The Runaways are a pretty obscure Marvel team and they are typically in obscure areas. No matter where they go, other heroes are never around to help them which can be pretty sad for them. They’ve been on their own for a while and things are getting to be pretty tough. I haven’t really cared for the previous comics so will this one be able to surpass the others?

The plot involved one of the members making a giant forest and then there’s a lot of tension and drama. If they cut down the plants, will it end up hurting her? They don’t think that it will…but can they take the chance!? Meanwhile, there’s also a pretty intense plot at the end that involves a super villain who may be the strongest Marvel character ever!

The Runaways is definitely not my favorite comic series of the bunch and this collection reminds me why. The main characters are all very unlikable and keep on getting into fights. There’s a lot of drama among them and things continue to escalate in this collection. I would go into the characters in more detail, but most of the names aren’t very memorable and it’s hard to place the names for each of them. Nico is the one with magical powers and they are mostly used when it is convenient. She doesn’t seem to have much of a limit as far as her powers are concerned, but she hasn’t mastered them yet which comes back to bite the team more than once. She has her own drama that is basically the same as the rest of the crew. It’s just impossible to actually like any of them and you wish that the Avengers would come in and switch up the lineup.

Luckily, that’s where the final comic comes in. It essentially saved the collection since it was pretty fun and a step up from the rest of the comics. Iron Patriot has assembled the Runaways since they are the only ones that can stop Victorious. In the future…Victorious has wiped everyone out and he may be the strongest being of all time! Pretty impressive hype considering that he’s very unimpressive in the comic. I think that Marvel tried too hard to keep the Runaways relevant, but Victorious made for an intriguing villain. The comic was definitely the best part because we got some good fights and a real plot. The Wrecking Crew are definitely pretty tough and it’s nice to see them get some props.

One final negative is that the art is pretty bad. It’s not incredibly awful, but it suffers from the same problem that Accel World had in the humans. The humans tend to have random blushes, but it’s not even limited to their faces which is just weird and pretty bad. The final comic had good art, but the rest of it was pretty underwhelming. They definitely didn’t hire the all star cast for this one.

Overall, this comic is not Marvel’s best showing. It was very light in the action department and there wasn’t really a villain until the very final comic, which is never a good thing. The plot really dragged on and there wasn’t even much of a plot since it just involved the plants for the most part. The cast can definitely be pretty bad and none of them are likable characters. Let’s not forget the underwhelming art either. It’s a very good thing that they included that final comic. If you want to see teenage superheroes, then I recommend checking out one of the Teen Titan comics.

Overall 4/10

Batman has always been great as a solo hero, but he’s at his best when he’s teaming up with other heroes and showing them up. They just don’t have the same level of prep time that Batman automatically comes equipped with and they end up looking bad. This collection brings a few team ups from the series and I shall talk about each one in the review before wrapping up. Let’s see if the team ups will be as fun as the TV show or if they’ll end up involving a lot of plot hax.

The first issue involved a classic team up with Superman. Superman needed Batman to help him solve a mystery over in Kandor which could prove to be deadly! Superman doesn’t retain his super abilities while he’s in this city so that definitely means trouble for him. Batman is glad to help although he can be a little obnoxious about it…He’s Batman! The story was all right, but there weren’t any cool villains and the stakes never felt that high. Batman was pretty solid and Superman was a decently cool character as well so we still had a strong cast. It made up for the lack of danger and action.

The next issue involved Shazam and the Psycho Pirate! The Psycho Pirate decided to mess with everyone’s emotional levels and not even Batman could resist! Can Shazam save the day!? Well, aside from the fact that Batman is completely resistant to all forms of mental abilities thanks to his advanced mind, Batman should have taken the whole thing better. The Psycho Pirate is a pretty weak villain when it all boils down to it and Shazam was good except that he was a little overconfident. Robin had a pretty good cameo and it was definitely a fun comic.

Next up, we had a team up with The Flash! This was the first comic in the collection that I didn’t really enjoy. Flash and Batman get trapped in a strange world….will they be able to escape!? This comic was just really boring and the way that they escaped the world did not make any sense in the slightest. I would have preferred that Batman just tore a hole in the dimension because that would have been more believable. There were not any stakes here either and it was a bit of a waste. I did like the last scene with the “old” Flash though…even if he was a little too young.

