Superman: Lois and Clark #1 (December, 2015)
"Arrival, Part I"
Writer - Dan Jurgens
Penciller - Lee Weeks
Inker - Scott Hanna
Colorist - Brad Anderson
Letterers - A Larger World Studios' Joshua Cozine & Troy Peteri
Assistant Editor - Andrew Marino
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $3.99
Over the years, I've taken a pretty firm "don't care about Comicon" stance. I'll spare you all of the usual "old comic fan" complaints about what these conventions have become... just suffice it to say, I don't get excited for them. Being a fella who discusses comics online and maintains a small social media presence... sometimes I feel like I'm dodging movie anvils, but whattayagonnado?
When Comicon actually gives us comics news... it's usually pretty uninspired stuff. Marvel's going to launch a seventh Guardians of the Galaxy spin-off and the next in their line of "world-shattering, internet-splitting crossovers where heroes fight one another"... and DC's got a new book with "Bat" in the title. But sometimes... sometimes, something comes along that genuinely excites me.
Today we're going to discuss one of those times.
Post-Convergence DC was a strange place to hang out. I'd come back to the fandom in a big way after a half-decade on the fringes... largely in part to what I hoped would spin out from Convergence. I was hopeful that this would be a return to my DC Universe. What we got instead was... DCYOU, a weird disjointed approach by DC to seek out an audience that, shock of shocks, (for the most part) didn't exist.
I felt like I'd rolled yet another snake-eyes... and was already gathering my things for another DC-hiatus, when... in the late-Summer of 2015, two new titles were announced. One was Titans Hunt, the other... the book we'll be discussing today.
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We open on a pretty familiar scene... if you were a reader of The New-52! We see bits from the opening arc of Justice League (vol.2)... only, we're seeing it from a different point of view. The narration is coming from Lois Lane, who makes a few comments that hit kinda close to home for a pre-Flashpoint guy like myself. She sees Superman... but it's not her Superman. Wow, how many times have we said that? Anyhoo, the Justice League takes down Darkseid... and from this vantage point, we can see that they were being watched over... by a man, in trunks!
This trunked-Superman takes his leave, as Lois' narration continues. She talks of this new Earth and how it differs from the one they'd left. More comments that hit close to home... she describes The New-52! Earth as suspicious... doubting... edgy. An Earth without faith.
Superman returns home to he and Lois' dilapidated California farmhouse to discuss what he'd just seen. He, like many of us, finds it weird that Cyborg is hanging out with the League instead of the Titans. Yeah, tell me about it...
Clark uses his heat vision to start a fire and warm his wife... and new son. From here, we get a quick and dirty explanation of how they came to wind up on this new Earth. It's all Convergency... ad involves their going back to affect the outcome of Crisis on Infinite Earths... resetting the Multiverse, but also causing their home Earth to go a bit ca-ca.
We now jump several years... to the present. Baby Jon is now a young boy... and their dilapidated farm is in much better shape. We can see that Jonno is being raised similar to his father... very modest, and (unfortunately for him) chore-heavy.
Lois sends Jon up to get ready for school... and flips on Channel-52 News, where she learns about a tsunami in the Pacific that just "mysteriously" subsided. Well, of course we know who was behind that miracle.
A sopping-wet (and bearded) Clark heads into the kitchen once he's sure the coast is clear. They're keeping everything "Super" a secret from their son... at least for the moment. This becomes a pretty big (arguably the main) plot point as this series continues. Clark checks the newspaper, and sees that the shuttle Excalibur is scheduled to return. Hey, that's the ship Hank Henshaw flew!
Lois and Clark discuss current events... including giving us a peek at the former's Super-scrapbook. Seems keeping a scrapbook is part of the Super-legacy. Jon heads down... and starts asking a whole lot of questions. Picking up on some inconsistencies in the conversation, it seems as though he's already somewhat suspicious about his parents. Not in a "sinister" way... more curious than anything, I suppose.
