Joe Casey introduces a new super-hero who's running around Metropolis, and while his new-age schtick is introguing, the character is ultimately a rather bland one. If that weren't enough to hold this issue back, the writer -- and by extension, the title character -- seemingly abandons the main plotline of this issue, as represented on the cover. Derec Aucoin tells the story fairly clearly, and the bug children designs are striking. But the softness that I used to appreciate in his work, that used to set his art apart, is again not to be found here.
As one super-villain learns the hard way, there's a new hero in Metropolis, one whose methods are a bit more harsh and hands-on than those of the city's resident Man of Steel. Meanwhile, Clark Kent settles back in at The Daily Planet and learns that some new faces have popped up after his faux firing. A freaky development at a local care gets Clark and his wife moving, though. While Lois looks into things in her role as a Planet reporter, her significant other dons his familiar red cape and looks in on the matter from a different perspective altogether.
The Minuteman design is remarkably dull. He looks like a generic cat burglar rather than some unusual hero. I suppose it makes more sense for a hero carrying out a secret mission against approaching alien invaders to clothe himself only in black in order to remain unseen, but it makes for an uninteresting visual. The transformed chilren do look appropriately creepy, though, and the visual has the desired unsettling effect. Aucoin's pencils remind me once again of the style of Doug (JLA) Mahnke, but I miss the softer humanity that Aucoin used to bring to his characters.
That metamorphosis attracts Superman's attention, obviously, but what I found odd was that it didn't hold his attention. The insectoid children play a surprisingly small role in this issue. In fact, the issue as a whole lacks a focal plotline, a scene around which the rest of the story revolves. The Man of Tomorrow just seems to wander through the plot. There's no purpose at play here.
I mentioned before how the Minuteman design is rather generic, but the same holds true for the character's personality, or lack thereof. He has the typical "not in my city" attitude toward crimefighting, but behind it all is a rather extreme mission, one that doesn't even make a lot of sense. A guy who rubs his feet to enhance his physical abilities has been charged with repelling an alien incursion on Earth? If the plotting was more cohesive, it would be a rather laughable premise.
