Posted in: Comics, DC Comics, Review | Tagged: Alex Sinclair, atomic skull, bryan hitch, clark kent, dc comics, gabe eltaeb, Ian Flynn, Jonathan Kent, justice league, kaare andrews, Kal-El, lois lane, Mark Russell, patrick gleason, Peter J Tomasi, sci-fi, Scott Godlewski, superboy, superheroes, superman, superman special
Superman Special #1 Review: DC's Continued Superman Quality Streak
Superman and Superboy have a promise to keep for Captain Storm on Dinosaur Island, and the two Kents return to save the only surviving member of the Losers. In another story, Superman returns to Earth after a long mission in space, exhausted and drained of energy. Unfortunately, a giant insect is attacking Metropolis, so the Man of Steel's work is far from over. In the final tale, Superman is called in to assist the Atomic Skull in rounding up the former villain's old partner, Shockwave.
DC's been on a Superman hot streak since the publication of Action Comics #1000 between the said 1000th issue, Action Comics Special, this Superman Special, and the Man of Steel #1 still to come. The Man of Tomorrow's comic output has been very satisfying with talented writers.
As such, I've been on a bit of a perpetual Superman high.
All three stories of this special are enjoyable and highlight emblematic elements of Kal-El that his fans adore.
The first shows him and his son upholding a promise while punching dinosaurs — which is objectively awesome. The second shows compassion and unwillingness to give himself a rest while Metropolis is in danger. The third shows him giving Atomic Skull a chance to redeem himself.
The third is the weakest entry, as it is a story often told by comics and will likely be undone the next time a writer wants to use Atomic Skull as a villain. The second has its own troubles, particularly regarding the narration and dialogue not having faith in the visuals to tell their end of the story (Superman declaring that a building is collapsing while we can see it doing so, for example).
Scott Godlewski and Gabe Eltaeb do good work in the first entry in the comic, though the action on Dinosaur Island could have used more fleshing out and impact. Bryan Hitch and Alex Sinclair impress in the second installment, providing my favorite art of the book. Kaare Andrews's work leaves a little to be desired detail-wise in the final story, but you get to see Atomic Skull in his pajamas — so that's awesome.
Superman Special #1 provides an endearing and enjoyable tale to see off Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason from the title while showing off some great work from other creators. This was a fantastic read, and I highly recommend it. Give it a read.
As a bonus, this was also the first DC Comic I've read in paper this week, and it showed an advert for Hawkman #1 by Robert Venditti and Bryan Hitch. This left me even happier.