Superman #709 – Review

By J. Michael Straczynski and Chris Robertson (writers), Eddy Barrows and Allan Goldman (pencils), J.P. Mayer and Julio Ferreira (inks), Rod Reis (colors), John J. Hill (letters)

The Story: Superman is still down in the doldrums (yes, still. Only a few more issues to go, folks!), and Lois isn’t returning his calls. Fortunately, Flash shows up and injects a little excitement–and Kryptonian history–into the mix.

What’s Good: I really liked the art in this issue. Barrows and Goldman make a great team that results in a vibrant setting and beautiful characters (especially Flash…Superman himself sometimes suffers from a lack of facial detail in longer distance shots). Besides, I’ve always been a fan of the Superman/Flash races, and this book has a couple wonderful homages. (Although, I’m firmly in the corner that Flash should ALWAYS win such contests; after all, Superman has powers to spare, and Flash deserves to be the best he is at what he does.)

Also: Wonder Woman undergoes no character destruction in this issue. That’s a plus.

What’s Not So Good: I said it last month, and it’ll probably be said next month, but…this storyline is still going nowhere. “Superman goes through a midlife crisis” is NOT a good story arc idea. Especially not a year-long arc. I do realize that the character has been through a lot (as Flash addresses in this issue), and that it should be addressed. But, although the conversation between Supes and Flash is well written and interesting enough, all I can think about is how long it is til this story finally ends, and he can go back to being HIMSELF. Introspective, brooding, Byronic heroes are great…but if I want that, I’ll go read about Morpheus, or Batman, or Moon Knight. When I pick up a Superman comic, I want to read about Superman– the bright, strong, self-confident hero that is their antithesis.