Review: Superman- Reborn

Quick Summary

Pros: The entire event lives up to the hype it has generated. The mystery is interesting, the characters are emotional, and the villain is great. It also generates a ton of possibilities for Superman stories going forward. The artwork is beautiful, especially near the end.

Cons: The Superwoman story feels pretty out of place.

Overall: This is an ambitious comic book that uses a compelling mystery and an awesome villain to tell a story that celebrates DC’s past and present. It is one of the rare crossover events where the payoff is able to match the level of anticipation it has created. This is accomplished by hooking readers in with some mystery and then upping the ante with a universe-altering and mind-bending conclusion. Readers looking for a Superman story with multiversal implications should check this one out.

Story

After tons of anticipation and plenty of set-up, Superman: Reborn gives readers the explosive crossover event they have been waiting for. The collection starts by reintroducing the mystery of Clark Kent’s doppelganger, whose creepy mannerisms and unexplained existence hook readers from the get-go. Then, the collection moves into a well-executed reveal that is packed with payoff. The villain here is incredibly compelling and forces the heroes down a path filled with emotion and lasting repercussions. Overall, this collection does not disappoint when it comes to mystery, family, or significant changes to the DC Universe.

(spoilers start here)

The book starts out by placing a major focus on the Clark Kent doppelganger, whose presence has been unexplained since Action Comics Vol. 1: Path of Doom (Review). This mystery has been great for a while but the renewed focus makes it even better. This Clark is downright creepy; he acts like a child, follows our heroes around, and even proposes to Lois. Just having him around gives the story an unsettling feeling that works perfectly in setting up the collection’s major reveal.

The buildup to this reveal hits its peak when the fake Clark Kent reaches his breaking point. All of a sudden, the Kent household is on fire and Jon disappears. It is an emotional moment that highlights the love in this family and shows what Superman will do to protect his son. Soon after Jon’s disappearance, an intense confrontation between Superman and Clark builds even more intrigue before finally telling us the identity of this creepy villain, Mr. Mxyzptlk.

Mxyzptlk ends up being a fantastic nemesis for Superman and a great character to center the book around. His childlike devotion to Superman and his semi-tragic backstory make him almost endearing and turn him into somewhat of a sympathetic character. However, his chaotic behavior and immense power make him a threat. This combination allows him to be a villain with layers, one far more complex than some of the single-minded monsters that Superman has faced in the past. In my opinion, this specific storyline makes Mxyzptlk as compelling and interesting as the Joker, which is a rather impressive feat to pull off.

In addition, Mxyzptlk’s ability to alter reality allows for this story to have a mind-blowing conclusion with significant and lasting consequences. Pre- and post-Flashpoint versions of Superman and Lois Lane merge to create a timeline where portions of both realities exist. Just the concept behind this is impressive, but the actual execution of it is even more so. It makes the end of this volume exciting and fun to read while simultaneously opening up a whole new realm of possibilities for future comics.

My only complaint with Superman: Reborn is that the opening story about Superwoman feels pretty out of place. It works in context with Superwoman Vol. 1: Who Killed Superwoman? (Review) but doesn’t fit well with the rest of this volume.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The collection starts out strong, with artwork that is easily above average. Patrick Zircher and Stephen Segovia pencil several issues that feature detailed characters, beautiful locations, and solid structure. They provide a realistic approach to Superman that matches the work Action Comics readers will already be familiar with.

After these two chapters, Superman: Reborn goes from good to fantastic. Doug Mahnke and Patrick Gleason alternate chapters and provide two distinct looks at the collection’s mysterious enemy. Mahnke’s chapters are heavily detailed with an awesome focus on realism. The highlight of his work is the pages leading up to the big reveal, which are full page spreads featuring Superman going head to head with some of his most recognizable enemies. Meanwhile, Gleason’s work is heavily stylized, with plenty of emotion and chaos. His take on the multiversal changes happening here is simply stunning and filled to the brim with creativity. Together these artists do a wonderful job and provide artwork that perfectly complements the story.

Continuity

Superman: Reborn is a crossover event between the Action Comics and Superman series. As such, it makes a number of references to each series. Readers can read this crossover on its own but will get a better picture of the total story if they read the first three volumes of each series first.

Part of this story continues in Action Comics Vol. 4: The New World and part of it continues in Superman Vol. 4: Black Dawn.

This volume also references stories from other comic books, detailed below:

• Many of the concepts here come from Superman: Lois and Clark (Review). This includes: the existence of pre-Flashpoint Superman, the villain Blanque, Superman’s mountain fortress, Dr. Henshaw, and the Kent’s son Jon.
• The origin behind Superwoman can be found in Superwoman Vol. 1: Who Killed Superwoman? (Review). The end of Who Killed Superwoman? also explains Superwoman’s condition at the beginning of this story.
• The death of the previous Superman is mentioned. This death can be found in Superman Vol. 2: Return to Glory (Review) or Superman: The Final Days of Superman (Review).
• Mr. Oz has been influencing the DC Universe since Superman: The Men of Tomorrow (Review).
  • He stole Doomsday in Action Comics Vol. 1: Path of Doom (Review).
  • He captured Prophecy in Superman Vol. 3: Multiplicity (Review).
  • He captured Tim Drake in Detective Comics Vol. 1: Rise of the Batmen (Review).
• The universe altering Flashpoint (Review) event is referenced.
• The Justice League’s first battle against Darkseid is brought up. This happened in Justice League Vol. 1: Origin (Review).
• Superman laying down underneath a Superman flag is a reference to Superman: The Death of Superman.
• Concepts from the “Superman Red/Superman Blue” storyline seem to be referenced here. This storyline is collected in Superman: Blue.
• As with other major titles from DC’s “Rebirth”, this collection makes a few references to Watchmen.