Superman ‘78: The Metal Curtain #1: A New Adventure

In 1978, Superman made moviegoers believe a man could fly. Christopher Reeve’s depiction of Superman in the late 70s and 80s is an iconic and pivotal representation in cinematic and comic history. His embodiment of the Man of Steel went beyond the screen, shaping the very essence of the character in the collective consciousness. Reeve’s Superman represents hope, morality, and justice and his portrayal set a standard for superhero movies. While the Reeve-led Superman films are far from perfect, his portrayal of the character makes them worth checking out, especially 1978’s Superman directed by Richard Donner.

In 2022, Superman fans returned to the world of the first film in DC’s Superman ‘78, a six-issue series taking place after the first film and introducing Brainiac to the universe. Now, readers can dive back in with Superman ‘78: The Metal Curtain, which pits Superman against Metallo against the backdrop of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Robert Venditti, Jordie Bellaire, and Dave Lanphear return on writing, coloring, and lettering duties respectively with Gavin Guidry joining on art duties. 

Superman ‘78: The Metal Curtain #1 retains the tone from the first series and the spirit of the film. Gavin Guidry is a great addition to the series, replacing Wilfredo Torres from the first series. Torres’ style was heavily influenced by the aesthetic and actors of the film, which is exactly what you’d want and expect. Guidry continues to do this, but his style doesn’t lean as heavily into the source material. Superman doesn’t look like Christopher Reeve in every panel, which is a good thing. It can be distracting when every panel looks to be traced straight from the screen. With Guidry’s art, there is a nice balance of screen-accurate depictions and their own creative choices. The creative team takes advantage of this being a comic, so they do not need to follow the rules of film.