We also got a team up with Wonder Woman! This one wasn’t very good since they pulled the whole Cupid Arrow technique which I never believed in the first place. Strength of character should be enough to negate that and while there is a plot twist at the end, it definitely doesn’t save the comic. The only good part is the giant battle at the end where all of the heroes and villains go at it. Naturally, Martian Manhunter is losing and he needs to be saved by one of the other heroes. The writers really don’t like this guy.

Guy Gardner got a comic to himself as well. As per usual, he’s arguing with Batman when the Manhunters attack. They are after an alien who claims that he’s innocent and now Batman must find the real culprit. This was definitely one of the better comics and we got a lot of action. The Manhunters actually looked pretty impressive and they had a solid level of super speed and their power was formidable as well. Their plot was definitely the most fun while Batman’s subplot wasn’t quite as interesting. The ending is pretty intense and leaves room for a sequel!

Martian Manhunter got the final comic and it wasn’t your average comic! He has been relying on his mental abilities for investigations for far too long and he wants Batman to teach him how to be a real detective. Batman’s pretty good at this sort of thing, but can he find Martian Manhunter among such a large crowd? This comic was entertaining as it’s always fun to see Batman solve cases effortlessly. There is a battle at the end as a villain gets ready to rumble, but Batman can take care of it…maybe he’ll even let Martian Manhunter help!

The only real flaw in the collection as a whole would be the art. The art is pretty off model for all of the characters and that’s considering that this isn’t exactly a high budget comic series. It’s not terrible, but it’s definitely below the average art that you would find for a comic. This shouldn’t deter you from reading the comic, but it definitely should be noted.

This was definitely a fun collection of Batman team ups and I recommend it. There’s nothing really wrong with these comics except for the art and that can be overlooked. It’s a good way to get used to the DC Universe and Batman definitely gets his props. If you like lighthearted superhero fun, then this is definitely the comic for you. Don’t worry, aside from the puns, we do get a decent amount of action.

Overall 7/10

Star Wars is a pretty big franchise and with (Spoiler Alert!) the new film coming out, it will be time for new fans to join the franchise. If you’re a first time reader, then this could be a good jumping on point for you. Death Sentence is a pretty good Star Wars comic and you don’t need to have a great understanding of the franchise to get what’s going on.

The comic starts off with Darth Maul and Savage as they are attacked by a group of mercenaries. They easily defeat them, but realize that someone has put a price on their heads. They’ll never be left alone when every bounty hunter will want a shot at them, so they decide to go the man who put the bounty on them and take him down. The only problem is that the Jedi will not make this easy on them. Darth Maul and Savage have a fight with the Jedi and they may have to use trickery as well as brute strength to win!

Meanwhile, the Jedi send out some diplomats to hopefully end things peacefully. They will also find out how the guy who submitted the bounty knew that Darth Maul was still alive. He was presumed to be dead after Obe Wan Kenobi took him down. Obe actually defeated half of Darth Maul, but now the villain had grown even stronger! The Jedi are tough, but without Kenobi himself…can they possibly defeat this guy? It’s times like this where they probably wish that Luke or Anakin could come to save the day. Of course, the heroes would be too powerful if all of their heroes were in one era.

The comic is very fast paced and there aren’t any scenes that drag on. We get to see Darth Maul corrupt many who may have been heroes, but his influence was too great. They believed in the myths far too much and didn’t even interpret them correctly, which didn’t turn out so well. Darth Maul was pretty impressive as always and he seemed to be virtually unstoppable. I don’t think that any of the heroes in the comic could have defeated him unless Kenobi joined the fray. Aside from Darth Vader, Darth Maul is probably the coolest Star Wars villain out there. (Granted that I haven’t seen all of them at the moment)

