A review by twilliamson
Superman Vol. 3: Multiplicity (Rebirth) by Patrick Gleason, Peter J. Tomasi
2.0
Multiplicity is undoubtedly the most boring of the new Superman title, and it's the first really weak offering I've seen in this new Rebirth take. The collection includes all of the story arc, along with the Annual issue and a one-off focusing on Jonathan and Kathy.
The Annual issue is actually not the worst issue, and portrays an encounter between Superman and Swamp Thing--who delivers a message that seems as much oriented for the reader as it is for Superman's character. The encounter is a lot punchier than it probably should be, although I think its resolution is at least more in-character for Superman. It also answers, albeit poorly, a few lingering questions about Superman's interaction with this new world.
The subsequent major arc depicts an encounter Superman has with an extradimensional threat named Prophecy, who tries to steal the superpowers of every Superman in the multiverse. Superman teams up with the Supermen of other dimensions, and together they manage to fell Prophecy--who is taken prisoner by a mysterious entity outside normal space-time (or something). The highlight of this arc really is just the interesting design behind each of the multiverse's Supermen and Superwomen, but ultimately, the arc falls pretty flat in terms of character interaction and growth. Kenan Kong does show up for a few panels of interaction with Kal, and it's a pretty nice beat between the two characters, but one beat in four issues is pretty anemic.
The final story features Jonathan and Kathy, but doesn't really seem to do anything interesting, and only serves to deepen a mystery that doesn't really feel relevant to the title thus far--it can't help but feel like needless filler between story arcs.
All in all, I expect more of Superman books, and this one fails to inspire much interest for me.
The Annual issue is actually not the worst issue, and portrays an encounter between Superman and Swamp Thing--who delivers a message that seems as much oriented for the reader as it is for Superman's character. The encounter is a lot punchier than it probably should be, although I think its resolution is at least more in-character for Superman. It also answers, albeit poorly, a few lingering questions about Superman's interaction with this new world.
The subsequent major arc depicts an encounter Superman has with an extradimensional threat named Prophecy, who tries to steal the superpowers of every Superman in the multiverse. Superman teams up with the Supermen of other dimensions, and together they manage to fell Prophecy--who is taken prisoner by a mysterious entity outside normal space-time (or something). The highlight of this arc really is just the interesting design behind each of the multiverse's Supermen and Superwomen, but ultimately, the arc falls pretty flat in terms of character interaction and growth. Kenan Kong does show up for a few panels of interaction with Kal, and it's a pretty nice beat between the two characters, but one beat in four issues is pretty anemic.
The final story features Jonathan and Kathy, but doesn't really seem to do anything interesting, and only serves to deepen a mystery that doesn't really feel relevant to the title thus far--it can't help but feel like needless filler between story arcs.
All in all, I expect more of Superman books, and this one fails to inspire much interest for me.