(COMIC) SUPERMAN #10

STORY: Dan Jurgens
ART: Dan Jurgens and Jesus Marino

Creating a cohesive, meaningful comic book universe isn't always glamorous. Sure, DC and Marvel would have you believe that these superheroes literally spend 24/7 fending off aliens, mad scientists, or other world-conquering threats. And these days, it wouldn't be a far reach to say that these heroes really are burning at both ends of the candle. But to really make a narrative world that readers can relate to and want to read about, un-amazing things must happen as well. Dan Jurgens understands the this basic ideal and works to make sure his stories are grounded in some sort of reality. Superman #10 finishes up the fight between Superman and Anguish while having that narrative intersect with Lois and Jimmy's attempt to debunk the claim that Spence Becker is Superman's alter-ego near the end.

Last month, I was sorely disappointed with Anguish as a Superman villain. She seemed, for lack of better words, weak. Her only characterization was her ability to shift the density of her own mass when necessary. It's a cool ability, but Anguish didn't have much else going on for her until this month. We come to find out that this woman is only really after a locket, nothing more. She's made a mess out of buildings and cars nearby, but that seems more like a cry for help than a criminal mastermind executing a robbery. And while Jurgens usually does a great job telling stories without telling stories, he makes Anguish explain her own powers simply for the sake of describing them, which is a bit narrative "no no" for me. Then, we get a big expository dump about Anguish's stepfather and how horrible he was. Yes, it's less exciting than, say, a battle with Helspont, but using a minor, fairly low-powered character is a good thing: if 'epic' was the standard, all these heroes would be dead from exhaustion by 30. We need characters like Anguish to flesh out rogue galleries and give these heroes something to do when magic is going crazy or owls aren't infesting cities.

Lois and Jimmy's task involves proving that Spence Becker is not Superman. Last month, paranoid blogger Victor Barnes went on national television to claim he knew the true identity of the Man of Steel. As the fight between Superman and Anguish winds down, Anguish hears about the 'true identity' of Superman and takes off for the suburbs to kill (or at least hurt badly) the Becker family. Obviously, Supes shows up and saves the day, but Anguish escapes at the end, pointing to a future for the character, something writers of the 'New 52' haven't been thinking about a whole lot as a lot of initial villains are getting taken out of the game pretty early.

Superman may not be the flashiest series, or the most interesting book in DC's 'New 52' lineup, but it serves a greater purpose. While titles like Aquaman and Batman are creating major villains and story elements that will resonate for years, Jurgens is making sure Superman won't burn out; there will always be someone for Big Boy Blue to fight, they just might not be cosmic-level threats every month.

GRADE

B-

(COMIC) 4-SENTENCE REVIEWS! #2

4-Sentence Reviews come about when I've gotten lazy or something unavoidable comes up and I'm not able to cover all the regularly scheduled issues for the past week. These reviews cover normally-reviewed issues of the comics I read each week, but condense the information down to four sentences. Enjoy!

Wonder Woman #9

STORY: Brian Azzarello

ART: Tony Akins and Dan Green

Diana is engaged to Hades and she's actually pretty alright with the whole situation, at least, that's what Brian Azzarello would like us to believe. Now that Zola is out of Hell, the other gods - Hermes, Apollo, and Hephaestus - have to figure out a way to rescue the Amazonian princess, even if it means going straight back into the Underworld! Azzarello and Tony Akins have a good, minimalistic rhythm that only gives out crucial information, and only when you need it. While some might criticize the book as 'slow moving' or 'too simple', Wonder Woman is actually doing a fantastic job reinventing a character who became stale back in the 1970s.

GRADE: B+

Superman #9

STORY: Keith Giffen and Dan Jurgens

ART: Jesus Marino

Ol' Supes has been thrown around quite a bit in his eponymous title, and it's just getting worse in Superman #9, which sees the Man of Steel up against Anguish, a villainess who can touch but not be touched - basically, she's immaterial when she wants to be. Meanwhile, an obsessed blogger named Victor Barnes is out to reveal Superman's identity through deduction and circumstance. Keith Giffen and Dan Jurgens are doing a great job setting up narratives that have the potential to carry on for years to come. Overall, Superman hasn't been an essential read in the 'New 52' thus far, but it's looking to become one with these more intricate plots and build-ups for bigger things in the future.

