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| Art by Patrick Gleason |
If you're not a Superman fan yet, then you should start reading now - the finale of the groundbreaking Superman: Rebirth hits shelves this month. Crafted by the incredible team of Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason, this series is the finest example of a Man of Steel comic since the insurmountable All-Star Superman, and will be held as the gold standard for decades to come.
Tomasi and Gleason's Superman series spins out of the events of The Final Days and Lois and Clark. It tells the tale of the Superman of years gone by, returning to pick up the mantle following the death of the most recent take on the character. This Clark Kent lives with his wife Lois and son Jon under the name of the Smith family - they've gone undercover due to complications surrounding there being two Supermen.
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| Something old, something new |
The whole "old Superman, new Superman" business isn't as confusing as it sounds. For the most part, the story focuses on Clark raising his son, and ends up being an brilliant Super-family adventure rather than a clunky attempt to tidy up the DC universe's somewhat messy continuity. It does, however, address the issue and tidy things up.
Rebirth successfully shakes up the Superman status-quo, shattering any suggestion that the series has stagnated. Jon's presence gives so much more meaning to everything Clark does. He has to set the perfect example for his son, and the need to keep him safe from all the aliens, dinosaurs and monsters they fight technically makes this Superman the most vulnerable iteration yet.
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| Jon Kent, DC's newest Superboy |
Tomasi and Gleason's depiction of Lois and Clark as parents is spot-on - their child-rearing styles stay true to the personalities they've developed over the past 80 years, while still adding something new. "Truth, justice...family...I want to help you make that 'S' your own" is but one example of the many inspiring lines he gives Jon (he tells a few dad jokes too).
This all has excellent synergy with the artwork, which flawlessly sets the mood for each scene, be it heartwarming or heart-pounding. By today's standards of comic art, Gleason's Superman is relatively minimalist and captures the kindness that many illustrators fail to convey. In fact, his style would translate particularly well into an animated series - make it happen, DC!
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| Doug Mahnke on Dinosaur Island |
We also get Dough Mahnke and Jorge Jimenez as regular artists, which gives the series a bit of extra flavour. Both of them are of the same calibre as Gleason, and are arguably better at capturing Superman: Rebirth's many action sequences. In this case, more artists just gives us more to love.
Jimenez pencils what is not just the best chapter of the series, but perhaps the best Superman one-shot of all time. Printed in the start of the second volume, Our Town is 20 pages of wholesome goodness, and is guaranteed to make a Super-fan out of anybody.
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| Panels from Jorge Jimenez's Our Town |
It's not all sunshine and rainbows, however. There are some pretty dark and hard-hitting moments that make it a genuinely well-rounded portrayal of family life. It could be argued that one or two scenes are a little excessive and push what would be an all-ages book into teen-rated territory, but they don't really detract from the quality of the series.
Following the epic Black Dawn, the series begins to falter a little as it is weighed down by a few filler arcs. Black Dawn, which ties up most if not all of the loose ends, would perhaps be better placed at the end of Tomasi and Gleason's Superman run. Still, it's a satisfying read nonetheless and all superhero fans should pick up the first four volumes at the very least.
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| Clark fights the big bad in Black Dawn |
It's also worth noting that Superman: Rebirth intersects with the Reborn crossover event, which is not contained within the trade releases. Grab the standalone collection of this arc or read a summary before starting the fourth volume.
With equally beautiful writing and art, Superman: Rebirth stands as a truly astounding era in Clark's 80-year history. It leaps over the decade's other Superman comics in a single bound, and deserves to fly onto your shelf faster than a speeding bullet.
Rating: 8.5/10
The adventures of Clark, Lois and Jon are collected across seven volumes, with the last one set to hit shelves later this month. It's also gradually being released in a deluxe 300+ page format - you can currently grab the first two of these. Also, don't forget to add Superman: Reborn to your shopping list, which collects material from Action Comics: Rebirth. All of this will be available on Comixology or from your favourite comic retailer!
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