While Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason are busy crafting the following story arcs, writer Keith Champagne begins the latest arc.
A Minute Longer arc part 1 begins with the disappearance of a young boy named Zee who was last seen entering an abandon Lex Corp Gardens building. Following the disappearance of Zee, many more kids from metropolis began to disappear, instilling fear in all the people of Metropolis. Superman is desperate to find the culprit behind the children’s disappearances. What Superman will discover will remind him how powerful Fear truly is. Will Superman be able to find the children? Who is the person behind the disappearances? What will Superman sacrifice to save the lost kids of Metropolis?
Keith Champagne manages to hold it down pretty good with a good premise that plays with the genre of the story. Putting Superman in a situation where he has to use his wits to find the abducted children is one thing, but morphing the story into a semi light horror story is a nice change of pace from what Gleason and Tomasi have delivered thus far within this title. Champagne seems to have a good handle on Superman. Champagne manages to preserve the same kind of tone and voice that cohesively fits into the narrative mold that Gleason and Tomasi have crafted for Superman since the beginning of DC Rebirth. Which thankfully doesn’t feel like it lacks the kind of energy that Tomasi and Gleason have helped set up. The story is a good combination between Mystery, Thriller within a Superman story with some added elements of minor horror.
The antagonist within this issue (as supposedly suggested on the cover of this issue) is very much a strong embodiment of fear, which proves that it can do damage to even our most confident protagonist, Superman.
The Art by Doug Mahnke is perfect for this kind of story and fits perfectly with the antagonist that Superman is left to face. Mahnke really goes into horror mode a bit within this issue and it’s worth noting that the double page reveals of the culprit, and the last page reveals are worth checking this issue out. The inks by Jamie Mendoza, Scott Hannah, and Rob Hunter are solid, and the colors by Will Quintana and Tony Avina really help make the spookiness and vibrancy of this story blend together pretty well visually.
This is a pretty good issue, it’s a fun read and flips the kind of genre of the story despite its super heroic aesthetic. It’s an interesting situation for Superman where he has to use his research skills a reporter to narrow down the trail of the culprit. It’s not often that Superman gets the opportunity to display that side of him. It’s worth checking out.
Newsdesk