Superman: Earth One Vol. 1 & 2

DC's Earth One line began a few years ago as a way to present stories in graphic novel form as opposed to serialized, monthly comics.  They serve also as basically Elseworld's stories - tweaking or reimagining origins and ignoring character history.  Superman: Earth One Vol. 1 was the first title in this line and debuted to much controversy.  The major complaint was a valid one:  Do we really NEED another Superman origin story?  Well, the answer is no, not really.  Superman has over 70 years of history in the world of comics, not to mention several movies and tv shows.  His story is a part of American culture.  Purists were upset at the major changes made to the backstory.  Straczynk changes the destruction of Krypton from a natural distaster to something deliberately caused by inhabitants of a neighboring planet.  JMS goes on to say that Krypton and this planet had been in an ongoing war for centuries.  This is more than just a tweak to the regular origin, this is completely inconsistent with what a super-intelligent race of people such as the Kryptonians would do.  They are above such petty ongoing battles.  This new aspect of Krypton's history serves as a way to shoe-horn in the villian of the book, adding nothing else to the plot.  This could have been a device used to explore new sides to Superman's psyche, but the opportunity is not seized.  Thankfully, Vol. 2 does not continue this trend.

The art in both volumes is handled by Shane Davis.  Davis has been in the industry for nearly a decade now, illustrating a variety of books, but you probably didn't know his name before Earth One.  The reason isn't because his work is particularly bad, but it isn't necessarily great either.  His style could be described as Jim Lee-lite.  Lee certainly isn't a bad person to emulate, but Davis doesn't bring it on the level Lee does.  He would do well to try a more individual style, as not a single panel or splash page sticks out as memorable.  There was no point where you turn a page and stop and spend a moment appreciating the layout or a reveal or just a particularly striking panel. 

Now that all the faults of the Superman: Earth One series are out of the way, let's focus on the good.  The story in volume two is a vast improvement over the previous entry.  Here JMS brings the back the humanity of Clark/Superman that was sorely lacking before.  JMS delves into the psyche of Clark Kent.  A new love interest is introduced, inspiring a hilarious and, for many, familiarly awkward flashback to Jonathon Kent giving the "sex talk."  The question of whether or not Superman could have sex without physically harming a woman is addressed directly and used to illustrate the distance Clark works to put between himself and those he cares for.  JMS gives him a longing to fit in, to belong, that successfully makes him very relatable.  A major criticism of Superman in general has always been that he is "overpowered" and thus unrelatable, so the move to push Clark and his internal struggles to the forefront of the story is a brilliant move and fascinating to read.

The Superman segments of the book aren't as deep or interesting as Clark's, but they still show a marked improvement over the first volume.  Much about the villian, Parasite, is left to be desired, but there is more to the story than that.  JMS introduces a minor plotline that examines how Superman and his "good deeds" are viewed by foreign nations.  Spoiler alert: they don't like him getting involved when it counterracts their own interests.  Action sequences are satisfying enough (Shane Davis seems to portray Superman's speed particularly well in many of these scenes...is Flash: Earth One in his future?), but again, they aren't anything that leaps off the page at you.

Overall, Superman: Earth One Vol. 2 is a significant improvement over its predecessor.  While it may not be as amibitious or masterful as something like All-Star Superman, it is a very entertaining read that examines aspects of the Clark/Superman dynamic in a refreshing and compelling fashion.  The conclusion leaves you not only satisfied, but teases an inevitable Vol. 3 by introducing a new twist on one of the most popular Superman villians.  Here's hoping the upward trend of the series continues.