Superman # 40 (DC)

writer/artist: John Romita Jr.

This is one of the best segue issues ever.

Bridging the Geoff Johns and upcoming Gene Luan Yang eras with the common artist John Romita Jr., who also writes this issue, what at first seems like another slice-of-life side trip exploring Superman's new solar flare power turns dramatic in a heartbeat when we cut to Lois Lane at the end of the issue, a moment that will spin off in the "Trust" arc that swallows various Superman and Batman titles starting in June.

But the issue is also great fun.  Romita has some gags like Superman getting drunk.  Too often comics fans make the distinction between DC and Marvel storytelling in how human they allow their characters to be, the common wisdom being that Marvel is far more liberal in this regard.  The fact that longtime Marvel stalwart Romita is responsible for a story like this may make blurring such distinctions harder to prove, but trust me, this has always been nonsense.  Still, this is atypical material for Superman.  Exploring his powers or spending social time with his heroic colleagues are rare moments.

Hopefully as far as Romita's art is concerned, Superman fans will become less uptight.  I've liked it since he came aboard, but especially with this issue, it becomes increasingly expressive and playful (Wonder Woman takes advantage of the opportunities presented on this occasion, a moment ripped from the Superman/Wonder Woman era).  And yes, Superman even seems more human.  That's entirely appropriate for the series at this point.