The Krypton flavored threats continue as Superman copes with a very difficult new enemy.
What They Say:
Everyone can see the new villain who’s attacking Superman–except the Man of Steel himself! How can he stop a threat that none of his super-senses can detect? Meanwhile, a Daily Planet reporter starts digging up some dirt on Superman, including a secret that could ruin him forever!
The Review:
Between this series and the Action Comics run, it’s definitely an interesting look at the two sides of the character and the very different points in his life. There’s something almost flippant and carefree about him when he started out that stands in stark contrast to how he is in this book. Things looked simple to Superman back at that point in time but now there’s connections, complications and a larger view of the world and his place in it that weighs on him already. There’s even a bit of brooding that hits him at times here as even though he has all of these connections, he’s feeling like he’s not close to anyone at this point and there’s even a nod towards his looking out at the stars where Krypton once was with a serious sense of homesickness about him.
The tension that exists in his life is laid bare at the start with a bit of a brusque and blunt piece with General Lane as he plays pretty much the old Luthor role of angry at the alien and what he represents, both in superiority and the way he attracts so many problems to the world. Superman has established himself though and that lets him in on certain research and investigations, which includes what we saw in the first issue with the fire creature. But all of the bluster leads to some decent moments showing the changes in the Clark/Lois dynamic with her shifting jobs and how nervous she is about herself. It’s also a decent reinforcement of how their relationship is definitely that of colleagues with some layer of obvious competitiveness to be sure but you can easily see how he wants it to be more but the years of those complications definitely are deeply ingrained in him now.
While there’s some very good character material here, especially with how Superman’s expressions are captured and the general edge of darkness about him, there is also a good bit of action as well. With the fire creature we had the first time around, a new, strange thing has entered into the series now that is completely invisible to Superman’s eyesight. But what makes it really curious is that everyone else is able to see it, or so it at least seems from how it’s written, and that has Superman facing a real problem with it, especially since he’s dealing with something similar to a migraine at the same time. The action is decent and we get a good look at how people view him in the city, and that there’s just a general sense of danger there that may not be Gotham level, but Metropolis has a reputation. It works well to give us a few different views of things while also showing that there’s a basic modernity about it all with the cameras, electronics and so forth while still blending it with old school, such as the blimp tourism aspect.
Release Notes:
This comiXology edition of Superman comes with the main cover as released with the print edition and no other extras.
In Summary:
My enjoyment of Superman has certainly been strained the last few years for good reason, but I was in the camp that wasn’t sold on the modern approach used in the Superman: Earth One OGN. The younger Superman in Action Comics hasn’t won me over yet, but I’m coming to like this incarnation of Superman (including his uniform) and what I find at the end of this issue is that I do want more, which is a good sign. The character is certainly similar yet different from his pre-Flashpoint self but there were definitely a lot of problems to be dealt with from so many years of writers, stories and events. This issue covers a fair bit of ground, plays in some predictable moments such as with the General, and continues to introduce different challenges for him that are part of a larger problem but invariably help to expand what Metropolis is like in this new world. It’s fun, straightforward and definitely enjoyable.
Grade: B
Readers Rating: [ratings]