Savage is not even close to Darth Maul in terms of coolness and skill level. He seems to be more of a novice at fighting and he lets his emotions run wild during his fights. Since The Force is picky about such things, he can’t defeat the big shots. I can’t say that I cared for anyone in the Jedi army apart from Kenobi’s cameo. They just didn’t look very impressive and I never got around to liking any of the characters. I didn’t dislike them, but they never did anything that made me gain respect for them and rise above the standard characters of the world. (Ex: Random cop or shop owner)

Overall, this is definitely a solid way to start your Star Wars career and you can also see one of the stronger Star Wars characters take on a bunch of good guys. The Lightsaber has always been a pretty great weapon and it will continue to be in the future. It can reflect laser blasts and with The Force at their disposal, the Sith and Jedi remain vastly superior to ordinary mortals. The comic has a nice amount of action and I can’t really say that there were any negatives to it. It’s very short and makes for a nice read so I definitely recommend it.

Overall 7/10

Superman has always been the world’s greatest superhero and this comic collection really proves that point. The Showcase brings a lot of Superman comics and we get to see if he’s a team player or not. If you know Superman, then you’ve probably already figured out the answer to that question. Regardless, it’s a really fun read and it’s worth every dollar that you used to buy it! (Unless you check it out at your local library)

There are a whole bunch of comics in this collection so I won’t go in detail about all of the various plots, but I will make sure to cover a lot of them. Let’s start off with some of the Mongul issues as those always had the best fight scenes. Usually we try to save the best comics for last, but I’m going to flip that around and talk about some of the best ones first!

In one comic, Mongul has appeared and he takes Superman’s friends hostage. Superman doesn’t like this, but unless he does what Mongul wants…they may not make it out alive. Superman is forced to fight with the Martian Manhunter to get the device that Mongul wants. Martian Manhunter is a good fighter, but we can agree that he’s no match for Superman. It’s a nice fight and Superman is doing his best not too badly injure the guy.

Supergirl comes to help during the next part of the arc and the two of them fight against War World! I don’t really buy most of what happens, since they should be able to run rings around such an object. None of the weapons on board should really be able to do a thing against the Kryptonians.

Things get really dicey when the Spectre stands against an enraged Superman. While the Spectre is pretty powerful in the DC world, I think we both know who’s going to come out on top. Superman is the greatest comic book character and I do mean that literally. No other fighter can hope to defeat him in battle.

Mongul isn’t the type to give up and he has another arc where he has allied with the Sun Eater. He’s ready to destroy the world, but we’re not going down without a fight. Superman is trapped in a cube, (Classic plot hax. Make an indestructible object and trap Superman in it. Only problem is that I don’t buy it) so it’s up to the Justice League and the Legion of Superheroes to save the day. One of the only problems with the issue is the fact that the Legionnaires are implied to be far superior to the Justice League. Did they forget that Green Lantern is a member? The Legionnaires are definitely powerful, but let’s keep it real folks. The Justice League are the best! (Especially considering that Wonder Woman and Supergirl were both around at the time. The 3 bigshots are all they need…and that’s not even counting Batman!)

Mongul is definitely impressive and aside from fighting all of these guys, he still has Superman to contend with. He’s definitely a resilient fighter and he is easily one of Superman’s strongest opponents. He had yet another appearance during the Starman team up. Once again, Superman is forced to take the Titan on while Starman takes on his safer task. Mongul puts up a pretty bold fight and the comic hints that he may be able to defeat Superman. While I wouldn’t go that far, he makes for an excellent villain.

All right, let’s talk about some of the comics that don’t feature Mongul. Black Adam is the main villain of one of the comics and he is ready to give Superman a big fight. Shazam is in his own world and he doesn’t realize what is going on, so it’s up to Superman! Superman is virtually invincible, but Black Adam possesses a similar degree of power so it won’t be an easy battle. Superman explains that the battle will last a very long time and it could definitely be hard to minimize the damage. The battle is pretty intense and you need to remember that Black Adam is a very powerful opponent and he can give Superman a good battle.

We also have an issue where Shazam and Superman have switched powers/costumes and they must now team up against King Kull. It’s a pretty intense issue and while you may not agree with everything that happens, it makes for a solid fight. Superman never gives up and this issue proves that he’s a dedicated hero.

