Superman #43 review

Superman wakes up in Lois Lane's apartment to find he's been asleep for more than a day. He's more concerned about being seen naked by Lois, Jimmy and Condesa than the fact he's being blackmailed by the latter's supposedly former boss, computer criminal Hordr. Obviously, Lois' place is hardly shielded against a crook with all kinds of internetty tricks, and soon a cute-yet-sinister microbot that had been hiding in Jimmy Olsen's gut brings a message from Hordr. The deal is, report to the villain or they'll tell the world Superman is Clark Kent, putting his friends at risk of death by supervillain. Superman does as asked, hoping this will give Lois time to find something they can use against Hordr. 
When the bad guy persuades Superman to use his new solar flare power, releasing his reserves into android energy collectors, Lois feels her hand is forced - with no other solution obvious, she take away Hordr's leverage by giving up Clark's identity herself. Superman is furious. 
No Clark, you wouldn't have figured it out. Not this century, anyway. 

Boy, Superman as written by Gene Luen Yang is dumb as a brick. He's already played along with Hordr's plan once, a couple of issues ago, and that led to all kinds of trouble. Now, with breathing space of an hour, he can think of no better plan than to give the crook what they want. OK, sneaky IT stuff isn't his area of expertise, but he's best pals with master planner Batman, and their fellow Justice Leaguer Cyborg could certainly play Hordr at their own game. Yes, this is Superman's comic, and resolutions should come from him, but that's obviously not going to happen by now, and the League is visually referenced as the ID reveal goes viral, so it's not as if the comic is pretending the other heroes are unavailable. 

So, Lois tells the world and immediately Superman feels able to fight back against the energy absorbing creatures, crushing them. Hordr gets away, but Superman is now free to find and bring them (I'm avoiding personal pronouns as the male-shaped villain is almost certainly the slimy Condesa) to justice. Superman is hugely angry at Lois, but what else could she do? It may not have been the best solution, but it's not like he had anything - having already lost a portion of power to an absorber-bot last month, he was voluntarily giving up what he had left. I think his brain was sucked out along with his Kryptonian spark. 
The absorbers, incidentally, are called Quarmers. A weird name, seemingly out of nowhere ... unless you've read the Seventies Kryptonite Nevermore storyline, in which a portion of Superman's powers are stolen by a spooky Sand Superman linked to the dimension of Quarm. 
Do I get a point for suggesting this nod in last month's review?
Callbacks such as this and Superman #43's inclusion of boeuf bourgignon - Clark's favourite meal in the Seventies - and a reference to the cover of Action Comics #484 show Yang is either an old-time fan, or a bit of a Super-scholar. 
Plus, he gets that Lois is incredibly bright and brave ... so why he makes Superman so stupid, I don't know. Yes, Clark being almost completely reactive serves the story, but why not change the story? He's bringing his troubles on himself by dancing to Hordr's tune, by not consulting the JLA, by keeping proven traitor Condesa around. Speaking of whom, is this not the tackiest thing in a Superman comic since Sleeze picked up a movie camera?
It may be big, but it's not clever. As for Superman looking under his sheets to see if he's wearing underpants, he can't feel whether or not he's naked? This isn't modern, cutting edge comics, it's pure schoolboy tackiness. 

A better piece of the storyline has Lois motivated to reveal all - no sniggering at the back - because seeing Superman tied to a chair by Hordr, in agony, reminds her of his torture at the hands of her military fanatic father shortly after his debut. She really can't stand seeing him suffer. 
And this scene truly captures Lois - she knows Superman is being an idiot, too. What's more, she gets the best line in the issue. 
The aforementioned General Lane shows up as a voice threatening Superman towards the end. The military-against-Superman bit was tired about two months into the New 52 revamp, but here it is yet again. 

So, you're an artist and told to show Superman's secret identity being exposed to the entire world. You'd draw something big, something memorable, something iconic...
... you'd draw this? Talk about a dull page. The rest of the visuals from penciller John Romita Jr are pretty good, by his wobbly standards, with some nice facial expressions. Odd panels look rushed - there's a very weird Wonder Woman, for example - but the overall storytelling is good. I like the titchy toilet robot an awful lot. 
Klaus Janson is back to ink some of the book, with Scott Hanna jumping in to maintain the scratchy style. Romita, Janson and colourist Dean White produce one of the catchier covers of the repetitive images we've had on the Superman books this month.

