New Superman #1 Review!
Jondee here at Shanghai,
Gene Luen Yang has brought in a new Superman to the DC verse. He was known for American Born Chinese, a brilliant graphic novel as well as many others including Paths & Portals in the Secret Coders series, Avatar: The Last Airbender comics for Dark Horse, and a run on the new52 Superman #41-50 with John Romita, Jr., Howard Porter, and others. Superman’s identity was revealed and his power lessened before he was restored to face his final challenge. The cover by interior artist, Viktor Bogdanovic has the new Superman holding a golden #1 while holding Luo Lixin, looming in the background is the villain, Blue Condor, the girl reporter Laney Lan (nice twist on the name), and the mysterious Dr. Omen. The interesting part of the costume is the predominantly red in the costume with gold and black cape, gloves, and boots. It’s possibly a reverse of Superman’s blue, but is really the Chinese favoring red as a lucky color. The comic opens in Shanghai with the narration of an arrogant kid. He is also a bully stalking a large kid with glasses, Lixin, into an alley to take his Soder Cola. Kong Kenan is taller, but still sports a pot belly and flabby cheeks. Lixin is rich enough to buy off the bully Kenan, but he just takes his lunch and throws it back. Lixin throws it at Kenan’s neck and tries to run off. He is kidnapped by Blue Condor, a cybernetic super villain, this is witnessed by Kenan who throws his can at the villain hoping to ransom Lixin. Blue Condor flies away and this is captured by Laney’s cell phone.
Lixin hugs Kenan and gives him all of his money. Laney rushes up to him, a reporter for Primetime Shanghai, who tells Kenan that the video of his “heroism” went viral. The camera work is viewed in the laboratory of Dr. Omen. Kenan is more interested in dating Laney, but she thinks of him as a kid. He rushes back to his dad’s auto shop, Zhongdan Auto Repair, where Mr. Wu sees him as a hero. Kenan goes to his his father working on a car, he is more interested in his writer’s group trying to uncover the Ministry of Self-Reliance. He also angry at his son bullying Lixin who is the son of the head of China Southeast Airlines. Kenan goes to the grave of his mother where he is seen by Dr. Omen in trench coat. She knows all about Kenan and convinces him to be tested at the Ministry of Self-Reliance. At the Oriental Pearl Tower, headquarters of the Ministry, Dr. Omen prepares Kenan in the red suit, in what’s called the Origin Chamber. He is struck by energy and gets a vision of a falling China Southeast Airlines jet with his mother in it. He explodes yelling, “I won’t let you die!” The new Superman unleashes his heat vision. Dr. Omen calls in two agents, the Batman and Wonder Woman of China! He is in a blue Bat suit and she wears a green Chinese warrior outfit seen in a splash page. The comic has potential, Kenan is the anti-Superman so there has to be some change for him to be a hero, Three Kryponite Bars out of Five!
