Superman/Wonder Woman #7

By Charles Soule, Paulo Siqueira, Eddy Barrows, Barry Kitson, Eber Ferreira & Hi Fi

Superman/Wonder Woman #7 is yet another prelude to Superman: Doomed and despite the brilliant character-centric focus on Superman and Wonder Woman that Charles Soule manages to give us in this issue, the book fails when it comes to the Doomsday crossover, feeling completely unnecessary and shoe-horned in, which is a real shame because it’s more likely to dampen readers anticipation for the actual event than increase it. This is a shame because, otherwise, Superman/Wonder Woman #7 has all the potential for a great issue.

For the most part, Superman/Wonder Woman succeeds. It looks at the fallout from the clash with fan-favourite villains Zod and Faora by taking both Clark and Diana to London. There’s a scene in the book where both characters are dancing in a London nightclub incognito – which was made all the more notable by the fact that if Superman: Doomed is anything like the Pre-New 52 event, The Death of Superman, then it isn’t going to end well for Clark, so this may well be one of the few moments that both heroes get to relax before being thrust into yet another epic arc.

Tony S. Daniel is absent for this issue but the artists that replace him keep a distinctively similar tone. Paulo Siqueira and Eddy Barrows deliver us some great pencils throughout the book whilst the two respective inkers, Barry Kitson and Eber Ferreira, manage to impress. To top off the list of artistic talent involved on the book, Hi Fi brings some amazing colours that are among the best parts of the issue, being visually engaging and very striking. However, you can’t help get the feeling that the multitude of artists working on this book lowers its quality a little, which is a shame and hopefully this is just a one time thing.

Soule also manages to acknowledge several other titles, giving us Easter eggs to not only Pre-New 52 books – but also the current Wonder Woman title, such as touching upon Diana’s status as the God of War, which was a nice touch.

This issue is probably best suited to the inevitable trade collection. It doesn’t help that the issue’s conclusion was spoiled in the earlier Action Comics #30, which was released prior to this title, but it still feels like it was built with the next issue in mind, serving as a prelude.

Despite the fact that this issue may be one of the weakest entries in the series yet, Superman/Wonder Woman #7 still remains a decent enough read that’s far from the worst Superman title to come out of the New 52. The Superman: Doomed sections are where the book suffers, but on the whole, it remains a decent read.