Oh dear, I've really gone into the area of 'faint praise' but I'm not damning this book. I've read enough issues by Yang and Romita now to have a good idea of what to expect in terms of approach and execution. That doesn't stop me being disappointed that this comic isn't smarter, or slicker, but no one forces me to buy it - I'm a lifelong Superman fan and interested to see what's happening in his world. 

And this issue did finally show the reveal that's been teased for months; I like that Lois hits Send on the secret for a decent reason - Superman isn't helping himself, so she's trying to help him. She's motivated by practicality, and the memory of seeing him suffer; whether we're talking romantic, or close friendship, it's all about love. Yang writes a great Lois. I only wish he'd give us the Superman we know - smart, sensitive and worthy of respect. 

Comments

  1. "Boy, Superman as written by Gene Luen Yang is dumb as a brick"

    Heh :) He is, isn't he? It's not just that this Superman isn't bright. He's actually remarkably dim. I've no idea why this would be seen as a good direction to take the character in, but the folks engaged in these stories surely can't have made Clark so dumb by accident.

    I fear there are large numbers of folks who just don't believe that a Superman who's bright and moral will attract readers. In the latest Batman, for example, which I thought had much going for it, there was an appearance by a Superman who seemed unable to grasp that a happy Bruce Wayne is a very good thing.

    Ah well. The wheel will turn. We'll get a smart, emotionally intelligent Superman back eventually. I hope.

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    1. If that story yesterday at Bleeding Cool stands up, about DC being ordered to dial back the changes on Superman and Batman, maybe sooner rather than later. I can't imagine this Superman appealing to anyone, though I have seen people defending it. Newer fans, but if they're buying, fair enough. Me, I cannot wait for a classic Superman to return, a shining hero who isn't constantly doubting himself, or yelling at people, or being hated.

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  2. Petulant much Clark?? Yes, I love that they explained why Lois did this. She loves him (platonic) and is trying to save him. He said he'd figure out a way out of this? I have my doubts this guy could figure out how to get out of a simple maze let alone something like this.

    At this point, I'm rooting for full on reboot and start from scratch because this is a mess (my opinion). I know that isn't what will happen but that is what I wish would happen.

    And believe me, I never thought I'd say that. I was that 21 year old arguing on USENET against the crisis back in 1985. In my opinion, this post flashpoint world has been a debacle with a few exceptions.

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    1. I could happily back some red skies at this point - just wipe it all away. The post-2011 Superman has had some add good moments but generally it's as if the comics are being produced by Bizarros.

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  3. Hoo-boy. What a stinker of a story. Again, pretty much anyone but Clark/Superman is done fairly well, but yeah, Clark's a complete tool. The art seemed terribly rushed, even for Romita's style. Storytelling was poor in spots and the threats against colleagues... well, I'm assuming that's who they were, because no one was recognizable. (People throughout changed appearance from panel to panel.)

    Aside from Clark being an idiot, the set up for Lois' wasn't the most thrilling event, but there's nothing improper in her actions in this situation.

    So once again - Lois: great. Superman: ugh. So frustrating that parts of the story have been spot on and other portions a little bit dodgy. Like a rat is a little bit covered in fur. [Neil Gaiman reference.]

    Gee, General Lane was there awfully fast, wasn't he?

    And cheers for the Quarm callout last month, Mart!

    Nice callbacks, from fine dining in bed to Gwenda Bond at the end.

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    1. Ah, of course, Fall Out ... that's actually rather clever.

      As for the heads, it's obvious who all these friends are. There's ... er ... um... Jimmy, Lana and maybe that new woman Jaxkee whom we never really meet?

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    2. Yes, General Lane did get there awfully fast didn't he? Lois's outing was pretty predictable, I think most everybody expected (except for a contingent who wanted to believe she'd do it out of spite). Albeit I didn't expect it to be as emotionally driven as it was. I think in a sense that makes her even more sympathetic, she was trying to save him. One thing though? When she said that she believed he'd do the same for her? I couldn't help but remember the brainiac arc when she was possessed and his secret was more important than her personal safety. So, I don't know Lois, we've seen him put his secret as a priority over your personal safety.

      I was also glad the story made it clear that Hordr backed up data, maybe not all of it, but the most important part of it.

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    3. And where did his new super suit come from? Is it going to be destroyed yet again?

