Superman (vol.3) #1 (2011)

Superman (vol.3) #1 (November, 2011)
"What Price Tomorrow?"
Writer/Breakdowns - George Perez
Penciller/Inker - Jesus Merino
Colorist - Brian Buccellato
Letterer - Carlos M. Mangual
Associate Editor - Will Moss
Editor - Matt Idelson
Cover Price: $2.99

I had this whole intro planned out... and mostly written, however by the time I got to my "point" it felt a rather out of place for the humble blog.  The quick of it is, I just learned that a fella I followed on YouTube for years has passed away... not anyone I knew personally, or had very many exchanges with... but still, it stinks.

I dunno... I'm not a talented enough writer to truly put my thoughts on this subject into words so I'll just end it here.  RIP Emer.

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We open in Metropolis with a view of the iconic Daily Planet building.  A history lesson informs us as to what an institution the Planet has been to Metropolis for well over a century (almost two!)... which is the perfect time to, er... implode it?  Our focus shifts to the all-new Daily Planet building, which I'm guessing is actually the Galaxy Communications building... perhaps?  Whatever it is, it's way too overblown to be the home of just a humble newspaper... or maybe not, what do I know?

The implosion of the old building is being aired during a gala event taking place at the new one.  Here we meet new Planet owner Morgan Edge, who gets a new look, along with the core (or our core) Daily Planet staffers... well, minus a couple... neither Jimmy Olsen nor Clark Kent is nowhere to be seen.

That's because Clark's currently hovering above the ruins of the old Daily Planet building.  Oh, Clark Kent is still Superman in this The New-52! world... spoiler alert.  Jimmy's also there filming the wreckage alongside a young lady named Miko.  Miko tweets (erg) out that Superman was just seen... and we shift to the soon-to-open Metropolis Astrodome, where a pair of security guards are dutifully... watching the news.  On another one of their monitors they see an bit of flame, which vanishes just as soon as it appears.

We rejoin Superman in the air.  His super-hearing is picking up Morgan Edge's address at the gala... it's here we learn that W-GBS is getting some new call letters to commemorate it's acquisition of the Daily Planet... PGN, "Planet Global Network".  He flashes back to an argument he had with Lois about the merger.  Lois is adamant that it's the only way forward... after all, print is dying (this was during DC's first month of same-day digital comics), Clark feels that Galaxy is too scummy a company to be in bed with.  It's revealed that as part of the merger, Lois is getting a big executive promotion to Vice-President of New Media, which may have something to do with her stance.  We also learn that she had been both a news anchor and newspaper reporter to this point, and Clark would be her replacement going forward.

We get a brief aside to an alien blowing a horn, which comes with a footnote to check out Stormwatch #1... an early attempt at New-52! cohesiveness that we will ignore, before returning to the Astrodome where one of the security guards is investigating the odd vanishing flame.

Back with Superman... in the distance, he sees a news chopper and police helicopter converging, and figures it would behoove him to check it out.  What he discovers is a couple of masked geeks trying to steal a tanker truck.  One mentions that they thought Superman was "out of town", which we get the impression is a widely-held belief at this point.

Back at the gala we meet Ms. "Izzy" Izquierdo, the new publisher of the Daily Planet.  She assures Perry White that he's still the "final word", as she intends to be hands-off in her approach.  News of the tanker-theft hits the party, and Lois in her capacity of VP must act.  At the same time, Superman has swooped under the tanker and has carried it into the sky.

Back at the Astrodome... that flitting flame, goes boom!

We rejoin Jimmy, Miko, and a cameraman as they are hot on the trail of Superman and the tanker.  Superman's trying to reason with the clown-masked geeks... and threatens to just hurl the tanker into orbit.  He gives them until the count of three to disarm... however, by the time he reaches "two", the tanker... goes boom!

The Metropolitans watch in shock from the ground below.  All anyone can see via the televised news footage is a ball of flame.  Superman recovers from the blast, and sees his present threat... a fire creature?

Over the next several pages, we see Superman and the fire creature duking it out.  Lois calls to her news chopper, and tells them to fall back... much to the annoyance of Morgan Edge.  She isn't willing to risk any lives to get the story, buuuut... that's not the woman Edge hired.

Back on the street, Superman has fallen back to the old-Daily Planet ruins and fetches the old-Daily Planet globe, which he hurls at the baddie!  Wow, that's actually what happens on the cover!

