I missed the LSH reference. I thought the issue was great - I'm glad to finally see Superman doing things like going after corrupt politicians, stopping wife beaters, and the old jumping-around-in-the-air-with-the-crook trick to get confessions. Reads like the Golden Age Superman in the modern world. He even has the unflagging optimism and sense of humor.
Looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Hmm, so I was right. This Superman is an idiot and a bully. The crook's confession will never hold up in court because it was made under duress and the wife beater will likely be beating his wife again after he recovers.
Conclusion? The '90's Superman team did a better job with social relevance and realism.
They never addressed the wife beater, but my guess is that she has enough time to file for divorce or a restraining order or something. Though I admit, I don't really like that Superman hospitalized somebody either.
But they did address the issue of the confession. Daily Star Editor George Taylor is on the phone with Clark as he calls in his "Superman Attacks Corrupt Businessman Glenmorgan!" story, and Clark specifically says that while the confession would
never hold up on it's own, it does back up HARD EVIDENCE against him. DBN, have you read or do you plan to read this story at all?
Personally, I don't think he's an idiot or a bully. I just think he's being proactive for the first time in twenty years. And he's doing what he always does, fighting that same never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way. Superman
IS a Champion of the Oppressed, you know, and he fights the oppressors equally, whether they're Brainiac or just some guy treating his workers like crap.
I was especially happy with one line Morrison gave him, which I think sums up the Golden Age version of the character :
"You know the deal, Metropolis. Treat people right, or expect a visit from me."
Plus, he stayed true to the old tenet, "Superman never kills." Throughout the comic, the only flaw of the Golden Age Superman (that he sometimes didn't catch the people he threw) was nowhere to be found.
One thing in particular I liked? Superman smiled. He smiled a lot. The most commonly addressed version of Superman is something like the one in Superman Earth One, explicitly said not to smile very often. But this guy clearly enjoys being Superman, and I think that's wonderful.
Okay, I think I've gushed enough about it for at least a little while, but I hope this new Superman sticks around for
ever WAY more than the six issues we've been promised.