Superman also teams up with Plasticman in one of the issues. Plasticman’s sidekick is definitely a solid character and he takes things into his own hands during the ending. While you may find it hard to believe that ordinary joes can take Superman down, it certainly adds an element of danger. This occurs again during a Metamorpho team up, where Superman is nearly taken down for good after a single energy blast.

Superman had an interesting comic where he split apart from Clark Kent. When they’re separated, Superman quickly starts to turn towards the dark side. Can Clark get him back on track before all is lost? Kent has bigger problems to worry about as well, when he has to take on the Atomic Skull without his powers!

Finally, I need to mention one of the highlights of the whole collection, Superman’s epic battle against He Man! He Man is known as one of the strongest guys out there and you really can’t disagree. Many have speculated that Superman could defeat him in a fight and I wouldn’t disagree with that either. Unfortunately, Superman looks like a rookie for most of the comic, but he still gets his shots in. Superman’s raw power is hyped a lot in this comic as it should be, but once Skeletor takes control of him…is this the end for He Man!?

There are several other comics, like a team up with Hawkgirl, Black Canary, Manbat, Robin, etc. They were all great or at least good comics except for one team up with Wonder Woman. The plot was awful and didn’t make any sense at all. There wasn’t any rhyme or reason to the comic and it seemed to be total filler. The comic is so bad, that you’ll just want to skip it and you won’t miss anything anyway. It’s the only thing that hurts this collection, but it will go by quickly.

The art is pretty solid for the collection. It’s regrettable that it’s all in black and white, but you can still appreciate the art. Superman’s character is portrayed very accurately for the majority of the collection and his partners look good as well. The pacing is solid and the comics manage to fit in a lot of action as well as fun scenes.

Overall, this is definitely a collection that I would recommend. This is DC during the prime of their history and you can really feel the emotion that’s in every comic. Superman is definitely strong enough to hold his own and it’s also nice to see some of the more obscure comic book characters get in on the action as well. It’s a solid way to start reading comics and get a look at DC’s best superheroes!

Overall 8/10

Sonic has had some very long comic series in the past and things have went up and down during the duration. The art can be pretty incredible at its best and below average to really bad during its worst. This is a compilation collection that brings several Sonic comics that show off the villain. Since we don’t have to worry about direct continuity or consecutive issues, let’s see if they really got the best issues in there!

Two of the comics involve Eggman’s big battle against Snively. I’ve never liked Snively and that is something that I doubt will change anytime soon. He attempts to rescue this magician who is able to control robots, but Eggman has some fighters of his own. Snively uses a really old robot type of guardian while Eggman brings in a really cool robot that can land a really good hit. Instantly we can tell who has the better robot at his disposal. Eggman also has Mecha Sally at his disposal and while Snively and the magician are able to control some of Eggman’s robots, it’s just not enough. The comic was decently good, but I think that Mecha Sally was a little under powered in the battle.

The best comic was easily Metal Sonic’s battle against Shard. Shard is the original Metal Sonic and he’s seen the error of his ways. Unfortunately, Eggman continues to build other Metal Sonics to cause some havok. Shard takes most of them down pretty easily, but then Eggman builds one with a Sol Emerald as its power source. The battle is definitely intense and while Shard knows how to make some pretty good puns, he’s also a very good fighter. Not only did the art help to make the battle fun, but things were much more exciting than the usual comic. This comic also leads into the crossover with Mega Man, which will also make you want to keep reading.

We also got a comic where Jet and the Babylon Rogues decide to go and have an adventure. There’s more of a plot then that, but this was easily the weak link in the comic. Jet isn’t a very exciting character, but he’s all right. His two partners are the main problem since they’re pretty boring. There isn’t really a sense of danger in the issue and you have to wonder about the point of it all. Maybe the plot will get more exciting in future issues.

Ixis Naugus and Bunny take on a giant creature in another comic. Bunny is definitely a lot tougher than I remembered and Ixis is tough as well. The people seem to think that he has turned over a new leaf and are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. It’s sad since Sonic tries to convince them, but to no avail. At this point, you would hope that they would have learned to trust the hedgehog a little more.

