The New 52 was definitely a new era for comics! Superman is back to his starting point and we can get reintroduced to the character. While we will always miss the old continuity, it will be fun to see a lot of things happen again. This comic doesn’t put too much emphasis on Superman’s origin and we are thrown right into the action.
The first pages will definitely show that this is a different Superman. This Superman is using fear to get the mobs talking and he isn’t afraid of making threats. Some people are afraid of him and others regard him as a hero. (There are also some ingrates who get saved, but are still upset at him) Clark Kent actually works for the Star and not the Planet this time. He’s friends with Jimmy, but Lois seems to think that he’s sabotaging them. Clark even tried to discourage them from getting on the train!
Clark’s landlady is pretty accepting about the whole thing and since Clark pays the bills, she doesn’t mind that he’s so mysterious. The cops pay a visit, but Kent takes the whole thing in stride. He’s definitely a lot more outspoken in this version and he’s not afraid to stand up to the bullies of Metropolis. He wears regular jeans and a shirt for the most part, but things get real once he puts on the suit.
The first volume mostly deals with the military and average danger situations, but Brainiac is the villain for part of the comic. The villains weren’t really interesting and didn’t feel like a threat for Superman, but I’m glad that they added some sort of action for the comic. The battles may not be long, but the art makes them fun. The art in this graphic novel is excellent and I’d expect no less from a modern DC comic. They have been doing excellent work on the art lately and that doesn’t seem to be changing.
There are also some backup stories at the end that feature various characters. The best one was definitely about Steel. We get to see his entire fight against General Lane and it’s pretty good. There is also a story about Clark’s friend, which was fun. It reminds you why Clark Kent is a good guy.
I should mention that while most of the trade paperback in linear, there is one comic that breaks the pattern. We are thrown into the future where Superman is finally…SuperMAN. He’s a lot stronger and like the Kryptonian that we are used to seeing. We are introduced to the K-Men who play a bigger role in the next trade paperback. It’s definitely an interesting plot line and I’m looking forward to its conclusion, I just hope that they don’t continue to complicate the timeline and create a paradox or something. I didn’t care for the Legionnaires, but they’ll probably get better.
There are some iffy moments involving Superman’s durability. The train ends up knocking him out and I didn’t really buy that. Unless the train is made out of kryptonite, Superman’s not going to be knocked out by it. Also, the government captures Superman at one point and zap him with all kinds of weapons, but I believe that Superman’s durability would nullify most of them. At least enough so that he could escape when he felt like it.
The characters are very engaging as well. Lex Luthor is in character and his lines are fitting. Lois and Jimmy don’t appear much, but they’re pretty good so far. I like the landlady and Superman is great as always. This comic is pretty much the opposite of the norm since I like just about everyone. (I just don’t like the government) I’m hoping that the characters can stay this enjoyable as more volumes come out.
While, I may not have agreed with some of the Superman moments, they didn’t wreck the experience. The comic has a good amount of length considering the usual size for a trade. I highly recommend this comic and it’s a great way to enter the DC world. With great art, epic characters, good plot, and lots of action to come, why not start it!?
Overall 7/10