With Jonno off to school, the Whites (the name Lois and Clark have taken) can go about their day. Lois, known professionally as "Writer X", delivers her latest piece on Intergang to her... agent (?) Cora. She intends to keep her identity private... however, it looks like the jig might be up.
We join Superman in space, where he intends to ensure a safe return for the Excalibur. We don't need this Henshaw to go all crazy and cyborgy like the other one. The ship hurtles toward Earth, however, Superman is able to right it before it crashes. Inside the cockpit (is it called a "cockpit" on a spaceship?) we see Henshaw... alone! The rest of his crew are nowhere to be seen.
We pop in on Lancaster Elementary School to check in on Jon... who's mind is anywhere but on math. He's actually sneaking a peek at the Excalibur rescue on his cell phone. As you might imagine, Teach ain't pleased.
We wrap up our opening chapter in a far off star system. Something, something... Oblivion Stone.
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Okay... before I start gushing, let me get one thing off my chest. This wasn't the Superman book I wanted back in the Fall of 2015. It really wasn't. When this book was announced, I was hopeful that these stories would take place on post-Crisis/pre-Flashpoint Earth. I wanted to see how that Earth looked after our being away for a half-decade. Would it be the same as we left it? Would there be people and things missing? Would there be new concepts that had been introduced in the interim? That was the book I wanted to read... and when I heard that it was set to take place on New-52! Earth, I gotta say... I was a bit disappointed.
That having been said... Jurgens and Weeks absolutely knocked this out of the park! How do I even start to say how much this meant to me? Hmm... I make fried ravioli twice a year... once in the summer, and on Christmas Eve. That first bite... that's how this book made me feel. Also, the trepidation as I watch the raviolis disappear from the plate... that's how I felt with every turn of the page.
The word "apology" was bandied about a lot around the time of DC Universe Rebirth... an apology to fans like me. The old guard that felt as though we were being driven away. I still disagree with using that term... and this, like Rebirth, feels more like reuniting with an old friend. Sure, they've gone through some stuff... and their lives have changed a bit (or a lot), but they're still the same person. There's a familiarity and a comfort... and, for a fella like me... there's no better writer for that than the one we got.
I mentioned during our Convergence: Superman discussion that, without a doubt, to me... Dan Jurgens is the Superman writer of my generation. I'm so happy to have him back where he belongs... and am so excited for him that he'll be taking part in the upcoming Action Comics #1000. I'd be remiss to leave out the art... which is just wonderful. Weeks and company deliver one helluva pretty book here!
Now... we probably ought to discuss the issue, right? That's kinda what we do here. I can't really be as objective as I'd like... because this one just felt so right. In only a handful of pages, we get pretty much caught up on Lois and Clark's arrival and time on this new Earth. If you didn't read Convergence... it doesn't really matter. If you didn't read the first arc on Justice League... it also doesn't really matter. Sure, if you read both these scenes will mean a lot more to you... but, you could, if you were so inclined, come in to this series cold. Which is pretty great.
Now, my having read those arcs, really added to how I received this story. It's weird... knowing that my Superman was present at the dawning of The New-52! gives me a strange sense of comfort. At the risk of coming across a bit precious... it's now as though this world was being protected. Suddenly, The New-52! is a bit less dark and edgy in hindsight. Weird, right?
If I were to pick nits, the only time in which the issue kinda faltered for me was... the last page. I don't really care about the Oblivion Stone. Sure, it's necessary to facilitate the subplot... but it was at that point that I remembered that I was reading a comic book. If that makes any sense...
Up until that point, I felt as though I was experiencing something rare and special... which, don't get me wrong... I was. The Oblivion Stone subplot just reminded me that I was reading a comic... and eventually, we were going to have to break away from our reunion... and get to fightin'.
