Superman 80 Page Giant #1 - Mobile Edition

DC Comics
Superman 80 Page Giant #1
By Josh Dean
March 18, 2010 - 19:14

DC Comics
Writer(s): Mike Raicht, Kathryn Immonen, Ben McCool, Jason Hall, Rik Hoskin, Sean Ryan
Penciller(s): Charles Paul Wilson III, Tonci Zonjic, Matt Camp, Julian Lopez, RB Silva, Clayton Henry
$5.99 US

In a bit of a throwback to the old Showcase comics from the early 90s, DC appears to have set aside an entire giant comic to let new writers and artists try their hand at a premiere property, namely Superman.

The danger with anthology issues such as this one is that there are hits and misses throughout. On the whole, this issue succeeds in presenting cool ideas on various aspects of Superman’s life.

In “Cold” by Mike Raicht (writer) and Charles Paul Wilson III (artist), the reader gets a slice of Clark Kent in Smallville learning to deal with his powers. The setup is nothing you haven’t seen before (Clark doesn’t know his own strength, danger ensues) but the payoff is a nice bit of character work on Pa Kent. The story shows, rather than tells, why he was such a good father to Clark in an understated moment between the two. Wilson has a style reminiscent of Howard Porter or some of the other painter-style artists working today. It fits the Rockwellian vibe of Smallville very well, and Wilson looks like a professional illustrator of children’s books. This pairing was rather strong and a good start to the issue.

In “Patience-Centered Care” Kathryn Immonen and Tonci Zonjic don’t entirely capture the dynamic of Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Lois comes across as a raging harpy as Clark drags her from the office to take care of her during a cold. She whines, she makes bizarre demands and generally does not appear to be the self-confident Lane the readers have come to know. The real letdown in this story is a moment where Superman endangers some pedestrians just to have a respite from Lois. It all seems too ugly for two characters who supposedly love one another. Everyone has bad days but Superman should be better than this. Zonjic’s art has more than a little in common with 1950’s propaganda artwork, with spare, simple lines. If you like Rutu Modan’s style (Exit Wounds), you may like this.

Ben McCool (if that is his real name) and Matt Camp handle the chores on “Got Bugs?” This is a fun little story that could have been written in the 1960s. Supes must keep his cover while helping a chatty exterminator relieve the Daily Planet of a special bug infestation. The fun of this story is how complete it feels in only 10 pages. The art style is that of Top Cow studios but slightly cleaner (a bit of Rising Stars here but better).

“Why Metropolis?” is Pat McCallum as well as the team of Mike Shoyket and Rich Perrotta telling the story of four bank robbers who are trying to explain why they dislike certain cities in the DCU. The pencil work is nicely detailed (a bit off on the facial features at times) and the comedic rhythm of the piece combine to make it feel less consequential than it should.

“Superman is My Co-Pilot” by Jason Hall, Julian Lopez and Bit approaches the old saw of Superman as Messiah figure from a new angle. There is a complete character arc and lots of action in just a few pages, which makes it nice. Lopez impresses with a very well-drawn apartment in the first panel that is in no way a sexy drawing but shows the attention to craft that makes stories believable.

Rik Hoskin, RB Silva and Alexandre Palamaro use their space in “Five Minutes” to show how Superman kills time waiting for his workaholic wife. This ground feels well covered but it has a wink to it that keeps it playful. The manga-style art did not work entirely well but it wasn’t offensive (the “S” on Superman’s chest seemed way too big and hair length seemed to change between panels but it was otherwise fine).

Finally, Sean Ryan and Clayton Henry present “On Break,” wherein a series of scenes are linked by every day people going about their lives in a world where Superman and Bizarro are slugging it out. The ending turns into a normal heroic slugfest for a few pages but prior to that, there is some real magic in the way Ryan builds characters from nothing in a few short lines.

There are some great potential talents on display here. The first and last stories, in particular, are quite good. The price tag is a bit hefty for essentially a tryout book but, for fans of Superman who may not care for the continuity heavy titles being published now, this title is a nice refresher.

Rating: 6/10