Superman #13 Review

This series has been slated pretty much from the first issue of the new 52. There have been creative team changes galore as DC are desperate for this book to be a success, what with " Man Of Steel" being released next year. So enter Lobell and Rocafort, who are now in charge of Clark Kent's adventures. I believe this is Lobdell and Rocafort's first issue together ( apart from #0" ), so lets see how they did with it.

We start the issue with Superman training and testing his limits in an underground lab / gym type thing. This looked very cool, as well as making a lot of sense. Surely he needs to see exactly what his powers can enable him to do, so he has to test them right? But where does he test himself? This answers that perfectly.

Of course, the big talking point of this issue is Clark walking out on the Daily Planet. I also really enjoyed this, as we saw the real Clark Kent for one of the first times in this series. His strong moral viewpoints are what makes Clark who he is, so it was very good to see that come out in this issue. However, his rant could be seen as being a bit of a lecture aimed at the readers, which I really hope was not Lobdell's intention when writing it. I do not read a comic book to have the writer attempt to throw their views on to me. Saying that, I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt in relation to this one, as in the context of the issue, it ruled and was done extremely well.

The dragon type creature, that seems to have some sort of connection with H'el, looked awesome. The fight Superman had with it looked very good, and I also enjoyed how the dragon was disposed of eventually. My only gripe with this is the location of the final blow ( are there oil fields in Ireland? Really? ).
Of course, Supergirl then appeared with a very interesting reveal, which leaves me very excited for the next issue as well as other issues connected to this event.

Another interesting thing about this issue is the character Cat Grant. She walked out on the Daily Planet after Clark made his speech and left himself. This is pretty out of character for Cat, so it will be interesting to see whether she has some other intention. Also, Jimmy had a nice moment towards the start of the book. Jimmy Olsen, a ladies man? Who would have thought it?

Let me just mention the art briefly. After seeing the preview to this event, I really wasn't crazy about it at all. It's different to say the least. However, I really think that it works in this issue, and I only think it will improve over time if this team stays together on the book for a while.

I enjoyed this book, and thought it acted as a nice little prelude to the "H'el on Earth" event that is kicking off next month. I have always enjoyed this series, and do not understand the hate it generally receives. So if you are one of those people who have not been reading it, then give this issue a chance. It is a great jumping on point, and you never know you may even enjoy it.


Rating: 7 / 10