Overall... duh, check this issue (and series) out. If you're reading and enjoying post-Rebirth Superman comics... you've likely already read this. If not... this is where it all begins. Well, after the Convergence two-parter... but you know what I mean. Gonna cut it off here, as I'm starting to (starting to?) ramble. This has been collected in the Road to Rebirth trade paperback (available... at least for the moment... at DC Digital for FIVE BUCKS). Well worth your time!
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Convergence: Superman #1 (June, 2015)
"Superman Again"
Writer - Dan Jurgens
Art - Lee Weeks
Colorist - Brad Anderson
Lettering - Sal Cipriano
Assistant Editors - Brittany Holzherr & Michael Kraiger
Editor - Marie Javins
Cover Price: $3.99
Decided to spend another weekend in Convergence-land. Had a pretty good time checking in with Batman and HIS Outsiders last week... figure I should revisit my absolute favorite Convergence tie-in. I'm guessing this's anything but an unpopular opinion... but the return of the Real-Steel-Deal, was an absolute highlight of the whole endeavor. I'd say it made the entire thing worthwhile... but what do I know?
Like I mentioned last weekend, I accidentally ordered my bundle with the lame-o Chip Kidd variants... so the cover above ain't mine. The cover below... is.
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We're in Gotham City, and a masked vigilante stalks the night. He watches a drug transaction from atop a building overlooking an alley. I wonder how much drugs cost "under the dome"... gotta figure demand would go up as the supply goes down, right? Anyhoo, our man checks in with his radio-mate, Lois Lane who reminds him that he's "not him". He tells her he's "got this" and hops down to break up the deal. As he does, we hear a single line from THE SPEECH.
The fight gets pretty ugly quick... one of the baddies pulls out a flamethrower and nails him... luckily, we've heard THE SPEECH... which means the dome is no more, and the super-set get their powers back, because... ya see, this vigilante is Superman. Okay, not a huge shock... but there ya go.
He makes quick work of the would-be drug lords. He then grabs a conveniently "in Gotham" Jimmy Olsen so we can get some exposition about "dome life" out of the way before returning "home" to his... very pregnant wife, Lois Lane. They're both happy that their baby can be born in Metropolis.
After a minute of basking in the possibility that their lives will return to normal after a powerless year in "bat town", Lois plays Clark the recording she made of THE SPEECH. They realize that they are no longer on Earth... and it looks as though Superman might just be in for a fight before long. He leaves Gotham and flies into the unknown.
We shift scenes to Gotham City... well, another Gotham City, can't have too many, right? This is the Gotham from Flashpoint... and we observe as Batman (Thomas Wayne) addresses Cyborg, El (from Project: Superman), Green Lantern (Abin Sur) and Captain Thunder (Captain Marvel/Shazam). Batman spots a "flier" heading their way, and instructs his team to "take him out".
Jimmy Olsen is meeting with Emil Hamilton, who was also, as luck would have it, in Gotham City when the dome went up. They are at S.T.A.R. Labs, which is designed very much like the S.T.A.R. in Metropolis. The Prof gives Jimmy a transportation device... more on that in a bit.
Superman continues his flight, but is knocked out of the sky by a blue blur... a very chatty blue blur, who rattles on about knowing that "she's alive".
Before Superman can compose himself, he is tackled by Captain Thunder. The two enter into battle with Superman quickly getting the upper hand. His celebration is short-lived, however, as (a conflicted) Abin Sur and Cyborg arrive on the scene. Batman is watching, and comments that this Meta resembles Subject-1 (El).
The Flashpointers unload on Superman... all the while, Lois is in Clark's ear encouraging him to try reasoning with his attackers. Superman promises the crew he's not there to hurt them... and they stand down, willing to hear him out. Unfortunately, it is at this point that Jimmy Olsen arrives with his new whip... the Whiz Wagon, armed to the teeth with ballistics.
Well, the Flashpointers don't dig that... and so the fight starts up again. We shift to Subject-1 who has arrived in the pre-Flashpoint Gotham... following the voice of the one person who was ever nice to him... Lois Lane. Uh oh.
