Superman: The Kansas Sighting #1

Legendary Justice League scribe and artist, JM DeMatteis asks an interesting question that until this book, I don’t think was ever explored in the vast history of the Superman family. Before sending his son, Kal-El to earth, did the scientist Jor-El do any field research on the third rock from the sun? And if he did, was he responsible for any of those alien abductions we hear about on the X-Files?

 That’s the type of postulations explored when an Unsolved Mysteries type of show comes snooping around Smallville. When Clark Kent learns that his father was questioned during the filming, it leads to both adoptive father and son questioning themselves and the motives of Clark’s Kryptonian parents.

Eager to find some answers, Kent gets permission from the Daily Planet to investigate. Teamed with Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen, Kent runs into the production team who’ve found more witnesses who’ve claimed to have been abducted the night Kal-el crashed to earth. Clark is ready to dismiss one of the witnesses until he gets kidnapped by alien beings himself.

This is mostly a Clark Kent tale. Superman appears very little in this story. But that’s okay- it’s a very well written and thought out examination of our countries obsession with UFOs. Along the way, Clark will question whether his biological father was an ethical scientist and if he discovers that Jor-El acted inappropriately, how will that change Superman’s role on earth? More importantly, how is it going to change how earth sees Superman’s role?

DeMatteis did a fantastic job on this opening chapter. The art was very good too but it’s not very consistent.  However, I enjoy a good mystery and I love the X-Files eerie feel that the story has. I almost regret not waiting closer to Halloween to read this.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.