Steelworks #1 – Michael Dorn, Writer; Sami Basri, Artist; Andrew Dalhouse, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: One of the most impressive things about the thirty-plus year-old Death and Return of Superman story is just how long its legacy is, particularly when it comes to the quartet of Supers from Reign of the Supermen. One of them, Steel, has gone a long time since he had a solo series but has been elevated in plenty of other ways. Now, his voice actor Michael Dorn tries his hand at writing the character in this new series, which puts John Henry Irons at the center of the Metropolis tech revolution. A combination of a new power source obtained from Warworld and several close calls have given him a new look at life, and he wants to use it to revolutionize the city for the little guy—but maybe not by strapping on a suit of armor.
Dorn has never written DC Comics before, but I would bet good money he’s read the character’s backstory by Louise Simonson and Priest. There is a roughly 70-issue run that builds up the character’s world in some impressive way, and this story calls back to that with references to the corporation Irons originally left when he decided he didn’t want to make weapons anymore. His new focus on clean energy is backed up by his niece Natasha and his fiancee Lana Lang (still a rather odd subplot that I’m a little surprised has lasted this long), but his opinions that superheroes need to take a step back for the city to thrive may be more controversial when the Supers get wind of it.
However, it wouldn’t be a superhero comic without a villain, and we get two in the form of a broken man who lost everything because of Irons’ decision way back when, and a sinister scientist looking to take advantage. The plot only kick-starts at the end, and if this issue has one flaw, it’s that it’s rather wordy and deliberately paced. I’m not surprised a new writer to comics will have a few growing pains, but Dorn has shown some real strengths here as he kicks off the run. I’m just hoping that as this series ramps up, Dorn continues to pull from the character’s rich history and uses some of those supporting characters. It’s great to see this character get a well-deserved solo spotlight after so long.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
