Writer: Gene Luen Yang
Penciller: Howard Porter
Gene Luen Yang’s paradigm=shifting Superman run continues this month with a rather solid entry but one that is not devoid of flaws, at least in my opinion. Sure, while the notion of a Superman that can bruise seems rather offensive to some purists, I will again say that variety is needed when a character has been in continuous publication for over three quarters of a century.
Superman, somewhat de-powered, has been partaking in a fight club called Mythbrawl that has somewhat of a pro wrestling flair. Yes, they kick the crap out of each other, but they “cut a promo,” to use some wrestling lingo, afterward. Considering that I often equate wrestling to real-life situations, I was rather amused by this added element. Maybe Superman should say the name of the city he’s in to get the cheap pop.
Our hero gets drawn into a world of supernatural beings and begins to investigate the disappearance of a fellow competitor. The dialogue and character interactions are enthralling, making for an enjoyable read. While some may complain about the new status quo, I was just too busy enjoying what was mostly a good story brought to life by the dynamic artwork of Howard Porter.
Notice that I said “mostly a good story.”
You know when you’re enjoying a book or movie and then you’re thrown a curveball that just didn’t seem like it was needed? That’s kind of what happens here. It seems that someone has hatched a plot to clone Superman. Again. Superman being cloned for nefarious purposes is far from anything new. Yes, I’m aware this is the same review that stressed the importance of variety. I guess this book has a strange dichotomy to it. Let’s just say that Sand Clone Superman came off as rather silly and took me out of a book that I was otherwise engaged in.
There’s also a concurrent plot involving Jimmy Olsen attempting to find Superman that converges with the main one near the end. It leads to an interesting cliffhanger that should make readers want to come back for the next issue. Sure, Superman #46 isn’t a perfect book, but I think it’s still worth a read.