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    4. I got the impression Daniel HDR ... sorry, Hordr, provided it, because for some reason they care. And why would the cape survive?

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    5. I figured that at first, but it's under his torn shirt. Another "Oops!" from JRJR?

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  4. Hi Martin!

    Thanks for this review, nicely done!

    So after reading this issue I have mixed feelings with this arc and the way it has been sold to the public! My first reaction reading the Lois & Clark panels were full of nostalgic, someone please explain me WHY these two aren't together in this NewMessedUp52, God how much I miss them! even as FRIENDS their interaction is SO much better than the SMWW stuff we have! I don't really understand why DC thought erasing the marriage and their relationship was a good idea! THIS is exactly what has been missing all this time, since 2011 there has been something wrong with Superman and his stories. They lack of EMOTION, sure Superman could do almost everything fighting evil, but for what reason? There is nothing that ties him up to Earth and that makes a person, old fan or new fan truly believes that he has a superior reason to love Earth. No Kents and no Lois, add to that lousy appearances of his supportive cast here and then but they aren't enough to make people relate to THIS version of Superman. He is not a hero who inspires, he is not a leader in Justice League either. He is stuck in a relationship with Wonder Woman, but he can't even say Diana or Wonder Woman to Lois, who by the way already knows they are in a relationship! Funny how Wonder Woman is down to same category as Jon Carroll, they both are the "somebody else' for Lois and Clark. I don't think anyone could talk about someone you are in love with in such a dismissive way. I could understand that for Jon Carroll, a character that has been thrown in panels like for what 3 issues? But for Wonder Woman, the woman he praises to love in fauxmance? Really?


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  5. I agree I like how Yang gets Lois, she was amazing on this issue, and as you put it we can see there is LOVE there even if they are not in a romantic relation, they work, they click, they compliment each other. And finally we get to know the reasons after Lois outing Clark to the world, and even if I liked it I have to say it was nothing that a person couldn't figure it out before this issue was released. What I mean is that there was nothing surprising or anything that made me feel in awe! I really appreciate that Yang treated Lois the way she deserved, I didn't feel like he is writing her OOC, at least that is my humble opinion, I might be wrong, guess I will have to read future issues with Lois. But on this specific issue I understood why she did what she did. And here is the thing from a writer who gets Lois I don't understand what the hell happened with Clark? He has been nothing but dumb and a jerk under Yang's run and we only had 3 issues!!! He was so willing to submit to HODR's if Lois wouldn't step in and put a STOP to that I really wonder for how long Clark would have "played" along with all this? And sorry but I just felt like he didn't want to protect his identity as Clark because he cares about his Kent legacy, but he just see Clark as his undercover and nothing more. Maybe is the fact that we haven't had much of CLARK KENT since the reboot, we hardly have seen him in ordinary things, at least not the way we used to before New 52, DC almost erase Clark Kent from existence, making KAL EL more important to the myth, giving more importance to his Kryptonian legacy than the MAN. So I don't understand why this version could be pissed at Lois for revealing who he is, is not like we have seen him caring enough to keep it a secret lately. I hardly trust this Superman to figure something out, he doesn't trust anyone to HELP him, so he thinks he can do everything alone, that's not the Superman I would trust or even like. He is not a god, he needs help, or does he only thinks ONLY supers are able to do it? Maybe that's why he is still 'in love with Wonder Warrior....

    The worst part of this arc has been the awful way DCE marketed this, trying to blame Lois when Clark knew all along her reasons! yes he might get to be pissed at her, but honestly there is no strong reason for him to be or stay mad at Lois. She did it to HELP him. Period. There was no time or other choice at that precise moment. She did the right thing.

    This story has been awful, there is no book of Superman that I have thoroughly enjoyed, Superman if not for the Clois panels would have been a horror movie. This proves to me why this Truth arc hasn't been a good story for Lois neither for our SUPERhero. I just want DCE to do another reboot ASAP!!! Clean this mess for the love of what you want or believe!

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    1. Yes, I agree. The marketing around this, trying to paint Lois as the proverbial Jezebel betrayer was not appreciated by me at least.

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    2. I think the marketing betrays the origin of the story, another editorial edict that the writers have been doing their damnedest to make sense out of and course-correct.

