My Adventures With Superman #1 is written by Josie Campbell and published by DC. Artwork is by Pablo M. Collar, colours by Nick Filardi and letters by Lucas Gattoni. Main cover art (left) is by Carli Squitieri.
My Adventures With Superman #1 is available from today, in print and on digital where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
Flying from the screen to the page, it’s Superman! Picking up from the explosive end of season one, Clark’s about to spend Christmas alone in Metropolis. Though he’s feeling a bit down and out, a tip about a monster in the sewers sends Superman, Lois, and Jimmy into action! But what is this monster that can absorb anything it touches, and why is it here in Metropolis? Written by the head writer of My Adventures with Superman, Josie Campbell, and drawn by Pablo M. Collar, this series brings the hit show to your hands with an all-new adventure!
Review
DC’s incredible My Adventures with Superman animated came out of nowhere last year and took audiences completely by surprised. Jack Quaid’s earnest approach to voicing a younger Man of Steel alongside Lois Lane (Alice Lee) and Jimmy Olsen (Ishmel Sahid). With season 2 just beginning to air in both the US and UK, the series’ writer and EP Josie Campbell is also bringing My Adventures to comics for a story set between seasons 1 and 2.
Given that Campbell has been instrumental in the success of the animated series it was essential she take the lead on the comic book. All of the heart and youthful energy of the show is injected in to every page of the book as we watch Clark continue to take his steps towards creating the legacy we all know him for.
“The Ones Who Fell to Earth” stars out at Christmas, ironic given it’s 75°F outside the window as I write this. Clark is enamoured by snow and his narrations put this across in the most human and identifiable way possible. Campbell makes it impossible not to feel a kinship with Clark despite his alien origins. Visually, artist Pablo M. Collar and colourist Nick Filardi show us that Metropolis is picking itself up after the events of season one and moving on. But there’s a twist coming. Clark has never spent the holidays away from his family before. But whilst Ma and Pa do repairs on the house he’s trapped in Metropolis with Lois and Jimmy. Luckily for Clark his best friends are going to throw him the best holiday he’s ever had. That is until a mysterious foe, Checkmate and Task Force X all start to make their presence known.
Campbell charmingly pitches the book towards readers who are equally happy to read about Clark’s everyday adventures as they are his extraordinary ones. There’s enough history and exposition for anyone who hasn’t seen the show to pick up My Adventures with Superman. But likewise, fans of the series will really get a kick out of diving deeper in to the series’ stories in a different format. If you were to run out to a comic book store now and pick up a copy of Superman you’d likely get a boat load of action punctuated by a little of Clark’s family life. Here Campbell is able to balance both of those things neatly within 20 pages of story.
Whilst this first issue focusses more on Clark there is still plenty for Jimmy and Lois to do. As the two try to hide their plans for Clark they find themselves working in isolation to him. Their scenes setup a plot point around Jimmy’s solvency from season 2 as well as fleshing out the developments around his Flamebird brand and its integration in to The Daily Planet group. Despite their supporting role here it’s clear neither is a supporting player in Clark’s life or in Campbell’s grand plans.
By the end of the issue several key players have been introduced and Clark is faced with a dilemma of his own making. It leaves the audience with more than enough intrigue to return next month for issue two and certainly satisfies the urge for more storytelling between episodes.
Collar and Filardi do an awesome job of translating the visual designs of the My Adventures with Superman cartoon to the page. The series is instantly recognisable for its anime influences and that design language makes the book stand out against other Super-fare on newsstands. Filardi keeps the book vibrant without ever venturing in to garish territory. Metropolis feels like a likely city steeped in a very Earth colour palette which just means that the blue and red of Clark’s suit stands out perfectly. Just as it should.
Verdict
The comic book debut of My Adventures with Superman is a fun, vibrant and inspiring story about a hero trying to find his place in the world.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
