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.
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