Scan barcode
quirkycatsfatstacks's review
4.0
3 1/2 stars.
I received a copy of Superman Vol. 4: Black Down from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Written by Peter Tomasi (known for Batman and Robin, The Outsiders, Green Lantern’s Blackest Night and Brightest Day) Superman volume four, Black Dawn has Superman back, along with his family, Lois and Jon. Tomasi’s writing is supported wonderfully by Patrick Gleason’s (Green Lantern Corps: Rechareg, Aquaman, Batman and Robin, Brightest Day) artwork, which is bright and flashy and pretty much exactly what I would hope for from a Superman comic.
In Black Dawn, Superman and son are joined by DC’s other famous father and son team; Batman and Robin (Damian Wayne). This was a refreshing surprise for me, especially because I’m a huge fan of watching characters cross-over and interact with each other. That being said, I know some fans don’t like this as much as I do, so they may not enjoy this volume as much because of that.
For those of you that are behind in what’s going on in Superman’s life, he, Lois, and Jon have settled in a lovely little town (can you even call it that?) called Hamilton. Fans of Hamilton and its townspeople (like Kathy and Farmer Cobb) probably won’t love what happens next with them – I know I didn’t. Though I did appreciate the risk they took, so that’s something.
So what exactly happens to sleepy little Hamilton? Well, it turns out there’s more than meets the eye with this town (and yes, I’m including Superman’s vision in that statement). The townspeople (many of whom aren’t actually…people) are being influenced by Black, who’s got them all thinking he’s trying to help Superman and Superboy and generally improve their way of life. It’s hard to say whether any of this would have been revealed (in a timely fashion that is) had Batman not done what he does best; stuck his nose where it doesn’t belong (Jon’s powers) and followed the trail.
I’ll admit I really didn’t like what was done with Kathy and Farmer Cobb – sure the little hints in the beginning of the volume were interesting (I liked the idea of them spying on the Kent’s for their own safety), but it got out of hand really fast. They tried to “reset” Kathy and Jon’s relationship back to normal in the end, but I don’t think I’ll ever see it the same way again.
On the bright side, everything that was done was done to further Superboy’s abilities, which is actually pretty awesome. If Batman is correct about Jon and how he’ll be stronger than his father, he has a right to be concerned (though I think he’s going about it in the wrong way – you treat people like villains and eventually they’ll become one).
Oh! One other shining moment for me came from Lois Lane herself. Seeing her wield a flaming Gauntlet was fantastic and somewhat unexpected. Seeing the surprise on the townspeople’s faces? Absolutely priceless.
I can’t wait to see what happens next in volume five. I’m curious to see how far they’ll go in getting the town back to “normal” or if they’ll let the secret just stay out in the open. I think the former will happen, but I could be wrong (though I think Kathy will continue with the plot they’ve started for her).
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
I received a copy of Superman Vol. 4: Black Down from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Written by Peter Tomasi (known for Batman and Robin, The Outsiders, Green Lantern’s Blackest Night and Brightest Day) Superman volume four, Black Dawn has Superman back, along with his family, Lois and Jon. Tomasi’s writing is supported wonderfully by Patrick Gleason’s (Green Lantern Corps: Rechareg, Aquaman, Batman and Robin, Brightest Day) artwork, which is bright and flashy and pretty much exactly what I would hope for from a Superman comic.
In Black Dawn, Superman and son are joined by DC’s other famous father and son team; Batman and Robin (Damian Wayne). This was a refreshing surprise for me, especially because I’m a huge fan of watching characters cross-over and interact with each other. That being said, I know some fans don’t like this as much as I do, so they may not enjoy this volume as much because of that.
For those of you that are behind in what’s going on in Superman’s life, he, Lois, and Jon have settled in a lovely little town (can you even call it that?) called Hamilton. Fans of Hamilton and its townspeople (like Kathy and Farmer Cobb) probably won’t love what happens next with them – I know I didn’t. Though I did appreciate the risk they took, so that’s something.
So what exactly happens to sleepy little Hamilton? Well, it turns out there’s more than meets the eye with this town (and yes, I’m including Superman’s vision in that statement). The townspeople (many of whom aren’t actually…people) are being influenced by Black, who’s got them all thinking he’s trying to help Superman and Superboy and generally improve their way of life. It’s hard to say whether any of this would have been revealed (in a timely fashion that is) had Batman not done what he does best; stuck his nose where it doesn’t belong (Jon’s powers) and followed the trail.
