The Good
The story isn't written poorly, but there are some moments that feel really cheesy and contrived, but we will get to that later on. The issue introduces a few new concepts: we see that Clark has moved on from the Daily Planet, and it will be interesting to see if he teams up with Cat Grant to launch the website she is looking to create. This could create a great opportunity for Clark (and Cat as well, honestly) and the idea is cleverly posed to Kent by Grant in a fun scene. There is also the interesting revelation and decision to bring Lois Lane back into the field as a reporter, and I look forward to seeing the character discuss that particular decision in more depth (since we didn't get a chance to see her perspective here in this issue).
Orion's moments are hands down the most interesting parts of this issue. The set-up of the story that features Orion's character and his upcoming interaction with Superman looks like it will be rather interesting, so that's something I am definitely looking forward to seeing developed and fleshed out a bit more.
The story ends on a pretty decent cliffhanger and this issue serves as a set-up of an upcoming story. Readers are also presented early on with the premise of the story they will likely be reading in future issues, which was a good thing.
The Bad
I have to admit, each time I read the word "ClarkCatTropolis.com," I cringed. There are plenty of bad one liners in this issue to make you wonder what the heck the writer was thinking. Cat is written like a total cliche, and it's a little bit obnoxious (even if her idea was a bit clever). I understand she's only 25, but she comes across as pretty vapid and her website is something she doesn't necessarily need Clark for -- something she proved when she interviewed Superman.
The Verdict
I actually enjoyed the depiction of Superman here, I thought it was pretty good even if there were definitely some moments that I simply did not find to be very interesting. This issue is definitely a good opening point for the story to come, even if it did have its flaws. Overall, though, it did not feel essential to the reading in total in the sense that there is a good chance you can go without this issue and pick up next month and be ok. As far as a jumping on point is concerned, this is a pretty good one. Easy to follow and read along.
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