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Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Gary Frank
Cover: Gary Frank

“Mild Mannered Reporter.” Geoff Johns’s modern retelling of the life of the Man of Steel takes us to Clark Kent’s first day at the Daily Planet. Clark is finding himself overwhelmed by the busy and cynical citizens of Metropolis on his way to the world’s greatest newspaper. Well, once the world’s greatest newspaper. Business for the Planet has been in a slump, and it’s showing. Jimmy Olsen delivers an orange juice to Lois Lane who is in the midst of an argument with Perry White over printing Lex Luthor’s recent conspiracy. The Daily Planet has found itself in bankruptcy for printing too much truth about the City of Tomorrow’s favorite son, and Perry insists Lois take a new assignment. After the introductions between Lois and Clark, Lois takes her new partner on a tour, the first stop being a Luthor Corp press conference that is featuring new Luthor tech — an exo-suit called Metallo.

Lois, sporting a blond wig and sunglasses, jumps a fence onto the conference grounds, sending Clark with his press pass to the front gate. Clark finds out that the Daily Planet specifically is not welcome on any Luthor property, explaining Lois’s odd methods of entry. As Metallo puts on an impressive display, Lois is found out by security, and, as Lois is so good at doing, gets herself into a mess of trouble by falling off the tall Luthor skyscraper. When Clark picks up Lois’s screams for help, he dashes to an ally and changes into his primary colored costume, and carries Lois to safety. Once on the ground, the public ambushes the mysterious flying man with questions. Clark flies off into the atmosphere, now doubting his decision to wear the ‘S.’

Geoff Johns’s reinterpretation of the Superman legacy brings back the bumbling, shy, and all around swell nature of Clark Kent that’s been lost over the last few generations, and Johns makes it feel organic. We’re reminded that Superman isn’t Clark Kent, but Clark Kent is Superman, and the main character is a boy from Kansas, not a hero from another world. And that makes Clark a much more relatable character than ever before.

Some of the gee-whiz quality that Johns has bought back to Superman is reflected amazingly well by Gary Frank’s art. Frank draws his characters with honest expressions that would make any other writer’s words useless. Probably the best part about Frank’s work, aside from Lois’s long sexy legs, is that Frank isn’t just drawing Clark Kent and Superman; he’s drawing Christopher Reeve, and that is what really brings this book to life.

The great thing about this series is that each issue is its own story from Clark Kent’s life, and you don’t have to start with issue #1 to enjoy a little piece of Superman goodness.

Andrew Hurst
andrewhurst@comicattack.net