SUPERMAN/ WONDER WOMAN VOL. 1: POWER COUPLE by Charles Soule and Tony S. Daniel
Collects Superman/ Wonder Woman #1-7
I’ll just say right off the bat that this is the best Superman title to take place within the confines of The New 52; the creative team absolutely knocked it out of the park. This could have easily been a book about two of the most iconic characters in all of comics teaming up to battle evil every month, but luckily it became so much more. We are treated to a beautiful book that has the proper balance of action and storytelling and deals with the running themes of how a superhuman couple deals with the responsibility of saving the day along with maintaining a functioning relationship.
Speaking of the creative team, writer Charles Soule has an absolute knack for nailing the dialogue and proper characterizations of the titular heroes. Few books portray the “Power Couple” better. There is such strength and wisdom in Diana’s words and Clark has some great meditations on the subjects of the importance of having a secret identity and how he relates to humanity. Superman fans should quote the dialogue in this book to counter that ridiculous assessment from Kill Bill that everyone who has never read a Superman comic likes to reference. There’s also a nice blend of both characters’ supporting casts.
As for the art, Tony Daniel is at his absolute best here. I often tout him as one of my favorite current artists and one need only gaze upon the interiors to see why I look upon his work so favorably. Superman and Wonder Woman look iconic in nearly every image they appear in, as does Doomsday, who plays a pivotal role in this tale. I certainly don’t mean to overuse the term “iconic”, but I can’t think of a more appropriate word to describe what may be the best and most circulated drawing of Doomsday in recent years (pictured below). Daniel and colorist Tomeu Morey go together like peanut butter and jelly and will make you want to take a second flip through the book just to stare at the artwork. Paulo Siqueira does a splendid job of lending his pencils to a backup story in issue #4 and the entirety of issue #7.
Though Doomsday did make quite a splash (literally and figuratively), the true villains of the piece are Zod and Faora. They present the perfect opposite side of the coin from our heroes. Zod immediately establishes himself as a threat once liberated from the Phantom Zone when easily taking down heavy hitters like Hawkman and Martian Manhunter, the latter of which is one of the most powerful superheroes in The New 52. You do get a hint that Superman tries to find a brother-from-another-mother in Zod, but we all know where this will go. Seeing Zod use Kal-El’s ignorance of Kryptonian technology against him was also an interesting touch. The final battle between the two couples ends with a satisfying bang. While on the subject of villains, it’s worth mentioning that Lex Luthor puts in an appearance. When the world finally learns of the Superman/ Wonder Woman romance, Lex’s reaction to hearing that they’re “together… doin’ it” is priceless.
If you’re wondering why this review wasn’t labeled as “Beyond The Bat”, that’s because Batman does put in a few appearances in the book. His banter with Superman is absolute dynamite and the Batman/ Superman dynamic is possibly captured better than in any other book on shelves right now. When the Dark Knight does appear, he makes it count.
Supplemental material includes a variant cover gallery featuring work from the likes of Cliff Chiang, Shane Davis, and Aaron Kuder.
I would consider this book to be required reading, not only because it’s so spectacular, but because it serves as a prelude of sorts to the Superman: Doomed crossover. This is also the perfect primer for casual fans looking to familarize themselves with these characters before viewing Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (March 25, 2016). DC would be wise to heavily circulate this book around the time of the film’s release. To quote Kenny Bania on Seinfeld, it’s “gold, Jerry! Gold!”. Score: 9/10