Superman Returns
Let me start with the disclaimer: I did not read any Superman during the New 52. The only New 52 Superman I read was from his appearances in Justice League and I honestly didn't read too many of those either. I picked up this issue with the intent of maybe hopping onto the Action Comics band-wagon. It's been around for 957 issues so it must be a pretty big deal. I wanted to see if this might be a good addition to my pull list, and really, I have to say it is. After reading this issue I will definitely be picking up the next.
Let me explain what makes this comic so great. The art is fantastic. The work that Patrick Zircher did on this issue was exemplary. I really admired the style and I found myself drawn to the characters faces and subtle expressions. It had a sleek look to it, and I fell right into the world. All the art and color work in this book felt consistent and streamlined. One of the reasons I was interested in getting into Action Comics was because Zircher shares artist duties with Tyler Kirkham, one of my favorite comic artists from the New 52 Deathstroke book. I wanted to support Kirkham initially, but Zircher work is incredible also. I have a feeling that the art for Action Comics will be very strong during this run because of this art team.
The writing was also solid. Dan Jurgens got me invested in the world right away. Prior to this I had only read the Rebirth special and Spoilers if you didn't know: the New 52 Superman is dead. Here, the "old" (pre-New 52) Superman comes back to Metropolis to prevent Lex Luthor from parading around as a new Superman. Honestly, not having read any of the recent Superman books, I still don't fully understand everything. I get there were two Supermans apparently, the new 52 version was the one dating Wonder Woman and the "old" Superman is married to an alternate Lois Lane and they have a son named Jonathan. Now the old Superman has returned to the Superman identity because he doesn't want people to be fooled by Luthor. Luthor is wearing his own super-suit and calling himself Superman. The story is pretty interesting and gets even more complicated with the appearance of Clark Kent, who may be the new 52 Superman back from the dead or he could be someone else entirely, it's a mystery. My explanation of the plot of this issue is likely very confusing. I am a little confused myself, but somehow I still got it.
What I love most about this book, is even though I didn't have very much background of the characters or scenario leading up into it, it still made sense. I understood what was going on. It took a very confusing background story and instead of burying new readers in the muddle of details it simplified it. It didn't explain everything about what was going on, but it explained just enough to keep you motivated throughout the story. Personally, I was able to get accustomed to the situation very quickly. As a new reader to this book, I was glad that I didn't get lost in it. There is just the right amount of mystery still to keep me invested and wanting to come back for more.
Also, I love the concept of Superman being a husband and father now. It makes sense to me and I am excited to see how that dynamic plays into his character going forward. I am also curious as to the whereabouts of the new 52 Lois Lane, as in this continuity there are now two versions of the character. Unless the new 52 version is already dead or something or vanished in Rebirth or I don't know what. Please enlighten me if you know where the new 52 Lois Lane is.
I gave this issue 5 stars because it was exactly what I look for in a comic book. As a new reader, I felt this issue to be really accessible. I am looking to forward where the story goes and seeing more from this art team. Overall I really liked it, and I'm sorry if you didn't.
