Superman # 5 review

So the boring story line continues. Truly, this arc simply regurgitates the art and pacing from the former issues. In a nutshell, Superman is out of commission elsewhere and  the elemental creatures are reabsorbed by someone who looks like Superman. He spends this issue undoing the good will that he built up with the citizens of Metropolis by going around and taking the law into his own hands and destroying any elements he thinks might affect the peace and harmony of Metropolis. Of course, he causes chaos and stresses out his friends and supporters and gets the military pissed.

We see Lois. On the phone. Again. Or watching behind a computer. In fact, like all four issues, she and the press keep following Superman around and it is fricking annoying. I know modern media uses phones and computers and videos to get events in real time but for crying out loud, can the readers just be allowed to follow the story and our hero without that annoying exposition of the press??? Is this book staring Superman or the press?

The supporting cast just gather in offices again as the people on the street to hold their heads in consternation. You know, they have to tell us stupid readers what is going on. They are like this idiot in the helicopter... an annoying fly you want to swat away. The press can hear Superman speak now. What the hell?

Anyway Superman goes and takes out Titano and what was left of the Terminauts etc. Oh yeah, Superman is a big bad killer now and you know that is not going to go down well.

Another prime example of wasted pages. Lois again stressing before a computer over Superman or Clark since Perez has been inferring she might know he is one and the same. Let me tell you there are pages like this spanning all 5 issues. I wonder Nicola Scott or Merino had anything challenging to really draw with regards to Lois. And what the hell? Is Jimmy Olsen fourteen years old?

So Superman crosses the line and Lois screeches. Once again...we are being treated to a format of story-telling that is very clunky and redundant. And the real kicker? This is not Clark/Superman. So we invested in several issues to find out this Superman is an imposter. Real Clark is floating somewhere in space looking as if he is fourteen years old as well. Nicola Scott's Superman is inconsistent.

George Perez, you are one of my favorite artists and I appreciate you want to raise relevant themes in the new reboot. The way Superman would not be trusted so easily in a modern, paranoid world post 9/11 and the role of the media and you even want to try to make Lois a focus point and even hint that she and Clark have something so special, even though we have just started the reboot. It is not working. Not in the way you have told this story so far. You have told us...in a heavy handed way but not shown us anything to make me care. I have learned very little about what drives Clark and Superman five years later (at least, compared to Action and Justice League) and I frankly don't care for him or what happens to him. You cannot world build based on old canon. This is a new reboot. Just because Lois hooked up with Clark then does not automatically mean we will buy they belong together when their personalities and histories are so different. That is lazy. If DC wanted to stay with old Superman and old dynamics...they never should have rebooted. We have elemental monster villains that frankly were a waste of 3 issues. They have added nothing to the world of Superman. A hero is measured by a good villain. Where is Heather in all this? Why is Jimmy drawn and written so poorly? Why is Perry so watered down? Who the hell are the rest of the Daily Planet crew and do we really care? Too much Lois pandering and too less world building and not enough of the energetic, charismatic and tough new 52 Superman.

I give this 2 stars out of 5.

Best Panel. : General Lane making his stance clear.  Can you blame him? He's an ass, yes, but then Superman seems a bit of an idiot as well. What you sow you reap.

Justice League #5 Review

Flash is the first to wake from the destructive force of  Darkseid's entrance. Now don't ask me how someone like Batman survives this. Once again we just have to buy he does not get squished to a pulp. Anyway Flash sees the mighty Darkseid for the first time and what the beams from his eyes can do and he is close to wetting his pants. He calls to the others for help.

Superman is up and he's rearing to go. "I'm up. But not to talk." Nice. Love this 'bring it' attitude Geoff Johns is giving him. Darkseid is ready for them both and Flash grabs Superman so they can get out of the way of a pair of omega beams.

Once again Jim Lee excels with the Flash and Superman panels. It is almost like a race while the two heroes try to out run the omega beams. These two share some good chemistry. It is fun to see Geoff build the dynamic between group members. We already know Barry and Hal are close and pre-reboot it was always Clark and Bruce. But as we will see later...we might be getting some slight variations. Anyway, these guys cannot outrun the omega beams, as rightfully no one should really. Flash manages to vibrate through a parademon and it takes the hit. Superman is not so lucky. He is captured and taken away. Flash regroups with the others who finally wakes up and informs them what happens. Of course, Green Lantern, cocky as usual, decides to rush in. He is severely punished by Darkseid.

He gets tossed around like a rag doll, his constructs are easily destroyed, his hand is broken and he still shows no sign of backing down. He shows how fearless he is but also how impulsive. Batman has to intervene and try to reason with him; that they need a strategy because this is an enemy they couldn't beat that easily. This is where this issue sort of goes off the rails. We already had Green Lantern rushing in and taking up panel time (god knows why the others are standing watching him) and then we have him and Batman take up more pages. Hal is trying to be all martyr-like and heroic and Batman is trying to convince him that they are alike as they are 'normal' and he knows how he feels. Oh, for crying out loud. Batman even unmasks. Huh? The only thing that makes this remotely passable was Hal's response.

 Now I get they want to make Bruce be the focused and shrewd one and less like a paranoid jerk but come on, he just met the guy! Also why does Batman unmasked look like Superman? This is where Jim is very weak when drawing faces. Batman unmasking is weird enough, but he pulls off his cape and  the bat symbol off his chest too. "This is bigger than you and I," he says and off he goes. Excuse me? Anyway this took nine pages. Counting from the time Hal rushed in. In a book that has 20 pages of story.

Green Lantern goes to the others. Don't ask me what they were doing while he and Batman were having a heart to heart. They decide they will follow Darkseid. Wonder Woman gets to speak twice. Wow. She got one up over Aquaman. Anyway, she thinks they should blind Darkseid. Geoff could only make up for wasting her so far by actually making her do that somehow in the next issue. Green Lantern jabbers on and takes charge. Batman, meanwhile, gets himself picked up by a parademon as a rouse to get to Superman. He manages to use his human skull to hit a parademon in the head too and bring it down. Good grief. He ends up before a portal.

Yes, he finds himself on Apokolips.

This issue unfortunately did not build well upon the last strong one. Cyborg, Wonder Woman and Aquaman were wasted. This was the Green Lantern and Batman show. This is a team book, is it not?

I give this issue 3 out of 5 stars. It would have gotten less but Darkseid is a badass and the art was pretty good and there were some fun moments. And let me rant a bit. I am pretty fed up of the 8 pages that are wasted on designs and adverts. Those could be used for, oh I don't know...the story???!!!!

Best Panel: Flash and Superman on the run.