SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #121
"Diamonds and Steel"
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
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DC Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Todd Nauck
Inks: Lary Stucker
Colors: Wildstorm FX
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
This is a somewhat unique issue of Man of Steel, as it features a story by guest-writer Geoff Johns. Johns has proven himself to be a highly skilled super-hero writer, not just with his work on JSA and Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E., but most notably on The Flash, a title he and artist Scott Kolins have reinvigorated. Johns crafts a smart story and script here, but the art doesn't match the same level of quality.
The various gangs in Metropolis have consolidated under the Royal Flush Gang... not the one that fought the Justice League of America in the past, but a new quintet of villains. As journalist Clark Kent gets to the bottom of the politics of the street thanks to a police source, it's Superman who sets out to put an end to the Royal Flush Gang. Despite their lack of super-powers, though, this new gang may prove to be more formidable than any other than came before.
To my relief, Johns treats the craft of journalism -- as practised by Clark Kent in this story -- with a reasonable level of realism. There's also an aspect of the story that one could only describe as the politics of urban crime, and it's surprisingly believable. Another bonus is that at the heart of the plot is a battle of wills between Superman and a faceless young criminal that packs an emotional punch.
I've come to thoroughly enjoy Nauck's manga-inspired work on Young Justice. His style suits the youthful and often humorous tone of that title perfectly. However, here, his work seems rushed, and the opening sequence is rather difficult to follow. This does not represent Nauck's and Stucker's better efforts.
As he's done in other books, Johns takes an old super-hero/villain concept from yesteryear, dusts it off and creates something new and original in its place. He mixes nostalgia with more modern sensibilities with seeming ease. His vision for the new Royal Flush Gang is clever, and I hope we see more of it, and not just in the Superman books. There's enough potential in what Johns has done here for the concept to spread throughout the DC Universe.
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