I am finally catching up on my reviews after my vacation which means I have reached Superman #19. This is the first 'All In' Superman, bringing us the introduction of Lois 'Superwoman' Lane and the return of not one but two (but really one) classic DC villain to thwart the Man of Steel. It also unites two of DC's creative powerhouses - writer Joshua Williamson and artist Dan Mora.
I'll start by saying this 'All In' initiative feels a bit like Rebirth/Anti-Rebirth. The Absolute Line, with the new dark Earth and the darker takes on our heroes, feels like a step away from Classic DC. But the new teams, the new books, heck even these new pin-up covers of our heroes looking heroic, all seems to be a step towards a more traditional feel to our heroes. Add in a few wrinkles (like a powered Lois) and you have a great jumping on point.
I will start out by saying I think Williamson crushes it on this issue. You want to bring in new readers? Maybe people coming here because of the new initiative or Mora's art, you give them big action and intriguing hooks. He does both. Incredibly, he somehow brings new life to three stories we have seen before - Doomsday, 'good' Lex, and Superwoman. Heck, I am pretty tired of the first two. But somehow, they work here. In particular, the Doomsday one has such a fantastic cliffhanger ending here that I want to read more. Trust me, I never want to read more Doomsday! So kudos to Williamson.
There is also one little 'blink and you'll miss it' exchange at LexCorp that really interests me. More below.
As for the art, Mora has crushed it on every issue I have seen him on and this is no different. Mora is great on character design. His versions of Superwoman, the Atomic Skull, the Time Trapper all glitter. But it is smaller moments, the expressive work, a throwback Daily Planet front page, a world weary Lex, that really grabbed me.
On to the book!