In the distraction, Superman spears the fire fella into orbit... where, without oxygen it gets snuffed out with the quickness.  There is no humanoid form underneath the flame... it was a being composed entirely of a mystical fire.  Upon extinguishing, the fire below also goes out... leaving no evidence of having even burned in the first place!

We wrap up with the biggest gut-punch of the issue.  Clark heads down a hallway in an apartment building and buzzes a doorbell.  Behind the door is... Lois Lane!  They chat for a bit before being interrupted by Jonathan... Lois Lane's boyfriend!  Welp, that answers that.

--

Ehh...

This feels less like a Superman comic and more like an... Ultimate Superman comic.  Lemme 'splain... Now, being a dude who is almost completely hung up on continuity and lore, it may come as a surprise that I really... really enjoyed Ultimate Spider-Man when it first hit shelves.  It didn't matter to me that we were getting re-imaginings of many stories we'd already read... it didn't matter that it only took about three minutes to read an issue (but upwards of a year to finish a story)... it was just good writing and characterization with great art.  It also helped matters greatly that the "real" Spidey books (Amazing Spider-Man and Peter Parker: Spider-Man) were also still coming out every month.  With The New-52! and this "Ultimate Superman", there were no "real" Supes book coming out to lessen the sting... this was now the only Superman we were gonna get... and that sucked.

As a fella who was there (maaaaaaan), I remember anytime any annoyed/hurt DC Comics fan would express their annoyance or disappointment we would get the come-back (from pros, fans, and people who pretend to care about comics alike) of "Those old stories are right there on your shelf... nobody's taking them from you" which is not only condescending and dismissive... it totally misses the point.  Sure, those stories are there... but they no longer matter.  There are comics fans (like myself) who need these stories to matter.  We've spent so much time (and money) investing in these stories, and to be told (in so many words) that they never happened... really sucks.  Ya gotta remember, we were told at the onset of The New-52! that these versions were the "onlys"... the pre-Flashpoint stuff never occurred, not even on a parallel Earth... these were it.

As a first issue... it's not that great.  DC really rode the fence here, taking for granted that non-comics readers might not know who all the Daily Planet staffers are... or care about them.  This doesn't feel especially new-reader friendly to me... there's just too much relying on the past to truly move forward.  I know they were bound by this nebulous/ridiculous "five year timeline", but... I gotta say, if I were new to comics and snagged this... I doubt I'd have any interest in coming back for the next issue.  Even as a seasoned fan, the writing is kinda on the wall... it feels like we're eventually going to get a Lois and Clark relationship... and we'll go through the motions to get a 21st Century take on Superman's greatest hits (just like what happened for several Ultimate Spider-Man story arcs).  Of course, we'd soon learn that they just had zero idea what to do with Superman.

While I didn't enjoy this, there are some positives.  Up until the gut-punch ending, this could have very much been Superman (vol.1) #715.  We open with the all-new Daily Planet/Galaxy acquisition/merger, which... could've happened (again) in the pre-Flashpoint world.  Morgan Edge's race-shifting is what it is, but doesn't need to be addressed... hell, you can throw a "Junior" on the end of his name and everything'd be cool.  We learn that Superman has been "away", which... hell, could've been a reference to his Grounded walkabout.  This could have very easily been just "the next issue" until the ending.  To my mind, that's a plus.

Also, the art.  Jesus Merino is incredibly talented and mixes some great dynamic action with some nice-looking talking heads.  I'd say that the art is definitely the high point here.  That's not to say Perez' writing was poor... not at all, it's just not the story I wanted to read.  I don't think any writer would be able to make this a story I'd want to read... and I'd wager after this, I'll never read it again.

Overall... it's hard for me to give this a recommendation.  It's this story, and those like it that made me go from buying nearly every DC release... to picking up maybe 2-3 comics a month.  It may be worth it as a novelty... as it's interesting to see what kind of story (and what kind of Superman) DC thought would bring the new/lapsed readers flooding in (which they did... for a month or two).  This series had the misfortune of standing beside Action Comics Volume 2 (by Grant Morrison/Rags Morales) which was going to give us the new-est origin... much of which, it appears Perez wasn't privy to.  If you absolutely need to read a New-52! Superman book, Action Comics is probably the one you should pick up.

Boy, this was a babbly "review"!  Sorry 'bout that!

