Weekly Comic Book Review

By James Robinson (Writer), Bernard Chang (Penciler), Dan Jurgens (Writer), J. Michael Straczynski (Writer), Eddy Barrows (Penciler), J.P. Mayer (Inker)

DC celebrates its biggest title with a look at Superman’s past, present and future. All three, of which, look at the importance of Superman to Earth, and the need society has for him on his adoptive planet.

The first story looks at Superman just post the Hundred Minute War. As Lois Lane is being hunted by Parasite, the Man of Steel steps in just in the nick of time to get Lois out of harms way and get the bad guys to jail. But that’s not the focus of the story. The writing of this story, by Robinson, really touches on the importance of Superman to Lois Lane and the continual struggle she has to share the man she loves with the world that needs him. The artwork in this story wraps up with a beautiful one-page illustration of Superman recommitting himself to Lois Lane while poised in the night sky high above a blurred out Metropolis skyline.

The second story of the book, by Dan Jurgens (the man who killed off Superman), brings us back to Superman’s past, but focuses on one of Robin’s escapades as he attempts to stop gun smugglers on the docks of Gotham City, before they unload the boat from Metropolis. With Bruce Wayne at a stockholders meeting that he can’t get out of, Robin steps in, against Bruce’s orders, and finds himself in a bit of trouble, when Superman steps in to not only save Robin, but to reiterate Bruce’s words that Robin just isn’t ready to be out on his own. It’s a fun little story with some clear interplay between Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne, through a hand written note handed off to Kent at the end of this story.

The final story of the book is by Superman’s new creative team, Straczynski, Barrows and Mayer. This story focuses on Superman returning from New Krypton and being challenged to think about what’s important: the people of Earth that he has vowed to protect, or the planet Earth and its existence in the solar system. When he learns that his thinking of the bigger picture brought pain to one individual, Straczynski shows us a more mellow Superman who starts to question how he is really supposed to be the protector and that perhaps he needs to slow down a bit. Through a touching memory of a conversation had with Jonathan Kent, Superman is left with a lot on his mind, being a bit more reflective on where he’s been and what he’s done.

Overall, this book did a nice job of reminding us where the Man of Steel has been, what he’s been up to, and really, where he needs to go from here. Seven hundred issues is something to celebrate, and this book did a decent job, through short stories, of pushing the character through to issue number seven hundred one and all that lies ahead for Superman and his place in the human world. I would have liked to see a little more focus on the “what’s to come” story, since that’s the important part, but I enjoyed the other short stories enough to where it wasn’t too much of a problem.

Grade: B+

-Jeff Mazzuca

Filed under: DC Comics Tagged: | action comics, Bernard Chang, Comic Book Reviews, Dan Jurgens, Eddy Barrows, Gary Frank, J. Michael Straczynski, J.P. Mayer, James Robinson, Man of Steel, Superman, Superman #700, Superman #700 review, Weekly Comic Book Review