Advance Review: House of El – Book One
If there is one thing that DC Comics likes to do, in all forms of their media, is to go back and relive events on the history of their main characters. How many times have we seen the Wayne shooting or Steve Trevor crashing on Themyscira? Now we get to go back, again to the last days of Krypton.
This time however, we are introduced to the a couple of new characters, both of whom look to change their world in the face of a ruling government that at best could be seen as burying their collective heads in the sand, and worse viewed as a sort of controlling force unable to change from their past actions. Try not to judge them too harshly as returning characters Jor-El and Lara look to instigate their own reforms. New characters include, Zahn who lives an idyllic life as one of Krypton’s elites and Sera one of General Zod’s foot soldier’s who are tasked to terraform planets for the greater good of Krypton. All these characters coalesce into a story that will shake the foundations of Krypton in a bigger way than the earthquakes that lead to you know who, landing you know where.
Claudia Gray is a writer of young adult fiction, covering a range of genres including Star Wars. Here, Gray takes a different approach to the fall of Krypton, though of course there is a need for Jor-El and those characters we have seen before. Gray’s approach is to metaphor some of the problems that the target audience, young adults, have to deal with. Problems with their place in society, who they are, what they can be and who they should love. It’s an ambitious task, for sure, yet Gray does a fantastic job in boiling down these huge elements into a story that seeks to challenge the characters as much as the reader. One of the things that really impresses me is the dialogue, which takes no prisoners, with no over the top exposition. In its place are real conversations that creates readership involvement in the lives and situations of the characters.
Eric Zawadzki is an artist who first crossed my review table with the fantastic The Dregs, which I absolutely loved. The Dregs was a dark world, full of dark deeds and darker influences. At first glance, I was unsure how Zawadski’s art would fit in the normally sunny world of the pinnacle planet of the universe in the shape of Krypton. However, reading this book I was blown away with the sheer amount of world building going on here, which is kind of ironic. The figures presence in the panels are of a smaller perspective than you may expect. In doing so, Zawadski get to incorporate the full figures or more of the background which delivers a more grandiose scale. Adding to all the scope and wonder of alien worlds are the fantastic colors of Dee Cunniffe who shies away from the traditional glitz and splendour of Krypton. The colors could be seen as drab, but this lends itself well to the mindset of the lead characters; Krypton is not a world they see in a positive light. Finally, Deron Bennett’s letters work well throughout, with emphasis taking the place of action. House of El; can be a tad talkie in places yet Bennett doesn’t let his workload impact the art or the pace of the storytelling.
Taking a step backward may seem like an odd move for DC, especially as they are powering up for the Future State event. This is the first book of a planned three part arc; the second book due out in Fall of 2021. Whilst this may mean quite a delay in the minds of some fans, you certainly can’t complain about the quality of this project. House of El is a great way to see more of the world of Krypton, lost when a baby Kal-El was rocketed away from it.
House of EL: Book One is due in comic shops on Jan 6th, 2021.
Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating]
Written by; Claudia Gray
Art by; Eric Zawadski
Colors; Dee Cunniffe
Letters by; Deron Bennett
Published by; DC Comics
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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