Secret Origins, Vol. 1 by Jeff Lemire

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book collects four Issues of Secret Origins, examining the origins of DC Comics characters in the New 52 universe. This first volume contains well-known characters such as Batman and Superman as well as the lesser lights of the DC Universe and even a villain.

The book surprised me by being able to wring a bit of emotional tension out of the Superman origin story. I also liked the Green Arrow and Red Robin origins. I'm a less a fan of Hal Jordan and Harley Quinn's origin. Hal Jordan is portrayed as being a disrespectful brawler before finding the ring, and otherwise it's unremarkable. With Harley Quinn, they go over the top and give her a bunch of serious mental issues prior to becoming a psychologist and ending up in Arkham. It's a bit trite that a psychiatrist needs a therapist herself even if there is a fairly large kernel of truth to it. It'd make sense for her to have some minor issues before going to Arkham, but they went over the top.

Other than that, the book was mostly forgettable. The stories were okay but rarely conveyed any great sense of epicness or made you want to read these characters books. For DC fans, it's still a legitimate as a definitive resource on where your heroes came from. until the Rebirth Universe takes full effect anyway...



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