Superman #53

Let me put this issue into context for you. Clark has just revealed his identity to Lois. The whole secret identity thing is something that has not aged well at all as Superman has progressed through the ages, so I couldn't really take the brief bit of drama that opens the issue seriously. The scene moves to the Pentagon, where some military top brass have entreated Supes to protect a fictional Middle Eastern dictator while he is escorted back to the U.S. to pay for his crimes (with several parallels in our present time more than two decades later). Superman is reluctant and amidst the backdrop of Soviet/American cooperation in quelling Middle Eastern discord, escorts the fighter. There's a bit of a twist ending and a return to a now familiar theme of whether Superman's loyalties lie with the United States or to the world as a whole. Topical Superman when done well can be interesting, but more often than not it comes across as trite and/or preachy. Ordway's art here is solid and there's some nicely drawn sections of the issue, unfortunately, I can't put my finger on whether it's the inking or the coloring that when placed under scrutiny doesn't compliment the pencilling well. Jerry Ordway's writing is less impressive. While not bad or unenjoyable, some passages of dialogue seemed a little corny and at times the minor characters that pop in and out of the plot here seemed to be nothing more than cardboard cutouts with little believability. Bottom line, is this is a fairly forgettable issue of Superman, that can be read or not read. If you're a big fan of Superman there won't be anything here to offend your sensibilities, but overall, the only lasting merit this issue had was as a mildly amusing take on war and peace in the post-Cold War Middle East.