Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Oy Vey.
Summary:
During a slow afternoon in Des Moines, Iowa, Superman dicusses his doubts about,“Truth, Justice, and the American Way” with Lois over the phone while she’s off doing something somewhere in Kansas. Just then, they both hear a loud explosion on Lois’s end and Superman is there in the nick of time to contain a raging fire at a rapidly burning chemical plant.
Later, he is inclined to make a questionable decision after learning a few of the plant’s dirty secrets.
The Nitty Gritty:
Okey Dokey. Where do I start? Was this issue fun? No, not really. Did this issue make me happy? No, not really. Did anything about this issue surprise me in the slightest? Not at all. Do we finally have some plot development and introspection that makes Superman’s inner struggle a little more clear and a little more relatable and a little more interesting? Yes. So, was this issue necessary? Yes, I think it was.
Personally, I think “Grounded”’s biggest problem right now is that it’s moving WAY too slow and lasting WAY, WAY too long. And part of the reason for that is because of the chaos that seems to surround Superman and Straczynski over at DC Comics. I remember a few months ago, I think it was Superman #703 that got put on hold for a month when a lot of us were already weary of “Grounded” by #702. Fortunately, #704 came out two weeks later. Unfortunately, #704 was an interlude. Then we thought we were back to the status quo for #705. We were wrong. A month later they gave us another interlude with #706. So, its incredibly frustrating to think that we’ve been at this for 7 months now, and there’s been almost zero introspection or character movement and we’re only at Part 5. Will this ever end?
I won’t say that “Grounded” has nothing to it, though, because after reading a few of the issues over again and back to back. I do feel a bit more invested in this arc than I was when I was just buying them because I didn’t want to give up on Superman, and I would read them as fast as I could like I was tearing off a band-aid and then immediately shelve them. Now, I’m definitely starting to see some cohesion and introspection and it is interesting. Is what I’m seeing why I read Superman? No. But I do think there’s something to this and I’m interested to see where it goes. So, hopefully, things will settle down over at DC and there won’t be anymore jarring interludes that make it almost impossible to see the pattern and substance to this arc.
That said, I’ve noticed that the issues of “Grounded” have had two effects on me. They either A) Bore me or B) Put me off. This was a definite “Put me off” issue. Why? Pretty much the same reason the other issues were putting me off. Superman and politics. Just like there should be a separation between church and state, there should be a separation between Superman and politics. Why? Because Superman is supposed to be everyone’s hero. He shouldn’t be taking sides.
And while I’m mostly siding with Superman on this particular issue – I think its way more important that the people get to keep their jobs and their town running than it is that a few plants and animals get to live a little bit longer – Lois makes an excellent point: “Truth, Justice, and the American Way.” That’s what Superman supposedly stands for and in this issue that’s exactly what he stands in the way of. Forget about the environmental and job-related issues. These people are running their plant and their town via lies and corruption; the opposite of what Superman’s supposed to stand for. By letting them continue to do so, and killing Lois’s story, he is making the stance that lies and corruption may be worth it sometimes, and that truth, justice and the American way may not always be. And here’s my problem with that: in order to for it work at all, “Truth, Justice and the American Way” has to be something you believe in absolutely. There is no middle ground between truth and lies. The truth is the truth and anything less than the truth is not the truth. And if the truth is justice, anything less than the truth is not justice. So, Lois is right. By killing her story, Superman is essentially denouncing his faith in “Truth, Justice, and the American Way,” and really, without that, who is Superman?
Well, that’s where the story gets interesting because none of this has escaped Superman and he’s asking himself that very question. Which makes me think there is a light at the end of this tunnel and is why I have a new appreciation for this arc. While Superman isn’t doing much flying, he clearly isn’t “grounded” if he’s trying to solve peoples’ political problems like he’s some kind of king of the world. However, I do think this issue did a lot to bring him down to earth. He has always used “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” as his wings, but now he doubts its effectiveness and his wings are cut and he’s stuck down here in the quagmire of fear and doubt just like the rest of us. So, in order to rise above all that and fly again, he’ll have to find a way to prove “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” and that’s why I’m starting to hold out hope for this arc because I am starting to see how it could be an inspiring piece of Superman lore.
Minor Observation:
Lois and Clark had a sort of falling out. This doesn’t surprise me at all. I’ve suspected it would happen since #701 and by #705, I was pretty much sure it would happen sooner or later. Personally, I think its long overdue and I’m glad it happened. I hope we’ll get to see more of them talking through things later on, now that they’ve stopped ignoring their problems.
The Verdict:
The writing isn’t bad. It’s nice to see him up to his old tricks again, putting out fires, stopping bank robberies and all that. It gives a sense of familiarity and status quo. And the way he put out the fire was very old-school Superman fun.
The story really picks up in this issue and you finally get a sense of what Superman’s going through. (After 5 long issues…) There isn’t much reading between the lines you have to do to get it. So kudos, Roberson and Straczynski.
The art’s not bad. There’s nothing distracting about it, so the focus is mostly on what the story is trying to convey, but there are some nice little panels in there like the one with the helicopter on the first page.
I really like the cover. Out of all of DC’s January covers, this one really stands out to me, maybe because its simply Superman. And Superman is just… well… Superman is Superman, right?
Anyway, I’ll give this one a 3/5.
If you you wanna read Superman for all of the typical reasons: Good and evil, superfights with monsters and aliens, wacky sci-fi techno-babble, the romance between Superman and Lois Lane, Daily Planet fun, the magic and wonder of just being a super person with awesome powers… Well, then you’re better off with a copy of All-Star Superman because I cannot stress enough how much this arc is not for you.
If you’re already into this, though, and you’re growing weary of it, but you still want to hold out hope, go ahead and pick this issue up. Its pretty enlightening. And even if you don’t like it, the cliffhanger is enough to get you to buy the next one (which looks like it might actually be fun!)
Really?!? Moment: Lois’s hiking outfit.
