Superman #37 Review

Written by: Geoff Johns
Art by: John Romita Jr.
Cover Price:$3.99
Release Date: December 24, 2014

It's Made of (Six Million) People

My enthusiasm for John Romita Jr and Geoff Johns' Men of Tomorrow story has waned a bit since it first began.  I really liked the idea of Ulysses being Superman's parallel and was intrigued with where it was going.  Unfortunately, the story has dragged and I haven't really enjoyed what we've got so far.  My main problem, however,  is with Ulysses.  He keeps crossing the line between friend and villain and in the end he just comes off as a jerk. This issue continues the trend as we get to see Ulysses' true intentions and finally head to The Great World.



The issue opens with Ulysses talking to Superman, who is a "captive" audience.  Of course, that pun was intended as he has the Man of Steel bound up in a simulated kryptonite holding system.  I don't care if Ulysses promises he means well, that is just a dick move.  It's also a convenient way for him to explain what's going on.

The six million Earthlings are being loaded onto the ship while Superman figures out that all isn't what it seems.  Was anyone really surprised?  Ulysses knew that if Superman trusted him, everyone would and he was right.  The proof is in the pudding and while he told his parents not to join in, they didn't listen.  Yep, Ulysses' parents are on board and heading to the fourth dimension.

We finally get to the Great World and John Romita Jr shows the reader why it's called that.  This is what I was hoping to see more of when he joined this book.  His architecture is so good and the art really sells the idyllic view of another dimension's paradise. Unfortunately, the reality is far from perfect.

We finally find out the real plan for the six million people and again, it's not a real shock.  In the tradition of "V" and "Soylent Green", things aren't looking good for everyone.  Of course, Superman isn't happy with the idea and when Ulysses finds out his parents are involved, he flip flops faster than Mitt Romney on Gun Control. The issue ends with a brief (and somewhat confusing) rescue attempt that ends in disaster.  Ulysses is really mad and Superman has some explaining to do.

I really wanted to like this issue (and story), but even though it finally moves forward, everything we got was just so damn predictable.  I can only hope that this story winds up with some surprising twists and turns because so far it's been very generic.  I expected so much from Geoff Johns, but so far it hasn't paid off.

I will give John Romita Jr. credit, though, because this was my favorite issue he's done so far.  I mentioned the architecture earlier, but I also liked his character work and the action in this issue.  If the art and story could just come together in one issue we might get the awesomeness I thought we'd get when this creative team was announced.

Bits and Pieces:

The Men of Tomorrow story continues to be underwhelming.  Geoff Johns gives us some answers this issue, but they are predictable at best.  I did enjoy John Romita Jr's art, but in the end, this issue was simply mediocre.  This is not the book that Johns and Romita are capable of.  What a shame.

6.0/10