Superman: The Coming Of The Supermen #1 Review
By Steve Lam
Superman: The Coming of the Supermen #1
Story/Artist: Neal Adams / Words: Adams & Tony Bedard / Colorist: Alex Sinclair / Letterer: Saida Temofonte / Cover: Adams & Sinclair
When Neal Adams — the legendary writer/artist famous for revitalizing major DC characters — announced his new miniseries Superman: The Coming of the Supermen, I was already saying, “Take my money now!” And after reading Superman: The Coming of the Superman #1, I’m ready to say, “Here’s my bank account number!” The issue is what every #1 issue should be: total exciting world-building and layered twist endings with plenty of mysteries. When I hit the last page of this issue, I found myself crying out, “Nooooooo!” If only there was a skilled letterer bringing my cries to illustrated glory.
Adams’s promise of a compelling story hold true right from the start (see our exclusive interview with him where he talks about Superman: The Coming of the Superman). His exposition is layered right on top of action which makes for a smooth and exciting read. The three Supermen come out of nowhere. Are they evil? Are they good? Adams lets their actions speak for themselves. In an all-out brawl between Kalibak and Parademons, we get a first-hand look at how these Supermen compare with our Superman.
Meanwhile, Superman is in the Middle East doing his usual good deeds of saving lives. Running into a boy, he’s greeted by a mysterious character who seems to speak in riddles. Like Adams, who told me that the fun of everything is in this unexpected mystery, I’m going to say no more. What I can say is that from that point on, the forward momentum is accelerated. From beginning to end, Adams shows us his world of Superman — and it’s a familiar one. As promised by the legend, Superman stays true to his name.
Adams’s art hasn’t wavered one bit. It’s still strong — with bold lines and unambiguous shading. I guess that’s one of the benefits of inking your own art. You pretty much put your stamp on everything. That’s not to say that colorist Alex Sinclair doesn’t do a great job, or a job that shows his distinctive style. In fact, Sinclair’s coloring work is a perfect match for Adams’s strong lines. The blues and reds are as vibrant as ever.
One of my favorite pages that truly shows off the result of this Adams/Sinclair team-up, is the one dealing with an enraged Kalibak. The colors seem to brighten every line from Adams. Villains look threatening and heroes look stoic. Everything comes through loud and clear.
The lettering is also quite skillful. The overall story is quite heavy on the dialogue, but it never feels like it bogs down the narrative. It may just be great storytelling, but the use of bolding and word art within speech bubbles really helped to enliven every page and panel.
Next: Superman: The Coming of the Supermen - Interview with Neal Adams
Superman: The Coming of the Supermen #1 is a superb first issue for the new miniseries. Neal Adams’s skills shine again in this new storyline. And he also has a team of artists with the ability to back him up and complement his already stunning art. This is a must-read for any Superman fan!