Last week, I picked up my first comic of 2024, the trade collection for Steelworks.
As a part of the Super family, I've always had an interest in John Henry Irons ever since his appearance in the final days of the DC Universe before the New 52 (specifically Action Comics 1001 to 1004, if I recall).
Because of this, when this series came out last year, it got my attention, especially when it was revealed that Star Trek alumni Michael Dorn, Mr Worf himself, was writing it (having provided his voice in the animated series).
Well, I missed the singles but, now I had a chance (and thanks to the recent ending of Superman and Lois having highlighted the character), I finally got round to picking it up (just as I was finishing TMNT: Black, White and Green) and reading it.
This series sees the titular Man of 'Steel' (along with his moniker sharing niece) opening up his new company, Steelworks, with a plan and drive in place to make Metropolis a literal 'City of Tomorrow.' However, when old enemies re-emerge to take him down and steal the alien power source at the heart of his plans, Steel (along with the rest of the Super family) will wield his hammer to protect both Metropolis' present and future.
Dorn's debut(?) comic was an interesting read. While I liked the character's portrayal of an idealist and someone wanted to change the world for the better, I struggled to find his voice as I read it (I often attempted to imagine Worf himself speaking the dialogue but it just didn't fit). What i really enjoyed about this trade though was the idea of power and its corrupting effects, as Steel attempted to resist that urge while others simply wanted to horde the physical macguffin to acquire more of its figurative counterpart.
Speaking of, the villain felt a little cartoony and almost moustache twirling, making me wonder if Luthor would have been a better fit (being a mirror image of what Dorn was portraying Irons to be). Because of this, I felt the story was kind of like a throwback to comic stories of the past. That said, all of this didn't make the story any less entertaining, although, the inclusion of the Action Comics prequel to this story thread certainly caused the trade to feel very cluttered and bogged down until issue 2.
On the art side, provided by Sami Basri, it was certainly a style that i liked. Much like aspects of the story, I got the vibe that it was another 90's throwback. That said, there were certainly some nice panels, like the villains armour (which had a very New 52's Steel look to it. I wonder if that was meant to be symbolic?) as well as the shot of the whole Super family flying in to help (and, of course, any shot of Steel. His look with the Cape and the 'S' is just awesome ... in my opinion).
I do wonder to myself if I had expected too much from this series. It was written by Commander (or is it now Captain?) Worf, the voice of the man himself, no way this isn't great!
That said, despite it's flaws, Steel was still good(ish) read. Sure, it felt a little long (no thanks to those Action Comics installments) but it was still fun and, overall, I'm glad I gave myself the chance to check it out.