Review: Superman #21

With the weekly schedule of Action Comics done and the holidays and year reviews behind me, I am finally getting to Superman #21 to review. (I have to say that the last few months have been busy here on the site with the two-fer Action Comics reviews but it also assured content. I might miss that.)

Superman #21 is a sort of breather issue to catch up on the characters and their private lives. Between Doomsday, Time Trapper Doomsday, Superwoman, and other mysteries, there is a lot of plot happening in this book. I give writer Joshua Williamson some kudos for recognizing that giving the characters a moment to breathe and giving the audience some moments to remind them why they like these characters is a brilliant move.

As always, Superman and Lois and their relationship is the axle this book revolves around. So this 'date night' issue is focused on them. It would be hard enough to stay connected when both are ultra-busy journalists. Now both are super-heroes on top of that. So seeing the two taking time for each other is great. Williamson realizes we are in a superhero comic so this isn't without action. 

Dan Mora continues to shine. His work is just so beautiful, full of energy. I will admit that there are some places in the book that seems a little rough, a little unpolished. Still stellar for sure. But I wonder if Mora is burning the candle a bit too bright given the number of Mora covers I see on the racks.

On to the book.

If Superman and Superwoman are going out on a date, someone needs to defend Metropolis. I mean a ... ahem ... 'secret mission'. 

Lois asks Kara to hold the fort.

Look, if Mora is drawing Supergirl, I think I am contractually obligated to share.  He just knows the right body language, dynamism, and expression to give her. But I love that Lois and Kara have continued to hang out together in this capacity, especially after the Superwoman Special.  

First stop on the date tour? The moon where Clark continues to train Lois.

Throw a boulder at the target on the mountain while calculating the difference in gravity.

Beautiful art, for sure.

I do wish we saw Lois struggling a little more. If I suddenly had powers, I don't think I would be a good fighter. Perhaps there has been training we simply haven't seen.

Like couples who don't get out much, the two try to sneak in as much as they can.

A Zatanna magic show, a flight around dinosaurs (The Land That Time Forgot? Skartaris? time travel?), and playing with Krypto. 

Again we hear Lois say that she misses writing in general, and even more since she doesn't write what she is experiencing as Superwoman. While Lois has taken to heroing like a veteran, her 'real power' is her journalism. So I like hearing her struggling a bit there at least. 

Then a picnic lunch in Gemworld.

This was probably the heaviest section of the book as Superman opens up about his own fears of recent events. He might be the invulnerable Superman on the outside to others but he is dealing with some stuff.

Doomsday is a pall over the events.

Now I have to thank editor Paul Kaminski for the note. I have been wondering about this 'going red' plot line for Superman and what happened. Now I have to head back to the Pharm and Graft storyline to see a Red K injection. Heck, I don't even mention it in my review.

While I am happy that I have an explanation, a lot has happened between Superman #12 and now. Why did the 'going red' problem only just crop up?

We saw Lois stiffen up when she saw Superman brawling in the recent Doomsday fight. I like how Williamson again shows us the lingering trauma Lois has from witnessing Clark die in the first Doomsday fight.

She can't unsee it.

I love how Mora illustrates this section. Dark backgrounds and silhouettes building the funereal sense and dread. I love how Lois has her hair up in a bun. The expressive work is great. But this is the section that feels just a little bit less polished too. 

And then Superman drops the bomb that the Time Trapper Doomsday told him. Superman has been told he will be immortal, living forever and seeing everyone around him die.

Love the shock on Lois again. 

Interspersed in the date night fun are three interludes.

Are Jimmy and Siobhan getting serious? Is Doomsday dreaming good dreams, pumped full of Black Mercy toxin?

The amnestic Lex thread continues to intrigue me. Is he fooling us all? Or is it real? 

I don't think I have seen Lex this 'sweet' before, even when trying to fool everyone. He knows Mercy's coffee drink? Their hands linger on the cup like in some Sydney Sweeney rom-com? As crazy as it sounds, this might be my favorite moment of the book!

After all the fun events are done, we get a quiet moment between Clark and Lois ... not Superman and Superwoman. 

This is probably my favorite panel of the issue. Lois doesn't need crazy venues. She just needs them. Making them small, placing them on a city street .. it humanizes them. It makes their relationship a human one, one we as readers can understand and relate.

When art and words mesh, comics sing. This is a cinematic moment.

But the quiet moment is broken by Supergirl calling for backup.

An armada has arrived, the survivors of the world Doomsday ravaged in his past. And they want blood.

This was the perfect issue to slot in before the craziness of wrapping up the Doomsday plot. This adds dimension and weight to the cast and their issues. We can catch our breath as readers.

I keep hearing that Williamson might be off this book soon. That DC is planning on rebooting the title ... again. I hope they are just rumors. Williamson is crushing it here.

Overall grade: A