Superman #39: Comic Book Inception

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 #38 continues 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. After saving the day with his new love interest, Witchfire, Prime is pulled from the comics by Manchester Black. What does Manchester Black want with Prime? And what genres will he subject Prime to in order to get what he wants? Horror, romance, INDIE? All this and more in this marvelous 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 love as Prime continues to figure out how to balance heroism and a secret identity. Witchfire is a welcome addition to this story, and it sets up a new Justice League Dark perfectly. I hope we get to continue to see magic users and supernatural DC characters in the future, because they are my favorite. The fourth wall joke of Superman Prime falling in love with a magic user makes perfect sense for this fourth wall-breaking character, and it just proves Williamson’s genius.

The inclusion of a fourth-wall-breaking character is always fun, and Williamson is able to add humorous commentary on things happening in comics. He brings it to the extreme with this issue, and helps to make Prime feel distinct from any other Superboy (has he earned the man?). 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 were longer, because I can read this story all day.

Dan Mora makes his triumphant return to the Superman pages, and I am eternally grateful.  He deserves all the praise in this issue, as he is able to keep his style distinct across genres. 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 Mora complements the story beautifully, with dynamic action sequences that leap off the page. This issue is fourth-wall heavy, and Mora does 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.