Insert either a costume joke or undoing the Supermarriage joke here.
Superman #1
DC Comics (November, 2011)
SCRIPT/BREAKDOWNS: George Pérez PENCILER/INKER: Jesús Merino COLORIST: Brian Buccelato LETTERER: Carlos M. Mangual ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Wil Moss EDITOR: Matt Ldelson “SUPERMAN” CREATORS: Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster
The old Daily Planet building is destroyed to make way for a new one by Morgan Edge, the new owner of the Planet. Lois is now in charge of the TV and digital media department, and Clark isn’t happy about the new ownership and direction. All that gets put aside when an attempt to stop a robbery is interrupted by a fire creature that wants to turn Metropolis into an inferno. Also, in this new continuity, Lois has a boyfriend who isn’t Clark or Superman.
What they got right: The art is beautiful, and I’m not even bothered by the rather dark (for Superman) color scheme. (Then again, it was a nighttime story, I want to see what he does with a daytime one.) Merino even makes the new armor look good…or as good as that stupid thing is ever going to look. And while I have a few issues with the new directions (coming up), this was still a Superman story that actually has Superman battling bad guys, something we haven’t seen in a while.
What they got wrong: Nothing here couldn’t have been done in the old continuity. Heck, the OC would have been better off with Pérez writing it than JMS and the guy that came after him. There was no reason to break up Clark & Lois, a couple for decades even without marriage, Morgan Edge didn’t need to be redesigned (I wonder what would happen if a formerly black character was suddenly a white dude–and what is with the new versions being bald, I mean they have current black characters like Static and Mr. Terrific sporting hair and they kick backside), and the armor still looks ridiculous. As one blogger (not me) noted, there is only one patch of color besides blue and red and it just looks much like a military uniform for Superman to be wearing.
Recommendation: If you only pick up one Superman comic from the New 52…then it sure as heck shouldn’t be Action Comics, so it might as well be this one. I’m still not sold on the necessity of “relaunching” this title, since nothing here outside of Lois having a new boyfriend and Clark complaining about the new media couldn’t have been done in the old continuity, and we would be better off without those changes.
Like I said, almost.
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