Superman #30
Superman and Jon investigate a distress call from old allies. Still, nothing is as it seems in Superman #30, by writers Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Sean Lewis, artists Scott Godlewski and Sami Basri, colorists Gane Eltraeb and Ulises Arreola, and letterer Dave Sharpe. This is a pretty good issue, building Johnson’s story about fathers and sons while also giving readers a pretty entertaining Ambush Bug backup.
The issue begins with Superman falling into a dark abyss while bleeding and then flashes back to a day when he, Jon, and Lois were playing mini-golf. It was a perfect day, but it ended when Superman was called away by an old ally. He and Jon fly to a planet Superman had helped before, but they find out that the distress call they got was impossible- the only person who would have called is dead. After the funeral, Superman explains to Jon how he, the dead king of the planet, and another alien saved the world from an alien infected by the Shadowbreed. However, everything isn’t as it seems as Superman and Jon investigate and find the communicator and learn the truth about his old victory just as the Shadowbreed attacks. In the backup story, Jimmy calls a meeting of the Metropolis superpowered community to talk about Projectress and Deadstream. Deadstream infiltrates the group through Ambush Bug’s coffee but Ambush Bug drinks. The two battle it out with Ambush Bug taking them to the hygroscopic realm, which dries Deadstream out. Dead stream tells him where to find Projectress, but when Ambush Bug gets there, he finds a world of people who love him but soon turn on him as Projectress makes her escape. He teleports back to the meeting with a message on his back- “Time To Call In The Kryptonian.”
Johnson is telling a very particular story about Superman in his run, one that deals with him as a father, and it’s working wonderfully. There’s something melancholy about reading it, especially if one is a parent, but in the best possible way. The issue is framed by entries from a journal that Superman wrote for his family in case of his death, and the particular entry that frames this issue is meant just for Jon. It’s wonderful because it talks about Superman’s experience as a father and how it made him feel. It’s stuff like this that is really making this run so good. Johnson not only has a grasp on Superman, but he has a grasp of Superman as a father and what he would want his family to know if he died, which is what this whole story arc feels like it’s building up to. It’s very effective writing.
The first page is heavy foreshadowing. The threat is laid out throughout the issue- Shadowbreed absorbs light and heat, so much like the last two issues of Superman and Action Comics, Superman is put in a situation where the enemy can kill him. Johnson parses out what readers need to know expertly- the story of how Superman first came to the world, the threat, and how it was dealt with. It’s all well laid out and has just the right feel to it. This is some great Superman storytelling. The backup story is a lot of fun, but that’s kind of the whole point of anything with Ambush Bug in it. It goes a long way towards building the story of what’s going on in Metropolis with the cool secondary characters of Superman mythos.
Godlewski’s art is similar to Hester’s, but it has more of a cartoony quality without the hard edges that make Hester’s art so distinct. It works very well, though, and the alien attack looks really good- Godlewski’s alien designs are very cool looking. The One Who Fell, the being that brought the Shadowbreed to the planet, looks like a giant bug Celestial, which is a great design the last page, with the Shadowbreed taking over the new king has just the right amount of menace. Basri’s art in the backup remains great; it’s kinetic and detailed, with Arreloa’s colors really making it pop.
Superman #30 is a wonderful little Superman story. It plays into Johnson’s overall narrative about fathers and sons while also telling a cool Superman story. Again, Superman is thrown at a threat that could mean his death, and it’s rather thrilling to have stories where Superman is vulnerable in new and different ways. Godlewski’s art does a great job in this issue, giving it just the right feel. The backup story is good, too, and it will be interesting to see where it goes. Superman #30 is chock full of Superman goodness.