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Superman (vol.3) #42 (2015)

Superman (vol.3) #42 (September, 2015)
"Before Truth, Part 2"
Writer - Gene Luen Yang
Penciller - John Romita, Jr.
Inker - Klaus Janson
Colorists - Dean White, Wil Quintana & Tomeu Morey
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor - Andrew Marino
Group Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $3.99

DCYou... remember that?  Me neither.

--

We open on the outskirts of Metropolis where Clark, Jimmy, Lois and Condesa are collecting themselves following Clark having been shot.  Oughta mention, this was around the time he discovered his Solar Flare power, which would leave him powerless for 24-hours following use... and boy oh boy did he use it... like every issue.  The group is suddenly ambushed by a group of Techno Ninjas... which Clark just thrashes his way through.

When the techno-dust settles, Lois finally confronts Clark.  She's noticed things ever since he... and Superman... arrived in Metropolis.  He isn't terribly keen on continuing the conversation, and pulls away... unfortunately for him, she won't let go... and his clothes tear.  Welp, that's underwhelming.

Lois is surprised, and rather ticked that he'd been keeping this from her.  She's even less pleased to learn that he'd already let Jimmy in on his secret (a few issues earlier).  And, wouldja look at that, Condesa also knows!  Ya see, she worked with Hordr_Root, who has been sending our man some threatening text messages of late.  Hordr_Root?  Have I said "underwhelming" yet?

Condesa also mentions a top secret campus where Hordr_Root and his, er... followers? students? employees? work.  They need to wear  strange techno facewear in order to enter, as these diet-Dr. Doom masks will serve as their identification cards.  Condesa speaks some binary techno-babble into the mask to program it... is there anything she can't do?  The answer to that is... sigh, probably not.  Oh, she's also flirting with Jimmy, I should probably mention that.

Anyhoo, the gang masks up and waits for a campus-bound bus... which, it would appear, travels the road less traveled.

Along the way, Clark tries to continue his chat with Lois... who despite choosing to sit right next to him, isn't in the mood to talk.  She says that she no longer thinks of him as a friend... or partner.  Condesa tells them to shut their yaps as they're just about to arrive.

After touching down, Clark, the gang, and the entire Hordr_Horde are addressed by a giant holographic image of Hordr_Root.  We learn that their ultimate goal is to "remake the world".  What an original idea!

It isn't long before Clark and company are found out for their bogus facial apparati.  They find themselves surrounded by some armored types... maybe robots, who knows.  Anyhoo, Clark grabs Jimmy and Lois and super-speeds them to safety.  He didn't choose to leave Condesa behind... she had wandered off.  He brings them to a building, and punches a hole in the wall revealing something pretty interesting...

The trio are then greeted by the man himself, Hordr_Root (which hasn't become any less annoying to type).  He brings with him both Condesa and... an offer.  He claims that everything he'd put Clark/Superman through these past few weeks were just a test to see if he was Horde material... and wouldn'tcha know it, he passed!  Clark tells him to pound sand, and a fight with Hordr_Security is on.

While he fights the bots, Superman calls out to Jimmy and Lois, imploring them to chase Hordr_Root, and try to make all of the other employees leave the Hordr_Plex.  Jimmy happens across Condesa (which I keep trying to spell with two S's) and she easily puts him in a hammerlock and presses him, face first, into a wall.  She whispers in his ear that her IQ is 150, and she scored 1580 on her SATs... okay, no she didn't... but she does tell him that she's not really with Hordr_Root, she just sided with him to protect a secret of her own... probably something to do with her perfection.

Back in the monitor room, Lois clocks Hordr_Root in the head with a metal pipe.  He goes down like a sack'a potatahs, and his mask shatters.  It would appear that Root is no more than a child... go figure.  As Lois grabs him by the collar, he digitizes and vanishes, claiming that this body is just a "node".

Elsewhere, Condesa has led Jimmy to the holographic PA system, so his freckly face can take to the skies above the campus and issue a warning.

In the monitor room, the robots are proving to be rather difficult for Superman to take down... and so, this being a DCYou era book, he resorts to the, say it with me... Super Flare.  Toldja it was like every issue.  Even Jimmy says "Oh no... again?!"

The issue wraps with Condesa getting the flying bus started as Lois and Jimmy load Clark's naked, powerless backside on board.

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Sooooo... hmm.  I do believe I said "underwhelming" a few times during that synopsis.

