McCloud, Scott
AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:
1.5 out of 5
(2 books)
TOP PICK:
Superman: Strength - Part Two: The Long Run
Superman: Strength - Part Three: Cloudsplitter
(Art by Aluir Amancio and Terry Austin)
Book three of three. Superman sets off in pursuit of Fido Pollock and his gang of criminals when they shrink Lois Lane and hold her hostage, leading to a chase across the globe.
The previous book had been bland but had a couple of good moments but, unfortunately, this book only continues the trend of blandness. In fact, this book was so bland that I was actually a little offended by just how aggressively bland it was. I ended up disliking it more than perhaps it warranted simply because it takes no risks, has not subtlety or drama and doesn't do anything in the slightest bit innovative.
You can tell that McCloud was going for complexity with the villain of the piece by giving him an abusive supervillain father, but the whole thing is handled so poorly that it actively detracts from the book rather than giving it an emotional punch.
1 out of 5
Superman: Strength - Part Two: The Long Run
(Art by Aluir Amancio and Terry Austin)
Book two of three. As a ten year old boy Clark Kent's powers first unexpectedly manifest, allowing him to run halfway across America into the dangerous shadows of Chicago. As an adult Superman finds himself held captive by a gang of crooks and has to appeal to their better nature to avert a humanitarian disaster.
Apart from generally being pretty bland, this book's biggest problem is that it never actually ties its two narrative halves together in any meaningful way. Instead of young Clark learning a lesson which later feeds into his 'present day' predicament, there is a total disconnect between the two storylines. In fact, to preserve continuity, as all sudden never-before-seen bits of backstory have to, young Clark manages to totally forget everything that happens to him, rendering it all totally pointless.
The one good element of this book is seeing Superman convince the crooks, with a stern look, that he'll keep his word and return to their captivity if they release him to save those endangered by an earthquake in Asia. The best panel of art in the book is a single close-up of his face when he's faced with the inevitable fact that he can't save everybody. (Maybe you'd save a few more lives if you stopped wasting time working a full-time job as a journalist, eh Clark?)
2 out of 5
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DC Comics (here)