Originally published on Patreon
Kal-El returning from space and his long adventure on Warworld has been a big story for a while now, and even though his return in Action Comics and Superman: Son of Kal-El is still going on, DC have given us yet another book that explores the characters return to Earth.
There are four short stories in this issue, each one exploring a different aspect of his return. The first (and best) shows him catching up with Batman, coming in to help his friend on a case to take down a Doom Patrol villain. The story is a lot of fun, and really shows the two of them being friends, and finding joy in being around each other, better than a lot of books do. The two of them are strong friends, and they get on, so it's nice to see a comic remember that, rather than putting them at odds with each other for no reason.
The second story has Clark catching up with Jimmy Olsen, who wants to snap the perfect picture of Superman to show that he's back. Despite taking a load of photos with him Jimmy starts to have something of a crisis as there's nothing there that's new or exciting. This story is kind of fine, and is mostly let down by really ugly looking art that makes the characters look ridiculous most of the time. It makes it hard to take most of the worry that Jimmy has seriously, and the resolution felt a bit flat and bland.
The third story didn't really feel like one that was about Clark at all, as he mostly hung round in the background as Jon had some dealings with Lex. Lex is clearly up to something, but is using misdirection to mess with Jon. Come the end though Jon has figured out how to push Lex's buttons, and get inside his head. It's a fine story, and one that goes well with the various things that have been happening in Superman: Son of Kal-El, but as Clark is hardly part of it it feels slightly out of place in this issue.
The final story sees Superman heading to the Hall of Justice to see his friends, where he ends up having lunch with J'onn, Wally, and Naomi. Naomi, who is a serving member of the League, spends most of the story acting like she's a teen fan meeting a movie star whenever she interacts with Superman, and the whole vibe seems to be him showing her 'no, we're just regular people too you know' type stuff. Considering the relationship they already have, the adventures they've been on, and Naomi being on the League, this doesn't feel right at all. I've struggled to really like Naomi, and this story does not help.
The four stories on offer here vary in quality pretty wildly from great, to fine, to feeling quite bad. If you're a huge Superman fan and are loving this story line and want to see everything that's connected to it then this issue is for you, but if you're looking for some cool short Superman stories put the book down after the first one.
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