Endorsement: Metamorpho

 Okay, now it starts to get WEIRD. Because now I am endorsing Metamorpho.

The tone is quite light-hearted but they don't shy away from any of Metamorpho's intrinsic weirdness.  The historic cast of oddball characters is there (Rex "Metamorpho" Mason, billionaire Simon Stagg, his daughter Sapphire, and his assistant Java the Thawed Out Neanderthal).  

Java is a Neanderthal. The only other Neanderthal left in the DCU is Vandal Savage.  You'd think they'd, you know, at least meet for a drink at some point.  

They even brought back Element Gal Urania Blackwell (after what Neil Gaiman did to her) as her original vivacious,  Rex-hungry espionage agent self. 

Not saying there was anything WRONG with what he did. That was an amazing read and remains one of the most moving comic books stories I have ever read.  But ... it still IS, whether it's "retconned" or not.  Readers really deserve to get over that hang-up.

And throw in some appropriately oddball additions, like Prince Ra-Man.

Linking the otherwise long-unused legend of Prince Ra-Man with Metamorpho's still mysterious origin in discovering the Orb of Ra is a smart move in dynasty-building for Metamorpho.

Rex Mason's transformation into Metamorpho is synopsized in the most elegant origin recap since the one Superman got in All-Star Superman:

Efficient alliteration.

The characters have been updated a tad, in good ways.

Stagg is still a ****, of course, but he's now a much more pro-active one, not always expecting others to save him (and his stuff).

And they give Simon his due. He's not merely an unscrupulous billionaire. He's a BRILLIANT unscrupulous billionaire.

Sapphire is no longer merely a brainless heiress, she's a talented internet sensation in her own right.  Java still works for Stagg, but the man's got some backbone now and is now longer the toady he originally was.

In fact, he seems to be the only person who gets away with back-talking Stagg, which is a welcome change.

As for Metamorpho himself, he's charming, funny, and loaded with chemical interactions, which have always been the character's stock in trade. 

On the one hand, Metamorpho is and always has been goofy and stupid. On the other hand, I have learned something from nearly EVERY Metamorpho story. How many characters can you say that about?

OTHER than Tennessee Tuxedo, of course.

 The creators gave him a power-appropriate opponent in "Mister Three" and a shadowy evil organization (CYCLOPS) to threaten him. They also cleverly give him his own city to work in (Jump City) and make it clear that it is very much its own place and one that sets the context and tone of Metamorpho and his adventures.

This makes it clear that, although obviously a contemporary setting, Jump City's vibe is a '60s-style go-go check one, rooted in the same era that the character of Metamorpho is.

Calling it "Jump City" is clever.  Anyone who knows Jump City as the location of the Teen Titans cartoon of the early 2000s will understand that this comic is going for a similar light-hearted tone (but with sufficient 'serious' action and challenge).  Besides, having your own fictionopolis is nearly essential to being a dynastic centerpiece in the DCU and it helps put Metamorpho on firmer footing.

Might not be a bad place for Plastic Man; although his roots are in a different time period, his surroundings need to be wacky-proof.

Even if you don't (historically) like Metamoprho, this comic is a master class in tone and timing.

Here is the comic showing "cinematic style" done right, since this action and motion, even if only implied, in each of these panels.

Here is the comic, in a mere two panels showing every major character, and their relationships with one another, while setting up the entire plot going forward.

Metamorpho is just about as good as Metamorpho can possibly be; I endorse completely.

P.S. I am endorsing not merely Metamorpho per se.  It's more than that; it is a repudiation of the Procrustean approach to editing and comics publishing. Metamorpho is a prime example of DC letting each character have its own world, its own genres, its own tone, rather than trying to stuff them all into some template for the sake of having a universe perfectly consistent in tone and type.

That universal "house-style" approach does have its benefits.  Marvel masterfully made the most of those by creating a shared universe and creating characters within it.  It makes crossovers (and cross-over appeal) easier and more powerful.

But DC is, and always has been, a colorful crazy quilt of different types of characters and storytelling.  They do (loosely) occupy the same universe, but that universe encompasses wildly different storytelling environments. To try and 'iron out' those differences and force them all to fit into one mode does a disservice to them all, gaining little and losing much; it disrespects the intelligence of the readers to think they cannot understand, accept, or enjoy this variety; it deracinates characters and IP from their original contexts, only to wither and die.  Books like Metamorpho signal that DC is finally playing to its own strengths, rather than stumbling over itself in a vain attempt to acquire the advantages of its competition.  In a healthy DCU, there might be a place for ANY type of storytelling that has previously happened in any DC comic (provide the market will support it).  

Except "The DC Challenge!"; just **** that.

I (and I believe most DC fans) love the DCU precisely because it can be a place where a Speed Saunders, a Plastic Man, a Metamorpho, and a Justice League Unlimited can all co-exist for our enjoyment and amazement.  It's nice to see that DC finally seems to believe that, too.