Superman #37: Employee of the Month

In the aftermath of the DC K.O. event, Superman has disappeared. Now it’s up to Superman Prime to be the hero that Metropolis needs. Superman #37 continues in this Spring’s biggest comic event: Reign of the Superboys. Superman saved the world from Darkseid, but now Superman Prime is stuck in our timeline. The Justice League is not keen on trusting him, so he must prove that he can be redeemed and be the hero Metropolis needs. To do this, he must balance being Superman with being CK, his secret identity. Can the Justice League trust this fanboy? Or will Prime’s past always haunt him?  Find out in this amazing issue of Superman by Joshua Williamson with art by the astounding Dan Mora.

This event is blowing DC K.O. out of the water. This run of Superman has been excellent, and Joshua Williamson has done an exceptional job at tying in everything from the DC Universe to this story. This issue is all about Prime as he tries to figure out how to balance heroism and a secret identity. The inclusion of a fourth-wall-breaking character is always fun, and Williamson is able to add humorous commentary on things happening in comics. Williamson tends to play big: powerful cosmic forces, moral dilemmas, allied heroes & villains, threats that touch multiple parts of the DC Universe, but this goes beyond that. Prime can warp reality as we know it, so I am interested in seeing how this goes. Prime is living the fanboy dream, and it’s great to live through him on the pages. As a fan boy myself, I would also go visit Damian Wayne. This issue is told in a narrative format, and the cuts to different moments in the story add perfect pacing to the issue. If I had any complaints, it would be that I wish the issue was longer, because I can read this story all day. Since this issue is ingrained in a larger event, it’s less accessible to new readers, as there are several issues from other series you need to catch up on. If you miss just one book, you might be a little lost. However, if this event is executed well, it will leave a strong impression and make readers eager for the next chapter.

Dan Mora makes his triumphant return to the Superman pages, and I am eternally grateful.  After seeing Mora’s work in this book, it’s hard to celebrate anything else. Dan Mora is universally loved, and it’s for a good reason: his art is stunning, and he is unbelievably talented. The artwork by the Mora and Alejandro Sanchez complements the story beautifully, with dynamic action sequences that leap off the page. This issue is action-heavy, and Mora and Sanchez do an amazing job at conveying what is happening scene to scene. This issue is also full of beautiful splash pages that are so good I want to print them and frame them on my wall. This is an all-star creative team, and it feels like they are not holding back their talents at all with this arc.