Bizarro: Year None #1 Review
Writer: Kevin Smith & Eric Carrasco
Artist: Nick Pitarra
Colorist: Michael Garland
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Cover Artists: Nick Pitarra & Michael Garland; Frank
Quitely; Fernando Pasarín, Oclair Albert & Arif Prianto; Ibrahim Moustafa
“Totally Normal” Al Yankovic Cameo Variant Cover Artist: Dan
Mora
Editors: Jillian Grant & Paul Kaminski
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock
Release Date: April 1, 2026
Jimmy Olsen loves the Daily Planet. And everyone in
Metropolis loves him, except for Perry White. That's unfortunate, because
Jimmy's dream is to become a reporter for his beloved newspaper. Can Jimmy
convince Perry White to elevate him from his "coffee boy" status? And
why is the wind roaring through the shattered windows of the editor-in-chief's
office? Let’s leap up, up, and away into Bizarro #1 and see!
Story
As Jimmy Olsen strolls through Metropolis, chatting with
people he knows and those he meets, a crowd gathers before a taped-off crime
scene. A new statue has appeared, far taller than the one in the nearby park.
And this statue, a giant toy soldier, has plunged its bayonet into the Daily
Planet. Amid the debris and scattered papers, Perry White is unhappy about the
cold wind blowing through the shattered windows of his office. He’s even
unhappier that all the other newspapers will be covering his story. So, as the reporters
pitch story ideas, Perry White looks for angles to connect the Daily Planet’s
misfortune with readers’ lives.
As Perry White and Jimmy Olsen’s careers reach a crucial
intersection in Bizarro: Year None #1, their reality also connects with
another. The link between them is a Daily Planet newspaper and a failed
experiment. Professor Dalton has built a duplication machine that can send any
object into another realm. A year ago, a copy of the Daily Planet failed to
return with its twin. This first chapter of Perry White and Jimmy Olsen’s
journey together begins with Professor Dalton's second attempt to produce a
second copy of the Daily Planet without using a printing press. Then, it
fast-forwards to the event that will determine their futures.
Kevin Smith and Eric Carrasco’s story occurs eighteen months
after Superman’s first visit to Metropolis. Clark Kent and Lois Lane are out of
town, leaving Ron Troupe, Cat Grant, and Steven Lombard to help Perry White get
the news out on time. While the harried editor realizes he needs help, he wants
seasoned professionals. And in an era when videos and the internet seem more
relevant to people than his newspaper, Perry White holds a grudge against the
up-and-coming generation that is threatening everything he's devoted his life
to. But as often occurs in life, unexpected events will force Perry White to
reevaluate his jaded resistance to working with influencer-youngsters like
Jimmy Olsen in Bizarro: Year None #1.
Art
A rolled-up copy of Perry White’s pride and joy floats
through the starry void, as Bizarro stands at the edge of his world looking
out. Two-page horizontal layouts introduce readers to Jimmy Olsen and Bizarro’s
lives, while a statue in a Metropolis park pays homage to recent events in
Superman Unlimited. The tip of the Toy Soldier’s bayonet fights for people’s
attention as Perry White tries to wrangle his reporter’s attention from a
Pac-Man-shaped table.
As Nick Pitarra uses tall panels to portray movement via
time-release images, Michael Garland lavishes a loaded palette on the
hyper-detailed art in Bizarro: Year None #1. Yellow links Superman, Bizarro,
and Professor Dalton with the Daily Planet, while green bonds Jimmy Olsen with
the gateway between dimensions. Yet an earthen color, embracing pink, red,
orange, and brown, represents the desire to reshape the world.
As the narrator’s words fill yellow boxes, Dave Sharpe fills
white dialogue balloons with black uppercase text. Italicized letters indicate
intonation and shrink for lowered voices, while words grow bold and swell for
raised voices. Sound effects amplify travel between worlds, and the ordinary
sounds of operating the conveniences that enhance our lives in any world.
Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.
Final Thoughts
Some people know what they want to do with their lives. The
rest of us make it up as we go along. But if we keep trying and never give up,
eventually we settle upon a fulfilling life, where everything suddenly makes
sense, as occurs in Bizarro Year None #1.
Rating 9.4/10
To look inside see my preview of Bizarro Year None #1.
