DC's Secret Files one-shots sometimes offer some diamonds in the rough when it comes to the short stories they include to break up the flat profile pages. It's been a while since one of those diamonds was to be found, though, and this latest in the line continues that unfortunate trend. There are some clever ideas to be found here, but the execution is lacking. It also seems to me that these books should be seen as an introduction of characters and plotlines for new readers, but previous knowledge of already told stories seems to be a requisite in order to appreciate the material.
Devin Grayson delivers a cute story that sees a rivalry between two elementary school fans of Superman and Batman play out symbolically in their playground games and classroom outbursts. There's just a couple of problems with the story. First of all is its length. Grayson draws the gimmick far too long, ignoring a clearcut and more appropriate ending point earlier in the story. Secondly is the script's inclusion of far too information about the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight. I realize the point is to bolster the profile information presented later in the issue, but the information overload takes one out of the story and requires the kids to stop sounding like kids from time to time.
The art on the classroom story is rather effective, because it's amusing to see the hulking forms of the DC Universe's best-known heroes duking it out on a playground and behaving like the kids who are evoking their images. XX's work reminds one of Dan Jurgens's style, but it's a little uneven at times. The "Bizarro Wrongright" piece is amusing, as most Bizarro stories are, but one really has to be aware of the Superman: Birthright series to be aware of the gag and the reason for this Bizarro origin.
As a journalist, I enjoyed the Lois Lane flashback piece mainly because the writer captures the chaos of a newsroom and the ego of a journalist quite well. The story adds nothing to the Superman mythos, though, and I can't for the life of me determine what the point of this exercise is. The Superman activity is so evocative of the Silver Age so as to be hokey rather than charmingly nostalgic, as is intended, I suspect.
It's rare that these profile pages catch my eye anymore, as I find there's little in the text for me, givenn the number of comics I read. But the Lois Lane profile did attract my attention, or at least the artwork did. All-Star Superman artist Frank Quitely provides the visuals for the page, but they're barely more than sketches that don't even demonstrate Quitely's trademark style. I was left with the impression the editor wanted something from Quitely for the book, and a few quick headshot sketches of Lois was all that was available. 4/10
