This page was a lot of fun to write. This is where I really got to cut loose with the Silver Age style narration. Check out that old-school thought bubble! Originally, the plan was for Jonathan Rector to draw in two distinct art styles: a Curt Swan style pastiche for the flashbacks, and something more alike his kinetic, 90s-infused dynamic trademark style for the present day scenes. As Jon’s style evolved and we dug into how to play to his always-growing strengths and make the book as visually enticing as possible, this idea fell by the wayside a bit. But you can see it in this first chapter, in these first flashback scenes. Check out the Kirby Krackles on the bottom panel!
It’s quite an interesting exercise, in this age of decompression, to tell a character’s origin over the course of just a couple of pages, as was done back in the good old days. It makes you cut out the waffle and get down to business. We know non-powered Gilbert Graham for exactly one panel here before his lab is blown up by a meteorite and he emerges with fantastic superpowers. People have talked about The Standard as being like a Superman analogue, and I guess I can see that given his power-set. But I’ve actually always thought of him as being more reminiscent of the father of the Silver Age of comics, Barry Allen, AKA The Flash. From the legacy element, to the colorful bowties. And, as can be seen here, even elements of his origin story.
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