The Lost Battle of the Superman Family

Action Comics #983
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art by Viktor Bogdanovic

It’s the Superman family (sadly still missing Connor Kent and Linda Danvers) versus the Superman Revenge Squad and wow did they get their asses handed to them by the bad guys. In the end, they are all sent to the Phantom Zone and it looks like Zod may have killed Lois and Jon, although I suspect they were not in that ship he blew up despite what Superman thinks I am sure Lois came up with a plan and saved them both. I enjoyed this issue and I look forward to seeing them all try to escape the Phantom Zone and what Zod is up to exactly.

No More Pa Kent Lesson Flashbacks Please

Superman (Volume 4) #26
Written by Michael Moreci
Art by Scott Godlewski

Ugh! How many fucking times do we have to see a moment between Pa Kent and young Clark and Pa teaching him how to work on the farm without his powers. IT HAS BEEN DONE HUNDRED THOUSAND TIMES. I am so sick of it. Jon Kent also comes off as a little prick in this comic. No need to read this if you haven’t already.

Super Sons 3 – 5

Super Sons #3
Written by Peter Tomasi
Art by Jorge Jimenez

In this issue, Robin and Jon (I am not ready to call him Superboy yet, I miss Connor Kent) team up against Kid Amazo who is actually ultra powerful himelf. The thing that makes this issue good is the Robin and Jon’s constant bickering and insults back and forth. I love it. There is talk about Jon joining the Teen Titans even though he is not old enough. What if DC Just turned this book into the new Young Justice book and have a young justice team led by Damian and kept the Titans separate? I would like that.

Super Sons #4
Written by Peter Tomasi
Art by Jorge Jimenez

Robin and Jon team up with Lex Luthor to defeat Kid Amazo in this issue. It was a lot of fun. I like that Damian seems to think it was a good team up even though he won’t admit it, whereas Jon hated it. Damian does actually care about Jon, he is just a hard ass.

Incomplete Superman Family

Action Comics #982
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art by Jack Herbert and Jose Luis

This was an okay issue. The Superman Revenge Squad comes after Superman at the fortress of solitude and nearly beats him to a pulp because he is blind from the last issue. Luckily it looks like the rest of the Superman family shows up on the final page to save him. Seeing that spread of these characters – I can’t help but miss Connor Kent and especially Linda Danvers. Sad.

Why Don’t I Care All That Much About Jon?

Superman (Volume 4) #25
Written by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason
Art by Gleason and Doug Mahnke

This was an okay issue with some great moments. I love having Superman and Lois back as a married couple and I always knew Superman would be a good father but I don’t really find myself rooting for Jon Kent all that much yet and I do not know why. Is it because I miss Connor? Or is it because he is so young? I don’t know, although I know I am in the minority here. Maybe I will like him more when they move to Metropolis.

 

Justice League 19 – 22

Justice League (Volume 3) #19
Written by Bryan Hitch
Art by Fernando Pasarin

Molly the Keeper (whatever a Keeper is, they seem like monitors?) but she warns she only wanted to destroy the League because someone way worse is coming to destroy them. I am assuming this has something to do with Dr. Manhattan and Rebirth but maybe it is a different threat? I also have no clue who Alexis, Vincent, or Jane are.

Justice League (Volume 3) #20
Written by Bryan Hitch
Art by Hitch

This was spectacularly depressing issue of Justice League where the Flash keeps reliving the death of Jessica Cruz like Groundhogs day and eventually figures out the guy who caused it’s family was accidentally killed by the machine he created when it mixed with the Speed Force and he blames the Justice League. This is the second time this book has had a villain who blames the League for deaths of loved ones but I am willing to see where this goes before I judge the story because it was enjoyable.

Superman Goes Dark

Action Comics #981
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art by Jack Herbert

This Jack Herbert seems like the perfect Superman artist. He draws the hero in such a beautiful way. I thought that Jurgens was showing us that the trio of the Eradicator, Cyborg Superman, and Zod are a force to be reckoned with in this issue but the final issue shows that something else has happened to Superman! And it is something I wonder will last for a while or will be fixed in one issue? I hope it gets explored well because I don’t remember this ever happening to Superman before this. This was a good issue of Action Comics.

Supergirl Rebirth 1 – 9

Supergirl (Volume 7) #1
Written by Steve Orlando
Art by Brian Ching

I went into this issue expecting to at the least find it boring if not hate it. I love Linda Danvers – she is Supergirl to me and ever since Kara Zor-El replaced her I have been pissed – and mostly pissed because no one ever seemed to mention there was a Supergirl before her. I want her to be acknowledged! And now we have Kara living with people who are Danvers. Can we at least ackowledge her somewhere Steve Orlando?! Anyways, I did not hate this issue. It was actually a good set up of taking what has worked with the Supergirl tv series and applying it to the comic book universe but still keeping it different enough to be its own thing. I sure hope Martian Manhunter shows up soon! That being said, I find the art distracting.