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    3. Yes, yes, YES!! I loathe thw way DCE sold this to the public! No wonder why it FAILED miserably. The execution as ALWAYS has been such a left down. They need a reboot, have you seen the charts lately? Marvel is crushing DC literally in sales. I am not a Marvel fan, I used to read Spider-Man but that stopped the moment they decided to break up the marriage with MJ so it pains me to see the state of current DCU. I honestly don't think DCE will get better with current leadership they will keep doing same mistakes until there is nothing left of these characters.

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    4. Thanks for the comments Zoraida, I agree, Clark being so concerned with protecting his 'Clarkness' makes little sense; I can go with him being worried about the anonymous heads we're told he cares about, but that still doesn't justify him being so annoyed with Lois.

      It surprises me to see Lois make apparent references to poor Jon (he grew on me), I was convinced he'd been erased from continuity. And yes, why IS he so cagey about Wonder Woman, it's a matter of public record.

      And yes, DC's marketing of this storyline seems like a deliberate attempt to rile Lois fans. I suppose they were out to generate headlines, but if so, it's a rather heavy-handed way of going about it.

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  6. I've got to admit, I'm a long-standing Superman fan who still likes this story. It feels more like an alternate universe Superman, maybe, but I'm more interested in the main Superman books now than I have been since Busiek was writing them, at least. And that's going back, what, 10 years now?

    No, Clark doesn't really feel like Superman to me. He's stubborn and short-sighted, not like the Superman I grew up with at all. But he sure seems a lot like what I saw of the Clark from Smallville -- easily duped, not many ideas in his head until the last minute. (I only watched 2 seasons of that show before giving it up; maybe it changed later.)

    But Lois, Jimmy, and Perry are all recognizable, if under duress. And I don't blame Clark for being mad at Lois; even though she was ruining his life for the right reasons, that doesn't mean she wasn't ruining his life. As you said, Mart, he's got other resources --would Batman have exposed his ID, or would he have found another solution. Her heart was in the right place, but Lois simply didn't trust that Superman could endure what he needed to until he found a solution that could have preserved his secret.

    Ultimately, though, I like this because it's giving me a Superman story I haven't seen before, even if the Superman in it isn't quite on-model. It's a page-turner for me, often the first book I read every week. When was the last time I had that urgency about a Superman story? Reign of the Supermen, maybe? He hasn't had such a grip on me in ages.

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  7. Thanks for another view of the issue, Rob. Sometimes I try to treat the whole New 52 universe as one big Elseworlds, but it's tough when there's no solo Superman book featuring the classic version. I'm finding a lot of fun in buying the all-ages Superman Adventures book I missed first time out - cheap this week on Comixology.

    Thinking of Clark as a Smallville version doesn't help - I hated that moaning Minnie! All those powers and he could barely manage a smile.

    Reign of the Superman really was a great time to be reading, so much excitement to enjoy while waiting for Superman's return. My big favourite from back then was the Mr Z storyline, Time and Time Again.

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    1. The last time I enjoyed and anticipated reading the character in the main DCU was when Busiek was writing it. It really reminded me of the bronze age with a modern sensibility.

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    2. That's the one thing about missing Classic Superman... there are probably hundreds of stories featuring him that we haven't read!

      Time and Time Again was a fantastic storyline! I really enjoyed Panic in the Sky, and the lead-up to Clark's return from the dead.

      But when I'm tempted to think of this as a dark time in the Superman books, I remember Electric Superman and the Millennium Giants. Not everything in our Golden Age was golden.

      But that Busiek run... man, that was near perfect.

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    3. Well, we all love the Busiek run - cos we have taste. A shame it was so short. Ditto as regards the Gail Simone/John Byrne Action Comics issues. Why can't we have nice things?

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  8. Yeah, the whole post-convergence DCU is a big nod to silver and bronze age, which would be basically OK, if the characters were not so unrelatable. Actually the very phrase "I would have figured something out" is a hommage to the iconic Superman #233 which started Kryptonite Nevermore!.
    Just as Clark is "promoted" to anchorman by Mr. Edge, he realizes that with his face becoming popular, his secret identity is seriously at stake. This is his comment (I don't know how to post the panel)

    " [...] As a newsman [...] nobody could keep close tabs at me! But as a broadcaster, I'll be in full view of millions! Oh, well... I'll figure something out! I always do!"

