Superman # 34
Writer-Geoff Johns
Penciller- John Romita JR.
Inker- Klaus Janson
Inker- Laura Martin
Review by Justin Townson
I’ve never been all that interested in Superman personally. I grew up reading the death and return story lines, but dropped off soon after. I’ve enjoyed stories here and there, like Birthright and All Star Superman, but I hadn’t been able get drawn into a monthly series since I was a kid. Greg Pak got my attention with Action Comics but I still wasn’t reading Superman proper. After hearing that Geoff Johns was taking over Superman writing duties, I figured it was a good time to try the series again. He was able to pull me into Green Lantern, I hoped that he could pull me into Superman. Well Mr. Johns, you got me. I really like this book.
After reading the first few issues of this run by Johns I felt just plain good. Superman has always been cast as the symbol for hope and the standard of all things good for the entire DC Universe, but the problem with his books for the last few years was that those traits seemed to be missing. They’re back in a big way here, especially the feeling of hope. When Johns writes Superman he is able to get that voice out, the voice that makes everything okay. The way he’s able to put others at ease just by being him, I’ve missed this so much. The storyline that’s going on isn’t the most complicated one you’ll read, but it is enjoyable. It’s been nice to see someone who understands what Clark had to deal with. While I hope it never happens, I keep waiting for the other proverbial shoe to drop. That drop hasn’t happened yet but I felt worried each time I turned the page that it was going to. I find myself really invested in this storyline and I want this to end in a certain way. Whether that ending is in the cards is still unknown but I’m really enjoying the ride while I wait to find out.
In many of my reviews I’ve said that art is so subjective and that one person’s taste can be wildly different than another’s. So with that in mind I’ll say I’ve never been a huge fan of John Romita Jr. His last few series at Marvel didn’t reach me at all. That being said, this is some of the better work I’ve seen from him. He’s been drawing these close ups of Clark’s face and he’s been able to capture the emotion Johns is trying to portray, which is adding to my enjoyment of the book.
Verdict
Buy it. This is a good and enjoyable comic book. Sometimes that’s all that’s needed to recommend something. Superman needed a breath of fresh air badly and Geoff Johns has been able to do that for me in a big way. Give this book a read.
