I didn't know what to expect from this new creative team. It's been a long time since I sampled Mark Verheiden's comics work (and I don't watch Smallville), and Ed Benes has run hot and cold for me in the past. After reading the issue, I came away feeling as though I'd read a solidly entertaining Superman story, but it wasn't without its flaws. The script isn't the most accessible I've read, and Benes's penchant for amping up the T&A quotient hasn't faded. Verheiden brings an almost spiritual tone to the title character here, but the story is ultimately hindered by the fact that its purpose isn't at all clear.
Superman's been missing for a couple of weeks, and it isn't until a giant replica of his symbol is burned into a South American rain forest that authorities realize he's constructing a new Fortress of Solitude, this time in a more tropical climate. The Planet catches wind of his unusual sabbatical, and journalist Lois Lane-Kent and Jimmy Olsen head south to check it out. They find a dejected Kal-El, trying to reconnect with his alien roots while strengthening his connection to his adopted homeworld. Little do they know that mysterious forces are conspiring to ruin the Man of Steel's benevolent plans.
Benes captures the power of the Man of Tomorrow nicely, as well as his unusually intense emotional state in this story. He also conveys the cold, creepy and powerful qualities of the OMAC construct quite well. I don't as strong a sense of place in the new Fortress; there's rarely a clear sense of where the characters are in relation to the main setting. Furthermore, designing a corrupt and manipulative druglord with Daisy Duke in mind is hardly inspired. The artist's efforts to include some gratuitous female sexuality in the visual component of this story are transparent and don't at all add to the storytelling.
My hat's off to Verheiden for actually coming up with a logical reason to have Daily Planet reporters chasing Superman around the globe. Mind you, Lois and Jimmy's near fatal goof upon arriving in hostile territory is rather ridiculous and hard to swallow. Those following DC's new OMAC Project limited series will no doubt love seeing an element from that book turning up here. The premise of that book isn't explained here, but there's enough of a sense of the Powers That Be and their paranoia over Superman that the new incarnation of OMAC works here, even for the uninitiated.
The most fascinating aspect of the script is Superman's personal crisis as he tries to find himself and where he belongs in the world. The character's confusion, sadness and moments of contentment rung true. My problem with this internal conflict is that I don't know how it arose. Verheiden gives the reader no sense of what led the Man of Steel to this emotional turning point and such a radical retreat from his civilian life. It seems to come from out of nowhere. 6/10
