Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Superman #11 Review

By Andy Frisk
July 27, 2012 - 14:00

A couple of issues back, Superman saved a Russian sub that was having problems at the bottom of the sea. The sub was there on a secret scientific mission that Superman finds out involved their extra-dimensional search for their "own Superman" or some such nonsense. Of course, Clark, interrupted from a double date with Lois, her new man-toy, and Lois' sister Lucy (who was blasphemously supposed to be Clark's date) has to fly to Russia to solve the problem and ends up fighting a Predator-looking alien monster whom the Russians have unknowingly released. Oh yeah, we also get a little insight into the new supersuit and how it works...it's kinda like Iron Man's armor...

I simply cannot believe that DC Comics is allowing Superman to continue to be this bad. First off, us long term Superman readers know that Clark shouldn't be dating Lucy. It's just wrong. I won't bother to rehash my ire towards the undoing of the Lois and Clark marriage though. Second, Superman is fighting a superpowered and rampaging alien AGAIN? At least in the last issue the villain had a little depth to her. Granted there is a little mystery and attempt at storytelling here. At least we really don't know much about this Predator looking alien...but that's weak.

With the new Man of Steel trailer wowing audiences and giving me goosebumps, you'd think that DC Comics would be in a hurry to get their Superman Family books in line and up to a decent level of storytelling fast, but then again it did take them almost 7 years to get Batman in line with his excellent silver screen reboot. The only S-book that has been a decent read has been Grant Morrison's Action Comics, but he's abandoning that ship soon. I fear for the future quality of Superman in print. At least we can look forward to Man of Steel and the Superman: Earth One Part 2. That's slim worthy pickings for Superman fans though...was it really just a year or so ago that the S-Family books were so good with New Krypton and Secret Origin: Superman on the shelves and Straczynski writing the character? How the mighty have fallen...

Jurgens' art is good, but since he's not finishing his own work, it looks wildly disproportionate here and there and is a pretty far cry from his 1990s work on the character. It's decent, but just reminds one of the glory days of the 1990s Superman books without ever coming close to the grandeur of them.

Loyal Superman fans have weathered tough times where our favorite superhero has been poorly presented (remember Superman IV?). All we can hope for is that Man of Steel is as good as it's teaser trailer hints it might be and that the comics follow suit...eventually.

Rating: 3 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12