Al Ewing and Steve Lieber’s Metamorpho: The Element Man was the strangest of the new books launched with DC’s “All in” initiative. Essentially ignoring the timeline of current events within the DC Universe, Ewing and Reeber use the series instead to tell a fun, tongue-in-the-tongued comic story back to Lex Mason’s Golden Age adventure. This series is an absolute explosion, and Metamorpho: The Element Man #6 brings the series to land so that only these creators can complete the evil sun that is angry, a trip to mystical realms, and plenty of winks to the audience.
As the crazy solar Solaris is wreaking havoc throughout the world, it’s up to the pervert and his crew who try to save lives as we know it. Simon Stag has a plan, but it comes with brand new elements that have been embedded in the metamorpho since he was a person known as Rex Mason. Is it enough for Metamorpho to save the world? Why are you learning about this modest thing now from his girlfriend’s father? And what happens if this plan doesn’t work?
If you’ve been following this series from the start, you know that Al Ewing is exploding. Plays old school narration that feels like you’re at home with Silver Age DC and Marvel (complete with “groovy” dialogue), making for a very fun read that bouncing from beat to beat without drag. However, this final question covers many reasons. Although this has been the standard for the series since the first issue, Ewing’s script here takes us to “ra-realm” from flying the spaceship from Metamorpho to Solaris, then fills us with the lost battle between Matamopho and Solaris from the past, then enters the grand finale. It’s great to get so many bangs for your money, but sometimes it feels like Ewing takes a plot of two issues (or double-sized issues) and stuffs them into one. Ewing’s skills as a writer ultimately make it all work together, but by the time you finish it you may find yourself a bit surprised by all of this with a single issue.
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Steve Lieber is one of the most underrated artists in today’s comics, bringing the laid back style of old school. His physical comedy talent, honed from his work on Spider-Man’s excellent enemies, is the best in business and is perfect for books like Metamorpho. Reeber’s tips for a cheerful look are perfectly effective here, but he can also show off his skills for huge, epic moments. It’s a major comeback for Lieber since Jimmy Olsen’s work with Matt Fraction. And I hope it leads to more DC jobs for him in the future (he kills it with Booster Gold and Blue Beetle Team Up Book).
Metamorpho: The Element Man was a lot of fun playing the long history the characters had in the Silver Age. It’s a shame the series ends soon, but other “metamaniacs” like me will listen to calls from Ewing and Reeber and launch a letterwriting campaign to get him back to the stands. At least this fun series has this fun series to embrace us until we see him on the big screen of Superman this July.
‘Metamorpho: The Element Man’ #6 Review: The Silver Age Lives
Metamorpho: The Element Man #6
Fun and entertaining conclusions about Element Man’s recent adventures!
Amazing art
Very interesting dialogue
Amazing introductions to characters
The finale sometimes feels like a hurry
I feel like there’s more adventure left with this character
