Wes Craig is going old school on Superman in a new Black Label series. DC has announced Superman: The Stranger, a six-issue series arriving in September.
“Superman is my favorite hero. Always has been,” Craig said. “The version I love the most and the one that I think, strangely, reflects our modern world best, is the original. You strip away the extra powers, you strip away Ma and Pa Kent, and Smallville and Krypton, you boil it down to that explosive first issue of Action Comics, and you have this vital, powerful myth of a brash young man with incredible powers fighting against a corrupt city. That’s the story I want to tell.”
The series is set in an “Art Deco” inspired version of 1938 Metropolis and draws visually from DC’s Golden Age comics and the Fleischer Studios Superman cartoons. The story follows Clark Kent in the earliest days of his career, working to get by during the day and fighting to protect the city at night, as he grapples with whether his efforts are making any real difference against societal problems like entrenched poverty and corruption.
Craig is known for his creator-owned series including Kaya, Deadly Class and The Gravediggers Union. Colorist Jason Wordie and letterer Tom Napolitano round out the creative team. Variant covers for the debut issue are by Dave Johnson, Ethan Young and Goran Parlov:
Superman: The Stranger #1 will carry an Ages 17+ rating and arrives Sept. 2.