These days, the Superman books generally just don't interest me. However, every so often, one of these creative teams knocks one out of the park with a self-contained story that gets to the heart of the character, making it even more confusing how they can miss the mark on a monthly basis. This issue is one of those stories, as Kelly tells a story of one of Superman's failures that helps to define his heroic persona and all of its successes. It's a story that uses Superman in an almost Astro City fashion, because while he is our point-of-view character, the story is all about one of the three million citizens of Metropolis, and how even such a small loss can be felt by the man who protects the city.
For me, some of the best Superman stories have come when Superman is faced with something he can't easily defeat. Whether it's a mundane problem like a missing friend or a social problem like the shifting morality of super-heroism, when Superman is forced to struggle and there's actually a chance he could lose more than just a temporary physical fight, suddenly I'm a lot more intrigued. Seeing Superman frustrated as he knows something but can't act on it without proving it makes him more human, more easy to relate to.
However, it's not just the challenge that makes this read so interesting to me. Kelly does a nice job of blending the super-heroic life and the mundane life of Superman and Clark Kent in this issue. Little interludes with Wonder Woman or Batman pay off with tidbits that impact on his investigation, but more than that they show that Superman is like us, that he still has to work while other things are on his mind, or he still has to seek the advice of friends. And as always, Kelly has a great handle on the Lois and Clark relationship; seeing the two of them investigate a mystery, even if they did seem more like cops than reporters at times, was a fun little read. Kelly also serves up plenty of heart-wrenching dialogue or narration, including Superman's determination to find Valentin or the finale of the issue, written by Lois.
One of the reasons I'm not a fan of the Superman books right now is because I don't think the manga-influenced art style that has become its defining style is suited to the character. However, Pascual Ferry and Mark Morales do a very good job on the artwork this issue. I could have wished for a little more change in the backgrounds on the opening sequence, but the storytelling that shows time passing was very effective anyway. And some of the Superman sequences, featuring a giant volcano or a defunct giant robot, are very impressive.
It seems that good Superman stories are few and far between, at least by the criteria I use to measure them. This one doesn't feature a disappointing waste of potential like the Lex Luthor as President story or a lot of convoluted subplots that trip up the casual reader. Instead, it's a good standalone Superman story, something we could use a lot more of in the books.
