Superman #710 – Review

By: J. Michael Straczynski & Chris Roberson (writers), Eddy Barrows & Travel Foreman (pencillers), J.P. Mayer & John Dell (inkers), Rob Reis & Dave McCaig (colorists)

The Story: Can a nerd from the sticks and an emo from the big city work together to defeat an immortal caveman?

The Review: I’ve managed to stay above the fray when it comes to the polarizing “Grounded” storyline Straczynski’s been writing into Superman, but only by not reading it altogether.  The pitch of Superman walking America for reasons you can only describe as misplaced just didn’t appeal.  But with big things coming his way this year, it’s only appropriate to check in with him before the status quo gets shaken up again.

At first, the issue starts off much as you’d imagine: having come upon another city on his road trip, Superman chats it up with the little people and tries to help them with their problems.  But with the appearance of Batman, Roberson switches gears, flashing back to the first adventure of the World’s Finest, before they get the idea to wear their underpants outside their costumes.

In the grand scheme of things, the story’s a very random aside from Superman’s “Grounded” journey.  Batman shows up very suddenly and for little reason, other than to chide Superman’s sabbatical pretty much the same way Lois, the Flash, and Dick Grayson have.  The recollection of their first team-up feels very out of context from the current plot too, being far better suited for Superman/Batman since it’s largely self-contained and kind of messy, continuity-wise.

That said, Roberson writes it well enough, albeit a little predictably.  It has all the typical elements of a Superman-Batman story: showing off their core personalities, acknowledging each other’s strengths and weaknesses, sly hints to their future heroism.  Vandal Savage and his army get defeated a tad too efficiently, and with so little struggle from the villain you never feel Bhutran (gateway to Nanda Parbat, the immortal city) is ever in any real danger.

This would have been a fun, if slightly pointless, excursion if not for Roberson’s attempts to bring some deep, meaningful conversation into the mix.  Clark and Bruce (both past and present) spend way too much of their idle time pontificating on the nature of justice, the value of their work, and on handling death.  It just feels forced, heavy, and a little pompous—which kind of fits given what I’ve heard about Superman’s slightly arrogant attitude throughout this storyline.

Foreman is responsible for penciling the flashback sequence this issue, so you see his work for the vast majority of it—not at all a bad thing.  His style looks is much more visually interesting that Barrows’ more standard comic-book fare.  Part of that comes from the sheer wealth of detail Foreman puts into his work: he pays such loving attention to the costumes, props, and settings for the Eurasian Bhutran that you really feel immersed in their culture.  His thin lines also really pop out thanks to Dell and McCaig’s low-key inking and coloring.

Conclusion: A fine story in the wrong venue—I can only imagine Roberson did it just to kill time before he can get to write some real Superman stories.

Grade: B-

– Minhquan Nguyen

Some Musings: – Does no one look both ways before crossing the street anymore?  There are some benefits, you know—like seeing that giant truck barreling down at you.

– Seriously, people—since when is nicknaming a person with their hometown a thing?  You don’t see me calling my friend, “Mongmong‑Toto‑Maite.”

– Batman buys a mountain to save an archaeological dig from being used as a landfill for chemical waste.  He also apparently does it by texting on a smartphone during a half-hour conversation.  Top that, Superman.