We rejoin Batman who is researching the "other" Gotham. It isn't long before he realizes that this Gotham might just be the one from Barry Allen's world... the world where his son Bruce is still alive.
We wrap up at Lois and Clark's apartment... where Lois finds herself with a surprise guest... Subject-1. I'm tellin' ya, this is one heckuva creepy scene... it's really quite excellent.
He just keeps approaching... saying he's there to take care of her... really creepy! While this is going down, Superman is being beaten soundly by the Flashpoint heroes.
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Manoman... how nice was it to read this Superman again? Such a bittersweet book. I mean, back in the Spring-Summer of 2015, we never would have thought that the real-steel-deal would ever come back in a permanent kinda way. I think many of us figured that this was where we would leave him. We'll talk more about that tomorrow...
Here we sorta kinda sidestep the SPEECH, which is a good thing. We do get to hear it, but it's not nearly as intrusive and interrupty as it usually is. I'm cool with devoting a few panels, rather than having our hero stare blankly at the helix dome for a few pages while Telos delivers his spiel. It was a nice touch that the issue basically opens with a powered-Superman.
I remember when this hit, one of the common complaints was the fact that Brainiac seems to need a countless amount of Gotham Cities... it really stinks that this Superman issue didn't get to take place in Metropolis. Instead, we needed to excuse Lois, Jimmy, and even Emil Hamilton all being in Gotham during Dome Day... and somehow Batman not also being there. Seems silly... I mean, I get it... Gotham's "cool", but c'mon. Also, I didn't realize that the S.T.A.R. Labs building in Gotham is identical to the one in Metropolis... oh well.
The Flashpoint League, from yet another Gotham... eh, I can take them or leave them. I think I associate them too much with the end of my DCU, that I have a real hard time accepting or caring about them. That being said, I did like Thomas Wayne's callback to being visited by the Flash during the Flashpoint event proper. I wasn't expecting that.
Also, El from Project: Superman... that's a scary dude. He was used perfectly here, and really brings with him a true sense of danger. It can't be stated enough... the ending scene here was extremely creepy and very well done. This was one of the very few Convergence tie-ins where I was actually engaged and looking forward to the conclusion. Most of the rest were, sadly, just time-wasting fight scenes... this, however, was pretty damn riveting. Especially with the idea that we were "saying goodbye" to these heroes... nothing was really off the table. Not saying Lois would die... but, we had to wonder just how far Superman would go in order to protect his wife and unborn child. Great stuff.
Overall... this is my favorite Convergence tie-in, and I'd bet many longtime DC Comics fans feel the same way. If you're currently reading the Superman books, and you haven't read this yet... you should. This two-part tale takes us into Superman: Lois and Clark... which takes us right into the current Rebirth landscape. The story of Jon starts here... well, actually next issue... but you may as well read this one first.
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(Instead of the) Letters Page:
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Variant Cover:
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Superman: Lois & Clark #7 (June, 2016)
"Arrival, Part VII"
Writer - Dan Jurgens
Pencillers - Lee Weeks & Stephen Segovia
Inkers - Scott Hanna, Art Thibert, & Jay Leisten
Colorist - Jeremy Cox
Letterers - A Larger World Studios
Assistant Editor - Andrew Marino
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $3.99
If you would have told the teenage Chris (otherwise known as Chris is on Earth 616) that at any point in his life he would consider Superman among his favorite characters, he'd have laughed in your face... then he would have adjusted his hypercolor t-shirt and probably would have quoted Bart Simpson.
I would have never even imagined that... what's more, if you would have told me that a Superman title would be my favorite book month in and month out, well I certainly wouldn't have believed that either... and yet, here we are.
The Superman books of late (with Superman: Lois & Clark topping the pile) have been a real surprise. After many false-starts and inconsistent narratives, DC Comics appears to have found a winning formula for this family of titles... just in time for the re-whateverthey'recallingit that's on the rapidly approaching horizon.
