In the mid to late ’00s, DC published a series of books in the vein of Legends of the Dark Knight. Titles that told tales of their heroes relatively unfixed in time by a variety of creative teams. It started with both the JLA and JSA Classified series, but then spread to Superman and Batman with a pair of Confidential books. Stories that were meant to inform on various aspects of the characters’ histories. Fill in little details or reveal heretofore unknown secrets about the past. Or sometimes just have solid creative teams tell whatever they wanted.
In the Superman Confidential book, it began with the story of a green rock…
“I come to rest within the hearts of these sweet and peaceful energies.”
Superman – Kryptonite by Darwyn Cooke, Tim Sale, Dave Stewart, Richard Starkings, and Jared K. Fletcher was the first arc in Superman Confidential (even though after the fifth part in #5 there would be other arcs in between at the concluding chapter wouldn’t be until #11). It’s a tale set early in Superman’s career as he first comes across Kryptonite, while navigating a relationship with Lois Lane and antagonism from Lex Luthor.
The story centres first around a casino opened in Metropolis and its owner, Tony Gallo, who apparently has a sketchy background from Las Vegas and potentially criminal family. It’s through that angle that we get some jealously from Superman into Lois’ investigating Gallo, some conflict with Luthor, and a twist for how it involves Kryptonite coming to Earth. It nicely weaves through classic elements of Superman stories, like the investigative journalism and Luthor’s attempt to test Superman, and a surprise bit of sci-fi. Darwyn Cooke’s narration, seemingly from the perspective of the Kryptonite is weirdly compelling.
Tim Sale’s artwork here is phenomenal. I can probably safely say that about all of the work across his career, though there’s something next level about his work on this story. While there are wonderful sequences of shadow and light in each chapter’s prologue portion, the darkness that infuses his Batman work is largely absent here. It reveals the beauty and simplicity of his line work and character composition that are astonishing. His sad, introspective Clark on the farm is a revelation. Though you’ll certainly be taken by the majesty of some iconic Superman staging.
The art is enhanced further through Dave Stewart’s beautiful colours. There’s an interesting split between the solid colour washes of the flashbacks and the bright primary colours of the main story. And a consistency with the style of letters that Richard Starkings uses for projects he worked with Sale on. It’s a style that Starkings started using with Sale probably around Batman: Dark Victory with few exceptions.
“To my friends and colleagues, I’m just a farm boy in the big city, trying to make his mark.”
I’m not sure if Superman – Kryptonite by Cooke, Sale, Stewart, Starkings, and Fletcher still fits anywhere within the current continuity. Hell, I’m not even sure if it was really canon when it came out. But there’s still a timeless quality about it. A weird indefinable mix of modern technology and old cars and clothing. To tell a humanizing tale of Superman, not just because of an interplanetary rock that can sap his powers, but of the awkward, innocent person that he is, just trying to do right by his parents and the world as a whole.
Both individually and together, Cooke and Sale have an incredible penchant for telling stories that get to the heart of a character. To strip away the layers of time and continuity baggage, and spotlight what makes them special. And they did a marvelous job here with Superman.
Classic Comic Compendium: Superman – Kryptonite
Superman – Kryptonite
Writer: Darwyn Cooke
Artist: Tim Sale
Colourist: Dave Stewart
Letterers: Richard Starkings & Jared K. Fletcher
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: November 1 2006 – January 3 2008 (original issues)
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