Superman #4

Well, long time, no blog. My apologies for that, I've been moving. I'm finally settled down into a new temporary place (my dad's house) until I can find an apartment to rent or something to buy.

Just to start again, I thought I'd talk briefly about Superman #4. I really did not plan on reading any of the new Superman titles with the New 52 relaunch on a regular basis. I'm not a big fan of Superman as I've said before. He's a hero that has grown so large in his title that really they is no way to give him a reasonable adversary without constantly upgrading old supervillains or creating new ones - in my opinion, this was the whole point in the creation of Doomsday back in the early '90s was to finally create a supervillain that could challenge the Man of Steel.

Grant Morrison's writing of Superman in Action Comics proved that DC had seen the same problem I had seen. And they seem to be trying to correct the issue somewhat in the Superman title as well, although Superman is as powerful in this version (which is set 5 years after the storyline currently going on in Action). Here, they seem to be trying to base the threats more in line with Superman and his own ret-continuity of the New 52. The current threat in the Superman title seems alien and as we learn in this most recent issue may have even been created by Superman himself, although he apparently doesn't remember doing so. The slow progress of Lex Luthor in the pages of Action Comics also shows that they intend to redefine why Lex Luthor may still be Superman's archenemy in the New 52.

I'm really enjoying reading this current stoyline in Superman simply because he is being forced to find ways to fight against his enemies other than sheer force, which we all know he can do. I keep thinking I will stop after one more issue, but to date, I continue to want to see what happens next in this storyline. There is no doubt in my mine that DC has seen the need to re-define Superman as a hero who has to deal with his inability to just beat everything up - he can't be a hero that defines himself by his strength because we all know he is the strongest hero in the DC Universe (other than possibly Captain Marvel (Shazam to neophytes) but that's a different story).

I look forward to the ending of this storyline and how DC will ultimately define Superman for the New 52.

Thanks for reading and sorry this one was brief and not quite a full review. Like I said, just returning to the blog and reacquaintaing myself with the habit again. :)