Now, let's take this discussion piecemeal.  There's a bit to dig through here... we've got the story, the threat, the cast, and the reveal.

Let's start with the reveal.  Like I said, underwhelming.  This entire story is the systematic removal of the secret identity.  Many people, myself included point to the New-52! as DC aping Image in the 1990's.  If you were to ask me, I'd say DCYou is DC aping Marvel around the turn of the century... the Bill Jemas days.  Where things like "secret identities" were just those "comic booky" things that forty year olds who live in their parents' basements cared about.  So many things they were throwing at the wall in hopes that something... anything would stick.

I can't imagine where DC saw this going... and I have a difficult time thinking that Rebirth was already in the works at this point.  Despite claims to the contrary, I still feel that DC licks their finger and holds it up to see which way the wind's blowing on a regular basis... which fuels a bit of my trepidation and affects my level of commitment with the organization's wares.

Keeping with the reveal, let's talk creative team.  Nothing against Gene Yang or JRJR... I've liked most everything Yang has written, and I remain a staunch Romita Jr. supporter, I feel this storyline... being a (would'a/could'a/should'a) DC Universe-altering one, it should have been left to a more seasoned DC Comics storytelling combination... and not a fella writing his third or fourth DC Comic, and one of the biggest and most identifiable Marvel artists of all time.  It just made me feel that DC wasn't making a big enough deal out of something which, in my opinion, should have been huge.  I mean, we're talking almost eighty years of secret identity being flushed away here.

Speaking of flushed away... I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this here.  I know I've said this a few times, but can't recall if it was here or social media or a podcast or something... there is that bit about not being able to put any genies back in the bottle.  I mean, not completely, anyway.  As of this writing, the secret identity is "back", in that nobody knows Clark and Superman are one in the same... but that doesn't change the fact that we have already read the story in which they did!  We know how Perry, Lex, and the world at large react to learning the secret.  This wasn't meant to be a "What if...?" story or "Imaginary Story" (and I don't subscribe to Alan Moore's "... aren't the all?" line of thinking).  These reactions and the stories that sprung from them were supposed to be the real deal.  It kinda takes any oomph out of any future secret identity-centric stories... and weakens the concept of secret identity as a whole.  Who knows... maybe it's just me.

I think back to Spider-Man's big reveal during Civil War (aka, the book that cured me of my Marvel-Zombitude).  We saw how the world reacted to it... we say Jonah's frustration, anger, and feelings of betrayal... we dealt with all that, we digested it.  So, when Brand New Day happened, they tried putting that genie back in the lamp... but, if you ask me... they couldn't.  We already know how people, good, bad, and indifferent are going to react to the reveal... so, it's not a story we'll be "cautiously looking forward to" ever again.

Back to the issue itself... Hordr_Root.  He's not a bad idea for a villain... I actually quite like the concept.  I don't think he should've been the catalyst behind the reveal... but, then again, a lotta folks thought Doomsday shouldn't have been the one to kill him back in 1992.  I will say however, I'm a bit "over" heroes coming across a bank of monitors which show all of their secrets.  Seems like we're going to that well a bit too often these days.

Let's talk Condesa.  Wow... when they got on the bus, I was half expecting it to break down as they were passing a high school football game... so she could score the winning touchdown, then repair the rig.

Overall... the story isn't a bad one... if we take all the reveal nonsense out of the equation.  I purposely didn't reread the one where Lois sends the magical worldwide "tweet of revelation", because I didn't want my brain to leak out of my ear... but this issue... underwhelming, but not offensively so.

If you wanna read about the first, real, and only marginally less underwhelming "Lois finds out" issue, feel free to check out my coverage by clickin' the cover below:

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Superman (vol.3) #51 (2016)

Superman (vol.3) #51 (June, 2016)
"The Final Days of Superman, Part 1: This Mortal Coil"
Story & Words - Peter J. Tomasi
Art & Color - Mikel Janin
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor - Andrew Marino
Group Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $3.99

I know I try to keep this blog fairly steeped in DC Comics history, only visiting contemporary stories when they actually move me to do so.  I'm pleased to say this is happening a little more often of late.  DC is really firing on all cylinders, at least in as far as the books that I'm reading.  I thought for certain that once the Rebirth announcements happened, we would be entering into something of a lame-duck period until the re-whatever-it's-gonna-be was put in place.  I can say with a modicum of certainty that this is not the case (again, at least in the books I'm following).  This issue of Superman was an unexpected delight, and I am looking forward to sharing my thoughts on it.  By the way... don't look now, but... I think that's a triangle number under the logo.   I'll concede that I'm perhaps a bit more giddy over that than I should be.

