For a while, I've been lamenting the lack of a strong, compelling and accessible direction in the various Super-titles. And then "Lost Hearts" came along, and I was pleased to witness the arrival of an interesting story arc. With this issue, though, Geoff Johns does what some might have thought to be impossible: within the confines of DC continuity, he manages to say something new about the title character, examining the dark, despair-ridden side of the Man of Steel. This is one of the strongest Superman scripts to come along in the past three years.
Clark Kent finds himself overwhelmed by the emotional parasite attached to his chest, and he quickly descends into a pit of anger. Even Traci Thirteen, the young woman serving as his guide through the nasty streets of Washington, D.C.'s Hell's Heart neighborhood in his search for Lana Lang-Ross, is unable to sway him from his destructive (and self-destructive) path.
Derenick (and a squadron of inkers) tells the story clearly, and he captures Traci Thirteen's young, confident and seemingly carefree attitude quite well. But ultimately, the visuals here are simply ordinary. The emotional tone of the story calls for a much darker look, and it's just not to be found. Mind you, it's not as though Derenick's couldn't have pulled it off; he boasted an appropriately dark approach for a four-issue supernatural detective series from Marvel called Nightside. Fortunately, the Hories colors do convey that downtrodden and tense mood.
The organic, otherworldly nature of the plot catalysts is surprisingly effective at adding a creepy, even more tense tone to an already engaging read. Johns and Joe Kelly (the other writer involved in this story arc) have also crafted an interesting new character in Traci Thirteen who definitely merits further exposure within the DC Universe.
This story arc is ultimately all about self-pity. Lana has fallen deep into regret and despair, thinking back on the childhood fantasy relationship with Clark she built up in her head years ago. And Clark laments being different and resents having to hold back in the face of corruption, greed and disregard for one's fellow man.
Johns pulls off an interesting trick when it comes to the main character as well. Here, he is neither Superman nor Clark Kent. The angry figure at work in this chapter lies somewhere in between the two. His dark emotions are so compelling, I'm sorry that we likely won't see much of them -- at least not at this intensity -- once "Lost Hearts" is resolved next week.
