Review: Superman: Lois and Clark

Quick Summary

Pros: This fresh take on an old Superman is fantastic and shows him at his best. The family story here is heartwarming and nearly perfect. There is plenty of action to keep readers entertained.

Cons: The plot sometimes feels a little bloated. Superman makes some uncharacteristic choices at times.

Overall: This book reads like a love letter to anyone who has ever wanted to read a Superman story. It is well written, compelling, and inspirational all at the same time. This is completely the intention as it marks an excellent start for DC’s “Road to Rebirth”, an attempt to highlight the best of DC’s past. Part superhero adventure, part grounded family tale; there really is something for everyone in this book.

Story

The New 52 brought about a universe that was a little darker and grittier than the one that came before it, thus Superman changed accordingly. Many criticized the new Superman as being too one dimensional and hot-headed, quick to punch things to get his way rather than inspiring those around him to do the right thing. Rebirth is DC’s attempt to bring the charm and hope from their pre-Flashpoint comics into their new post-Flashpoint universe. With this goal in mind, they bring back the biggest symbol of the old universe: Superman.

Superman: Lois and Clark is the action packed and heartwarming beginning to the new adventures of an old Superman. This book is filled with his adventures as he tries to be an undercover superhero while still managing to take care of his family. Action, heroic exploits, and touching family moments are packed into this book to a point where readers are guaranteed not to be bored. There are a few missteps here and there, but overall this book delivers on exactly what it promises: a wholesome and entertaining Superman story.

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The best part of this new story is almost certainly the focus on Superman’s family. Lois and Clark have a family now and are doing their best to build a new life together. In this collection readers get to see them grow together and become the strong and inspirational family they are at the story’s conclusion. It is a fantastic journey, filled with touching moments and glorious successes. In particular, watching Jon go from playing with and idolizing his Superman action figures to finding out his dad actually is Superman is something guaranteed to bring a smile to even the most cynical readers’ faces. Even those who do not typically care for superhero stories will find something to love in the simple story of a family.

For the most part, this series is great in giving constant action to keep readers on the edge of their seats, wondering what will happen next. Superman starts as an unseen force in the background of this universe. From there, the action picks up as he battles a seemingly unstoppable telepath, a new version of Cyborg Superman, and an entirely new alien threat. While doing all of this, he is also contending with threats against his family as Intergang moves in on them. Each one of these action packed storylines is well executed, thrilling, and an overall joy to read. They are also expertly woven together with the previously mentioned family based storyline to make a really entertaining and compelling narrative throughout this book.

Unfortunately, there are some superfluous storylines as well. The Blackrock/Bad Ass Nation story’s presence in this collection is the largest contributor to this bloat. This story spans numerous pages yet is completely devoid of any interest or consequence whatsoever; its only purpose is to tie up Superman so that Jon has a chance to discover his powers, something which could be easily accomplished by lengthening his rescue of Cora.

In addition, there are a few moments where Superman seems uncharacteristically cruel for a someone intending to reflect the more “wholesome” Superman of the past. He blames a relatively innocent Blackrock for problems the TV crew create and his imprisonment of Blanque borders on torture. These two small moments in this collection are barely worth mentioning but are still negatives nonetheless.

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Art

Overall Lee Weeks, Scott Hanna, and Brad Anderson deliver some fantastic art throughout the majority of this collection. This team deserves some real credit for bringing forth a perfect balance of penciling, inking, and coloring in this collection’s artwork. This series is trying to accomplish the mission set by DC’s Rebirth, which is to do great things with the post-Flashpoint universe while still respecting the pre-Flashpoint one. In this regard, the pages of this book are bathed in a brighter tone of colors in many places, while still having a dark and gritty nature in other places. It sets a tone that says this is the same bright and hopeful Superman that we all know and love while still respecting the fact that the landscape of comics have changed. Not only does this work visually, but it also perfectly meshes with the theme in the book’s story, substantially bettering this collection overall.

A minor nitpick with the art would have to be how facial expression is conveyed at points. Most of the time, everything looks great but occasionally characters will express intense shock or happiness and will end up looking very odd because of it. This looks a little bit jarring at times but really does not happen more than a few times throughout the book.

Continuity

Superman: Lois and Clark is a mini-series created in the fallout of DC’s Convergence event. It follows the story of a pre-Flashpoint Superman and Lois Lane after they were transported into the post-Flashpoint universe. Their relocation to this universe and the story behind it happen almost entirely in Convergence. However, since this is a brand new series, it does its best to summarize those events in the first few pages.

The characters and plotlines established in this collection continue in Superman Vol. 1: Son of Superman (Review) and in Action Comics Vol. 1: Path of Doom (Review).

• The collection starts with a flashback to Justice League Vol. 1: Origin (Review).
• Numerous references are made to the pre-Flashpoint universe.
  • Superman is surprised that Cyborg joins the Justice League because in his universe Cyborg was a member of the Teen Titans. This group forms in The New Teen Titans, Vol. 1.
  • Hank Henshaw and his time as Cyborg Superman receive some spotlight in this volume. The origin of Cyborg Superman is currently uncollected but his most famous appearance is in Superman: Reign of the Supermen.
• The Kents’ address is 1938, this is the year that Superman debuted in Action Comics #1, collected in Superman: The Golden Age Vol. 1.
• This universe’s Superman’s secret identity is revealed to the public in Superman Vol. 1: Before Truth (Review).
• Towards the book’s end, Jon questions if Superman is faster than the Flash. This may be a subtle reference to the numerous races that Superman and the Flash have had throughout time, the most famous of which occurs in The Flash: Rebirth.