Project Superman #1
Written by Scott Snyder and Lowell Francis
Art by Gene Ha and Art Lyon
I expected a lot coming in after the quality of the first issue, but Snyder and Francis deliver a story I didn’t expect, and that is so much better because of it. The first issue ended with Kal-El’s rocket landing in Metropolis, and with our main character being Subject Zero. Well, this issue Zero slips into the narrator role again and stays there for quite a bit. This issue is about Superman as a boy, but as with everything else in Flashpoint, not in any way you’d expect. In fact, the only things that really feel normal are his name still being Kal, and the presence of Subject Two…Krypto.
Seven years after the last issue Subject Zero has been buried deep as Project Superman has turned their focus to Subject One, or as General Lane calls him…Kal. Now, while the story may be about this powerhouse of a seven year old that is blasting heat vision the first time we see him, but there’s a lot more going on here. Last issue we were treated to the complexity of General Sam Lane as he was faced with the diminishing humanity of a man that he thought had what it took. We saw him blame himself for what Zero had become. Then with this issue we see a different man entirely, one who has had two daughters of his own but who would do anything for the little alien boy. The one only he addresses with a name, with an identity. The one he treats like his own flesh and blood. The father-son dynamic between the two is really interesting and watching it develop is far and away the best part of the issue. I’ve never been a fan of the actual Sam Lane, but seeing him here with all of his flaws and good intentions…he’s no Pa Kent, and he may not even get to see much of his kids after the divorce, but he feels real enough to me.
Kal as a boy is quite different, kept half a mile under ground his whole life and treated for the most part like a test subject, he’s pale and afraid. He never speaks, not a word. That isn’t to say he doesn’t understand though, his eyes, his facial expressions, he’s more than aware of what’s going on around him and while he doesn’t reply he understands what’s being said. Even if he may not grasp why he’s not allowed to see his dog anymore for not doing their drills. Or why nobody else seems to be treated half as badly as he is. Just like he doesn’t fully grasp loss…or the voice that only he can hear. He shows signs of having his powers just from the tests run on him, not a lot, but something. For a mute he has quite a lot of depth.
Subject Zero is the elephant in the room throughout the issue, not seen until the latter half of the book, but whose presence is felt on each and every page. In a story about fathers and sons, he sees himself in much the same fatherly role as Sam Lane, even though he’s never actually met Kal. His motivations have shifted and his mind has splintered. The DNA used to alter him has made him something far different than he was before, he says he wants to destroy all of the monsters while it can be easily argued that he has become just that. He’s brutal, and has a definite Wildstorm feel to the way he acts, and I don’t think I feel quite as sympathetic as I did last issue. Yes, he’s been locked in a cell deep under ground for another seven years, but he’s gone completely insane in that time.
Gene Ha does a fantastic job on this title, whether it be the action or the smaller touches. General Lane looks like a man who can barely handle what his job is doing anymore. No longer the fresh faced and optimistic soldier of years prior, every panel shows the wear, and you can see the hope in his eyes when he looks at Kal, or even Lois. A scene about halfway through the book is positively disturbing and the sheer level of violence and horror is perfectly captured. He was a great choice for this mini.
There are a few cameos in this issue, including the previously mentioned Lois Lane. While the issue features the young Kal-El predominantly, and shows the future evolution of Zero, I’d have to take issue with the notion that anyone other than Sam Lane is the star of this particular issue. Snyder and Francis do a magnificent job building his character, and by the end of this issue I cared more about Sam Lane than I ever would have expected to. Sure, there’s some great stuff in the issue with Kal, but Lane is a show stealer. The meeting of Lois and Kal sets the stage for future issues of Flashpoint itself, and leads me to believe that maybe…just maybe, that’s where he went when he left Barry and his group. There’s still another issue left, so it’s making me wonder just where in the timeline it will fit in…before or after Flashpoint #3.
Overall?
8.5/10
