Superman’s Adventures: Book of El #1 will be released this week with a story created for years. Written by Philip Kennedy Johnson and illustrated by Scott Godolski, this issue continues the future narrative of the Future State: Elle and Johnson action comics, leading Superman to a mythical conflict with the divine allied colonies. Philip Kennedy Johnson talked all about it at Fanexpo Boston, how does the opening salvo stack up?
The book of Superman’s Adventures: Elle #1 begins with an epic climb as Krill Uz appears to be reaching the peak of the mountain. The epic scale gives readers a sense of what this story is, time travel, and the invasion of the Earth, and more.
After an epic opening, the story moves to Smallville, where Superman oversees the children he saved from Warworld. Superman is passionate about the story and has a lot of love when kissing Lois, who shows the care around him. Godlewski and colour artist Alex Guimares capture a healthy vibe in this scene, from wide open double-page layouts to scenes set in the warm sun. Everything suggests that life is good until it isn’t when the portal opens in the sky.
I love the wide open layout.
Credit: DC Comics
The battle gets faster with epic speed from Superman and his enemies. The scale of the giant hapoon hitting the Earth is well-made, and once again Godlesky does a great job with his double page layout, turning his eyes to the entire page.
Johnson is doing a good job establishing the family elements and the main villain by the end of the matter. The opening helps to convey the epic nature of this story, with the last few pages diving into what Superman has to do next. I feel the range and size of this story is appropriate for the event.
The last few panels help us communicate what we have in store, but a few more pages may have summarised what Superman is against. Instead, this problem ends in a way that you want more, but not enough. This is relayed to inform readers of important details. When a story is told about multiple issues, essentially a single issue fails. It certainly isn’t breaking the contract, but I feel like I can use it a little more here.
The Adventures of Superman: Book of El #1 is a powerful, film opening game that blends the scale of mythology with heartfelt humanity, showing that Philip Kennedy Johnson and Scott Godlesky have big plans for the Steel Man. The cliffhanger gets a touch too quickly, but the epic tone and the family’s first heart reveal that this story has the creation of the main saga of Superman.
“The Adventures of Superman: The Book of Elle” #1 has a cinematic vibe
Superman’s Adventures: Elle #1 Book
The Adventures of Superman: Book of El #1 is a powerful, film opening game that blends the scale of mythology with heartfelt humanity, showing that Philip Kennedy Johnson and Scott Godlesky have big plans for the Steel Man. The cliffhanger gets a touch too quickly, but the epic tone and the family’s first heart reveal that this story has the creation of the main saga of Superman.
Establishes a sense of epic scale from the first page, mythical, event-worthy tone.
The powerful family dynamics between Superman, Lois and Warworld Kids have emotionally rooted in the story.
The layout of Scott Godlewski and the warm colors of Alex Guimares create both intimacy and grandeur.
This issue ends a little abruptly, and readers are craving more context about what Superman faces next.
Some pacing can be smoother with just a few pages of setup.
