Behind the Capes

Get your own digital copy ! Truth, Justice, Family Written by Patrick Gleason and Peter J. Tomasi, Words, Art and Cover by Patrick Gleason, Colors and Cover Colors by Stephen Downer, Letters by Tom Napolitano, Associate Editor - Jessica Chen, Editor - Paul Kaminski Initial Reactions With the exception of a "Special #1" issue coming in early May, this is the end of the Tomasi and Gleason run.  I have loved most of what they have given us, and they helped re-establish the core of the character that was missing in the New 52.  This is not an intense, action-packed issue, but it doesn't need to be.  Like I mentioned in my post on their story in Action #1000 , they have continually focused on the heart of the whole Kent family.  We also get to see what the surviving bizarros are up to, and it is delightfully mundane.  Those boys have been through a lot, so to have lives like normal children is a gift!  This is a satisfying ending to the Kent's time in...

Get your digital version here ! Bizarroverse, Part 3:  "As a Family We Go" Written by: Patrick Gleason & Peter J. Tomasi, Pencils by: Doug Mahnke, Inks by: Jaime Mendoza & Doug Mahnke, Colors: Wil Quintana, Letters: Rob Leigh, Cover: Patrick Gleason & Alejandro Sanchez, Associate Editor: Jessica Chen, Editor: Paul Kaminski Initial Reactions: This final arc for Tomasi and Gleason continues to be very strong.  Sure, each issue takes a little bit for me to get used to reading Bizarro-speak, but the family parallels that are dealt with hit a strong chord.  At first, I was wondering why Tomasi and Gleason would tell a Bizarro story for their last full arc.  As we go, it continues to emphasize the strength Superman finds in his family.  In my opinion, this has been the core of their run, so it actually makes perfect sense for this to be their curtain call. The Story: We open on Htrae, which is now overrun by bizarros.  The opening monol...

Join In On the Fun!  Get Your Copy Here . Bizarroverse, Part 2:  Black Mirrors Writers - Patrick Gleason & Peter J. Tomasi, Pencils & Inks - Patrick Gleason with Joe Prado, Colors - Stephen Downer, Letters - Rob Leigh, Cover - Patrick Gleason & Alejandro Sanchez, Associate Editor - Jessica Chen, Editor - Paul Kaminski Initial Reactions This issue is a lot of fun.  When we were first introduced to the bizarro doppelgangers last issue , it was an interesting direction with some great character beats from the Super Family.  In this week's issue the bizarro-ness gets cranked up to eleven, and it is a blast!  We get more great family character beats, and the reveal at the end is gloriously "fun" (You'll understand the reference by the end of the issue). The Story The issue opens parallel to issue 42, when Jon darts from Hamilton County after his day with Kathy.  The difference is we are seeing everything from Nobody's (Maya Ducard's) pe...

What Would Superman Do? Writer - Dan Jurgens, Art - Will Conrad, Color - Ivan Nunes, Letters - Rob Leigh, Cover - Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund & Andrew Dalhouse, Assistant Editor - Andrea Shea, Editor - Paul Kaminski Initial Reactions This was a bittersweet issue for me as this is the last full issue by the creative team.  Dan Jurgens' run on this title has been my favorite of everything that has come out since the 2016 Rebirth initiative.  In fact, it was Action Comics that got me back into reading single-issue comics again.  Like their counterparts on Superman , the entire run has been full of heart and I know this will go down as a personal favorite run of mine.  As for the issue itself, it excellently encapsulates heart of both Clark and Superman.  If you are emotionally connected to Superman like I am, this issue is absolutely for you! The Story The issue opens with Jon opening the door to welcome in his granddad Sam Lane.  A quick catch-up...

Bizarroverse Part 1: Father of Boyzarro Patrick Gleason & Peter J. Tomasi - Writers. Patrick Gleason - Artist, Alejandro Sanchez - Colors, Rob Leigh - Letters, Patrick Gleason & John Kalisz - Cover, Jessica Chen - Assistant Editor, Paul Kaminski - Editor Initial Reactions: I liked this issue, and enjoy the setup to this arc.  I had to read the Bizarro prologue a few times to absorb what he was saying due to the way he speaks, but those pages were very interesting.  The issue focuses on the heart of the Superman book since Rebirth, which is the Kent family.  Until we get to the last page, we are left feeling a real warmth, like we were guests at their family dinner.  The issue is really just setting up the whole arc, with no real action, but the family beats and the juxtaposition between the Kents and the Bizarros is very interesting. The Story:  The issue opens with an inner monologue from Bizarro.  He is lamenting that his family doesn't...

Booster Shot, Conclusion Writer - Dan Jurgens, Art- Will Conrad, Color - Ivan Nunes, Letters - Rob Leigh, Cover - Conrad & Nunes, Assistant Editor - Andrea Shea, Editor - Paul Kaminski Initial Reactions I like this issue a lot.  I have really enjoyed Dan Jurgens' stories since he went on the title to begin Rebirth.  While I know how subjective this statement is, this issue continues to get Superman "right" in my opinion.  This entire arc has been about the importance of family.  This is something Superman has been embracing since Rebirth in both titles, and Jurgens absolutely sticks the landing in the conclusion to this arc.  That is without even mentioning Booster Gold in this story.  He does some amazing things in this issue alone that allows Superman to focus on the family that he loves so much, even though it likely means he will be facing some stiff punishment.   While I am excited for Bendis to have his turn with the Man of St...

The Last Days:  Part Two Story - James Robinson, Artist - Ed Benes, Colorist - Dinei Ribeiro, Letterer - Rob Leigh, Cover - Viktor Bogdanovic with Mike Spicer, Associate Editor - Jessica Chen, Editor, Paul Kaminski Initial Reactions I am still conflicted about this story.  The inhabitants of Galymayne are shown in a more sympathetic light, and we even see that this planet's destiny is more like Krypton than what we initially thought.  In the end, there was some really good "Superman" moments in this issue, but the tail end of this book left me disappointed. The Story Our story opens up with Superman and Jon battling the inhabitants of Galymayne.  Then we flash back to Superman, Jon, and their lone ally Klain (the only scientist on the planet) frantically making their way to his lab.  Klain is sure that the militia is already there, ready to take them in.  The readers are reminded that Galymayne is full of religious zealots.  In fact, we lear...

Booster Shot, Part V Writer - Dan Jurgens, Pencils - Brett Booth, Inks - Norm Rapmund, Colors - Andrew Dalhouse, Letters - Rob Leigh, Cover - Booth, Rapmund, and Dalhouse, Assistant Editor - Andrea Shea, Editor - Paul Kaminski Initial Reactions I really like this issue!  Pairing Booster Gold with Superman has turned out to be a very fun ride with some humor sprinkled throughout.  However, this seems to be the issue where we ratchet up the stakes, and that humor takes a back seat.  We see powerful examples of the trappings of revenge, the power of family, and even some interesting Good Friday parallels. The Story The first page is a summary of the events leading to the issue.  Here we are reminded that Mr. Oz claims to be Superman's father from an alternate timeline and Booster Gold prevented him from getting the answers he was looking for because it could disrupt the time stream.  We are also shown that Zod, Ursa, and Lor-Zod are living in the future,...