We meet a Superman from Earth-23. This is an African-American Superman, who oddly follows the same path as most other Supermen ...ie raised by the kindly Kents as Calvin Ellis...but he grows up to become the President of the United States. We start off with him fighting his same nemesis, Lex Luthor and discovering a Musical Meta Machine,which I think is like a portal/window to the multiverse.
He meets a Lois, Clark and Jimmy. A creature called Superdoom is following them. It is the curse of Superman. Luthor helps him stop it.
This issue seems just a chance for Morrison to perhaps commentate on the current state of Superman and his status as an icon and brand as opposed to what his creators wanted him to represent. While I enjoy seeing this courageous, honorable, never say die Superman...I am not sure I care about all the metaphors and the multiverse right now. Where is MY new 52 Superman? It's really so distracting and tangential to what I want to read. Isn't Morrison writing Multiversity? Couldn't he have left this for that? Or least later in this run? Did I really want to see an eye patch Lois weeping that she sold out? Not really. I don't care for her corner of the multiverse that much.
The back up story by Sholly Fish was much better. Not so much because Nubia ( Wonder Woman) was in it, but it felt so much more connected to this Superman and what he is about.
The wacky stuff that Morrison likes to write...sometimes I find really lacking in emotional resonance...whereas, this real world story, makes me understand the dilemma of Cal Ellis. I like how Nubia, even as she is a close ally, challenges him.
I give this issue 3 stars out of 5.
Best panel : The smile shared between Cal and Nubia as they deal with a dictator.
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