Since this is a new-one, I'll keep my comments somewhat brief lest I spoil too much.

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We open with the troubling realization that Superman is dying.  He is at the Fortress, and is putting himself through some vigorous tests.  He thinks back to all of the recent events that led him here, including the Kryptonite vault from Savage Dawn, the Darkseid War, and even his battle with Rao (so I guess Justice League of America is in continuity after all!).

Superman bids Krypto farewell and heads out saving many a distressed citizen along the way.  He lands in Smallville at the Lang home where he finds Lana attending to some yard work.  The two reconnect, and share a touching moment on the swings.

Clark takes Lana to his parents' grave site and fills her in on his current mortality-related issues.  He asks that she bury him alongside his folks.

Back in Metropolis Superman reconnects with Lois Lane.  He picks her up at her apartment and takes her for a flight.  He tells her he wants her to tell the world the story of his life, both as Clark Kent and as Superman.

Intermittently throughout this issue we observe snippets related to the upcoming Gene Luen Yang series New Super-Man featuring the character of Kenan Kong.  We don't get much, but I am fairly intrigued by what we did get.

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Now, where has this guy been?  For much of the past half-decade I have been aggressively opposed to accepting this Superman.  He would never be my post-Crisis Clark Kent, and ever since Convergence I'd been waiting for the real-steel-deal to retake his proper place in the DC Universe... and now, the New-52 CK is finally acting like the man he was born to become... right as we're learning he may not escape this story line with his life.  Crazy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this issue.  It really made me feel something for this version of Superman.  I can literally count on my hand how many times I'd been emotionally invested in Superman since Flashpoint, however, and this is a testament to the talents of Peter J. Tomasi and Mikel Janin... I now actually care about this character.  A wonderful issue, words and art alike, from first-page to last.  I anxiously await what's to come, and I cannot believe I'm actually somewhat fearful and upset that this (fake, bogus, imposter) Superman may actually die.

If we really are replacing the new with the old, I must admit... it is kind of bittersweet.  Comics generations seem to move faster than "real" generations, so I think I can comfortably say that... if new CK is bound for the ground, a generation of (DC) Comics fans are losing their Superman... that doesn't make me nearly as happy as I thought it would.  I remember when the announcement of the New-52 occurred, and message boards were filled with folks celebrating that the old characters were being written out, and mocking those of us who were upset by it.  We were the old guard, that needed to go... and yet, here we are.  I can't celebrate this character's passing (if that even what we're in for), even if only for the retribution of the thing.  If this is/was your Superman, you had a good one.  After reading this issue, I'll miss him too.

Oh, and did I mention... triangle numbering???  Definitely recommended.

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Superman (vol.3) #32 (2014)

Superman (vol.3) #32 (August, 2014)
"The Men of Tomorrow, Chapter One: Ulysses"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Penciller - John Romita Jr.
Inker - Klaus Janson
Colorist - Laura Martin
Letterer - Sal Cipriano
Assistant Editor - Anthony Marques
Group Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $3.99

This issue is quite a bit newer than most of the books I figured I would be discussing here at the blog.  This week being my makeshift "Superman week" in honor of the Big Guy's birthday, I figured I should discuss the issue that brought me back to the Superman books most recently... Superman (volume 3) #32, featuring the creative team of Geoff Johns and Marvel stalwart, John Romita Jr..

Superman was one of the titles I shrugged off during my post-Flashpoint DC Comics temper tantrum.  I tried to keep up with the second volume of Action Comics under Grant Morrison just to have a "Super" title on my pull-list, however, a half-dozen or so issues in, I found myself losing interest.

During the New 52's sophomore year, it was becoming more and more apparent that the wheels were coming off.  Creative teams were bailing on books, editorial appeared to be scrambling to scoot creators from one book to the next, and there was no semblance of cohesion or order.  The Superman titles seemed especially prone to this.  Action Comics had a creator (Andy Diggle) bail off the book before his first issue even hit the stands.  Superman (vol.3) seemed to have a new writer every few issues until settling on Scott Lobdell for a (relatively) extended run.  These books did not do anything to draw my interest, it wasn't until I saw an ominous ad in my DC published titles in early 2014...

