Superman: Coming of the Supermen Issue #1 and #2 Review

Title: Superman: Coming of the Supermen Issue #1 and #2
Author(s): Neal Adams
Publisher(s): DC
Language(S): English
Genre: Superhero
Release Date: February 24 and March 16, 2016

One Superman not enough? Perhaps three more will do it! In theory. As the forces of Apokolips attempt to invade Earth, the Man of Tomorrow is aided by the arrival of three new heroes from the newly restored city of Kandor, former capitol of Krypton. Gifted with the same powers as Superman, the three are eager to learn from one of the planet model superheroes. 

Final Word:With a title like “Coming of the Supermen” readers would think that this comic would center around other 

Kryptonians teaming up with Superman in the fight against crime. Sadly, that is not the case when that idea is just one out of three other sub-plots in the story that rather make it overcrowded. The idea is not a bad one, especially if this comic takes place in its own continuity and it is quite refreshing to see other Kryptonians, aside from Supergirl, who do not want to take over the earth.

There is indeed a great deal of storytelling opportunities to do with the new team of supermen considering that they are new and readers could learn more about Clark’s people.  Disappointingly, the presence of the three supermen is being over shadowed and clumped together in one series that feels far too compressed. Among these sub-plots include another scheme by Lex Luthor , an invasion with Dark Seid, a little boy whom Clark adopts, and ancient Egypt. In issue one, the comic seems like it’s trying to justify itself by having all of these plot lines be part of a some great mystery; however, comes off more as congested and the fast pacing is not helping either. Two subplots, minus the Supermen, could have been removed so to have a more focused story instead an overloading or over complicating it. Most the dialogue in the series sounded entertainingly over dramatic, however some the lines  sound awkward and could use a rewrite, mainly in issue 2.

At the very least, the comic did have some good aspects regarding the series thus far, the three Kyrptonians are indeed likable bunch, and it is always nice to see how Clark can even inspire other Kyrptonians to become heroes. Everyone from Clark, Lois, Jimmy and even Lex Luthor are still in character, even if it is exaggerated; however, that is complimented by the art work. The art is so expressive, vibrant; it has a nice 90s or early 2000s feel to it. The art works great for the Supermen, making all of the characters look distinct from one another. The only problems would be the heavy usage of crosshatching for shading; often times it can make the art look a bit messy but, this is forgivable and does add a bit of an old school comic feel.

While there are a few good things about the comic, there is not enough to make up for what is bad. It would be preferable if the story focused on Superman and his three new groupies.