I’ll admit I really didn’t like what was done with Kathy and Farmer Cobb – sure the little hints in the beginning of the volume were interesting (I liked the idea of them spying on the Kent’s for their own safety), but it got out of hand really fast. They tried to “reset” Kathy and Jon’s relationship back to normal in the end, but I don’t think I’ll ever see it the same way again.
On the bright side, everything that was done was done to further Superboy’s abilities, which is actually pretty awesome. If Batman is correct about Jon and how he’ll be stronger than his father, he has a right to be concerned (though I think he’s going about it in the wrong way – you treat people like villains and eventually they’ll become one).
Oh! One other shining moment for me came from Lois Lane herself. Seeing her wield a flaming Gauntlet was fantastic and somewhat unexpected. Seeing the surprise on the townspeople’s faces? Absolutely priceless.
I can’t wait to see what happens next in volume five. I’m curious to see how far they’ll go in getting the town back to “normal” or if they’ll let the secret just stay out in the open. I think the former will happen, but I could be wrong (though I think Kathy will continue with the plot they’ve started for her).
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
tomcork's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
charitytinnin's review
5.0
(Read as Single Issues) In a darker, more cynical age, it is perhaps more important than ever that Big Blue Boy Scouts remain so ... for they really do have the power to change the world.
tabman678's review
4.0
Superman vol 4 is a step above vol 3 because it gets back to what has been so good about Superman’s rebirth titles. His relationship with Jon and Lois. A a healthy cameo from Batman but I’m biased when it comes to that.
The first three issues and the last two are spectacular and great fun, loved them. It’s the two issues in the middle where they’re facing Manchester Black that it suffers a bit because he takes over Jon and they have to fight. It’s still enjoyable but it was a slog for me.
But it’s a solid volume and I’m definitely picking up the next one after this.
4 stars.
The first three issues and the last two are spectacular and great fun, loved them. It’s the two issues in the middle where they’re facing Manchester Black that it suffers a bit because he takes over Jon and they have to fight. It’s still enjoyable but it was a slog for me.
But it’s a solid volume and I’m definitely picking up the next one after this.
4 stars.
birdmanseven's review
2.0
I liked issue 26 with Superman training Jon, but that's about the only good thing I have to say about this collection. The Black Dawn story was just nonsense. It feels like nothing has stakes. Also, I'm beyond tired of SuperDad. Rebirth has not been good to Superman.
josetinocoperez's review
3.0
60/100.
Está bien, pero la etapa de Tomasi no me está gustando demasiado, la verdad.
Está bien, pero la etapa de Tomasi no me está gustando demasiado, la verdad.
captwinghead's review
3.0
I just don't know if I'll ever really enjoy these books as much as I do the Gotham centered books. I'm not a huge fan of galactic comics, Marvel or DC. I'm just not all that big on the alien politics and all the different alien bad guys after Superman. This series works best for me when it takes place in town. I like the domestic life of the Kents and watching Clark and Lois struggle with parenting decisions.
I love Jon as a character. I really like seeing Clark slowly come to realize he needs to let Jon make his own mistakes. However, the issue that takes place that was solely about that wasn't written by Tomasi and I found the message a little hard to follow.
I really liked seeing Bruce and Damian pop up in this volume. I always love the contrast between their styles. I really love the emphasis on how different Gotham is from Hamilton.
So, I liked the characters in this but the bad guy didn't do a lot for me.
I love Jon as a character. I really like seeing Clark slowly come to realize he needs to let Jon make his own mistakes. However, the issue that takes place that was solely about that wasn't written by Tomasi and I found the message a little hard to follow.
I really liked seeing Bruce and Damian pop up in this volume. I always love the contrast between their styles. I really love the emphasis on how different Gotham is from Hamilton.
So, I liked the characters in this but the bad guy didn't do a lot for me.
librarimans's review
3.0
Easily my least favorite volume of Tomasi/Gleason Superman. The only time I ever found Manchester Black to be interesting was in the old Joe Kelly "What's so funny about truth, justice, and the American way" story. Gleason and Mahnke's art bring this up to 3 stars.