Last year saw the launch of DC All In, a major new publishing initiative that has brought new titles, new creative teams and an all-new universe to the world of DC Comics. This month on DC.com, we’ve asked some of our contributors to write about an All In title that they’ve personally gone All In on, letting us know what it is about the comic that they’ve been enjoying.
 

The Silver Age has been over for decades, but Metamorpho: The Element Man is taking us right back to that special time period. The series follows Rex Mason, the element-powered shapeshifting adventurer known as Metamorpho. Rex is joined by his fiancée Sapphire Stagg, her shady businessman father Simon Stagg and Simon’s caveman henchman Java.

The comic, which is written by Al Ewing and penciled by Steve Lieber, is a playful throwback to Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon’s original Metamorpho stories, and to the Silver Age at large. This means one-off stories instead of multi-parters, over-the-top narration and more.

If you’ve been reading my stuff on DC.com for a while, then you might have gathered that I LOVE the Silver Age. I love the bright colors, the wacky scenarios and the earnest attitude all the characters have. Here’s another confession—I’ve had many phone calls with fellow DC.com writer Donovan Morgan Grant where we’ve come up with parody Silver Age-style stories, complete with the exaggerated and overdramatic dialogue. What else are nerds supposed to do on long phone calls?

After reading Metamorpho: The Element Man, I can’t help but wonder if Al Ewing has a similar hobby because he absolutely NAILS the Silver Age dialogue. For example, there’s a scene in Metamorpho: The Element Man #2 where Metamorpho rebuffs Element Girl’s advances.

“That’s the ring-a-ding of it, baby,” he tells Element Girl. “I happen to be calcium head over boron heels for a certain Sapphire Stagg.”

This type of dialogue was typical for Silver Age stories, especially comics written by Metamorpho co-creator Haney. Metamorpho: The Element Man #1 has Silver Age style narration boxes which set the stage for readers, but it does it in a fun way.

Consider this memorable example: “What is Jump City? Merely the grooviest town on this crazy marble we call Earth! Where is Jump City? It’s where dreams are built and hearts are broken! Who is Jump City? It’s you…and me…and all of us! When is Jump City? It’s the future—and it’s now, baby now! How is Jump City? Just swell, thanks for asking!”

If this were any other comic, we would’ve just had a single title card letting us know we’re in Jump City. But where’s the fun in that? Also, I think I spotted Sam Simeon, the gorilla detective from DC’s Angel and the Ape (another Silver Age classic), walking amongst the crowd. It’s a small touch, but a fun one! Seriously, I can’t get enough of this series.

There are lots of fun little touches that call back to Metamorpho’s early adventures. For example, each issue begins with a splash page designed like the ones Haney and Fradon included in their Silver Age stories. We get character boxes which introduce the cast of the comic, complete with funny zingers. For example, 1965’s Metamorpho #1 said, “Rex Mason, alias the one and only Metamorpho! Simon Stagg genius friend—or pitiless enemy.” And so on with the rest of the characters.

Metamorpho: The Element Man #1 employs a similar technique, saying, “Metamorpho—the freak of a thousand changes! Sapphire Stagg—the star of a thousand talents! Simon Stagg—the billionaire of a thousand schemes!” It’s a tribute that had me grinning ear to ear.

There are layers to these jokes and references. On the one hand, they’re funny because they’re so over-the-top. But digging deeper, they’re particularly clever to longtime comic fans because of the way they parody typical Silver Age scripts. And trust me, these jokes come at a million miles a minute. It’s like classic episodes of The Simpsons, or to use a more modern example, Max’s Harley Quinn.

You don’t need to be familiar with Rex Mason or the DC Universe to enjoy this series. Like most Silver Age comics, Ewing and Lieber make sure every issue is a perfect jumping on point. Each character gives fun exposition reminding the readers of who they are and what we need to know about them. This includes one of the funniest parts of the Silver Age: characters describing their powers as they’re using them. Don’t worry, they make it fun and amusing here.

In many ways, I feel like Metamorpho: The Element Man was made for me. It feels different from every other DC comic book currently being published, but at the same time it feels so familiar. I defy you to read this series without cracking a smile (spoiler alert: it can’t be done).

A return to DC’s Silver Age with Metamorpho? I don’t know about you, but I’m all in!
 

Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DC.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, "Gotham Gazette." Follow him on Bluesky at @joshualapinbertone and on X at @TBUJosh.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joshua Lapin-Bertone and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.