Comic Review: Superman #42 (DC Comics)

Things are going to take a bizarre change for the bizarre! Patrick Gleason and Peter J. Tomasi kick off their newest arc, Bizzaroverse within the pages of Superman #42!

While Superman is living the family life with Lois and Jon, it seems that Big Blue isn’t the only one raising his own family. Elsewhere in another dimension, Bizarro of Bizarro world has a wife and child of his own. Living a bizarre family life of his own… that is until Superboy (Jon) and his friend Kathy go dimension hopping and make contact which makes situations for the Super Family exactly that…bizarre!

Tomasi and Gleason must have had a ton of fun creating this arc due to the title and credits saying the opposite of what is usually printed. Writer is referred to as “Speaker”, Artist is referred to as “Vandal”, Colorist is referred to as “Bleacher” etc. It’s a small detail, but in the context of the story and its tone, it fits with the overall aesthetic of this arc. When dealing with a character such as Bizarro and Bizarro world, that kind of consistency in regards to the tone and rules of Bizarro World makes sense and adds a little decor to the writing and story that makes it clear to the kind of story that the reader is going to be walking into.

Tomasi and Gleason do a great job at channeling the voice of Bizarro and his family while introducing readers to Bizarro Boy, Bizarro Lad or Kid Bizzaro? Basically, the son of Bizarro is a new character and despite being a deranged version of Jon, it’s still funny to see the adolescent behavior that can still be exhibited in Bizarro World. Seeing a Bizarro version of Superboy and how this will pose a definite threat for Superboy and the Super Family leaves nothing but anticipation and glee due to the development and execution of the plot. Although we get to see Gleason and Tomasi tackle Bizarro within the main Superman title, I do wonder whether they’ll acknowledge the existence of the Bizarro that’s apart of Red Hood and The Outlaws book. Will that version of Bizarro ever meet the traditional Bizarro of Bizarro World? Just something to ponder about but would be interesting to see if they could fit it into the story in some kind of fashion.

Gleason’s artwork is friggin phenomenal! Bizarro has never looked this powerful, yet has never looked this deranged in quite some time. Gleason’s artwork and layouts are strong and effective with the story that he and Tomasi have developed. Accompanied with the colors by Sanchez, it just makes the entire book exude with awesomeness.

This was a very fun and enjoyable issue filled with gold writing and fantastic art. Definitely, add this to your pull list.