DCU Comic Book Reviews

SUPERMAN:  SECRET ORIGIN #3

Book Three:  Mild-Mannered Reporter

January 2010

Written by Geoff Johns

Pencils by Gary Frank

Inks by Jon Sibal

Covers by Gary Frank

Synopsis

In Metropolis, Clark Kent makes his way through angry and rude citizens to his new job at the Daily Planet.  There, he meets the janitor Rudy Jones in the elevator.  When he reaches his destination, he runs into Jimmy Olsen, who takes Clark to Perry White.  The Chief is talking to Lois Lane.  He tells her they can’t attack Luthor or the city.  Doing so has cost the paper and nearly caused it to go bankrupt.  Lane counters they need to tell the truth, not matter.  Perry then sees Clark, ending the conversation.  He orders Lane to show Clark the ropes.  She takes him to Luthor’s headquarters, where Luthor is unveiling a new piece of technology, called Metallo.  Using Clark to distract the guards, Lois makes her way inside.  However, she is caught.  As she tries to get away, she falls out of the building.  She is saved by the appearance of Superman.  When he reaches the ground, the people swarm all over him.  He manages to fly away, but wonders if he made a mistake.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

Whoever said Johns can not write comedy obviously has not read this issue.  This was funny.  And it was utterly brilliant and fantastic.  I finished the issue and almost immediately wanted to read it again, which, to me, is a sign of something great.  This comic managed to hit all of the right buttons, with the perfect tone, the right mix of humor and seriousness.  Everything just flows together and works the way it should.  It is a joy to read; this is great stuff. 

Overall, Johns writes this issue as a collision of contrasts. It has the right mix of clumsy, small-town Clark and the young, still learning Superman, the optimistic, joyful Clark Kent and place among the darker, cynical citizens of Metropolis.  I liked the way we see the decline of the Daily Planet, a direct contrast to Clark’s enthusiasm and Lois’ idealism.  Or the prosperous Lex Luthor against the downtrodden people hoping to get a small piece of whatever Luthor gives them.  Even the ending captures the right sense of wonderment and hope and need combined with that feeling of dread; you can sense why Clark would think it was a bad idea to reveal himself.  

I liked the fact that Johns made sure Lois was the first person Superman saves, doing it with a shout out to the first movie, but not doing exactly the same.  It may not be the same as the Byrne-era revamp, but I think most people remember the movie more than they remember the comic book.  By avoiding repeating the scene entirely, but getting the feel, it will definitely stick out more.  I should also mention that I love the way Lois is portrayed overall, with the right mix of guts and determination and flair.  She also saw through Clark, sensing something he was hiding, showing that she has a strong sense of people and who they are, a good thing to have in the journalism business.  Johns nailed the character of Lois perfectly. 

In fact, all of the characters were well written, with Jimmy’s gee-golly attitude along with Perry’s gruff exterior Plus, I loved the appearance of future Superman villains Parasite and Metallo in their pre-powered moments.  Not only does Johns provide not-so-subtle tease of these characters, but he provides character moments that make their transformations more organic, such as Rudy Jones already being a parasite long before he gains the powered ability to do it. 

It is interesting to note that Luthor is never shown.  I will assume this was deliberate.  I wonder if Johns and Frank decided against showing Luthor to avoid showing the older Luthor with hair.  What most people remember is a bald Luthor, so by not showing him, you avoid having people’s expectations of what they remember about the characters being different than what they get.