REVIEW: DC’s Kal-El-Fornia Love #1
DC’s Kal-El-Fornia Love #1 is a ‘Superman Family’ style anthology one-shot where each story takes place somewhere in California, hence the title’s play on words. Showcasing eight stories from as many creative teams also makes for a fun read as we get to see other talents take on the Superman family.
The standard cover is by Bernard Chang. Looking cool with their sunglasses against a California sunrise, our family of superheroes are ready to take on Summer vacation. Adding Natasha, Paige, Kenan, Osul, and Ortho enjoying some super road trip hijinks and you know everything you need to know about this book. It’s going to be lighthearted, all ages fun.
Mahmud Asrar and Alejandro Sánchez’s variant has Power Girl enjoying the ocean waves crashing against her. With the bright Sun dominating the color scheme and Paige in her more traditional costume, there’s definitely a swimsuit edition vibe surrounding this piece.
The variant by Marcio Takara spotlights Supergirl catching some rays. The framing of the art, as well as Kara’s body language, gives a sense this is a photo taken at the beach. The ponytail is also a nice touch to show she’s ready to play instead of work.
Eight stories with eight sets of creators makes for a very long winded review, so I’ll do my best to keep this concise. The art teams do a great job visually setting the tone of each installment. You instantly know how whimsical or serious the story will be within the first few panels. Artist Gerardo Sandoval and Colorist Jão Canola starts us off with a pretty intense confrontation between Superman and a Kaiju-esque creature from space. Jacoby Salcedo & Francesco Segala do a great impression of Steve Lieber & Nathan Fairbairn’s art style from the 2019 “Jimmy Olsen” series for a hilarious Jimmy Olsen misadventure. Power Girl and Ice get an impromptu girl’s night depicted by Bruno Abdias & Eren Angiolini. Jon Mikel & Ian Herring render an atypical look for Bizarro’s tale. Marcial Toledano gives us a great look at a Lois Lane investigation. Juni Ba & Chris O’Halloran try and give John Henry and Natasha Irons some time off. Joey Vazquez & Luis Guerrero team up for a Jon and Conner Kent team up. Then the whole book caps off with a Supergirl and Constantine encounter by Travis Mercer & Andrew Dalhouse.
Each writer and letterer combo treats their stories with a serious reverence but definitely understood the need for added playfulness. Even with a more lighthearted tone, there’s still plenty of twists that make each chapter a fun and worthwhile read. “See Spot Fly” is written by Bryan Q. Miller with letters by Carlos M. Mangual who deliver an unexpected take on a Superman vs. Monster tale with a nicely wrapped ending. Christof Bogacs & Taylor Esposito handle “The Gorilla Ex-Wife of Jimmy Olsen” which calls back to an old Silver Age tale and could have some future consequences for Superman’s Pal. “Before Sunrise” is by Joshua Hale Fialkov & Josh Reed where Power Girl and Ice end up hanging out and patrolling all night to blow off steam. James Reid & Lucas Gattoni gives us some interesting insight into Bizarro’s daily life in “Against The Wind”. Meghan Fitzmartin & Ariana Maher reminds us why Lois and investigative journalism is still relevant in “Bite of the Apple”, which also has a surprise cameo towards the end. John Henry and Natasha try to take a few days to relax with failing degrees of success in “Across The Room” by Brandon Thomas & Aditya Bidikar. “Who Do You Belong To” by Dave Wielgosz & Steve Wands has Jon and Conner gain perspective on each other while tracking a scared but dangerous creature. George Mann & Troy Peteri bookend the anthology with “Something in the Water” by having Supergirl fight a not so normal giant deep sea creature with the help of John Constantine.
(8/10) For added Superman related content, DC’s Kal-El-Fornia Love #1 is a very fun read and would work well as an introductory of these characters for new readers. The execution of the issue’s concept was well done and each story is entertaining in their own way. Personally, I need Kara and Constantine to team up more after reading this. However, these are intentional side stories that will probably not have any impact on the monthly titles, so don’t stress about missing out if you end up skipping this one for whatever reason.