    I've always found the final comment- referring to old silver age tricks that were supposed to be gone from then on - ludicrously hilarious, and I'm sure Yang nods at that, because the only thing Clark "figured out" was unprofessional absurd behaviour whenever on air, but still getting huge ratings. The panel is on page 6 of the mentioned "Superman Breaks Loose" classic.

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    1. Oh, good catch on the homage. So, all Superman has to do is put the glasses back on, find a TV camera and break out the super-hypnotism!

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    2. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/mxyzptlk/superman_330_22_zpsb344f55d.jpg
      ;)

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    3. I wonder is Super-Hypnotism isn't the key to getting all these worms back in the can. That's the OTHER thing that's keeping me hooked...how's this going to resolve? Superman will be back to a secret ID sooner or later, almost certainly. But when?

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    4. Oh, several of us were tweeting about that today... Wonder Woman's elastic Magic Lasso encircles the world and spins it backward... J'onn J'onnz wipes memories... Clark travels at superspeed and kisses everyone... Lois and Superman "reveal" it was all a "hoax", using a Superman robot and Batman... Clark is a cosplayer... Greek goddesses... everything this side of Mopee!

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    5. They'll always find one more d...WAY to do it.

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  9. I am totally late to the party. Almost everything I want to say has been said so I will simply reiterate that this issue felt disjointed because of the characterization.

    After waiting ... waiting!! ... we finally got a great Lois.

    Too bad it is linked to a completely dimwitted Clark. I mean he is an idiot in this issue.



    And great pick up on the call back to Action 484 cover!

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    1. Late is better than not at all, you're always a welcome guest, Anj. There really is nothing good that can be said of Clark in this current storyline, he's not thinking, just reacting - and badly. He has an amazing support network, yet is choosing to go it alone. The pultroon!

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  10. This whole story has felt like a attempt to do the best it can to justify a decision already made, to have Lois out Clark's identity, and having to show that trying to do the best it can to put that in a good light and not have Lois look spiteful or ruthlessly 'getting the headline story' to have noble reasons and intentions. In that I think it succeeds largely though the whole story felt a bit contrived in a number of places to basically create that justification for a decision already made before the story is was thought out (that Lois would out Clark as Superman), and to some extent the whole story is really just for this purpose.

    As such I don't blame Clark being a idiot and such, he has to be so he and Lois would find themselves in such a stupid situation for her to have a good reason to reveal Clark's identity to the world, otherwise they would never have found themselves in such situation and Lois would never have such a dilemma.

    Basically as I see it there was no story to be told in which Clark was not hit by the idiot ray which would lead to him getting himself and Lois in a situation where she felt she had to out him to save him. I'm afraid the whole thing felt like an attempt to do the best to make an already made decision by the editors that Lois of all people would reveal Superman's identity and damage her best friend (if nothing else) life, doing the best that could be done with a terrible choice and at least provide a situation in which Lois decision would make some sense and seem noble and completely out of character (damaging both her and Clark as characters even more) and it required Clark to be an irrational idiot and morale coward to allow the contrived situation in the first place.

    As I see it it's the terrible editorial decision that is most at fault here. The only story I remember that did a similar version of this story in a somewhat better way was funnily enough Smallville in it's 8th season I think, Clark had started to public as a hero and someone who knew his identity from the past threatened to out him and tried to blackmail him. Seeing no easy way out (and not having the resources this Clark has at his disposal) he goes to his friend and reporting partner Lois and tells her his secret and asks her to tell his story to the world in a version of publish or be damned taking the blackmailer's ammunition away. In this at least Clark remains noble and unyielding to a villain"s attempt to blackmail and control him and calls their bluff by revealing himself first with Lois helping to make his reveal in the best light. At least that had them both in good light and showed their loyalty and friendship (I think as things went downhill for Clark and those closest to him he eventually uses a legion ring he has to go back in time and stop the villain before they could blackmail him the first place if I remember).

    But otherwise I put the blame of DC's editorial and their terrible decisions recently in relation to all things Superman.

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    1. 'The idiot ray,' I like that, Grant, and thanks for the other comments. You may be right, that this is the best of a bad job, so far as getting to the editorial driven 'betrayal' is concerned. You'd hope professional writers could find a more convincing route, but Yang is having to please a lot of masters here.

      None of which excuses that this is a terrible portrayal of Superman, almost up there with the presentation of Diana in Sensation Comics the other week...

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