Superman is fighting in his t-shirt and jeans in his city. He takes down a Metalek,another alien that has shown up who seems to have the intention of conquest.
Inevitably in the battle property is destroyed and Superman helps rebuild homes in record time. Grant weaves in important things like Superman being accepted by people in need, or even feared by the likes of construction bosses who see him as competition. We also have the question of the value of the homes he builds. While it all seems insignificant against big robots and invasions, these are the human/moral aspects of being Superman that often get shoved aside. Superman no longer has the Clark persona to worry about because he has supposedly "died".
But he has taken on the persona of fire fighter, Johnny Clark. This allows him to be a "loner" while saving lives and going "home" to be Superman. It's weird to me no one looks at Johnny's face and not connect it to Superman. Are people really that oblivious? Does a beanie and no history really make a man that less recognizable?
Superman remains with doubts;whether he made the right decision by giving up on Clark. He asks Batman for help. We also see his naive idealism when Batman tells him to eradicate poverty in Somalia by selling the space station. It's pretty evident that our Superman needs to learn some tough lessons about what being Superman means. Batman is more worldy and experienced in this reboot but the World's Finest dynamic has clearly not been forgotten. Superman also seems to wear the armor and the jeans and t-shirt when the occasion calls for it.
We then cut to Lois and her niece, Suzie, who we learn is being tracked by the Blaker Farm ghost Lois had thought was Superman. Turns out he is a mutant with ESP powers and he is there to take Suzie while the earth faces extinction from the "Multitude." Of course Lois is in the thick of things and gets hit by an out of control fire engine and Superman will have to do the inevitable save Lois Lane next issue.
The back up was a nice little story how Clark came up with his everyman Superman outfit and the t-shirts.
I will give this issue 3.5 out of 5. It has some nice moments for our young and growing Superman but I am not sure about the Johnny Clark thing especially if he is going to suddenly go back to Clark in a few issues. The Lois in peril side-plot is oft trod but I get so tired of it.It's like his job in as much as fighting threats and helping people build.
Best Panel: Superman's almost shy look when he is clearly being adored by men and women.
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