Superman #3

Originally posted on my blog, The Comics Cove, not too long ago...

I get that the idea with these covers is to feature the villain of the month for a while, which I think I’m cool with for now. This cover is actually pretty nice; the starkness of the white contrasted against Superman’s colorful costume actually emphasizes the threat of this issue’s villain in a big way. Also, the people frozen in the ice look like they’re “running” slightly, implying even more menace.

There’s slightly more explanation for Clark’s personality in this issue, namely that his Earth parents are dead by this point in time, leaving him with presumably less connection to humanity. I wish there’d been some elaboration on how recent the loss was, as its proximity in time should give us an idea whether or not Clark has dealt with it properly.

The connection to this issue’s living ice villain becomes a little more personal when it takes over the body of Clark’s co-worker, reporter Heather Kelley, and also when it freezes a good chunk of the city. Clark’s personal crisis about whether or not he killed Heather by trying to sever her connection to the entity is about what I’d expect in a reaction from Superman, but it gives way (for the reader at least) to a more immediate problem: the aliens, in conversing with each other in their human hosts, seem to be making a connection between Clark Kent and Superman.

Art-wise, you can see a change in the pencilers with this issue. Nicola Scott’s work isn’t any less quality than Merino’s--in fact in some ways it’s better--but I’ve never been a fan of switching out creative teams in the middle of a story. With that said, Scott does a fine job of carrying on the visual support of the narrative, from drawing lots of snow and ice to a somewhat amusing short montage of some of Supes’s past skirmishes.

Overall, I’m still along for the ride, but I hope we pick up more steam from here on out. I understand the need to build a big arc, but without a little more connection or action, it’s easy for your readers to start losing interest. I’m not saying we’re at that point yet, but things really need to kick into overdrive soon or I’m going to be left not caring what happens in this arc. Recommended, with some reservations.