Can we talk about how utterly enjoyable Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason’s Superman run has been? I know I mention it fairly often in Alex’s and my weekly reviews, but it remains so heartening to have a Superman comic that is bright, optimistic, and actually feels like the character I grew up loving for the first time in years. The rest of the line that surrounds it is great fun too (Action Comics, Supergirl, Superwoman), and I think it might be DC’s best set of books currently, which is something I’ve been waiting a long time to say about this franchise.
This week, Tomasi and Gleason are teaming up with Ivan Reis; who, beyond a recent Batman fill-in, was last seen penciling the bookend issues of Grant Morrison’s (so excellent there’s little need to go on about it) The Multiversity. Tomasi, Gleason, and Reis return to the concepts and characters found in that series for the three-part “Multiplicity” and The Beat has exclusive pages for Wednesday’s exciting new release:
“MULTIPLICITY” part one! The New Super-Man of China has been taken! The Red Son Superman of Earth-30 has been beaten! And who knows what’s happened to Sunshine Superman! Someone is collecting Supermen across the Multiverse—this looks like a job for our Kal-El as he is joined by Justice Incarnate in this multi-Earth epic!
I’m loving all of the Rebirth stuff, especially Superman and Wonder Woman. I am so happy to have the real Superman back. Now all we need is to have him be Clark Kent again and please, please, please bring back the red boots! He desperately needs them.
People used to complain about the “underwear on the outside,” but this is worse. The blue boots makes costume look like nothing so much as a onsie.
I love this run too. I’m new to the comics world, having just gotten into it at the ripe old age of 50 after rewatching all the Christopher Reeve Superman movies (well, ok, not IV); and binge-watching Smallville and Supergirl.
I agree that the red boots need a comeback. I understand that the “trunks outside the suit” was a throwback to strong men and lion tamers in the circus when the character first premiered in Action Comics. So I’ll leave the judgement on that to more seasoned fans.
If anyone here has a suggestion on what to read next: All Star Superman; Red Son, etc. please let me know. I’m limited only by my budget!
Hi Gwyneth,
All Star Superman, Superman: Secret Identity, and Superman and the Legion of Superheroes are my favorite modern age Superman comics that I think are worth checking out. I particularly like the latter, because for once, it’s a well-regarded Superman story that isn’t an origin or a “last days” sort of story.
Most New 52 Superman before Rebirth is pretty skippable, though Morrison’s Action run has some nicer high-points, and Geoff Johns/John Romita’s “Men of Tomorrow” storyline is engaging (I think Johns does his best work on Superman).
More on the periphery, Paul Cornell and Pete Woods did a really fun Lex Luthor story called “The Black Ring” a few years back that’s been collected. I think it should be fairly approachable, even if you don’t know that much about the Green Lantern storyline it spins out of. You’ll probably see many people recommend Kingdom Come, but without some kind of grounding in 90’s superhero comics, I’m not sure that’ll register as much.
And of course, there’s the Jurgens/Ordway/Stern/Simonson/Kesel etc run that’s pretty fun and foundational, some of which they’ve reprinted in those nifty Death of Superman trades, but there’s an earlier collection coming this year called “Superman: The Man of Tomorrow Book One” that picks up where this creative nucleus kicks off, right after John Byrne leaves. I’d recommend some of those Byrne trades, but they’re out of print mostly these days except for the most recent ones.
Thank RAO for high quality SUPERMAN stories at low, low prices!!
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