Comic Review: SUPERMAN #3
I’m sure Perez has a clear goal in mind for the story, but until he makes the lead up more interesting, it will pass right under the radar.
Written by: George Perez Art by: George Perez, Nicola Scott, Trevor Scott Colored by: Brian Buccellato, Brett Smith, Blond Lettering by: Carlos M. Mangual Published by: DC Availabe in comic stores now! If you read the previous two months of Superman then youre already aware of what happens in this book. Its a shame to see Clark Kent depicted so well over in Action Comics at the start of the month and then be given these formulaic stories at the end. Once again, Superman battles a foe linked with the classical elements (First issue: fire, second issue: air - an invisible monster.) who is dispatched without providing any real answers. Many people think Superman is a boring character because hes too powerful to ever face a considerable threat, but Superman was never about the power itself, but what he uses the power he has for. Most of his battles devolve into fist fights, but only the second issue found a reasonable way to get around that and it was very short, thus robbing it of most of its drama. In this issue, he squares off against an Ice monster (Third element: water) with some disastrous consequences to the citizens of Metropolis, but its all cleared up so quickly that it seems silly. Why have something so horrible happen and then completely solve it without explanation after only a handful of pages? Another repeating theme from previous issues is Clarks recent depression. Its a weak mystery and not enough to sustain interest. Lois and the rest of the supporting cast are around just to discuss the problem, but nobody comes to any conclusions about the elusive Mr. Kent. It just boils down to two characters saying, Boy, Clark sure is acting weird. I wonder what thats about. By the time we actually find out why hes acting that way, I doubt itll make a huge splash. Now that the pattern has emerged with the elements, Im sure next issue will involve some sort of rock monster - the last box to be checked off before the real threat can be introduced. Were given little tidbits of B story and concurrent plots, but these glimpses are too small to get very excited about. Im a huge supporter of less decompression in comic writing and Id love to see stories that are customarily told in five to six issues reduced to two or three, so I like the episodic nature of the series in theory, but reading the same comic three times is not thrilling. Watching these enemies sprout up and then immediately put out of action has gotten way too repetitive. Nicola Scott replaces Jesas Merino on art duties and does a fine job, but a change in art isnt enough to distract us from the fact that were reading issues #1 and 2 over again. Its as if George Perez is still writing the plot as a six issue arc and using these throw away villains to make each issue feel like it tells its own complete tale. Im sure Perez has a clear goal in mind for the story, but until he makes the lead up more interesting, it will pass right under the radar.