Review: Superman Villains #1

Synopsis:

This creative team begins the story with Kal-El flying home to Smallville to greet his adoptive parents, after exchanging pleasantries, we cut to the Daily Planet where Clark Kent is meeting with the new owner of the paper, Marisol Leone. After that, we cut to Lex Luthor receiving phone messages from O.T.I.S. We are led to different phases in the life of Clark Kent after he has revealed that he is the Man of Steel. This feels like “I am Iron Man.” the conclusion of the first Iron Man movie. And now we’re being led into different periods in the life of the Last Son of Krypton.

The Creative Team:

different viewpoints of Superman’s coming out of the closet are going on in this issue. We jump back and forth between the different reactions to the news. It’s interesting how these villains behave in light of the revelation. I’m enjoying the strange responses that are coming from the different camps, Toyman, sorry THE Toyman, Lex Luthor and the staff of the Daily Planet all react in different ways and Superman seems to be sure of himself, after all, the reveal did nab him one of his arch-nemesis and put him behind bars. However, another, more powerful, arch-nemesis doesn’t take so kindly on this information, maybe he didn’t do the right thing? Great stuff includes the reaction of Steve Lombard to the information he’s received and Bizarro’s reaction to the news.

The artistic team is in charge of different sections of the story and the styles vary wildly. It is a bit jarring, but then it succeeds in showcasing the differences in the storytelling techniques. This is a quirky issue and the varying styles help to showcase that quirkiness. Highlights include the opening splash of Superman landing in Smallville and the Warworld splash page.

In Conclusion:

This issue seems to be setting us up for something big, not only in the pages of Superman but also Supergirl and Action comics too. We’ve got the different creative styles all intertwining to bring us various tales within the rogue’s gallery of Superman and the different reactions to several developments in Smallville, Metropolis and beyond. It’s great set-up in what appears to be a new chapter in the Man of Steel’s life. And it is a splendid issue with dynamite…to be continued! (***8.3)

SCORE: 3/5

Writer – Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Jody Houser
Art – Michael Gaydos, Riley Rossmo, Scott Godlewski, Bryan Hitch, Cully Hamner, Steve Lieber, Jim Mahfood
Colors – Michael Gaydos, Ivan Plascencia, Gabe Eltaeb, Alex Sinclair, Dave McCaig, Nathan Fairbairn, Jim Mahfood
Letters – Dave Sharpe, Clayton Cowles, Tom Napolitano, Troy Piteri, Josh Reed
Publisher – DC Comics

Author Profile

Kevin Given

Kevin Given has studied with “ Longridge Writers Group ” and “ Writer’s Boot Camp ” a speech/communications major from the University of Maine Presque-Isle/Orono sites. He has created the “ Karl Vincent Vampire Hunter ” franchise which includes novels and comic books. They can be found on amazon, Indyplanet and Kindle. For a limited time you can get digital copies of “ Karl Vincent: Vampire hunter ” # 1 and “ Files of Karl Vincent ” # 1 for free on Indyplanet. Kevin is producing the third novel in the series “ Dracula Rising ” (working title) and developing “ Foul Blood ” into comic book form. Don't forget to check out the YouTube show " Comics: Let's Talk " hosted by Kevin Given

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