Comics

THE ELEMENT MAN DC’s most interesting new book?

THIS WEEK: After a first issue that launched over the holidays, Metamorpho: The Element Man is back this week with its second chapter, and it begs the question — is this the most interesting book at DC right now?

Note: the review below contains spoilers. If you want a quick, spoiler-free buy/pass recommendation on the comics in question, check out the bottom of the article for our final verdict.


Metamorpho: The Element ManMetamorpho: The Element Man #2

Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Steve Lieber
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Ferran Delgado

I’ve written a few times lately that I think DC Comics is currently in a strong place, perhaps putting out more interesting books than it has since I’ve been writing for this column, dating way back to 2018. The Absolute Line has been a bold refresh (one that crucially does not erase other beloved versions of characters). Black Label continues to publish complex, layered comics. There’s a deep commitment to shared universe interconnectivity in titles like Challengers of the Unknown and The Question. And books like New Gods and Black Canary: Best of the Best are hovering above all, as the publisher’s absolute stunners. 

Yes, I am digging the output from DC Comics right now, so much so that there are very good books that feel like they’ve gotten lost. Metamorpho: The Element Man #1, for example, came out the week of Christmas. It was the holidays, and we had our 10 Best DC Comics of 2024 running in place of the usual column. Metamorho, however, bears discussion, because it just might be the most interesting (and idiosyncratic) book from DC Comics right now.

Just look at the below page…

The book is clearly an homage to a bygone era, taking a maximalist approach to its storytelling, packing every panel with a mix of narration, dialogue, and visual character moments. On the surface, this book’s closest cousin is perhaps another standout DC book from recent years (and one of my personal favorites of the past decade), Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen. Part of the similarity is both books were drawn by artist Steve Lieber, whose  storytelling masterfully sets a singular, playful tone while also being as adept at telling a joke as it is going for the heartstrings. There’s a levity to Lieber’s work that exists without sacrificing any drama, a sense that there’s an emotional foundation here but why not have some fun before we get to it. 

So that’s why I make the comparison, first and foremost. But Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen also played with anachronisms much the same way this book does, delivering a modern comic that is sort of draped in the clothes of the past. I think to some extent, however, Metamorpho is also doing things very differently than Jimmy Olsen did. While that book was scripted by Matt Fraction, this one is of course written by Al Ewing. Both writers have versatile and interesting bibliographies with some really lofty high points, but Ewing’s work — to me — has skewed more toward the scientific fantastical (perhaps owing to his genesis with 2000AD), and that affinity for science is on full display in Metamorpho: The Element Man.

This is a book that to perhaps argue that to tell a Metamorpho tale correctly, one must do so with the trappings of a bygone scientific age, the Silver Age, to be exact. Metamorpho and his supporting cast simply work better that way, rather than forcing them into some bland leather suits or something and having their powers attributed to AI (bleurgh). Instead, treats everything with total earnestness, from the element-spanning powerset to the bright colors of the character’s classic design to the soap operatic conflicting agendas of the (very underrated) supporting cast. Metamorpho has always lowkey been one of DC’s most interesting romantic characters, what with his paramour and her capitalistic father and the cave man body guard who is also in love with her. It’s a lot, and it’s great.

This comic leans into the dramatic and fantastical in earnest ways at every possible turn, and what results is a maximalist book dense with storytelling, one that is liable to make you wonder why superhero comics ever moved away from these conventions in the first place.

Metamorpho: The Element ManMetamorpho: The Element Man

What’s all the more impressive to me is that while doing that, it never really feels dated. And that’s what puts it in the running for most interesting book at DC right now. I can’t entirely figure out how the creative team is managing this. Jimmy Olsen did it too, to be fair, but the humor in that book was more overt. Maybe this book’s tricks will become clearer after a full arc of issues, but with just these first two chapters, I’m at a bit of a loss. The best I’ve been able to surmise is that the creators are so deeply committed to what they’re doing here, so determined to make this story work with these characters, that the passion shows through and it never tips into nostalgia. I also think it works to this book’s benefit that there simply isn’t a well-known Silver Age run to compare it against, which is to say what they’re doing might not work if it was evoking memories (imagine a similar book with Flash, or Green Lantern, or even the Doom Patrol). 

Overall, after these first two issues, I’d heartily recommend Metamorpho: The Element Man to superhero fans, with a special emphasis for readers with an appreciation of oddball takes and comics history. 

Verdict: BUY


The Round-Up

  • This week marked the end of the DC Horror Presents… miniseries, and I for one am sad to see it go. It was a fun experiment that traded in horror as much as it did absurdist takes on classic characters, kind of like The Simpsons’ Tree House of Horror episodes, just with DC superheroes. While this finale was decent enough, the highlight here was actually DC Horror Presents… #3, which like Metamorpho hit shops the week of Christmas. But it was just a roundly excellent book, from the Tyler Crook cover to the excellent stories inside, which were by Franco Francavilla (with lettering by Simon Bowland) and Patrick Horvath (also with lettering by Bowland). The Francavilla was a moody Batman piece, done in the artist’s vintage horror style, while the Horvath story was a pastel-washed blast of twee…that gave way to a deep body horror story beneath. They were both great, and I highly recommend tracking that single issue down if you missed it. The issues in this series were entirely unrelated to each other, so no need to have read any of the rest.
  • Finally, I’ll wrap up this week by just saying that we’re really getting spoiled with great art right now. This week had not one but two issues drawn by Dan Mora with Justice League Unlimited #3 and Superman #22, where he was colored by Tamra Bonvillain and Alejandro Sanchez, respectively. Then there was Ryan Sook drawing Black Canary: Best of the Best #3 with colors by Dave Stewart, Hayden Sherman drawing Absolute Wonder Woman #4 with colors by Jordie Bellaire, and Mikel Janin drawing and coloring Detective Comics #1093. It’s really just an embarrassment of riches right now, and I’m enjoying it quite a bit.

Miss any of our earlier reviews? Check out our full archive!


Source link

Related Articles

Back to top button