Great Friggin Scott!!! The long anticipated Superman Reborn has begun!
Someone has broken out of Mr. Oz’s prison, causing Mr. Oz to investigate. Meanwhile, Lois and Clark are celebrating their anniversary with their son Jon and having a good time enjoying their little festivities. But an unexpected visitor arrives at the Kent’s door, and he definitely does not bear any gifts other than trouble for Superman and his family. Who escaped from Oz’s secret prison, and who is plaguing Superman and his family? What does he want? And what will Superman do against a force that is beyond his grasp?
If you haven’t been reading Dan Jurgen’s Action Comics series, I’d definitely suggest reading the recent arc with the whole Doppelganger Clark thing since this new arc stems a lot from the plot threads of that series. This issue even ends with a suggestion to read the following issue of Action, so it’s very much like what Tom King, Tim Seeley and James Tynion lV did when they did the Monster Men crossover, which ran between issues of Batman, Nightwing and Detective Comics.
With that said, this issue was paced and drawn really well. Peter J Tomasi and Patrick Gleason are really revving up the engines for this issue and story, and are starting to really dig in on the whole Doppelganger Clark Kent that has been plaguing the Superman family for the past few months. I really enjoyed the dialogue with Lois, Superman, and Jon, all speaking like a real family. What I enjoy the most is Jon’s dialogue. Tomassi has shown that he knows how to write children and teenagers in a believable way that feels convincing and not cliche (which is why Tomasi’s Super Son’s series is amazing). Gleason who is also the co-writer took art duties in this issue, and I gotta say I enjoy his artwork. In this issue especially I enjoy how he exudes a merry blend of cartoon and manga styles that fit so well for the title and the characters. The pacing is great that by the time you read most of the book, it feels like as if there weren’t many pages until you realize that it’s not the lack of pages, its the fact that its a good read that you eat up all of the pages that you’re left wanting more. That’s always a great sign when reading something that is written excellently.
Mick Gray’s inks make Gleason’s pencils leap off the pages with every page that is turned. Their beautiful and really enshrouds the pencils, helping cement the kind of visual atmosphere and aesthetic effortlessly. John Kalisz colors are great. Definitely made some solid color choices, although preferably I love the colors with the pages concerning the breakout of Oz’s secret prison. Rob Leigh has been doing lettering duties for this book and Action Comics and continues to fulfill his lettering duties with dedication.
Overall this is a great book, with a solid creative team that manages to constantly deliver in their storytelling and artistic abilities. This issue is no different. I do advise that you will have to read the next issue of Action Comics to follow this storyline. Whether you want to follow the story or wait for the next issue is entirely up to readers to decide based on what gears their interest or budget. But with this team, I definitely recommend picking this issue up.
Newsdesk