‘Superman’ #4 saw the three alien entities, which have all attacked and been thwarted by Superman over the past several issues, appearing at the apartment of Clark Kent. As this issue opens, Metropolis watches in terror as a vortex of fire and ice appears above Kent’s apartment. And swirling in the middle of this tornado of destruction… Superman!
The threat seemed ended when Superman appears to absorb the energy cyclone into himself. But then things get worse when Superman goes all Punisher on Metropolis and begins destroying his past enemies. He even goes so far as to attack a certain anti-Superman propagandist before the issue is out. But what has caused the Man of Steel to turn into a facist dictator intent on saving “his” city? I guess we’ll have to wait until next issue to find out!
Writer George Perez is in his stride with this issue. When I first started reading ‘Superman’ after the New 52 relaunch, I wasn’t sure I was going to like this title. But now it’s turned into a great fun read each month. Sure… it’s not my favorite New 52 book, but it is worth picking up and giving a go. Plus, with all of Perez’s dialogue-heavy panels, it’s easy to catch up on what’s been happening so far in the story so new readers should have no problem jumping right into the series pretty much anywhere.
The art from Nicola Scott (with breakdowns from Perez) is tight and well-fitted to the story that Perez has crafted. It’s a very modern take on Superman, but still retains a late 80s sort of vibe. It’ll be interesting to see what the next creative team brings to the book when Keith Giffen, Dan Jurgens and Jesus Merino take over ‘Superman’ beginning with issue #7.
Verdict: Buy
SUPERMAN #5
Written by GEORGE PEREZ
Art by NICOLA SCOTT and TREVOR SCOTT
Cover by GEORGE PEREZ
