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A review by tshepiso
Superman: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 3 by Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason
3.5
3.5 stars
This latest collection may just be (with one notable exception) my favourite stretch of comics in the Superman Rebirth run. This deluxe edition collects the stories Road Trip, Fear Itself, Breaking Point, and Imperius Lex and I really enjoyed them.
Unfortunately, this volume started off with a stinker. The first two issues Road Trip see the Kents on a whistle-stop tour of war memorials across the US. While I'm not opposed to themes being front and centre in a Superman story Tomasi beat the reader over the head with American pride. We're subjected to a series of poorly integrated history lectures that almost read like propaganda. The sanitization of US history was jarring and off-putting. From neglecting to mention the use of atom bombs on civilian populations when discussing Japan's surrender of WWII to the odd erasure of slavery in discussions of the Civil War the framing of Road Trip was a choice. In the end, it was a trite, poorly done series of lectures rather than an entertaining story and was thoroughly unpleasant to read.
Thankfully the following story A Minute Longer was a vast improvement. This story sees Superman face off against Parallax after a series of kidnappings of children of the Metropolis. Parallax's presence draws the attention of Sinestro who attempts to control the fear entity. This story was simple but satisfying. We see some solid exploration of Superman's deepest fears and his ultimate defeat of both Parallax and Sinestro with hope was well rendered.
Breaking Point was another well-done two-parter. After publishing an editorial on Deathstroke Lois is hunted by the mercenary. This all serves to test Superman's limits as the merc attempts to see just how far Clark would go to protect his family. While there's nothing particularly new or groundbreaking about Breaking Point's take on Superman and killing, newer Superman writer James Bonny kept Clark fantastically in character as he was pushed further and further closer to the line. I loved seeing Lois and Clark's relationship and his determination to save her while staying on that moral line. The dialogue, internal and external, was especially well rendered.
Finally, the deluxe edition ends with the four-part Imperious Lex arc. I'm genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this story because historically longer more involved and space-related Superman stories have been a struggle for me to connect with. But, Imperius Lex for some reason compelled me. This story sees the people of Apokolips in shambles after the Darkseid War and in desperate need of their prophesized leader who they assumed to be Lex.
I think this story perfectly balanced its plot with superfamily elements. We see Clark, Lois and Jon on separate adventures that eventually intersect but were all equally entertaining. From BAMF Lois to Lex and Clark having the most intense bitter ex's energy I had a lot of fun with this story.
Overall, outside of two exceptionally bad issues at the start of this collection, I thoroughly enjoyed this latest set of Superman stories. Newer authors to the run Keith Champagne and James Bonny did an excellent job with the character. I can't wait to wrap up this run of Superman with the last deluxe edition.
This latest collection may just be (with one notable exception) my favourite stretch of comics in the Superman Rebirth run. This deluxe edition collects the stories Road Trip, Fear Itself, Breaking Point, and Imperius Lex and I really enjoyed them.
Unfortunately, this volume started off with a stinker. The first two issues Road Trip see the Kents on a whistle-stop tour of war memorials across the US. While I'm not opposed to themes being front and centre in a Superman story Tomasi beat the reader over the head with American pride. We're subjected to a series of poorly integrated history lectures that almost read like propaganda. The sanitization of US history was jarring and off-putting. From neglecting to mention the use of atom bombs on civilian populations when discussing Japan's surrender of WWII to the odd erasure of slavery in discussions of the Civil War the framing of Road Trip was a choice. In the end, it was a trite, poorly done series of lectures rather than an entertaining story and was thoroughly unpleasant to read.
Thankfully the following story A Minute Longer was a vast improvement. This story sees Superman face off against Parallax after a series of kidnappings of children of the Metropolis. Parallax's presence draws the attention of Sinestro who attempts to control the fear entity. This story was simple but satisfying. We see some solid exploration of Superman's deepest fears and his ultimate defeat of both Parallax and Sinestro with hope was well rendered.
Breaking Point was another well-done two-parter. After publishing an editorial on Deathstroke Lois is hunted by the mercenary. This all serves to test Superman's limits as the merc attempts to see just how far Clark would go to protect his family. While there's nothing particularly new or groundbreaking about Breaking Point's take on Superman and killing, newer Superman writer James Bonny kept Clark fantastically in character as he was pushed further and further closer to the line. I loved seeing Lois and Clark's relationship and his determination to save her while staying on that moral line. The dialogue, internal and external, was especially well rendered.
Finally, the deluxe edition ends with the four-part Imperious Lex arc. I'm genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this story because historically longer more involved and space-related Superman stories have been a struggle for me to connect with. But, Imperius Lex for some reason compelled me. This story sees the people of Apokolips in shambles after the Darkseid War and in desperate need of their prophesized leader who they assumed to be Lex.
I think this story perfectly balanced its plot with superfamily elements. We see Clark, Lois and Jon on separate adventures that eventually intersect but were all equally entertaining. From BAMF Lois to Lex and Clark having the most intense bitter ex's energy I had a lot of fun with this story.
Overall, outside of two exceptionally bad issues at the start of this collection, I thoroughly enjoyed this latest set of Superman stories. Newer authors to the run Keith Champagne and James Bonny did an excellent job with the character. I can't wait to wrap up this run of Superman with the last deluxe edition.