Superman The Stranger #1 (of 6) is written by Wes Craig and published by DC Comics. Artwork is by Wes Craig, colours by Jason Wordie and letters by Tom Napolitano. Main cover art (left) is by Wes Craig & Jason Wordie.
Superman The Stranger #1 (of 6) is available from today, in comic book stores and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.
Synopsis
Step into the Golden Age and witness the first adventures of Superman! During the day, Clark Kent does what he can to make ends meet in the bustling city of Metropolis, but when the sun goes down, he leaps into action to keep the city streets safe! As Superman, Clark fights for a better tomorrow, but he feels like he’s not affecting change. The rich keep getting richer, and the poor struggle to survive. Can Superman truly save the downtrodden? The next Superman epic brought to you by superstar creator Wes Craig!
Review
Superman The Stranger #1 does what Bruce Timm has for Batman in The Caped Crusader on Prime Video; it returns our hero to the time and place he emerged. Only this time, with the dark twist that you expect from DC Black Label. Here, America is struggling through economic collapse, the scars of the First World War are still fresh, a new war is coming, and there’s a sense of disillusionment hanging over everything and everyone.
And Clark Kent is right in the middle of it all. Fresh to Metropolis, eager to prove himself as a journalist, he tries to use his abilities for the greater good. But quickly, life pulls the rug from under his feet!
Wes Craig and Jason Wordie are off to a fantastic start with the launch of this six-issue mini-series. Elseworlds are always tricky, and it’s hard to know how far to bend the formula or the characters. They get it just right. Clark might be an employee of the Daily Planet, but layoffs boot him from the bullpen to the janitor’s closet. “A man’s got to eat,” Clark says.
What impresses me is how humanised Clark Kent is. One way to make an all-powerful superhero interesting is to give them a situation where their powers can’t solve their problem. Clark can take a bullet, yes, but he still has bills to pay. He can virtually fly with his Olympic high jump, but he still gets hungry. For all his superhuman strength, he has dreams and ambitions like everyone else.
Here, Superman wants to find his place in this world and learns that evil takes various, unexpected shapes.
The story has a wonderful meta quality. Clark’s abilities are very much as they were when the character debuted in 1938. The Superman of the 1930s wasn’t the Superman we eventually got after decades of DC stories. His powers, mythology and place in the world would continue to expand dramatically. Right now, it’s fresh and unknown.
So there’s a fun meta quality as this version of Clark speculates on what he might eventually become.
But like all good stories about a hero, they need a wicked villain—and this has one mean Lex Luthor. What little there is of him in this issue will make your skin crawl. But for all the right reasons. This is a bad guy you want to hate. He rigs elections, controls politicians, and will destroy whoever stands in his way. The coming collision between Lex and Superman is shaping up to be interesting.
Batman seems to corner the hard-boiled noir side of DC, but Superman firmly fits in that space. However, DC rarely plays into it. But Superman The Stranger is primed and ready to explore a darker side of the Man of Tomorrow. This first issue has a Dashiell Hammett with superpowers vibe. And I am here for it. Clark, poor and struggling journalist, is driven to expose corruption to the public through the power of the printed word, but odds are stacked against him, and he might have supervillains to combat along the way.
Not only is Superman The Stranger #1 a great start, but Wes Craig’s art and Wordie’s colours are delicious. They capture that grit of the early twentieth century and the spectacle of late ‘30s Art Deco design. You will linger on every panel, taking the art in. Not to mention, Superman’s design, heavily influenced by Shuster’s early work, is a chef’s kiss homage.
Verdict
The best Superman comic I’ve read in years! A 1930s reinvention of the Man of Steel that returns Superman to his 1930s roots, but zigs and zags in ways you won’t expect, while keeping you on your toes. With a story that hooks you from the go and art and colours that leap off the page, this is a must-read mini-series.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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