Adventures of Superman: Book of El #1 – Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Writer; Scott Godlewski, Artist; Alex Guimaraes, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s Action Comics run was one of the best the Superman line of books had in many a year at the time – in some ways, it was the kickoff to the golden age of Super-books we have now. Its signature was the Warworld Saga, a brutal year-long story that saw Superman give up his powers and become a gladiator in an effort to liberate Warworld and its millions of slaves. He not only succeeded – but gained two new children in the process, the Phaelossian orphans Osul and Otho. But he gained a new arch-enemy as well – Kryx-Ul, a mad grieving father who was obsessed with possessing a power that could possibly give him his family back. And a look into the future showed us a world where Superman eventually built a huge clan of descendants, sons and daughters from dozens of planets, born over the centuries of his lifetime. It was…a lot, but it was brilliant.
And now we’re back, with an epic new storyline that will take place both in the present day and in the far future, as Superman’s legacy comes home. It starts with a beautiful segment set on the farm, as Osul and Otho learn how to keep a farm and Clark tries to pass on some of the same lessons his father taught him. Johnson always did probably the best of any writer with showing what Superman is like as a father – both with his younger kids, and with the now adult Jon, who is quickly settling into the role of big brother. But this idyll is quickly interrupted by the arrival of Kryx-Ul, who has been transformed and adopted many of the same twisted tactics as Mongul – and he needs the power contained within Superman’s youngest son.
In many ways, this does feel like a direct sequel to Warworld, featuring many of the same characters, but it’s also an epic expansion of the Superman universe. While this issue focuses heavily on the Super-family – and reads quickly due to the number of double-page spreads – it has a truly epic scope by the end of the issue, and the diary pages that are included at the end of every issue feel like a must-read addition to the mythos. It’s rare to see anything that really delves into the fact that Superman won’t have a human lifespan, and his legacy will likely far outstrip Earth. This feels like one of the most ambitious books DC has going right now, and I can’t wait to see it unfold.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
