Comic Review: Superman: Up in the Sky #3 (DC Comics)

By Alan Spinney September 4, 2019 #Andy Kubert, #Comic Reviews, #DC Comics, #Superman, #Tom King

Look, here we go again! Superman Up In The Sky #3, from DC Comics!

Faster than a bullet and more powerful than a locomotive, this issue combines two chapters from the ongoing WalMart-only 100 Page Giant series.

Both chapters are written by Tom King and illustrated by Andy Kubert, with inks by Sandra Hope and colour by Brad Anderson.

The first chapter in issue 3 is “The Thousand Deaths of Lois Lane”. Here’s the scene: Superman is sitting in a giant arena in outer space. He’s in the intergalactic version of the Department of Motor Vehicles. It’s a joke that we can all appreciate. But Superman, bored and at the mercy of the ultimate bureaucracy, is going stir crazy. And imagining the various reasons why Lois Lane is not responding to his messages. The imagination is a powerful thing!

The second chapter is completely unrelated. It’s all about Sgt. Rock, the US Easy Company leader of World War II. And Superman has joined him, amidst the rocks, the rocking explosion, and the rock and a hard place. War is hell. It’s a bit of fun then, perhaps, to see Andy Kubert attempt to draw us into his father’s (the late great artist Joe Kubert) world. Joe Kubert drew Sgt. Rock for approximately 30 years.

For the most part, the sheer inventiveness and joyful storytelling enthusiasm carries us through both of these chapters. They are clever, innovative and adventurous. The scenes, setups and dialogues are fun and fresh. While Andy Kubert certainly has a powerful handle on portraying Superman, Sgt Rock and all the supporting environments, there are distracting and surprising shortcomings. Closeups show strange facial anatomy. Eyes bulge, noses contract, faces flatten, heads get round.

A new reader might be ‘up in the air’ about reading more issues of ‘Up In The Sky’. While the ‘done in one’ (complete story in one issue) concept is being given consideration here, sometimes these short 12 page chapters still seem embellished, extended beyond their real story value.

DC Comics, Superman Up In The Sky #3, $4.99 for 25 pages, Teen

By Alan Spinney

After a career of graphic design, art direction and copywriting, I still have a passion for words and pictures. I love it when a comic book comes together; the story is tight, and the drawings lead me forward. Art with words... the toughest storytelling technique to get right. Was this comic book worth your money? Let's see!!