Superman '78 #1 (October 2021)

In 1978, Superman premiered. I'm talking about the Richard Donner-helmed film that starred the late Christopher Reeve as the titular character. The 1978 film is beloved by fans the world over, and spawned three sequels. For many, Reeve's portrayal of Superman is the portrayal of the character, and nearly fifty years later, Superman is considered one of the very best comic book superhero films ever. 

In the early 2020, DC had been embracing a bit of a trend of doing comic book tie-ins to past media portrayals of its characters, mainly Batman with Batman '66 and Batman '89. So, it only made sense that eventually the world of the 1978 Superman film would be revisited in comic book form. As a fan, I personally was interested in this comic. I had basically sworn off DC Comics after the DC Rebirth one-shot in 2016, and I admit, this had made me worry. I am no fan of current DC, and I feared that they would find some way to screw this up. But still, my love of the 1978 movie inspired me to pick this up. So, did DC do right by the movie with this, or is this just a mindless cash-in? Let's find out in Superman '78 #1!

The cover is a Wilfredo Torres and Jordie Bellaire piece. It's pretty neat. It gives me the vibe of an old movie poster. 

"Brainiac: Chapter One"
Writer: Robert Venditti
Penciler: Wilfredo Torres
Inker: Wilfredo Torres
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Dave Lanphear
Editor: Andrew Marino
Executive Editor: Marie Javins

The story begins...on Krypton, believe it or not. Jor-El and Lara, the parents of our man Kal-El, witness the spiky crystalline pod that contained the baby Kal leave the dying planet. However, before the destruction can claim them, something...strange happens. 

"Ooooooh crud, we left the oven on!"

The destruction of Krypton is also witnessed by another being, a green-skinned being who remarks that the Kryptonians were a dangerous and careless civilization that sealed their own doom. 

Years pass. Baby Kal-El is found by the Kents, grows up to become Superman, you all know the rest. The story actually begins in Metropolis, where a now-adult Clark Kent and Lois Lane are trying to get to Perry White's office on time. They don't have time to get some proper breakfast, so Lois buys a couple hot dogs from a vendor. Mmmm...hot dogs...

Truly, hot dogs are the breakfast of champions. Lois tries to get Clark to get some confidence in himself. After all, man's a darn good reporter himself. Clark overhears a woman screaming about a man stealing her purse. Clark secretly uses his heat vision to give the man a slight case of hotfoot. 

This is not what people mean when they say your shoes are fire.

The man douses his foot with wet cement, allowing the cops to catch him. Clark also helps pay for the hot dogs, as Lois forgot her wallet. Clark's worries about Perry turn out to be not completely unfounded, as Perry grumbles about the fluff pieces he's been turning in. Perry tells Clark he has to dig in, cover some serious stuff every now and then. It's how Lois made her name. Clark points out that Lois has a knack for the news, and she takes a lot of risks. Perry counters that's just part of the reporting job. When you think about it, reporters are actually very brave people. 

Anyway, Perry tells Clark that he needs to find an angle. After all, stories don't just fall out of the sky...and then a pink laser beam blasts Metropolis.

Hey, Perry did want Clark to cover a big story. The laser beam heralds the arrival...of this being.

These new Terminators are WEEEEEEIRD.

Meet Brainiac, collector of knowledge. Well, a drone of his, anyway. The drone starts wrecking the city, his dialogue indicating it is reporting to Brainiac that humanity is a primitive race and a minor threat. As people flee from the alien robot, Lois Lane wants to report on it. After all, that's what they do. And the stories are not behind a person, they are in front. The drone's rampage is stopped by our man Supes.

BAH GAWD, KING! SUPERMAN OUTTA NOWHERE!

Good thing that drone was robotic, because I can imagine being punched by a Superman flying at you at super speed would hurt.

After seemingly smashing the drone, Superman asks if anyone needs immediate medical attention.

However, the Brainiac drone is tougher than it looks. It discovers that Superman is naturally not a native of Earth. The drone determines that Superman is Kryptonian, and it tests that hypothesis...by blasting the Man of Tomorrow through a building. 

Yeah, he's Superman. He'll be fine. This confirms to the drone that Supes is Kryptonian. And Superman helps provide further backup to the hypothesis by punching the drone's head off. The drone's last words are reporting the transmission of its findings to Brainiac. This leaves Superman wondering: Who is this 'Brainiac' guy?

Elsewhere in space, Brainiac does his classic shtick of stealing a city, miniaturizing it, and putting it in a bottle. The planet he took this city from was dying, and this was his way of preserving some of it. He gets the transmission from his drone on Earth. The story ends with him remarking that a Kryptonian on Earth is affecting a "balance", and not in a good way. As such, Superman must be...collected.

This...is actually pretty darn good. The creative team really capture the spirit of the character and this version of the Superman mythos. I also like the mythology gag of Brainiac's drone resembling Ed Hannigan's early-1980s robotic re-design that was implemented just before the Crisis on Infinite Earths hit. I think some would say it looks a bit out of place in the world of a Superman film released in the 1970s, but I think it works to help underline how alien Brainiac is. Torres' artwork is enjoyable to look at, and Bellaire's colors help fit the 1970s vibe.

You know, I wish this was what Superman III ended up being. I mean, the closest we ever got to a live-action Brainiac in a Superman movie was the supercomputer created by Gus Gorman in that movie. It's a shame. Superman's rogues gallery is more than just Luthor and Zod. Heck, if I wrote a Superman movie, I'd have Brainiac be the villain.   

Superman '78 would get a sequel miniseries in 2023 subtitled The Metal Curtain. It introduced the Donner-verse version of Metallo. If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2022 hardcover Superman '78. It's never been released in trade format as far as I know. I have my copy as part of a two-pack "Double Feature" with the first Batman '89 miniseries. Which is also really good. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!