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