I'm super pleased that the current creators are the ones that will come with us through the Rebirth Rubicon. I am (not even cautiously) optimistic that the Superman books they have in store for us will maintain a high level of quality, and anxiously await experiencing the roll-out.
But, that's still several weeks out. For now, let's discuss Superman: Lois & Clark #7.
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We open on a Flashback, some several years ago. Lois and Jon are returning home from the grocery, and are surprised when they find Clark inside in full celebration-mode over Lois' latest "Author X" book publication.
All the while, Jon is playing with his Superman and Flash action figures and is having trouble figuring out who would win in a race. Lois picks Superman but Jon appears to come from the John Byrne school of super-powers... if speed is Flash's only power, then he's gotta be the fastest in the world. Jon ultimately has Flash win, which I wish would have elicited at least a funny eyebrow cock from Clark. Best part here, Jon's Superman action figure... it's got the trunks!
Back in the present, Lois and Jon are locked in a burning storage room. Over the past few issues Intergang came to the realization that Lois White and Author X were one in the same. Little did they know, when they locked the pair inside that one of them would be impervious to fire damage. Jon breaks them out, and with Intergang hot on their heels, they flee the scene.
Meanwhile, Clark is over on the Roosevelt Bridge dealing with the television-manufactured threat of Blackrock. The two tussle, until Clark finds out this was all a television publicity stunt. He then spikes the poor fool into the ground, and destroys all of the film evidence (good thing they weren't going live!) before heading toward his wife and son.
Intergang has caught up with Lois and Jon, and plan to take them out firing squad style. Luckily, Clark blurs by in the nick of time and hauls his family to safety.
When they arrive at home, Lois and Clark realize the jig is up... they gotta come clean to Jon. They do their best to explain their former home on the pre-Flashpoint (though they don't call it that) Earth, and Jon seems to come around. He was initially quite upset that they kept such a massive secret from him, but seemed to process the information pretty well, even to the point of embracing his father being a superhero. Jonathan and Martha would be proud. Clark gets an odd feeling, and has a strange vision of violence. He knows he is needed, and so he takes off... leaving his proud wife and son safely behind.
Throughout the issue there were a couple of vignettes of a woman called Hyathis who is in search of the Oblivion Stone. She manages to come into possession of half of it... however, not the second. For that one is currently being kept at Clark's makeshift Fortress of Solitude.
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Man I love this series. If I didn't know for a fact that this Superman will be continuing on post-Rebirth I'd be bumming pretty hard right now. It was the announcement of this title back in the late-summer of 2015 that brought me back to DC Comics in a major way. I felt as though this book was something of an olive-branch to older and lapsed fans. While I still collected and read DC Comics, I didn't really consider myself a full-blown "DC Guy". Lois & Clark (and Titans Hunt) was DC's mea culpa, and for me... it worked. I'm back.
This was yet another incredible issue of this amazing series. There's so much heart in this book, that I cannot help but smile as I read it. As cliche as it may sound, this is my Superman. Each and every month Dan Jurgens proves that he is the Superman creator of my generation, and I am incredibly thankful he will be continuing on in the legacy-numbered (yeah, it matters) Action Comics post-Rebirth.
I suppose if I had to nit-pick anything, it's that I really have very little interest in the Oblivion Stone subplot that has been weaved through this series since the start. I am far more interested in the "White" family dynamic. I feel like I'm seeing an old friend that I hadn't seen in many years. All I want to do is find out what he's been up to... the Oblivion Stone story, while probably necessary, feels like a distraction from the real "meat and potatoes" of this series.
The art continues to be great in this series. Despite the abundance of illustrators here, I felt it flowed very nicely. I like Superman as a Dad... because, and I may be projecting here... Superman, to me, was (and is) the perfect Dad. Seeing him actually playing that role, with a son he adores, almost brings a tear to my eye. It's strange when you can actually be happy for a fictional character... but, (as I say far too often) here we are. He's earned his happiness... and I am glad we have been given this opportunity to experience it.
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