Comic Related - If It's Comic Related, You'll Find It Here!

I really wasn't sure what to expect out of Superman #701. I'd read Superman #700, and was underwhelmed at what seemed to be a fill in issue with quick stories that didn't have a terrible amount of impact. The short story at the end didn't tell me anything I didn't already know about what was going to be the JMS run. I haven't really read too many Superman comics in the past, so it was nice to come at this with somewhat of a blank slate.

Right away I can tell you three very important things about Superman #701 to dispel a lot of rumors:

1. Superman flies.
2. Superman wears the costume.
3. There is no giant spider.

With that out of the way, Superman #701 was one of the most enjoyable comics I've read this year. This week in general had some great quality comics, so it was difficult to pick ones to review. This issue was a kick off issue of Superman's walk around the country, and the issue was filled with several pages of small vignettes of Superman helping out the "small" problems.

The book starts out with Superman visiting Philadelphia and helping out with his x-ray vision a group of folk working on a truck. It goes into a media frenzy, where reporters hassle him about red kryptonite and magic, which seems like a dig at someone, though I can't make the call as to who that is. He explains to Lois that he's going on walkabout, and we're off to "average" America.

In true Americana fashion, the next page shows us a diner. Instead of paying, Superman cleans up their mess. We then see him dealing with drug dealers, and saving a girl from suicide in a very introspective emotional piece. I was a little unprepared for how heavy those pages were, and they definitely pulled on the heart strings. The issue ends on a quick piece of an annoying man asking Superman obnoxious questions, which he answers cryptically.

The very firs thing I noticed about this issue, was how little I knew about the character of who Superman is as a person. So much of the Superman lore is such a shallow representation of him, and doesn't go into his thoughtfulness, his feelings, who he is. This issue really made me look into the psyche of Superman, and not in a gloomy, negative way. It felt very personal, and I enjoyed that.

It never occurred to me how deep and knowledgeable Superman would be, and I like the portrayal as a quiet, stoic person in this issue. I also like the fact that I feel like I got a full story of Superman in this issue. All though it says "to be continued..." the issue really stands on its own as a story, and I could probably have started with the next or only picked up this issue and felt complete, which is very rare in comics these days.

JMS commented in an interview that a good trick of writing is to keep things as ordinary as possible, so when the fantastic happens, it really has an impact. Comedy's not funny when everything is funny around it, it loses its punch. He's setting that kind of story up here, where it was very low key. It really was dealing with little problems, which are skipped over in a lot of comics other than to be a throwaway part of a bigger story. I enjoy that a lot. And I think this sets a great tone for a run on this book.

The art of Eddy Barrows has its strengths and weaknesses. The bodies, the backgrounds are so nicely done and detailed it feels like one of the best professional comics out there. The problem I have, same as I had in issue #700, is the close ups on the faces. The expressions all look very forced and unnatural in those close-up shots. There's something wrong with the nose or lips, it's really hard to pin it down but it distracts from the comic at some points. It's not an all around thing, and the art is better than a lot of books out there even with this, but it's something I hope gets worked on and smoothed out as the run continues.

Overall, the story is a good one. It's an introspective, personal Superman. You're not seeing him do some shallow adventure against an evil, warmongering corporate greedy racist whatever. You're seeing him down to Earth, grounded as the story is called. I like that, and I think it sets a nice tone for a run on the comic. The art still needs a little perfecting, but other than that, this is one of the best comics out there.