Superman #2 review, The Savage Hawkman #2 review

Comic Book Wednesday

Issue #24

(Part Three)

And this brings this week (one of the biggest in recent memory) to a close. For more of this week's reviews, click here (Angel & Faith #3, Cloak & Dagger: Spider Island #3, Casper's Scare School #1, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3) and here (Aquaman #2, The Flash #2, and Justice League Dark #2).

Superman #2

Flying Blind

Script and breakdowns by George Perez

Art by Jesus Marino

DC Comics

I feel like a traitor.

Last month, I wrote that Superman #1 was a lot closer to what I was looking for in a Supes book than Action Comics #1. However... well, not only did Action #2 kick ass, but Superman #2 was pretty dull. It continues the whole endless-text-in-each-panel thing, but this time around, the dialogue was - without exaggeration - 100% exposition. 100%. I didn't buy one bit of dialogue as human conversation. It all functioned to clue the reader in on plot and theme (the latter of which would be a good thing if the execution wasn't so transparent). The story itself is interesting, and I can tell it would've really sung in the hands of a different writer.

The big battle of this issue is pretty awesome. Superman fights a creature that his Kryptonian senses can't detect, so he has to rely on the media (nearby cameras, projection screens, etc) to bring this baddie down. Interesting twist.

Again, this is a meaty read that doesn't suffer from the over-decompression that many of the other New 52 titles do... but it's starting to feel like all of the text is weighing it down when the dialogue and the internal monologue stops adding to the story and starts over-explaining. It's begun to feel less like a peek into Superman's mind and more like an annoying announcer describing every bit of the action as it happens.

The Savage Hawkman #2

Wings of Darkness

Written by Tony S. Daniel

Art by Philip Tan

DC Comics

This is another comic that wasn't as good as the debut, but I don't really fault this one. The premise of The Savage Hawkman is that Carter Hall wants to be done with being Hawkman, which is complicated now that the Nth metal has been absorbed into his body. A superhero who no longer wants to be empowered is a great idea, and it's even better that Carter Hall is unable to keep himself from saving people when danger is around.

This issue spends a lot of time introducing and building intrigue about the villains, who, while terrifying, are the least interesting players in this series. While the first issue was almost all Carter Hall, this installment is purely villains/Hawkman. It was a good read, but it sort of missed the mark on why the first one mattered.

What I can say, for sure, is that Tony S. Daniel is doing a way better job on this book than Detective Comics. While the last issue of Detective delved into self-parody with its over-the-top gore, this series seems to stay away from that - for now.

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NEXT WEEK: Action Comics, Batwing, Detective Comics, Mystic, Static Shock, Supernatural, Legend of Oz: The Wicked West.