Adventures of Superman #5 review

Breezy, that's the word for this fifth instalment of DC Digital's Superman title. Writer Joshua Hale Fialkov and artist Joëlle Jones present a day in the life tale which sees Lois and Clark battling for the Daily Planet front page, even though the most exciting thing in the diary is the Metropolis Dog Show. With Lois refusing to let Clark share her cab to the event, our hero has to make his own way there, and en route he finds one or two distractions ...

Fialkov and Jones are the latest pair of creators to demonstrate why this 99c digital-first, weekly gem could easily be titled This Is Superman! They give us the Man of Steel in his traditional costume, capture the classic Clark/Lois dynamic and throw in plenty of action and heart. And so far as humour goes, there's a terrific gag involving time travel in the DC Universe.
I love the Forties stylings Jones gives our reporters, just look at Lois, classic and cool. I'm fine with believing that even though we're in the 21st century - you'll notice the odd hoodie and laptop - Planet newshens still know how to rock the Rosalind Russell look. And Jones seizes the opportunity to give us her take on timeless bits of Superman business.

Putting Fialkov's words on the page is letterer Wes Abbott, while Jones' stripwork is brought to colourful life by Nick Filardi - it's an excellent performance all round, under the auspices of editor Alex Antone.

I hope to see Fialkov and Jones back soon to give us their take on a full-on villain encounter, but for now, so far as fun overviews of the Life Super go, I doubt this could be bettered.

If anyone at DC Entertainment is seeking a creative team for a playful new Superman Sunday strip, Fialkov and Jones may just be the Kent and Lane they need.

Comments

  1. Sounds like a fun installment! I'll ave to check it out when I make my next purchases.

    (DC has foiled my wait-a-month plan for Worlds' Finest, making the wait two months. Can't say I'm happy about that!)

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  2. I just started reading DC after the relaunch so haven't really delved into their Digital First series. I'm trying to wrap my head around the current Universe so didn't want to throw in extra data points. Sounds like it could be a good series though and I might give it a look when they collect it in the print release.

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    1. It seems to be generally enjoyed, William. And good luck with the DC delvings.

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  3. Ever since his arc in Supermab/Batman, I've felt Fialkov understood very well what made Superman tick (and Batman too, as it turned out).

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    1. I'm trying to remember what Fialkov's S/B arc was - must look it up and, if I haven't got it, rectify that.

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  4. I've been enjoying a lot of the digital DC downloads lately, the Superman ones in particular. It certainly is a better entry point than any of the New 52 titles. And I do like that teams switch around and that the stories aren't always connected to mainstream continuity or even each other.

    I've heard good stuff about Fialkov's I,Vampire writing, but never got a chance to sample it until this story. And it's fun stuff!

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    1. I enjoyed the recent I, Vampire, but I'm feeling nostalgic for the original I...Vampire series, time to buy that 2012 collection, methinks.

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