Another forgettable issue. It's not a bad book. Writing is not the worse and art is good. But the tone DC want to set for a new Superman is utterly failing because it feels totally out of sync with their main character in Justice League and Action Comics. Yeah, I get it. He is older and more restrained but why the hell does Superman have to be so mopey? And why does the start of a new chapter in the mythos have to feel so mediocre? This book should be up there with Action Comics, Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash, etc and instead it belongs lost in the middle as average, and to me, boring.
George wants to give us our money's worth. He wants to give us something contained. Nice ambition. But it is clear to me DC wants to keep old school fans or fans crying over the reboot happy with this title by trying to say, it is a new Superman. It's Clois soap opera, monster of the week and it feels trite.
There must be a less heavy handed way of trying to get sympathy for Superman. It's a generally bad way to set up your hero as mopey because he can't get a woman. I repeat, he is not Peter Parker.
So I took away three things from this issue.
1. Clark needs to get laid. And there is zero chemistry between him and Lois but they keep shoving them in our faces.
2. Superman is a little dense. He can't work out the thing fighting him is invisible. Once again he needs to be followed by Lois and the news gang (while continuing to give us a lot of exposition) and she has to, in the most cliched way, help save his hide. But for Lois' quick thinking... YAWN.
3. Sad Sack Superman. For decades Superman was alone and he never behaved like this. If only...if only...if only I got a date with Lois...I guess I would smile now and then and stop slouching and pouting.
Best Panel: Well, I really don't have one. I guess I like this cause of the perspective with him lying sideways, face on the smashed floor. Merino does draw a nice looking Superman.
If you going to do new, then do new and have some consistency with your star. He is the new DCU Superman. He is passionate, tough, compassionate, socially conscious, even feels different but he is not needy and mopey.
I give this a miserable 2.5 out of 5 stars.
The Golden Age Superman was definitely needy, as Clark Kent was needy.
ReplyDeleteThe point is he doesn't let that keep him down, and he's still tough compassionate, and socially conscious in spite of what he's dealing with.
(Also, it might FEEL mediocre because your expectations are inflated.)
Ah feel free to like it, Dany, your opinion does not change mine at all. It's my blog. I get to say what I want. You don't have to agree with it. I expect good writing. I also think I know what is good writing as well. That is what I expect and to my mind and many other reviewers around the internet...this title IS a huge let down. Maybe that's why the creative team is changing at after #6 and Giffen and Jurgens are promising things that should have been done from the outset. If it was that great a book then , it would be on a roll. It clearly is not.
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