This is a collection about the villains, so it’s to be expected that Sonic doesn’t appear that much. The first comic is where most of his screen time is, but he was quickly dispatched by Mecha Sally. Her abilities are definitely formidable and Sonic didn’t seem to stand a chance against her. Sonic always seems to have a backup plan, but rescuing Sally could be very difficult. His friends aren’t much help so he may have to do this on his own.

Overall, this is a very good Sonic collection. There may not be many comics in it and the plot lines can rapidly change from one to the other, but that’s what makes it so fun. The art is consistently good in this one and the characters are mostly enjoyable. Shard, Metal Sonic, and Sonic are definitely the best characters, but Knuckles isn’t bad either. The comic is still mainly a comedy with some action, but that definitely doesn’t hurt the fight scenes. There is some very light romance in the comic, but it’s only there for a few pages at the most, so you can easily ignore it. I would usually say that this is the perfect jumping on point for the series, but it really isn’t. All the more reason that you should check it out! This way you can get used to the villains before seeing the main characters all the time.

Overall 7/10

It’s time to continue the Superman reviews as I move on to Smallville’s comic tie in! Since this comic continues the the TV show, many people were definitely thrilled about the announcement. I have not seen the show, which shows that I am perfectly qualified to review the comic. I can review it with a clear mind and won’t let the show influence me…although I think the show did drop the ball on some aspects. Of course, I would still be able to review the comic if I had seen the show.

I can safely say that the comic isn’t very confusing for newcomers to the franchise. It’s essentially your average Superman story that takes place during an early point in his career. Lois knows Superman’s secret identity and the world is pretty happy with their hero. Lex Luthor is plotting as per usual and Green Arrow gets his own subplot as well. Let’s focus on Superman for a second.

Superman is basically in character and while he doesn’t seem to be as smart as is usual comic incarnations, he’s smart enough. He lost his temper pretty quickly with Lex, but it’s to be expected since they were friends back in the day. Lex Luthor has gotten amnesia which happened during his clash with his sister. One of them didn’t live through the event and Lex also paid a cost, with his memory. Now his sister’s consciousness is inside of Lex as well, which has caused his brain to grow. Lex is now smarter than ever and just as devious. Superman believes that Lex is still a good guy deep down, but we shall see.

Green Arrow is getting ready to leave town, but he still make time to take care of the occasional villain. I don’t really care for his design in this comic and I actually prefer his new one from the Arrow tv show. The actual character is all right and it’s good to have a hero who is also rich to oppose Lex for once. A spaceship lands and Earth 2 plots start to come in, which means that he may have a much bigger role in future volumes.

There is only one fight in the volume, but it’s a pretty good one. After Lex sabotages a rocket and places someone’s mind inside of a machine. The machine man loses control and attacks Superman. It’s a pretty fun fight and many buildings are broken during the battle. There is never a doubt as to who will win the round, but it’s nice to see an opponent who can land a good shot on Superman.

The one complaint that I’d really have with the comic is the art. Superman in particular just doesn’t look right. It’s not just the fact that he looks really young, but he just looks off model for most of the comic. I believe that the art could definitely improve, but I am used to the amazing art that the New 52 contains. Art can definitely hurt the enjoyment of a comic, but it’s not awful so it won’t destroy the comic.

This comic will have a lot of references to the TV show, but it doesn’t take away from the experience. It just means that fans of the show will get an extra kick out of reading the comic, but it’s nothing that will prove to critically take you out of the issue. I found the Earth 2 plot to be interesting so I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for that. The government was cool with Superman for most of the comic, but thanks to Lex, they have started to trust him less as the comic goes on. I have a feeling that this is not a good sign for Superman and it’s only a matter of time until the Kryptonite gets involved. I recommend giving the comic a shot. Superman is the main character and he’s a character that is nearly always awesome.

Overall 7/10

Showcase Presents is a series of large comic book collections that DC created. It was a risky move because the fans really enjoy these comics, but we usually read them in color. Having them in black and white seemed like a weird decision. Can this collection succeed anyway, despite the disadvantage? Time to find out!