 

Supergirl (Volume 7) #2
Written by Steve Orlando
Art by Brian Ching

Cat Grant is written as interesting as she is on the tv show in this issue when Kara goes to interview at the new Catco Worldwide Media. I appreciate that they followed continuity and explained that Cat left the daily planet to find this new company. The stuff about Supergirl’s Dad being maybe still alive as a robot annoys me as it has been done before. We don’t need more Kryptonian angst in DC Comics. Can we also get a new artist on this book? Sometimes Ching doesn’t even draw faces!

Action Comics 977 – 980

Action Comics #977
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art by Ian Churchill

I expected that Superman would now remember his New 52 life and his Pre-New 52 life after events of the last issue where the New 52 Superman and our Superman were combined but that isn’t exactly what happens here as Superman explores his history through the Kryptonian recording we only got a story similar to the Pre-New 52 history with a combination of the Geoff Johns and John Byrne origin stories. Also, Perry White knows about Jon Kent and Lois and Clark got married again in this universe and everyone remembers it. Interesting.

Action Comics #978
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art by Carlo Barberi

More of Superman’s history is told in this issue as see Death of Superman, Superman’s marriage and proposal, and pretty much his entire history up to 2011 and the New 52 is back! I can’t be happier about that. If you were a fan of the New 52 Superman – and I do not know why you would be – you would not be happy as that history is completely written over where now Superman disappeared for the new 52 era as he focused on raising his son out of the public eye and only returned to the Daily Planet and a public life as Superman recently. The New 52 era is at least not remembered by Superman or completely erased. This all ties into DC Rebirth as Mr. Oz threatens Superman again in the fortress of solitude. I loved this issue.

Manchester Black Is Wrong

Superman (Volume 4) #24
Written by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason
Art by Gleason and Doug Mahnke

Once more we see the old DC Continuity leaking in as this is not Superman and Manchester Black’s first meeting…thank God we have the real DCU back. I can’t say I was blown away by this issue…I don’t particularly care about Jon Kent yet except to say that I like that Superman cares about him and it focuses on Manchester Black turning Jon Kent against his father through mind control or something. Mahnke’s pencils seemed rush at the end here. I do like that Machester Black represents how some foolish people see the character of Superman as old fashioned. We will see where this does.

 

Superwoman 9 and 10

Superwoman #9
Written by K. Perkins
Art by Stephen Segovia

Phil Jimenez is mysteriously gone from this book but Perkins steps in nicely in this issue that focuses on Lana being upset that she has lost her Superwoman powers but also naive. I can’t say I really like her character. She sure is whiney. But I have liked this series so far. I am just completely confused as to where it can go from here. Will she regain her powers or create some kind of super-suit? I don’t know. Can we just make this book be about Linda Danvers? That would be the best idea.

Superwoman #10
Written by K. Perkins
Art by Stephen Segovia

Ok so Lana has retained her Superwoman powers because the Insect Queen suit has some of it in there stored? I don’t know it was confusing and frankly not the way I would have done this but it was a decent issue. She is just too annoyingly unconfident sometimes.

 

Superman 20-23

Superman (Volume 4) #20
Written by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason
Art by Gleason

This issue features Superman and Lois back in Hamilton recovering after the revelations of the last arc. Apparently Lois has now officially Lois Lane Kent which is cool. Strangely, Batman and Robin show up to say that something is weird about their son Jon and it has to do with the dairy farmer next door. I have no idea where this is going.

Superman (Volume 4) #21
Written by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason
Art by Gleason

Superman, Jon Kent (Not ready to call him Superboy yet – that is Connor Kent to me) and Robin search for the missing Batman in Hamilton and fight a monster. Most of the fight was forgettable except the end where we reveal Kathy Cobb has powers. I suspected she was innocent in all this but I was wrong.

At Least He Used the Code Names

Justice League (Volume 3) #18
Written by Bryan Hitch
Art by Fernando Pasarin

Okay so I did not see that ending coming and I can’t say I at all understand what is going on here. This girl wants to protect the timeline just like Tempus did by getting rid of superheroes? But Tempus did not want to kill them. But honestly just like every issue of this series not much happens accept a few panels of them fighting different people. It is still way too decompressed and it’s a shame because I don’t think Hitch is a bad writer. At least he didn’t have them call each other by their first names in this issue. That would have made it worse.

