ECC Ediciones publishes the new Superman collection written by Joshua Willianson and Jamal Campbell
Superman returns to Earth after his adventures in Mundoguerra. Kal-El’s return to the world he grew up in coincides with a new initiative by American publisher DC Down, which launched the characters in new stages. One of the series affected by this is Superman. Man of Steel has a new creative team whose mission is to further expand the Superman legend.
Spain-based DC Comics publisher ECC Ediciones has stopped publishing Superman in its monthly mainstream format. This did not please many readers and generated rivers of color on social media. Although it is a strange and controversial decision, this format can attract new readers who find it difficult to enter the world of the main ones, since the countdown has started again. If you’ve been wondering how to start reading Superman, this volume might be a good start.
New adventures with classic flavors
After the odyssey in Mundoguerra, our hero devotes himself to his usual tasks, saving Metropolis from threats, working in the Daily Planet, spending time with his family… but at all times there is a voice in his head, the voice of Lex. Luthor is imprisoned, but using his rival’s super hearing, he talks him into continuing to cooperate as a dire threat looms. If that’s not enough, Lex gives Superman all the rights to the company to fight this menace, turning Lexcorp into Supercorp. What is the danger if two enemies join together?
Willianson brings back familiar characters from Superman’s life but refreshes them. Lois Lane becomes the new boss of the Daily Planet, Jimmy Olsen has an unexpected partner, Luthor, who has a major role, all his wealth in the service of his rival and many other details, as well as new characters, both allies and enemies.
The author’s first bars are a great introduction to Superman and what he stands for, mixing humor with the majesty of the world’s greatest heroes. Even so, the creators don’t focus the story completely on the symbolism of the man of tomorrow, instead they create a new threat that has a lot of potential and puts the character and his allies on the ropes. In addition, new concepts are presented that expand the character and mythology of the metropolis.
The Last Son of Krypton might not be the best story we’re dealing with, but it’s very entertaining and will keep you reading, especially with this volume’s unexpected ending. Fans who didn’t believe in Willianson can rest assured, he’s doing well now.
Picture of Jamal Campbell
Not only does Campbell work on the painting, but he also does the work of the colorist, who does an amazing job fitting the Iron Man comic. By mixing beauty between cartoon and 3D animated plastic drawing, we can describe the drawing as beautiful. The character designs are a bit exaggerated (Clark Kent’s shoulders might be), but it’s not the first time the Superman series has used these resources, and Campbell’s work is something that fits admirably. A very beautiful and friendly picture with the ability to combine happy and funny moments with dark and gloomy situations.
Another great detail from the amazing Sector Legano artist is the lighting. The sun is the source of Superman’s power, but also a symbol of the dawn of a new age and hope. In these five editions we see many vignettes in which sunlight or moonlight reflects in everything, forming beautiful paintings with symbolism.
Can you start reading Superman from this issue?
First of all, it should be clear that this is not a reboot, the Superman series was simply split to coincide with the start of the new creative team. For a collection, this usually means a new arc for the main character, new stories, and potential changes. With a series such a long run, these moments are perfect for introducing new readers to the series. Also, for the most part, the first few pages are used to put the reader in context, so that they have some understanding of the previous events, if any.
It’s impossible not to know anything about Iron Man these days, so you should have no problem reading The Boy Scouts. If you know who Clark Kent is and have some knowledge like his origin, who is Lex Luthor or Lois Lane and few other knowledge then you don’t have to worry about not getting anything. And if there’s a detail or character you don’t know about, it’s not hard to find information in the Internet age. They usually put the reader in the context, but obviously it is impossible to give all the details with characters over 80 years old.
If you’re already a veteran of legendary superhero comics, you’ll have a familiar introduction to the characters and their environments, but if you’re a new reader, you’ll enjoy this adventure.
Superman issue no. 1/133 ECC editions
We’ve already talked about the change in edition, which many veteran readers didn’t like, but it must be said that ECC did a great job analyzing this volume and the new format. This is a soft cover volume that recreates the original format, but collects the first five issues. Each chapter is divided by the main cover, and at the end of everything, optional covers appear. In addition to the Superman series, they bring us a special edition of the DC Primer Special Down.
The negative aspect of the publication is the price. This new format is not as economical as the monthly collections, considering that the quality of the paper is the same as the original, maybe they should add more numbers to maintain this value and compensate the readers for this new issue. . With a total of 160 pages, the volume retails for €19.50.
Superman v. 1/133 by Williamson and Campbell is a promising start to Superman’s new adventures. Without being the best script in history, the new era of Man of Steel is very interesting in its early issues and the relationship between Lex Luthor and the Metropolis superhero could be very interesting. The new ECC format, changing the monthly content for this compilation volume, can excite new readers to start reading The Greatest Hero of All.
Superman v. 1/133
Authors: Joshua Williamson | Leandro Fernandez | Jamal Campbell
Publisher: ECC Editions
Format: Rustic. Bland Tapa
Pages: 160 pages
ISBN: 978-84-19866-88-2
Price: 19,50 €
Summary: New series! An epic new beginning for Superman from Dark Crisis writer Joshua Williamson and award-winning artist Jamal Campbell. Superman is back in Metropolis. But the threats don’t stop! Against ancient enemies and unexpected allies!