With over 500 pages at its disposal, you can imagine how many comics and story arcs are in this collection. So, rather than talk about all of the different stories, I will just mention some of them and try to convey how much fun they were. This collection covers the comics that came out during some of Superman’s best years. They aren’t strictly speaking, Superman comics, so much as comics about his friends. Most of the comics that are contained in this one are Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane comics. Still, since they are the main characters, Superman gets plenty of screen time. You would almost think that they were regular Superman comics while reading it.

Jimmy’s comics usually involve something happening to him and then he must find a way to save himself, without Superman’s help! (Or so he hopes) Jimmy got turned into a giant monster, he got stuck in Kandor, and he even got Superman’s powers. The last comic was one of the only ones where Superman actually lost his cool. Without his comics, he probably experienced danger for the first time in years. Maybe the first time ever!

Jimmy is pretty brave for the comics and he usually won’t go down without a fight. Even when he was dared to spend a night at the ghost house, the “ghosts” didn’t scare him. Jimmy actually gave them a pretty good fight and showed that he’s tougher than he looks. He does need to be rescued by Superman many times, but it’s usually because there are very dangerous circumstances. An alien robot duplicate of himself even tried to destroy him!

Lois got her share of comics as well including some imaginary stories. In one of theme, Lois had to stay in a bullet proof bubble for her own protection, but everyone mocked her and she had no fun. She also had a comic where she shocked Clark Kent because she explained how she got her job. She was able to solve three cases without the help of Superman! The only problem was that Superman Did help her, she just didn’t know it at the time and still doesn’t!

In one comic, Lois and Lana both got super powers and they challenged each other to a battle of super feats. Since both of them were invincible, such a battle could last a long time. In one comic, Lana got super powers once again, but this time they were permanent and she had to spend a lot of time saving Superman from average thugs. The story had a pretty sad ending and it makes you feel bad for Superman.

There were also a few time travel stories where Lois went back in time and met famous people. She met Robin Hood who was the Superman of the past! There was also a knight who was the Superman of the further past. They weren’t Clark Kent, but they were “Super” in their own way and they even had secret identities. Lois figured them out pretty quickly, but she is a detective so it makes sense. Unfortunately, these time travel stories were always the worst ones. Part of the reason why I enjoy these comics so much is because of Superman. Superman is the heart of the party and he’s one of the main reasons as to why the comics are so fun. Whether it’s a facial expression or a really clever pun, Superman makes sure that you enjoy the comic. These “Supermen” just aren’t as interesting.

Lois also got amnesia and started hallucinating that she was famous women of the past. While that issue was interesting, a much better one was when Superman went to the past and tried to relive his life and not go to the Daily Planet. As irony would have it, Superman would still meet up with Lois and he had to save her many times anyway. He decided that his life wouldn’t really change and he may as well go back to the Planet, this way he can protect everyone and also have his normal job.

As I mentioned before, the art is solid and Superman’s a great character. One of the reasons why these were some of Superman’s best years is the fact that everyone was a reasonably cool character. They all got their share of good lines and the villains were pretty neat as well. They were actually pretty smart at times and nearly tricked Lois and Superman into eroding the evidence with his X Ray vision. Jimmy and Lois are also pretty cool and this is back in their classic days. Clark Kent is also pretty intelligent and I give him a separate bio from Superman since they act differently while on screen. Both of them are great characters in their own right.

As you can see, there are definitely a lot of stories in this collection. I doubt that I even mentioned half of them! The collection doesn’t really have any fights since it’s more about Superman’s lighthearted adventures with Lois and Jimmy. Still, the art is superb and while I do wish that it were in color, it doesn’t hold the comic back. I highly recommend this comic to all readers and especially those who just want to have a fun read. It really doesn’t get much better than this and you’ll definitely be getting your money’s worth since there are over 500 pages.

Overall 7/10

Action Comics had a pretty strong start in the first volume, but will the comic stay epic? Well, this one is definitely a lot more confusing and it isn’t meant as a casual read.

The stories aren’t very linear in this comic and we keep jumping from the present to the future and to the past. That would definitely be my main problem with the comic since I don’t think this plot needed to be so complicated. Since the plot points are jumping around the whole time, I’ll mention the main ones, but they may not be in complete order.

