Superman/Wonder Woman #5

By Charles Soule,  Tony S. Daniel & Tomeu Morey.

Superman/Wonder Woman is a title that has suffered incredibly divisive opinion from its launch, but now – five issues in, it’s proving just how good a series it is – in fact, it’s probably among the Top 10 best ongoing series from DC right now, and that is in large part due to the awesomeness that is Charles Soule, who is killing it on every single title that he has written so far – and whilst Swamp Thing may be his strongest work, Superman/Wonder Woman is still a damn fine read and proves that you can craft an engaging and well-written book in the subgenre labelled “Superhero Romance”. Because that’s effectively what Superman/Wonder Woman is – it’s a book that arguably wouldn’t exist were it not for the pairing, and despite the fact that the decision to pair up Superman with Wonder Woman over Lois Lane may not be one of DC’s smartest moves as a company, Superman/Wonder Woman is continuing to prove dissenters wrong. It’s an excellent book, whether you’re a fan of the pairing or not.

Tony S. Daniel is an artist who certainly deserves a lot more praise for what artwork he puts out. One of the best artists behind DC Comics right now, he brings some jaw-dropping pages to the book that keep up a consistent panel-by-panel level of quality that is present throughout the whole book. Meanwhile, Tomeu Morey handles colouring duties and his colours are just as good – both Morey and Daniel really enhance the wonderful storytelling provided by Charles Soule, making it a book not to be missed if you’re a fan of some good quality mainstream superhero comics.

Wonder Woman gets the main spotlight in this issue of Superman/Wonder Woman and Soule proves that this title should have been called Wonder Woman/Superman and nobody would notice the difference. He explores why Wonder Woman is uneasy about the relationship that she is currently having with Superman, and answers several unanswered questions. However, this is only for the beginning portion of the book because we’re quickly swept back into the action once again – General Zod has freed Faora from the Phantom Zone. Faora was one of the strongest parts of last summer’s Man of Steel and it’s great to see her more heavily featured in Superman books and it’ll be interesting to see how Soule’s take on the character differs from the one that the movie has given us. It’s also set things up nicely for a Superman vs Zod and Wonder Woman vs Faora showdown, so things could be very interesting to watch unfold indeed particularly in the future issues.

Superman/Wonder Woman has given us another excellent issue and this certainly proves why this title is one of the best in DC’s lineup right now, fitting easily in the Top 10 list and maybe even in the Top 5. Soule and Daniel have a hit on their hands here – and with great portrayals of Superman and Wonder Woman, as well as Zod and Faora, this is a must-read book for fans of both Clark Kent and Diana Prince. Highly recommended.