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Superman: Year One
Writer: Frank Miller
Artist: John Romita Jr.
Let me tell you about my first encounter with a professional comic book creator.
I was attending my very first comic book convention at the famous Cow Palace in San Francisco in 1995. I don’t recall the actual name of the convention. All I know is it is exactly what you would expect from a comic book convention, before Hollywood took over and comic book conventions were no longer about comics books.
At the side of all the retailer tables were another set of tables with special guests. Looking back, there were a lot of Jim Lee look-alikes at display, except one artist. I think this is why this artist stood out. He wasn’t trying to emulate what was popular and instead carving his own niche and look. Sure, it was not as flashy as WildC.A.T.S. or the X-books, but even at 15 years old I appreciated the craft. Plus, he was such a gentleman and a very approachable person, which made this experience even more memorable. The artist’s name was John Romita Jr.
Since having this positive experience, I’d started to follow his career. From his Amazing Spider-Man run with J. Michael Straczynski to the Eternals with Neil Gaiman (I know I’m forgetting many of his other works), I was there to see his rise as one of comic’s best storytellers. Primarily a Marvel artist for most of his career, I was excited to see he had made his move over to DC Comics to craft stories with a new set of characters. Then news broke that he was reuniting with his Daredevil: Man Without Fear collaborator, the legendary Frank Miller to craft a Year One story for the Man of Steel. For an artist who has had his hands in many great stories, let me tell you, this is the work of his career.
I found many times just staring at the art before I even started reading the pages, which is no diss to Frank Miller at all. The sequence of Kal-El leaving Krypton ad it was blowing up is just masterfully done. This is very much the Superman presented in Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns.
So, for those looking for yet another retelling of Superman’s origin, be aware this isn’t the “main universe” boy in blue. I know I feel I’m doing a disservice not commenting much on Frank Miller’s writing. I admit that I haven’t been a fan of his more recent work. But Miller has always been an artist first, and he’s allowing Romita Jr. to shine here.
Marvin Capistrano is a big fan of comics and provides occasional insights on choice comic book picks. Image(s) are property and © DC Comics, Inc. They are solely used for review purposes only.
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