The big plot for the comic and definitely the most interesting part was the arrival of Captain Comet! To be honest, I didn’t even know that this guy was the New 52 version of Captain Comet, but it’s a pretty cool move on the writer’s part. He has a pretty cool design and his fight with Superman is a nice way to get the ball rolling. You will have to suspend your disbelief for a while since we all know that Superman is vastly superior to Captain Comet, but it’s all right.

Captain Comet is mumbling about how Earth is on the planetary death list. It was mentioned in volume 1 as well and Superman has done some thinking on the problem. It would seem that Earth is one of many planets that is doomed. Captain Comet is essentially a mutant and aliens helped him to elevate his powers. Lois Lane happens to be related to someone who also has latent potential inside of her. Superman defends her and Captain Comet is forced to make a hasty retreat. Still, I doubt that we’ve seen the last of him!

The K-Man also attacks and he deals some pretty heavy damage to Superman. Since he emits Kryptonite energy from his body, his attacks do some real damage to Superman. Steel comes in to help and Superman puts on a lead suit so that he can block the Kryptonite. K-Man puts up a pretty decent fight, but few people are able to take Superman down for the count. This plot was pretty short and only lasted for a comic or two, but the fight was decently long.

On a side note, Clark Kent died in the comic. Without a secret identity, maybe Superman will have more time to do good in the world. It seems to work for a while, but he can’t be Superman 24/7 can he? There are a lot of risks involved when you get rid of your secret identity, but I believe that Superman made the right choice. (Despite what Batman ends up saying) The other Justice League members appear as well, but they don’t look so good.

It brings up the old argument that I may have already stated in other reviews, but I shall do so again. Superman proposes that they end a dispute in this far away country and help the people. After all, dictators should be stopped right? Diplomatic Immunity shouldn’t work against superheroes. The Justice League tells Superman that he should forget about it and they’ll just stick to fighting aliens. When did the Justice League start acting like the Avengers? I’ll never agree with them on that point. If there is an evil dictator enslaving the people, then it’s their job to stop it. They shouldn’t care about what the government may think.

There is also a subplot that pops up once in a while. On another Earth, there is a Superman who also happens to be the President of the USA. This Superman isn’t afraid to mess with politics and he gets rid of the opposing nukes. He also has pals in the Justice League and they seem to be reasonable. Things get dicey for Superman when a portal opens and Lois comes through. The Superman of her world was just murdered and the guy who did it is still following her. Moments later, Superdoom appears!

I’ll say that this plot was extremely epic and there’s a lot that they can do with this. Superdoom is essentially a “Doomsday” opponent. He learns and adapts as he fights and he’s already destroyed many Supermen. His abilities are not to be underestimated and he actually gains the upper hand against this Superman. There are two things that you need to consider with this plot point.

Will Superdoom escape his imprisonment and go to the New 52 Earth? If so, that could pave the way for a really interesting arc. Assuming that he’s adapted and gotten even stronger, will the Justice League be a match for him? Either way, the battle would definitely be a lot of fun and I can’t wait until he returns.

As for the Superman president, what will happen to him? I doubt that he was introduced and will never appear again. I’m thinking that they may pull an Injustice League or Justice Lords type of scenario. We did just get the Crime Syndicate in Forever Evil, which may lower the chances of that. Still, the President definitely needs to return and his Justice League as pretty cool.

No matter what happens, I have really high hopes for the series. This volume of comics was pretty solid and continues the high quality of the series. Superman is my favorite comic book character and I’m glad that they’re doing him justice in the comic. (It makes up for the fact that Lex doesn’t get as much screentime in this comic) After all, we saw his battle against the Hunter right? I did not mention it since it’s a minor subplot, but this guy wants to destroy Superman..and he’s got a shotgun! This guy is definitely ambitious, but I somehow don’t think that a gun will be enough to stop a bulletproof man. Then again…this guy claims that Superman isn’t bulletproof so…….this guy’s obviously an intellectual! I highly recommend checking out this comic and while parts of it can be confusing if you speed through the comic, just take the time to read them carefully and you’ll be all right.

Overall 7/10

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