Superman #25 (DC)

via Comic Book DB

writer: Scott Lobdell

artist: Kenneth Rocafort

The Superman books have had a game of musical chairs going since the New 52 relaunch (aside from Grant Morrison's near-twenty issue run on Action Comics).  I was kind of hoping Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort would stick around this title longer (though two years is about how long Morrison went).  I was among the select few who responded to their Red Hood & the Outlaws with something other than, "Why the heck is Starfire acting like Starfire???" (paraphrasing for accuracy), so I was very pleased to see at DC recognize and reward their collaboration by giving them a bigger spotlight (Superman had already chewed up veterans George Perez and Dan Jurgens, alas).

Sadly, because I had to drastically limit my comics intake starting around that point, I never really got a chance to enjoy this choice pairing and their plush new assignment.  It seems they devoted the bulk of it to the creation of H'El, and I phrase it that way because I hope the character sticks around.  He's handy in the same way Eradicator or General Zod are in providing a nasty reminder of Krypton for the Man of Steel's ongoing adventures.

The thing this particular issue, which I went back and caught up with months after the fact, does quite well is accentuate the true strength of the whole New 52 Superman line (which from the start I didn't really get to enjoy because even then I was limiting the intake, a chronic condition that is probably not going to change anytime soon, unless someone wants to dump a lot of money or free review copies in my lap).  Besides Red Hood and Teen Titans, Lobdell wrote Superboy from the start of the DC relaunch.  I wish I'd been able to read that one regularly, because I liked what I read in the debut issue, but distance from ongoing experience kept making me fall back on my other impression of the series and/or character: that he looks like the Tron of Steel in his new outfit.

Which is unfortunate for a lot of reasons.  The original clone version of Superboy, from the days of the "Reign of the Supermen" arc following the original Doomsday storyline (in case you didn't know, there's a new one going on at the moment) was always a favorite character of mine (I liked all of DC's teen heroes in those days, actually).  I didn't necessarily want a reboot of the character, especially since the welcome if different revision Geoff Johns cooked up for another Teen Titans reboot had already created for me sometimes too much distance from it.  And also, Tron of Steel.  But Superman #25 is a reminder that there actually is plenty to like about the newest iteration.  Lobdell is a big reason why.  He's got a knack for getting in the head of his characters, and knowing how to present them.  Think Mark Waid's Flash.  

The H'El arc has intersected Superman, Superboy, and Supergirl for a while.  H'El has been having a strong impact on Supergirl, too, drawing out what makes the latest iteration of this character so special for the reboot as well.  Supergirl is no longer just another Character of Steel on Earth, but rather seems to inhabit her own corner.  In the past it's been incredibly easy just to play up her relationship to Superman (or if you're Peter David, ditch everything and...basically write a different character entirely, maybe one called, oh, Fallen Angel).  I don't know a whole lot about what was going on with Supergirl prior to H'El first appearing, but her appearance in Superman #25 is as strong as anyone else's.

Including Jor-El.  Lobdell has come up with the kind of story Jonathan Hickman tried doing in Fantastic Four a few years back (before the "death" of Johnny Storm).  Surprisingly, few writers have tried to come up with ways for Superman to team up with his father.  Now, technically that's about as impossible as it gets, given the circumstances.  But "impossible" is the middle name of comic books.  So what do you expect?

The issue spells out everything you need to know about the whole H'El arc, including how the villain came into being.  This is also the arc's conclusion, which is handy if you only want to sample the thing.  But I think, even if one long arc and one creation under their belt, Lobdell and Rocafort have an excellent legacy behind them, the kind they deserve.

Rocafort isn't as astonishing here as I'd like, but it's clearly still his work, and that's good enough.  It's completely atypical for Superman (you'll certainly believe a man can fly...into the fantastic!), as it was for the characters in Red Hood.  He's the version of the Aspen template that has something on the mind other than Michael Turner's long lady torsos.  

Anyway, I'm glad I finally caught up with these guys.