By: Tom Taylor (story), Nicola Scott (pencils), Trevor Scott (inks), Dezi Sienty (colors)
The Story: The World Army suspects Superman’s problem is want of a wife.
The Review: I’ll be honest; I don’t really have a good reason to remain on this title after the seemingly endless streak of thoroughly underwhelming issues James Robinson put out up until his departure. Goodness knows, I’ve Dropped many other series for less dire reasons. On top of that, Tom Taylor isn’t exactly a name that inspires immediate confidence, especially when the task before him is rehabilitating a title that’s been left lifeless and aimless for so long.
While this issue doesn’t represent a radical shift from the storytelling we had before, there are some noticeable improvements, modest as they are. The issue certainly moves a little faster without any of that exhausting narration Robinson was so fond of, and the dialogue is a little smoother and more credible. The incessant repetition of information is gone, replaced with lines that actually advance the plot. These are all worthwhile changes.
In terms of substance, however, Taylor is obligated to finish out the plot developments Robinson left behind, some of which are problematic no matter who’s in the writer’s seat. Early on in his run on Earth Two, Robinson made a choice, one I respected, to dispose of this world’s Trinity and allow the likes of Green Lantern, the Flash, the Atom, etc. to rise in their place. As the series progressed, Robinson eroded the integrity of this decision by introducing Trinity analogues: first Fury, then the new Batman, and now this blood-lusting Superman. It’s early yet, so saying that the new Trinity has taken over the series is premature, but already they’re starting to capture as much attention as that given to our Justice Society folks.
Most of the characters seem to assume that this crazed Man of Steel is the same one that died during the first Fourth World invasion of Earth-Two, but given what we’ve seen of Darkseid’s Superman experiments in Justice League #23.1, we could be dealing with a different kind of Kryptonian altogether. And how about New Batman’s response to Sato’s accusation of unleashing “criminals and madmen” upon the world? “I’ve been both of those things,” he says. If we do end up with a new Trinity on our hands, at least they’ll be relatively different from the ones we’re all-too familiar with.
With some developments, it’s impossible to tell whether Robinson planned for them before his exit or whether Taylor came up with them of his own accord. The revelation that—spoiler alert—Lois Lane’s mind has been downloaded into the body of Red Tornado is such a comic-booky twist that it really could have come from anyone. Certainly, it wasn’t foreshadowed very well (or at all), and it seems tailor-made to address only the immediate problem of a Superman gone rogue. Taylor attempts to mine some drama out of the situation, but it all happens way too fast and suddenly to have the intended emotional impact.
For all of the improvements in the script, Scott’s art is still the best thing about this series. She has exactly that bold, high-energy impact that a pure superhero title like this one needs to get by, and just the right amount of emotional sensitivity to keep things a sufficiently grounded. Some mainstream artists deliver issues that are no more than a series of overly posed splashes and pin-ups; Scott’s work is no less consistently striking, but with a logic that respects the story at hand.
Conclusion: A marginal improvement over Robinson’s run, but that’s not saying much. I can give the series maybe an issue or two more to recover from near-ruin, but if the changes come too slowly, I’m afraid Dropping the series will be well overdue.
Grade: C
– Minhquan Nguyen
Some Musings: – I kind of like that Red Arrow allows some room for interpretation where Khalid’s nonsensical ramblings are concerned: “I don’t know if this is just insanity or if it’s prophetic, but either way it’s a pretty one-sided conversation.”
– I love that with the combined intellect of Terry Sloane and Michael Holt, their best solution to the Apokolips-Superman is simply to throw Dr. Fate in his way. No other plan.
Grade
Conclusion