The real heart of Metropolis.
Creative Staff:
Story: Robert Venditti
Art: Paul Pelletier, Drew Hennessy
Colors: Adriano Lucas
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
What They Say:
Lex Luthor has made Superman obsolete thanks to his security tech outfitting every corner in Metropolis. But when the tech begins to go too far and oppress the people, Clark will need to don the shield once more and be the hero Metropolis deserves! It’s a battle between man and machine for the fate of Metropolis!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With a lot of things that reminded me of the “old days” of Superman, Robert Venditti’s run with Superman: Man of Tomorrow has been a lot of fun for me. The overall storyline has been a fun one with him and Lex that wasn’t quite so apparent at first but developed well across the run allowed Venditti to really capture the character’s voice but also to really work the Clark and Lois side in a way that really worked for me. At the same time, Paul Pelletier and Drew Hennessey put out pages that look great and had the classic design and style that I generally associate with the character in a “worldwide” kind of view. It had some really strong installments and a great flow throughout that made for a lot of fun in watching the characters tackle the issues they’re facing.
With Lex’s surveillance weapons having targeted a dine and dasher only to have Clark step in front of it, the whole thing escalates quickly and a lot of people get threatened and even the waitress realizes this is a step too far. Clark was able to swap out for Superman easily enough and this has him pushing back against Lex’s weapons, which in turn, you guessed it, ups the ante for Superman’s “criminal record” now as more and more of them target him and as he takes them down. The weapons are strong enough to give him a bit of a challenge, especially when they gang up on him with several throwing at him at the same time, and it’s also starting to catch the attention of other people. It’s laid out well and you see how each blast just ends up reinforcing for Superman that this has gone far enough and they’ve veered so far into safety over common sense that it’s no longer safe.
And as Superman gets tagged more by these things, it’s the people of Metropolis that stand up for him. It’s not an unfamiliar scene in comics in general or a few movies about them but it’s one that always resonates as they try to do what they can to return the favor for all the saves they’ve provided over the years. And Superman certainly has a number of those that he’s performed. Lex, naturally, has to go bigger than he should and in a way that will likely garner some legal trouble when all of this heads there, but upgrading the Daily Planet globe with one of the weapons that’s massively overpowered is just what you’d expect from him. It gives Superman the big final boss weapon to deal with and tension for your average guy in the street as well, allowing for some decent resolution.
In Summary:
The Superman: Man of Tomorrow has really been a lot of fun right from the start with the Parasite story and has just gone forward well from there. While the Toy Man piece was the weak point for me, mostly because I don’t care much for the character, Robert Venditti nailed this throughout in providing great voices for each of the characters, working the relationship dynamic well for Lois and Clark, and feeling both classic and modern at the same time. All without going for massive end of the world story material. Pelletier and Hennessey brought it to life beautifully and reminded me of just how much fun I had with Pelletier’s artwork years ago when I first ran across it. Definitely a solid run that left me smiling the last few weeks.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 12+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology and Kindle
Release Date: May 25th, 2020
MSRP: $0.99
