Artist-writer John Romita Jr. (Batman, Dark Days: The Casting) shared how delighted he was by how reviewers reacted to a very unexpected change with Superman's origin story in Superman: Year One, a three-issue limited series from DC's Black Label imprint.

In an exclusive interview with CBR, Romita Jr. referred to the plot point in which Clark Kent joins the Navy SEALs in Superman: Year One #2 and undergoes basic training. He hailed the twist as "brilliant."

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According to Romita Jr., he personally saw how the issue had reviewers "irritated and shocked" or "enjoying it." Romita explained, "People were screaming at me via reviews, and my friends would e-mail me reviews saying 'This is ridiculous! That's out of left field!' I love getting that kind of reaction, I loved that part - especially with the SEALs - and I would do that kind of thing again in a second."

Romita Jr. co-wrote and was one of the artists for Superman: Year One along with Frank Miller, Danny Miki, and Alex Sinclair. Frank Miller and John Romita, Jr. collaborated together before in working with one of DC's flagship heroes. They both worked on The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade and a back-up story in The Dark Knight III: The Master Race #3.

Beyond the controversial reimagining of Clark Kent's early, pre-Superman years, Romita found working on Superman: Year One an enjoyable if intense experience overall. "The thing I'm most proud of is getting through it without dying," Romita remarked. "Every time I open the hardcover or go through the issues, I see things I wish I had done better" but he is still "very proud of the story...I'm really proud of the whole project."

Superman: Year One concluded in October of last year. Solicitations from DC describe the series as presenting the "definitive origin" of the Man of Steel.

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