Something a little different this week for Sunday Spotlight – we'll look at a new release from DC that has only had one issue. I know I normally discuss new release trade paperbacks, but here's a chance for you to get in at the ground floor of a new series! It's also a great spot for new readers to start with familiar characters. Today, we'll be looking at Secret Origins #1.
This issue is divided into three sections, each focussing on the origin or early life of a character who has already appeared in the New 52. These are stories that may already been known or shown in previous iterations of the character, but always will deal with either the character's first foray as a superhero or how they came by their powers. This isn't the first time there has been a series such as this – however, the original Secret Origins series was basically just reprints of the first issues or first appearances of iconic characters. It was a great way of keeping the origin stories fresh in people's minds without constantly referring to them in the main comic. The original run was usually done in short bursts, with the reprints covering a small group of characters, and then stopping. These were later developed into collections that are still available today.
After the success of Batman: Year One, there was a flurry of imitators in other titles which pretty much ended the need for Secret Origins as anything beyond a nostalgic look at the beginnings of characters. For this New 52 version, there's a chance to tell origin stories that haven't had a chance to be told in the regular books.
In the first section, we see the events that led to baby Kal-El being placed in the spaceship that took him to Earth, as well as the Kents finding him. It's told from the point of view of both his mothers – Lara-El and Martha Kent. Written by Greg Pak and drawn by Lee Wilks, this is by far the strongest story of the three, as is befitting a flagship character for DC and one of the three pillars the DC universe rests on. There are some great, single page moments for the characters that describe everything you need to know about them. The story is succinct and shows important moments without dwelling on them too much. In something this brief, there's no time to draw the story out, so it doesn't – the pictures accompany the narration but save for one page, there's very little essential dialogue. The one flaw was that it made me really interested in the two narrators, especially Lara-El, who unfortunately doesn't have her own series, when I should have been more focussed on Superman.
The second section, written by Kyle Higgins and drawn by Doug Mahnke, follows a young Dick Grayson and the tragedy that took his parents from him, as well as the quest for vengeance that led to him apprenticing to Batman. This story is paced a little slower than the previous one, but still shows the most important parts. It reads as a short story around events that you already know. Grayson's parents are murdered by a gangster who was pressuring the circus for money. Dick swears vengeance and meets Batman. Batman reveals his identity and offers to help. The parts that get the most attention are Dick's relationship with his parents, and his response to their death. It has a message of hope and love that would be absent in a Batman origin story, so I can see why Robin was the second character chosen. (Of course, Scott Snyder retelling the Batman origin story in the regular book probably helped too.) As an overview of Dick Grayson's character, this works well – I particularly thought the art matched how young Dick should appear.
The last section is about Kara Zor-El (Supergirl). It shows Kara's life on Krypton and the actions of her parents that caused her to be sent to Earth as well. It also tells of her struggle to adjust to Earth customs. Written by Tony Bedard and drawn by Paulo Siqueira, I really enjoyed about half of this part. I love the concept of Supergirl in all her iterations, and often recommend the New 52 Supergirl series to new readers. While this story basically repeats the events of the first few issues, it does give a good idea of what Kara is all about and how she's trying to find her place in the world. It gives her back story in a little more depth, and shows what life on Krypton was like. The middle of the story (the part that gets explored more in the main comics) is where it sags, but picks up at the end by showing what it's like for Kara on Earth, dealing with things like international relations that she doesn't understand but still trying to do the right thing. As an introduction to the character, I think it's really well done. After reading this, you can either start at the beginning of the New 52 Supergirl, or pick up the latest issue without any worry. Yes, I know she's a Red Lantern at the moment, but the point I'm trying to make is that you'll get a sense of who the character is and will be able to understand her immediately thanks to this story.
Overall, I really liked this issue and am looking forward to the rest each month. There's a lot of characters to get through, after all! If you're interested in something similar, as usual see below for more recommendations.
DC Universe: Secret Origins – 9781401234034 - $49.99 – 328 pages
Batman: Year One – 9781401207526 – Frank Miller - $27.99 – 144 pages
Green Arrow: Year One – 9781401217433 – Andy Diggle - $27.99 – 160 pages
Batgirl/Robin: Year One – 9781401240332 – Chuck Dixon & Scott Beatty - $34.99 – 424 pages
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