Series – Superman (2014)Writer – Geoff JohnsArt – John Romita Jr. & Klaus JansonPublisher – DC ComicsSummary from Comixology: “The hit SUPERMAN run by Geoff Johns and John Romita Jr. continues with ‘THE MEN OF TOMORROW’ Chapter four! Superman and Ulysses are still dealing with the traumatic revelations of last issue, but the hunt for The Machinist must continue before his would-be-victims fall into his hands. But what happens when the two heroes learn the truth behind The Machinist and the cost to stopping his mad plan?”Overview-Superman is a hard character to do well. Despite being one of the first superheroes, over the years a lot of his stories have been… sub-par, which is frustrating because he is one of my all time favorite characters. A lot of this has to do with the sheer power of the character, but it mostly rests on the writer. When I first started reading Superman with its new creative team, I was worried they were going to do the same tired storyline that pops up all of the time — Superman facing his equal. In a way, with the introduction of Ulysses, they ARE doing this, but their take is fresh and I am enjoying the ride so far. Either way, the new creative team is crafting a story that is more palatable than anything we have seen so far for the New 52 Superman.Highs-Geoff Johns is a hell of a writer. The last page of this book managed to leave me with a sense of dread, which is pretty impressive since it was pretty clear what was about to happen. The fight with the Machinist was a lot of fun, and I thought this issue did a great job finishing the foundation for The Men of Tomorrow story arc. I expect the next issue will have some pretty epic confrontations between Superman and his new foe. I also like that they seem to be correcting the decision to have Clark be a blogger (… not that there is anything wrong with that) instead of working for the Planet. Lows-Unfortunately, the divisiveness of Romita Jr.’s art will ruin this book for some people. I don’t have a problem with his art personally, but his character designs can have the tendency to be a little jarring when compared to other takes of Superman. That being said, if you like (or don’t hate) Romita Jr.’s art, this book has very few drawbacks assuming you’ve been reading parts 1-3 of the Men of Tomorrow arc.The Final Say-I can’t say that Superman is my favorite book right now (that would be lying, and Superman doesn’t like that), but the new creative team is doing a good job drawing me back. The Men of Tomorrow has been a fun arc, and I am excited to see what happens next month. Superman is not the best book DC is putting out right now, but they are doing a good job making him interesting again. I give this book a 4 out of 5. The story alone is worth it as long as you start with issue 32.
