Superman #29

By Scott Lobdell, Ed Benes & Jonathan Glapion

It’s no secret that the all-star team of Geoff Johns and John Romita Jr. are going to be doing a run on Superman soon. Still there is something to be said about the things that Lobdell has done on this title since he took it over. If nothing else, it has been a consistently entertaining title.

We were teased to having a Starfire and Superman fight in this issue, but that isn’t really what this is about. The fight, if you want to call it that, lasts a few pages before it fizzles out and the two discover that there is a bigger problem at hand, daemonites. Lobdell is very good with continuity in this title; Helspont was used as a villain for a two part arc when Dan Jurgens was filling in, and Lobdell brought him back, which is cool. Scott has also opened Superman up a little bit and given him a sense of humor, as he makes a crack to a S.T.A.R. labs worker that he and Starfire are not friends. Under Lobdell’s pen Superman has gotten some decent characterization and has been very enjoyable to read. He’s come out of his shell a bit and been able to show some personality.

The artwork this issue is handled by Ed Benes, who is great every time he puts pencil to paper. While Benes is a great talent, there are a few panels where Superman looks odd, almost child like. That aside, this issue looks great and Benes really brings life to this book. Shading looks very good when it’s used and there is an awesome splash page that opens the issue. You would be hard pressed to find a better looking Helspont than the one in these pages.

Scott Lobdell gets a bit of a bum rap on this title, but he really has done a solid job here. This issue is fun and he is continually building off of things he’s done or plot lines left by other writers. Lobdell is usually paired with a good artist like Kenneth Rockafort, but he hit the jackpot with Benes. Hopefully these two can work together for the rest of the run, as it will make the story that much better.