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tshepiso's review
4.0
The final deluxe edition of the 2016 Superman Rebirth run, like this series as a whole, was filled with peaks and valleys. While I didn't adore everything about the run I'm glad to have read it in its entirety. This final edition collects part of the Super Sons of Tomorrow arc, the multi-parters Last Days, and Bizarroverse and a handful of one-shots including Goodnight Moon, For Those Who Serve, and one-shots from the 2018 Superman Special: Truth Justice and Family, Strays and Strangers, and Split Decision.
Super Sons of Tomorrow
I don't have much to say about Super Sons of Tomorrow in particular (you can read my review of the entire story here) but its inclusion in this collection is emblematic of a problem I've had with this entire series. Frankly, these editions are poorly collected. The collection editor prioritized creating bind-ups of every single issue of the run rather than creating a readable series. The inclusion of fragments of larger stories both in this edition and previous ones is emblematic of that and was incredibly frustrating to encounter. I also wish this edition took some liberties in the order of issues to make for a more impactful conclusion to the series rather than simply moving in chronological order.
Last Days
Last Days was a story about Superman and Superboy attempting to save a planet and species on the brink of extinction. The story attempted to be a thematic parallel to the destruction of Krypton but it lacked the depth needed to execute the story effectively. The people of Galymayne an alien species rejecting Superman's help were flat and never painted as anything more than ignorant religious zealots which made the story feel all the more simplistic. I also didn't love Doug Mahnke's art style, while his backgrounds were solid I found his character design especially for Jon off-putting.
Bizarroverse
Bizarroverse was another mixed bag. This story sees Bizarroboy the son of Bizarro escape from the Bizarroverse into Earth-Prime. I will say I found the 'Bizarro-speak' throughout this story tedious at times but it didn't completely hinder my ability to enjoy the story. While the overarching plot of Bizzaroverse was neither here nor there the family drama at its centre was heartbreaking and compelling. The story contrasts Superboy's idyllic family with the dysfunctional version of it in the Bizzarverse to great effect. Bizarroboy's relationship with his father broke my heart and the final few pages of the story were a genuine gut-punch. The story also includes the work from one of my favourite colorists Alejandro Sanchez making it even more of a treat to read.
One-Shots
The one-shots in this deluxe edition were definitely my favourite stories in this collection. Goodnight Moon was a short and sweet story about the Justice League spending the day with a bunch of kids in the Watchtower and it was absolutely delightful. It had fun gags and cute kids which is always a plus for me.
Truth, Justice, and Family was the perfect ending to this entire run. From his callbacks to the best one-shot in the entire series, Our Town to the fantastic send-off to the Superfamily's time in Hamilton this was a great goodbye to this entire run.
Superman Spacial 2018
For Those Who Serve was another great story that saw the return of Captain Storm, a military captain Superman and Superboy ran into in an earlier adventure on Dinosaur Island. Seeing Superman and Superboy return to save Storm was a satisfying conclusion to a thread I forgot was still hanging. Seeing Storm finally get to go home after years of fighting and intense loss warmed my heart.
The other one-shots from this special Strays and Stangers was a short but sweet quintessential Superman tale showing Clark doing what he does best saving and inspiring people. the final story Split Decision is one I was more meh about. It followed a character I'm largely unfamiliar with so it did very little for me.
Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleeson's Superman run was definitely filled with ups and downs. Sometimes more downs than ups if I'm being honest but I'm glad it was my first Superman comic. I discovered some fantastic artists with this series and learned more about exactly the kinds of Superman stories I love. The emphasis on the Kent family and the small-scale stories really spoke to me and I wouldn't mind seeing more of it in the future.
Super Sons of Tomorrow
I don't have much to say about Super Sons of Tomorrow in particular (you can read my review of the entire story here) but its inclusion in this collection is emblematic of a problem I've had with this entire series. Frankly, these editions are poorly collected. The collection editor prioritized creating bind-ups of every single issue of the run rather than creating a readable series. The inclusion of fragments of larger stories both in this edition and previous ones is emblematic of that and was incredibly frustrating to encounter. I also wish this edition took some liberties in the order of issues to make for a more impactful conclusion to the series rather than simply moving in chronological order.
Last Days
Last Days was a story about Superman and Superboy attempting to save a planet and species on the brink of extinction. The story attempted to be a thematic parallel to the destruction of Krypton but it lacked the depth needed to execute the story effectively. The people of Galymayne an alien species rejecting Superman's help were flat and never painted as anything more than ignorant religious zealots which made the story feel all the more simplistic. I also didn't love Doug Mahnke's art style, while his backgrounds were solid I found his character design especially for Jon off-putting.
Bizarroverse
Bizarroverse was another mixed bag. This story sees Bizarroboy the son of Bizarro escape from the Bizarroverse into Earth-Prime. I will say I found the 'Bizarro-speak' throughout this story tedious at times but it didn't completely hinder my ability to enjoy the story. While the overarching plot of Bizzaroverse was neither here nor there the family drama at its centre was heartbreaking and compelling. The story contrasts Superboy's idyllic family with the dysfunctional version of it in the Bizzarverse to great effect. Bizarroboy's relationship with his father broke my heart and the final few pages of the story were a genuine gut-punch. The story also includes the work from one of my favourite colorists Alejandro Sanchez making it even more of a treat to read.
One-Shots
The one-shots in this deluxe edition were definitely my favourite stories in this collection. Goodnight Moon was a short and sweet story about the Justice League spending the day with a bunch of kids in the Watchtower and it was absolutely delightful. It had fun gags and cute kids which is always a plus for me.
Truth, Justice, and Family was the perfect ending to this entire run. From his callbacks to the best one-shot in the entire series, Our Town to the fantastic send-off to the Superfamily's time in Hamilton this was a great goodbye to this entire run.
Superman Spacial 2018
For Those Who Serve was another great story that saw the return of Captain Storm, a military captain Superman and Superboy ran into in an earlier adventure on Dinosaur Island. Seeing Superman and Superboy return to save Storm was a satisfying conclusion to a thread I forgot was still hanging. Seeing Storm finally get to go home after years of fighting and intense loss warmed my heart.
The other one-shots from this special Strays and Stangers was a short but sweet quintessential Superman tale showing Clark doing what he does best saving and inspiring people. the final story Split Decision is one I was more meh about. It followed a character I'm largely unfamiliar with so it did very little for me.
Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleeson's Superman run was definitely filled with ups and downs. Sometimes more downs than ups if I'm being honest but I'm glad it was my first Superman comic. I discovered some fantastic artists with this series and learned more about exactly the kinds of Superman stories I love. The emphasis on the Kent family and the small-scale stories really spoke to me and I wouldn't mind seeing more of it in the future.
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