Review: Superman # 39
Synopsis:
Superman is a difficult character to write for, ask anyone who writes for a living. He’s just to perfect a being. Having said that we go into this issue with Superman cleaning up a nefarious gang of goons. All for the enjoyment of the Children’s Cancer Center of Metropolis. He’s making a personal appearance. This reminds me of all of those George Reeves personal appearances I used to read about when I was younger. The star of the timeless Adventures of Superman TV series from the 1950’s would make personal appearances during the summer break between seasons. Oh, and this issue guest stars the main Justice League characters too!
The Creative Team:
Tomasi and Gleason have given us a feel-good issue where the Super-friends would take time out from their busy day to entertain terminally ill children. Yes, this does seem to be a filler story between creating another iconic tale for the Man of Steel, but it’s a great one. I’m sure the writers were inspired by the Make a Wish foundation. And the super-powered heroes bring some joy to these young fans. Then they bring them on the field trip of a life time! The children seem like real kids, not just caricatures and you can feel their emotional highs and lows. It’s great stuff. One young boy reminisces about a friend that he had just lost and wishes she could be with them. And Superman gives the young boy a boost of encouragement when he tells him that she’s here, seeing the event through his eyes. It’s a heartfelt moment that gives the story a human touch, and helps the reader imagine what it’s like to be in the situation that these kids are in. Where they could lose a friend at any time, and they know that they, themselves, may never see adulthood.
Kitson and Hanna bring these characters to scintillating life and the teaser at the beginning is a good set up. Something doesn’t seem right when Superman is run over by a steamroller, but we discover why he has that look on his face later and it’s a clever introduction to a spirited tale. The battle scenes are handled well and we get the sense that this is kind of routine for the Last Son of Krypton. But his routine lifestyle, which to us seems amazing, to him must seem boring by now. I especially loved the splash where Kal-El is standing before a window to the hospital and we get a mirrored image as we see the joy on these young peoples faces from inside the facility. It’s an issue that will definitely tug at your heart-strings.
In Conclusion:
Yes, this is a filler issue. There’s no earth threatening danger, no super powered bad guys, no internal conflict or cliff hanger to be continued arc. It’s just a simple tale. But Kudos to this creative team for bringing it to us. Because, you see, this is a story that has to be told. Our heroes go above and beyond the call of duty to inspire these forgotten youth. It’s a tale about sacrifice, about doing something for your fellow-man. These heroes take time out of their busy day to do something inspirational and I’ll take this story over any Crisis on Infinite Earth’s or Secret Wars or the coming of Galactus, or Darkseid or Thanos tale any day. Why? Because even though we can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound, or are more powerful than a locomotive, or run faster than a speeding bullet. We can do something that they did… take time out of our busy day… ***** (10 rating)
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Writer – Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason
Art – Barry Kitson, Scott Hanna
Colors – Gabriel Eltaeb
Letters – Rob Leigh
Publisher – DC
Author Profile
- Kevin Given has studied with “ Longridge Writers Group †and “ Writer’s Boot Camp †a speech/communications major from the University of Maine Presque-Isle/Orono sites. He has created the “ Karl Vincent Vampire Hunter †franchise which includes novels and comic books. They can be found on amazon, Indyplanet and Kindle. For a limited time you can get digital copies of “ Karl Vincent: Vampire hunter †# 1 and “ Files of Karl Vincent †# 1 for free on Indyplanet. Kevin is producing the third novel in the series “ Dracula Rising †(working title) and developing “ Foul Blood †into comic book form. Don't forget to check out the YouTube show " Comics: Let's Talk " hosted by Kevin Given
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