A classic DC hero returns with his own series from Al Ewing, in Metamorpho: The Element Man

A superhero who’s been around for a long time, Metamorpho is back and ready to roll into his own ongoing this fall.

Elemental

Created by Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon back in 1965, Rex Mason/Metamorpho has been a DC Comics mainstay over the decades. That’s not to say that he’s been spotlighted that much, because even though the elemental hero has had his moments, he’s pretty much always been a ‘team guy’. Queue up star writer Al Ewing and artist Steve Lieber though, and Mason is about to get a pretty big shot at what sounds like it might be a gem of a solo book.

From Ewing’s own statement on it, the title sounds like it’s going to be retro-styled, lighthearted fun that will still take itself relatively seriously, with no fourth-wall breaking. On top of that, as you’ll see later in this article, Metamorpho: The Element Man will also be comprised of standalone tales.

“This is 100% fun comics, delivered with total confidence, visceral joy and absolutely no winking to the camera,” said Ewing about the new series. “It’s a love letter to Bob Haney, Ramona Fradon and the spirit of superheroes at their wildest and weirdest—we’re aiming to catch the essential fab-freakiness of Metamorpho like lightning in a bottle and get groovy with it in our own special way.”

“It’s such a joy to work on this book with these collaborators,” shared Lieber. “Al Ewing’s scripts are an absolute delight, and Lee Loughridge’s color is impeccable. And as a long-time fan of Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon, I can’t believe I get to follow in their footsteps.”

DC Comics press release

How the heck can you not love that description? And if you’ve been a comics fan for any length of time, you already know that Ewing in particular is capable of crafting some knockout stuff. So basically, fingers crossed on this one, as DC brings Metamorpho into a whole new age.

Here’s a quick unlettered preview:

To know him is to love him. He’s the one and only Rex Mason, alias Metamorpho… but can even he win out against Cy.C.L.O.P.S., the hairy eyeball of crime that gazes from the top of the pop charts to the lowest depths of evil—and even into the far-off, far-out Ra-Realm? To find out, the Element Man must survive a hand-picked assassin who can match him change for change… and that’s just the first issue!

“This is our take on classic DC comics,” continued Ewing. “Done-in-ones that’ll satisfy discerning Metamaniacs month by month as they build up to something so far out that it might just be a one-way ticket to nowheresville for a certain freak of a thousand changes! Who is the menacing Mister 3? What’s the sinister secret of Sugar Sweet? Who’s the target of Vandal Savage’s million-year revenge? All these way-out mysteries and more will be answered in the New Age of Metamorpho—it’s our Xmas gift to you!”

DC Comics press release

Metamorpho: The Element Man #1, from Al Ewing and Steve Lieber, and with colors by Lee Loughridge and lettering from Ferran Delgado, has a publish date of Christmas Day, December 25th. So basically, look for it to hit stores some time that week.

In addition to Lieber’s standard cover work too, fans can also look for variant covers by Erica Henderson, Ian Bertram, and Steve Beach, and you can check out a few of those in the gallery above.