Warning: Potential SPOILERS for Steelworks #1DC Comics has finally revealed new details about the upcoming Steelworks title, including a thrilling creative team connected to Superman: The Animated Series. Decades after the conclusion of his last series, Steel is once again taking center stage in his own book as John Henry Irons enters the "Dawn of DC" era.
Steelworks #1 is set to launch in June of this year, joining a number of other titles in the ongoing "Dawn of DC" storytelling initiative. DC has announced the title's creative team: writer Michael Dorn (Star Trek) returning to the hero after voicing Steel in Superman: The Animated Series, and artist Sami Basri. The publisher's full summary for the first issue follows:
The Metropolis of the future is here today, but can it survive a terrorist who’s out for revenge against its builder, John Henry Irons—a.k.a. Steel—and his company, Steelworks…and who possesses secrets that could undo everything John has worked so hard to build? While John’s professional life is firing on all cylinders, his personal life is even better, as his on-again, off-again relationship with Lana Lang might be back on, permanently. Now he must decide whether it’s time to give up being Steel once and for all. But does John even know who he would be without his superhero identity? How does the other Steel—John’s niece, Natasha Irons—feel about his momentous decision? And does any of that matter if Steelworks crumbles around him when he lacks the superpowers to fight back?
Steel Is Set to Become a Major Player in "Dawn of DC"
Steelworks joins series like Action Comics, Superman, Doom Patrol, and more recently announced titles under the literal and figurative "Dawn of DC" banner. This storytelling initiative began in January with Action Comics and promises to continue throughout 2023 and beyond; Steelworks is the latest Metropolis-based series to join the fold. Steel as a character has, in fact, seen quite a bit of action in Action Comics in the last year: both John Henry Irons and Natasha Irons played significant roles in the "Warworld Saga" storyline, and now they're both leading the cultural charge as the new business and social leaders of Metropolis. That's saying nothing of their work as superheroes, and John Henry himself is set to star in an Action back-up story, presumably leading up to the events of Steelworks.
The revival and promotion of Steel's essential role in Metropolis and the Super-Family has been a welcome element of the Superman stories from the Infinite Frontier era, and it's even more exciting to see John Henry get his own, individual spotlight as part of "Dawn of DC." Even if, as this summary suggests, he decides to give up the mantle of Steel, it's not the supersuit or the name that makes him a hero: it's his status as a genius-level engineer, a role model and a friend to those in need.
To see Steel's Superman: The Animated Series voice actor, Michael Dorn, join Basri on the creative team is just the cherry on top of an already eagerly-anticipated book. John Henry Irons is a beloved character from a beloved Superman era, and it's only a matter of time before Steel gets his due in DC's bright new era when Steelworks #1 launches this June from DC Comics.