Yes, Superman is wearing jeans. And a t-shirt. And work-boots. But lost amid the hubub over the Man of Steel ditching the baby blue onesie in favor of a decidedly more working class look is the challenge that comes with taking Action Comics, which has run continuously since June, 1938, stamping a new #1 on the cover and rebuilding the Superman mythos from scratch. This, along with the renumbering of Detective Comics and the rebooting of Batman’s mythos, is the big risk of DC Comic’s push to make its way back into the hearts, minds and hands of America’s children and casual comic book readers, but beyond maybe making a few number-crazy fanboys upset, Superman’s new look and new(ish) mission should come as no surprise–in comicdom, everything is up for revision.
Unlike Superman-Red/Superman-Blue, the Clark Kent presented by Grant Morrison and Rags Morales actually seems like he’s able to bring the character into a new era. Rather than spending time on his origins (Morrison has already captured Superman’s birth as perfectly and as quickly as possible in All-Star Superman), Action Comics jumps right into Kent’s formative days as a superhero. His mission is to make sure that the ultra-rich of Metropolis abide by the same laws as the ultra-poor, which makes his choice of wardrobe nothing if not appropriate. With his jeans rolled up and his cape hanging to his t-shirt by the force of will, this Superman looks more comfortable putting in a hard day’s work than being a paragon of virtue. (more…)