GRADE: B

(COMIC) SUPERMAN #8

STORY: Keith Giffen and Dan Jurgens
ART: Dan Jurgens and Jesus Marino

Superman is a complex character that's often harder to write for than other, less powerful heroes. When the hero has almost no weaknesses and a whole arsenal of superhuman abilities, their stories can quickly become stale and repetitive. Fortunately, Keith Giffen and Dan Jurgens are incorporating Helspont and the Daemonites - from the Wildstorm imprint - into Superman's mythos, giving him an enemy that isn't as readily 'hit-able' as Metallo or Parasite. One of the best ways to tell a Superman story - at least these days - is to invoke Clark's demi-god status. While all of Earth's other heroes have enough humanity to give them weaknesses, Superman is so far above them, in terms of raw power, that the true meat of his stories come from the psychological implications behind Clark's actions.

Superman #8 explores this with a conversation between Superman and the warlord Helspont. The Daemonite warrior tells Clark his tale, one of fear and betrayal from his peers. He was one the pride and glory of the Daemonite empire, until those in power saw Helspont as a liability against the empire itself. He was cast out, exiled from his culture. Helspont sees Clark as a conqueror; it's all he can see, really. Helspont's culture is one of dominion, and Clark is the most powerful being on the planet, so why wouldn't he rule? Helspont makes Clark on offer to leave Earth if Clark will help him reclaim his place in the Daemonite Empire. Clark, of course, refuses, and Helspont shows Clark just how powerful he is.

Unfortunately, our favorite Daemonite pretty much just disappears before the brawl can really get underway. Ol' Supes chalks it up to a strategical retreat, but it comes off as a lame way of ending this particular confrontation - nothing is answered and Clark simply goes back to his life. With a villain like Helspont making his debut in the DC universe, I expected a little more pomp and circumstance.

GRADE:

B-

(COMIC) SUPERMAN #7

Written by Keith Griffin and Dan Jurgens
Artwork by Dan Jurgens and Jesus Marino

One of my favorite parts of the 'New 52' relaunch was the potential to make Superman great again. After decades of learning to hone his powers, good ol' Supes was literally unstoppable. God complex stories are nice, but they too can get old after a while. Over in Action Comics, Grant Morrison's origin story has explained that, in his early days as a superhero, couldn't fly or lift more than a car. Also, toning down the boy scout routine was essential; trying to convey a character like Superman into the 21st century meant shedding the "Aww, gee golly shucks!" attitude that was popular when the character was first developed.

Last time, Clark defeated his daemonite doppelgänger after it went on a villain killing spree. This month, the cause of all Superman's worries in the last six issues comes to light. After a couple of run-ins with what looks like a minotaur robot, Supes is teleported to a fortress in the Himalayas where he comes face to face with Helspont, a long-time Wildstorm Comics super villain. One of the reasons for DC relaunching everything under the 'New 52' header was to bring in characters from the Wildstorm and Vertigo imprints that DC owns. Helspont and the dameonites represent this aesthetic. It's nice that the first arc of this new Superman series wasn't a Lex Luthor or Brainiac encounter. The encounter between Superman and Helspont is great. The daemonite warlord doesn't understand, as a Kryptonian far more powerful than anyone else on the planet, why Superman hasn't conquered Earth yet. It's fantastic writing because Helspont is 'technically' new to the planet, so he logically reached out to the most powerful being.  The new creative team of Keith Griffin, Dan Jurgens and Jesus Marino is fantastic. The artwork is solid, with some jagged edges that convey Helspont's authoritative presence, and the writing is still as solid as George Perez's work on the first six issues. The end of the issue sets up next month's the main event: Superman Vs. Helspont.

GRADE:

B+