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Mild Mannered Reviews - Superman #3

Superman #3

Scheduled to arrive in stores: April 18, 2023
Cover date: June 2023

"Chapter Three: A Leap of Faith"

Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Jamal Campbell
Cover: Jamal Campbell
Variant Cover #1: David Nakayama
Variant Cover #2: Francesco Mattina
Variant Cover #3: Hélène Lenoble
Variant Cover #4: Travis Mercer, Danny Miki & Trish Mulvihill
1:25 Variant Cover: Megan Huang
1:50 Variant Cover: Scott Kolins
1:100 (A) Variant Cover: Jamal Campbell
1:100 (B) Variant Cover: Steve Rude

Reviewed by: Adam Dechanel

Click to enlarge

A parasite-infected Superman breaks into Lex Luthor's prison. Lex mistakenly believes Superman is there to break him out due to the Parasite outbreak, instead a barely in control Superman pulls Leslie Willis out of her cell and takes the two to the now abandoned SuperCorp building.

Superman puts on a containment suit while Mercy & Lex put the Man of Steel's plan into action... turning the SuperCorp building into an energy beacon.

Every microscopic particle of the Parasite virus will be drawn to the beacon while Superman is masked from detection by the suit, from everyone but Rudy.

Although Parasite Zero/Rudy is drawn to Superman's power, Clark reminds him that all of his mini clones have the power of Metropolis coursing through them and if he really wants power all he need do is reabsorb the particles.

Lex of course is ready to neutralize Parasite while he inadvertently cures the city and its populace. Is it over? For Parasite his transformation has been reversed.

Later, Superman pays a visit to a reincarcerated Lex and asks him why he and Leslie didn't escape. Lex repeats his promise that he wants to help Superman in return for his protection against an impending threat.

Superman gives Lex a parting gift before returning to reopen SuperCorp while the villainous scientists set up the next part of their plan.

To Be Continued...

Story - 5: A nice end to the first arc which left some thing's unresolved for the future. I enjoyed the fact Superman came up with the plan to save Metropolis rather than rely on Lex. I also hope this puts to rest the misconceptions that Superman isn't as intelligent as Lex Luthor or Batman. I look forward to how this story unfolds, there is a great balance in the writing. A really enjoyable opening arc with a promise of more excitement and intrigue to come.

Art - 5: I read a post by Mark Waid about "Superman: Lost" before I read this book and when the clickbait sites previewed the suit, I kept quiet on social media. I knew it was the containment suit as an homage to "Superman: The Animated Series" and also because it was a Parasite story but I guess social media thrives on clickbait. I hope the panic those sites instilled in fandom has dissipated and that they take this as an opportunity to read some of the Silver Age books where Superman changed costumes on a monthly basis...

Anyway back to the book... I wish there was more of infected Superman, it would have been cool to see him fight the Super Family. I'm really enjoying this art style and it really suits the new direction of the book. Like the animated series, there is a distinct style to the book that sets it apart from the other DC books... in a really good way.

Cover Art - 5: Amazing cover! I really wish this had been a scene in the book because this is a scene that would have really put Lois & Clark through the wringer.

Variant Cover Art #1 - 5: Who doesn't love a Superman and Luthor face off? The intense atmosphere in this scene is palpable. I love the line work here and the brushwork.

Variant Cover Art #2 - 5: What a great cover, I love everything about it, there is a sort of iconic energy from it. The iconography definitely makes it stand out, Mattina definitely knows his Superman imagery! I think this is one for the phone wallpaper!

Variant Cover Art #3 - 3: Nice to see a Lois Lane-centric cover but she looks more zombie than Parasite here. It's nicely rendered but it probably needed a horrified Clark to give the cover more gravitas.

Variant Cover Art #4 - 2: I did not really like this cover, first because we still don't know who they are and second because this feels more like an interior pin-up or profile page art than a front cover. I just don't feel it matches the level of the other covers this month. Where they lean into horror, this seems to be comedy...

1:25 Variant Cover Art - 5: This is a really nice piece of art and I love a bit of Superman and Krypto, but I'm at a loss for its relevance to this issue. I like it, but I just keep thinking 'why is this a cover' instead of marveling at its artistic beauty. I think it is a great cover but just doesn't fit.

1:50 Variant Cover Art - 4: If you wanted a fun cover this is it! Bursting with action and energy this is a showdown I'd love to see! I love that Superman is unfazed by this band of deadly foes!

1:100 Variant Cover Art - 5: I don't think I've ever seen a Steve Rude piece I haven't loved. I love this cover and its obvious love of the Golden Age and the Fleischer animated series. Just fantastic!

Mild Mannered Reviews

2023

Note: Except for digital first releases, the month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

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Mild Mannered Reviews - Superman #3

Superman #3

Mild Mannered Reviews

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