and dislike others.
Superman #1 is set during the present of the “New 52″ continuity, while Action Comics #1 and Justice League #1 are set approximately five years in the past.
The first thing I noticed about Superman #1 is how dense the book is. I complained in an earlier review that Justice League #1 didn’t have enough story to warrant the cover price. Superman #1 contains enough story and words to make up for it and then some. We’re re-introduced to most of Superman’s supporting cast, including the new Morgan Edge, the new Lois Lane, the new Jimmy Olsen, and the new Perry White. I’m going to write about each of them below.
The new Morgan Edge is a bald black man with a goatee. I don’t have a problem with black characters, but I think trying to become more racially diverse by changing the races of existing characters is just silly. There was nothing wrong with Morgan Edge being a rich white guy. Since he’s also one of the more minor characters in the Superman mythology, he’s the one with the race change. If DC were really interested in becoming more diverse, they would have made Lois Lane a black woman.
Edge is presented as the head of a media empire that recently bought the Daily Planet. He’s a Rupert Murdoch sort, and it’s clear that Clark Kent dislikes him and the way he does business. The other media properties who owns and operates are gossip rags and don’t represent the kind of honest journalism Clark Kent approves of.
The new Lois Lane isn’t a reporter for the Daily Planet anymore. She’s the head of new media for Edge’s new conglomerate, and she’s apparently spent some time as a news anchor on his television station too. I like the artwork on the new Lois–she looks more like the old Lois Lane from the 1970′s than the brown-haired Lois of recent years.
The new Perry White didn’t smoke a cigar in this issue, which I missed, since it was something of a bit with him. But I guess comic books can’t portray people with actual addictions to things like tobacco anymore, for fear of ruining our youth. He’s also younger than we’re used to, and he has one of the squarest, most macho jaws in all of comics. At one point in the book, he uses the word “ain’t,” which for some reason really struck me as odd and inappropriate for his character. He is the editor in chief of a major newspaper; I’d expect his grammar to be pretty good. Not sure what that was supposed to do for his characterization, but it didn’t make me think of Perry White.
The new Jimmy Olsen doesn’t seem much different from previous iterations of the character, although he’s lost the bow tie and freckles.
Some new characters were introduced, including Miko, a colleague of Olsen’s at the Planet, and Jonathan Carroll, a new love interest for Lois. (Not only are Lois and Clark not married; they’ve never even been a couple in the new continuity.) I like the idea of Clark having some competition for Lois.
Superman is presented as younger and more brash than previous iterations. I have mixed feelings about this. I don’t think an experienced, competent Superman is necessarily less interesting than a younger, less competent Superman, but from what I’ve read in some interviews, it seems like the editors at DC disagree. But I don’t want to read Superboy when I buy Superman #1.
I hate the new costume. The original costume was a classic. I’d have preferred something more retro than something more futuristic. But they didn’t ask me.
It was a good comic book though, in spite of my preferences. George Perez is a solid writer, and he packed the issue with story and character. I’ll be sorry to see his run on Superman end in a couple of months.
The title of this issue was “What Price Tomorrow?” George Perez wrote the script and plotted the issue, while Jesus Merino did the pencils and inks. Brian Buccellato served as the colorist. Carlos M. Mangual did the lettering.