Future State Superman: House of El #1 Review

Written by: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Art by: Scott Godlewski
Colors by: Gabe Eltaeb
Lettered by: ALW’s Troy Peteri
Publisher: DC Comics

House of El makes for another wonderful representation of what the Future State line has to offer: it’s welcoming to new readers, honors the legacy of DC’s pillar heroes, and makes for one heck of a read!

Johnson sets this story centuries into the future where the descendants and inheritors of Superman’s legacy battle against the Red King for the fate of Earth. The tale opens similar to an epic poem and the events read as such with godlike figures battling over their views of what Superman stood for. The pacing moves quickly as there’s lots of ground to cover, and that’s fine as Johnson dedicates plenty of time to get to know most of the cast and their relations, but the ending feels abrupt though honest and true to the Superman name. There’re loads of new characters here with backgrounds I’d love to explore further, Theand’r stood out to me the most and I hope to see her in more titles!

From front to back this book is magnificent, especially the covers! You can’t go wrong with picking up either, but Jay Anacleto’s is the one I’m leaning toward. Godlewski and Eltaeb are great at detailing the action sequences in this title and Peteri expertly blends the effects into the movements to guide readers’ eyes. The members of the House of El are all unique in their designs, Theand’r’s is a top-notch call back to Superboy Prime’s armor, and I love the contrast between Rowan’s blue and Ronan’s red and how they both emulate Supe’s colors. Though this story was more focused on the El characters, I would have loved to explore more of the features of this world as most of the backgrounds are shades of blues and reds. Though they make for an excellent showcase of the conflicting ideologies in regard to Superman at play here.

This is a great issue for fans of Superman and newcomers wanting to get a feel for what The Man of Tomorrow stands for.