A new summer anthology is hitting comic book stands today with the excellently titled DC’s Kal-El Fornia Love #1. Armed with eight stories, this comic celebrates the summer and California, making it one of the more unique anthologies from DC Comics in some time. It also features a good mix of characters, from Superman to Ice and everyone in between.
Kicking things off is “See Spot Fly” by Bryan Q. Miller and Gerardo Sandoval. This story has Superman waiting for a kaiju after it swallowed Lois Lane. The visuals are great with a super muscular Superman. The story is simple, with some dialogue lifted straight from popular movies like Die Hard. It’s a cute opener, but very light.
Next is the hilarious “The Gorilla Ex-Wife of Jimmy Olsen,” written by Christof Bogacs with art by Jacoby Salcedo. If you liked Matt Fraction and Steve Lieber’s Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen: Who Killed Jimmy Olsen? you will adore this story. Jimmy is a Nervous Nellie around his ex-wife, who happens to be dating her agent, Gorilla Grodd. This leads to a competition between the two in a great montage (see Jimmy grunt, see him dress in drag!). The story is funny, but also heartfelt, with a very relatable moment as Jimmy tells his truth to his ex.
Joshua Hale Fialkov writes and Bruno Abdias draws “Before Sunrise,” which features Ice and Power Girl. The story opens with Ice at a basketball game, and after she handles a creepy guy, she has to take out a terrorist. This leads to a hangout with Power Girl, and the two simply talk. It’s a great sequence of them spending the night chatting with some interesting points made about being one female hero on most teams, and dating. It’ll make you want to see this creative team on an Ice or Power Girl book.
Bizarro takes center stage in “Against the Wind” by James Reid and Jon Mikel, and it’s as funny as it is cute. The story takes to heart the location and even has Bizarro try out for the role of Superman in a big motion picture. Bizarro is in full sweet mode, complete with a cat companion he “saved” earlier in the issue. The art style gives him a gritty and endearing quality with great detail, especially in environments.
Superman is BUILT.
Credit: DC Comics
Lois Lane gets the focus in “Bite of the Apple” by Meghan Fitzmartin with art by Marcial Toledano Vargas. The story opens with Lois visiting her sister, but she ends up taking her sister around town instead of going to her hotel. Intercut with their visit is a later scene as a podcaster grills Lois. Clever detective work and journalism ensue.
Steel is the next focus in “Across the Room” by Brandon Thomas and Juni Ba. The story has Steel taking his niece Natasha on a vacation, and Ba’s art steals the show for much of the issue. From a clever use of hearts to convey Natasha’s crush on a girl who enters the hotel, to the various monsters, it’s super creative and fun to look at. The story is good too, with Steel being a good uncle, even if he keeps bringing work into their vacation. I guess that’s the price of being a superhero.
Superboy and Jon Kent Superman are the focus in “Who Do You Belong To” by Dave Wielgosz, with art by Joey Valquez. The story unpacks the delicate relationship of these two characters via flashbacks, albeit these flashbacks are a bit stuffed in with the main story. It has Jon chasing a monster, but that ends up being Superboy’s old pet friend from his Cadmus Labs days. The visuals are bright and fun, which suits these youthful characters.
Last up is a Supergirl and John Constantine story by George Mann and Travis Mercer titled “Something in the Water.” The visuals are super sharp and pleasing, with fun bits like Supergirl changing into her costume in a single panel, or saving a swimmer who has a hilarious expression as a tentacled monster attacks the beach. Is the rather suggestive underwater shot of Supergirl fighting with tentacles going up her leg and arms necessary? Probably not, but it is only for one panel.
This story does, however, feel a bit padded, with a backstory on the monster that ends with even Supergirl saying, “Why didn’t you just say that?” when Constantine offers a solution. The cute snacks the characters get on the final panel are a bit of a rush job to show the day isn’t totally lost, making for the overall plotting to feel rushed.
DC’s Kal-El Fornia Love #1 is a vibrant, playful anthology that lives up to its title with California vibes and summertime charm. While not every story hits equally hard, the overall collection offers something for every reader, whether you’re into romantic awkwardness, heartfelt hero chats, or kaiju-sized chaos. It’s one of DC’s more creative and refreshing anthologies in recent memory.
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