These ads were rather reminiscent of other bits that ran in DC Comics of old...

From kirbymuseum.org

It felt as though we were about to witness history.  Being a life-long "Marvel guy", there was no way I was going to miss John Romita Jr. on Superman.  The fact that Geoff Johns was in the writer's chair was an added bonus.  I would finally be coming back to Superman... and thus far, I've held on ever since.

--

We open 20 years back at the Ulysses Research Center three miles below Omaha, Nebraska.  It appears as though this facility is researching interdimensionality.  With a hazardous leak incoming from Dimension Two threatening to consume the Earth, young researchers Peter and Bridget look for a way in which to protect their infant son from the fallout.  In a scene reminiscent of Superman's own origin, the child is placed in a containment unit and blasted into the unknown (Dimension Four, in this case).  We watch the child sail through the stars, and catch a glimpse of energy flowing in his eyes.

In the present, Superman is in the midst of battle with Titano.  Jimmy Olsen is nearby attempting to take photos for the Planet.  Unfortunately for Jimmy, his pictures only depict a blue and red blur.  In exchange for the photos, and likely only due to pity, Perry White offers Jimmy a lunch voucher.

Clark Kent arrives on the scene to speak with Perry about returning to the Daily Planet.  They walk down the hallway bedecked in Planet covers showing important happenings in the DC Universe.  The covers include Superman's first appearance in Metropolis, the Death of Superman, the Return of Superman, and perhaps the most topical... Lex Luthor Saves the World (from the fallout of Forever Evil).  I am still not clear on how the New 52 handled the death and return of Superman... I'm fairly certain there was not a Reign of the Supermen here... anyways...

We observe a scene at Clark's apartment.  Clark makes dinner (which he admits is not as good as his mother's), he is shown on the phone with Wonder Woman, and attempting to phone Batman.  He is looking through a family photo album when he hears a far off cry for help.

Superman finds himself in battle with a large alien foe.  The two fight, and when it seems that all may be lost, a super powered man with long blonde hair spears the alien creature away.  This young man and the alien appear to be speaking the same language.  In a beautiful splash page we are treated to the alien being attacked from both sides from the blonde and Superman... the power of which causes an explosion of energy.

As the two supermen collect themselves, Superman thanks the blonde man for his help.  They speak for a moment, and the man comes to understand that he is on Earth.  He introduces himself as Ulysses, and expresses great surprise that the Earth was not destroyed.  He had, until now considered himself the "Last Son of Earth".  He smiles, knowing he is no longer alone.

--

While I'm still not completely on board with this younger and edgier Superman (and it's doubtful that I will be) this was a fantastic issue.  It felt as though it was laying the groundwork for something much larger to come.  Hindsight unfortunately informs me that this is not entirely true, depending on your mileage for the current (2015-2016) DCYou "Truth" story line.  For a jumping on point, you can do far worse than Superman #32.

I may be biased, but I'll always read Geoff Johns' books.  In my opinion, he is wonderfully talented and is a true mechanic and architect in the industry.  I am rarely disappointed in anything the man writes, and this issue is no exception.  Bringing Clark back to the Daily Planet and his regular cast of characters did a great service.  This just feels right.  Scenes such as Clark flipping through an old photo album and looking at pictures of Ma and Pa make this character feel more real than he has in ages.  In time, I could have seen this Superman maybe sorta-kinda become my Superman.  These feelings are unfortunately short-lived... but that's not a discussion for today.


I've seen people bash John Romita Jr.'s artwork for years now.  I can't help but dig it.  I will agree that the pencils are looser and he might not be at his Uncanny X-Men, Peter Parker or Amazing Spider-Man level here, but JRJR brings with him something of a comfort (for me, anyway).  I could see his move to DC be one that facilitates toe-dipping in the DCU from purely Marvel Comics readers.  I can honestly say, though I will concede it may be nostalgia or comfort speaking, I loved the art in this issue.

One gripe I do have, and this is not Superman #32 specific, mind... but this issue is clearly of the "written for the trade" variety.  This is an opening chapter, and while there is a lot to absorb here... there is also a feeling that it may be padded a touch.  Still a great read for what it is, though more likely to be thoroughly enjoyed in the collected edition.  I was also not happy in the increase in cover price from $2.99 to $3.99 for this title from this point on.  Recommended.

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