Superwoman 1 – 8

Superwoman #1
Written by Phil Jimenez
Art by Jimenez

I can’t believe it took 80 years for DC to put out a Superwoman comic! I mean they have barely used the name except for some minor characters (Earth 3, Lucy Lane for a bit) but now here they are with not one but two characters called Superwoman and in the first issue, one of them disintegrates. Yes Lois Lane of New 52 is apparently dead here. I did not know much about her having never read the New 52 but I am interested to see where this series will go with Lana as the star. She seems to have her own powers and is not just a copy of Superman which makes her all the more interesting. But I wish they would bring Linda Danvers back and make her Superwoman…wouldn’t that be cool! This was a good start. Intersting before Lois dies she sees Clark and says everything makes sense now. DC Rebirth clue?

Superwoman #2
Written by Phil Jimenez
Art by Jimenez

So Lana and Steel are now a couple? I did not know that but I think I like it. I haven’t read the Green Arrow series yet but I thought Star City did not exist yet in the New 52 right…but Superwoman says Maggie Sawyer used to work in Star City. Mistake on DC’s part or am I wrong about Star City? Anyways, this was a great issue and even better than the first! So much happens in one issue it’s incredible. This is the opposite of decompressed. Steel is worried about Lana ending up like Lois…Atomic Skull attacks the Metropolis Parade and tell Steel people are being tortured in the prison…Lena Luthor is revealed to be the big bad…Lana has a dream about the dead Lois…Lana makes friends with Maggie Sawyer. Phil Jimenez is amazing.

The Memories of All Restored

Action Comics #976
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art by Doug Mahnke

This is part 4 of the Superman crossover that began here , and continued here, and here. This made me so happy! The real DC Universe…the one that was destroyed six years ago and broke my heart…is back! As Mr. Oz said in this comic, the memories of all has been restored. Superman now remembers his life before and after Flashpoint. What is next? Will everyone else remember their entire histories? Will Cassandra Cain remember she is Batgirl again? Is the “him” Mxyzptlk refers to Dr. Manhattan? Speaking of Mxyzptlk…I could see David Lynch directing a Superman  movie with him as the villain. This was a fantastic Mxyzptlk story. Thank you Dan Jurgens!

Mxyzptlk Rebirth

Superman (Volume 4) #19
Written by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason
Art by Gleason

This is Part 3 of the crossover that began last issue and continued over in Action Comics. As it turns out Mr. Oz has been keeping Mxyzptlk imprisoned as well because of the chaos the imp could cause but he has escaped and kidnapped Superman’s son and erased Jon Kent from Lois’s memory. Mxyzptlk states that the universe is in “francture quantum space-time” and refers to those who are tinkering with the timeline which means he is aware of what Mr. Oz is doing or whoever is behind all this (Dr. Manhattan) or whatever. Mxyzptlk’s feeling of betrayal that Superman never came to save him from Dr. Oz is very amusing and shows how deranged the character is believing Superman and him were such good friends. He also says that Superman was split into 2 beings! Which further supports my theory that this is the same Earth as Pre-Flashpoint with memories erased because Superman was the only character that was split into 2 beings which explains the 2 Supermen. I could be wrong but the New 52 Superman and Lois return as red energy and help Jon Kent and the end of this issue. We shall see if I am right. I have to give it to Tomasi and Gleason – they are really demonstrating how good of a villain Mxyzptlk can be for Superman. He is powerful.

Trinity 1 – 6

Trinity (Volume 2) #1
Written by Francis Manapul
Art by Manapul

2008 – 2009’s Trinity Maxi-series was…well…bad. Nothing of consequence came from it and it really was a waste of everyone’s time and money. Nearly a decade later can DC create a good series starring their trinity of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman? If I had to judge from the first issue alone, I would say Manapul has hit one out of the park. In this issue, Batman and Wonder Woman decide to meet with the Post-Crisis Superman at his new home for dinner.  Superman brings up a story that Dick Grayson told him about Batman Pre-Flashpoint and Bruce has no memory of it. Interesting considering my theory that the ten years taken away thing means that their memories have just been erased. But this was early in Batman’s career, so it may just be chunks of time adding up to ten years and not a consecutive ten years? Anyways, there were many things I loved about this, but most of all the art. Manapul takes advantage of being both the writer and artist by setting up some rather beautiful and creative way to do the panels on the pages. I also loved how this book – unlike the first volume of Trinity – seems to  be firmly set in the DCU. It references the main series of its main characters and what is going on in those books. That is how to build a real cohesive universe and I am glad DC is doing that well in this Rebirth era. The final page through me for a loop too…what is going on there?

Trinity (Volume 2) #2
Written by Francis Manapul
Art by Manapul

In this issue, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman seemingly go back in time and meet with Jonathan Kent in Smallville but the final pages reveal that they are all actually under the spell of Black Mercy and imagining it while Poison Ivy has attacked them with it. This was a beautifully drawn issue. But the Black Mercy thing has been done so many times before and it has been done with the Trinity so many times before, I wish Manapul had thought of something more original to do.