Frank Miller and John Romita Jr. are legends among the comic art world. Their long-awaited Superman: Year One is a rather peculiar story that cannot be ignored. Nevertheless, is this a success on the scale of the Dark Knight franchise?
Admission word
Frank Miller’s influence on the contemporary comic book narrative is certainly enormous. His work on Daredevil in the early 1980s became a model that countless graphic storytellers tried to recreate in their work. The Dark Knight Returns from 1986 is so iconic that the themes and plot elements are still used in almost every Batman creation (from comic books to video games and even movies). And although Miller’s work has been overwhelmed by black clouds in recent years, and critics accuse him of spreading misogyny, cruelty and chauvinism, his name still attracts new readers. In this case, the name of writer and cartoonist John Romita Jr. may confuse readers. We are not dealing with something outstanding. Interpreting Clark Kent’s new adventures is quite a strange – even for me – twist, which fits poorly with the DC universe, and even more so with the DC Black Label series, which is by definition dark and serious. Well, it’s hard to find something like this here …
Naivety in Smallville
The first two issues of the volume Superman: Year One are based on a good idea, however Miller’s original idea has probably undergone a strong transformation, which gives us an extremely uninteresting story that continues like a Brazilian soap opera. Of course, for many Superman has always been boring than Batman, but in the last decade his mythology has changed significantly, and the backgammon himself has met the challenges of the modern world and contemporary readers. Frank Miller decided to take a step back, but it turned out to be a giant leap. The author presents nothing new that could be written in the ossified legend of the Kryptonian, trying to faithfully stick to the origins of Clark Kent, but the plot is full of completely strange twists, mainly in the second chapter. Can a regular razor cut a Man of Steel’s hair? Or what about breathing under water? If you know Aquaman and like him, then don’t read this comic book.
Three women and that was it
Regardless of its dubious quality female characters, a comic book with a similar plot, but with a bat in the lead role, i.e. Batman: Year One is consistent and will interest its readers with history. Above all, however, it shows what is most important – it presents Bruce Wayne’s journey towards putting on a cape and a mask. His motivations are understandable to us and it makes it easier for us to put ourselves in the shoes of a Gotham billionaire. Superman: Year Oneseems to be a title intended for … aliens. It does not resonate in the same way as the Batman story, largely because Clark Kent is an alien from a planet who must exist in a world that is not very favorable to him. It would seem that the leitmotif is an attempt to become a real human being, and thus a superhero.
So if Superman needs to be human, then he must also have his sweetheart. Lois Lane? Sorry but no!!! Lois is present in the comic, but her relationship with Clark resembles a dry pork chop (a comparison adequate to Miller’s strange twists). Among Kal-El’s original loves, we only find Lane Lang, who almost gets raped, and all characters pass over the fact as if nothing happened at all. There will also be a new sweetheart and Wonder Woman. Every relationship of our hero seems to be very shallow. One smile and every miss is his. I am really sorry that even my favorite heroin, Diana of Temiskira, who has so far been a very balanced woman and loved above all with her heart and not with her eyes, does this.
What about opponents? They dissolve throughout the narrative, and you don’t really know if they’re angry or not. Luthor… is not actually an arch enemy here. The real danger is yet to come, but that’s when the story ends. There is one more point that caught my attention. The creators try to show their vision of a duel between Batman and Superman from the film by Zack Snyder. For what? Another empty scene that adds absolutely nothing to the plot.
A little better with the picture
Artwork by John Romita Jr. it is stunning, especially when dark colors dominate the frames. When this is not the case, its pages often look like they have been torn out of a coloring page. Panels with clearly outlined contours also slightly approximate Miller’s artistic style, which helps build consistency between the story and the images. Nevertheless, the master has not forgotten the smallest details for which I read his comics. Certainly, the graphic layer is much better than the narrative one.
One time comic
Dear DC Comics fans. You should read this series. Yes, it can be boring and seem unnecessary, weird in places, but well, there is a method to this madness, and this interpretation will definitely fit into the DC canon. A flash of Romita’s genius can soften the collision with Miller’s story shock. We certainly won’t get an epic piece like Return of the Dark Knight here , but it’s worth knowing how Miller views Superman.
