Written By: George Perez
Penciled And Inked By: Jesus Merino
Colors By: Brian Buccellato
Letters By: Carlos M. Mangual
Cover By: Perez & Buccellato
Superman is the people’s champion, but General Lane is highly suspicious of the last son of Krypton. Superman #2 presents a story of doubt, both within Superman and within the hopes that the people of Metropolis have placed in the Man of Steel. And what better way to show Superman’s incompetence than by having him fight a villain that he can’t see, hear, or smell.
Even if comics priced at the $2.99 mark were still being published with 22 pages instead of 20, George Perez’s story would still need to be decompressed in order to fit. Last month Supes fought an alien fire monster, and this month he fights an invisible foe that’s only invisible to him. The reason why is unclear, but both attackers in their defeat and sudden disappearance, utter the word “Krypton,” sending obvious clues of their connection to the destroyed planet and to Superman himself. So far, despite the fact that the story in #2 seemed a bit hurried, I enjoyed it tremendously.
Having General Lane starting as one of the rebooted series ‘s first nemesis is fantastic! The two creatures Supes has had to fight this far, sure they’re enemies, but I don’t include them into Superman’s list of foes. I can already tell that, after Luthor, General Lane is definitely going to be a thorn in Superman’s side. Isn’t it interesting, now especially, how the two more annoying arch nemesis Superman is going to have are both mortals with no powers?
I love Merino’s classic art style, especially since this series is starting off more with the old classic Superman folklore in place, what with the obligatory “Superman vs. random monsters” motif springing throughout issue #1 and #2. But along with that comes a certain amount of clarity and depth in every single panel, with more detail than most artists are willing to experiment with.
I like receiving my comics in the mail through the subscription service offered by DC Comics, but it certainly sucks to have to wait two to three weeks to get them. However, I’m greatly looking forward to seeing where this story arc goes and why alien monsters are targetting Superman, as well as watching Lois and Clark’s relationship blossom while General Lane’s bigoted hatred towards Superman grow over time.
9 out of 10 stars
