The ache of a true hunger.
Creative Staff:
Story: Robert Venditti
Art: Paul Pelletier, Drew Hennessy
Colors: Adriano Lucas
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
What They Say:
Metropolis, the City of Tomorrow, is plunged into a blackout. Superman needs to find the cause of the crisis but is he prepared to face the energy-hungry Parasite?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The special giant-sized books made for Walmart and Target have, as I mentioned elsewhere, been out of my grasp for some time and I figured that the stories within were ones I may not see for a long time. That’s being resolved some with DC Comics bringing them out as individual stories digitally, which netted this story from Robert Venditti and Paul Pelletier. I’ve enjoyed a lot of Venditti’s stuff for a bit as I’ve been catching up on his Hawkman series and he has a good take on Superman here in a kind of classic one-off story way. The big win for me was getting to see Paul Pelletier’s artwork again. I had really enjoyed it when I first saw it on The Outsiders back in the 90s but I lost track of what he was working on for the longest time. I really enjoy his take on Parasite here as well as just the way all the action unfolds and the kind of presence that he has for Superman. Combine that with Adriano Lucas’ color design and it’s a strong looking standalone tale that’s part of a bigger storyline.
The book is a lot of fun just for its sense of classic material as we get Lois working on a story as the night drags on while Clark is hoping they can get out to at least get some takeout food, but he knows it’s going to be the vending machine. All of that falls apart when the power goes out and there’s a rush to figure out what’s going on, realizing that the Parasite is in Metropolis again. That’s the big picture stuff but I love the little things, opening on kids talking about how cool Metropolis feels from their vantage point and how awesome Superman is. Just getting to touch upon the world through that view with it being sugary sweet as some writers do is a treat itself. And that combined with the more adult stuff, such as Lois complaining about the number of suits Clark goes through when changing is the right kind of married life material. Especially since she has to make the sacrifice herself along the way.
The book touches upon one of the things that the Superman family books often do over the decades in how people have to take care of each other. While Superman is going against a really juiced up Parasite at the power planet at first and then at the hospital later, he spends his time in-between with the blackout telling people to look out for each other, help out, and show the best of what it means to live in Metropolis. It’s the kind of inspiring material that, sadly, very few heroes seem able to honestly emote these days and not come across as sarcastic. It’s engaging to watch that play out just as the fight shifts from Earth to the Moon and we get more of a pretty solid battle that’s a war of attrition between the two. The humanity that defines Superman is what shines the most and even though I can see some rolling their eyes at it, this is the kind of Superman material that defined my reading in the late 80s and early 90s and the kind of standalone story I crave these days.
In Summary:
Superman has been one of my favorite characters forever and I lament the modern way that stories all have to be big and world-ending arcs when it comes to most characters, including him. There’s so much that can be done with one-off stories amid the arcs that there are times I wonder if writing that kind of material is a lost skill. Robert Venditti handles it very well here as we get a good look at something human and family-oriented, something inspirational, all while getting plenty of action that’s resolved in a single installment. Yes, there appears to be a longer story that’ll come out of it focused on Lex and his frustration with playing second fiddle to what Superman does here, but that’s not a bad thing. You can read this issue and feel closure with it or you can check out what follows down the line. The other plus here is that Paul Pelletier delivers some great looking pages with a really fun and over the top kind of Parasite from what I grew up reading with torn and dinged 60s versions of the character I found at yard sales. It looks great, has an excellent flow to it, and made me fall in love again. I can’t ask for more.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 12+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: April 20th, 2020
MSRP: $0.99
