Written by: Gene Luen Yang
Art by: Viktor Bogdanovic, Richard Friend
Publisher: DC Comics
New Superman? More like Somewhat New Superman. After four issues, he can’t be very new now can he? Or my alternate first sentence: New Superman is the only good DC comic out right now save Wonder Woman and maybe Teen Titans but we’ll see about that one because Green Arrow started off swell and then took a steady ol’ dive down the pooper.
Use whichever one you like most!
The first chunk of New Superman #4 is an explosive and flashy fight, and it’s honestly the least interesting thing about the comic. Yeah fights are fun, but this one is somewhat chaotic and hard to follow. It’s really not why I’m here.
See, the rest of the comic is all about character development, character interaction, and some big bad, “are we actually the villains all along?” That last bit is pretty par the course, but it’s still fun. I’ll give it an A for effort, even if it gets like a C- for originality since I figured this was going to happen sometime last issue.
I’ll give it an A for execution too, since it’s really the characters that sell this show. Gene Luen Yang is at the top of his game here in terms of handling a ton of characters in a tight amount of space and making them feel natural. His dialogue is perfect from start to finish. Our Chinese Justice League act like a bickering set of siblings from pretty much start to finish, from banter during battles to whispered nervousness over upsetting the government lady that pulls their strings.
And as always, the standout character really is Keenan. He’s the perfect mix of salty and sweet, from his internal monologue about how he’s the awesome leader of the New Justice League and his outright joy at beating up villains—and dismay at not being able to maim them—to his crippling crush on a young reporter and general want to save the day and his family.
He’s interesting. He’s very flawed, but his flaws all feel natural and character shaping. They make him special, someone you can root for while also going, “well that wasn’t very nice.” Plus, he makes me laugh a lot. Always a good thing, that.
New Superman #4 is another great installment to a comic that I hope is getting the love it deserves. It’s both fun and smart, which, you know, is what I want from a superhero comic. Fun first though! I have my priorities.
