One Last Ride
Written By: Patrick Gleason, Peter J. Tomasi
Art By: Patrick Gleason, Stephen Downer, Tom Napolitano
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: April 18, 2018
Release Date: April 18, 2018
*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*
While we have one more issue with the Superman Special before Brian Michael Bendis takes over the "Super" books, this issue right here feels more like a goodbye by the creators and while they do have a story in Action Comics #1000 this week, it seems that they had more to say for their love of this character....... plus, we can also go back and take a look at their run overall and explore some concepts and places that were not only important to them, but the Superman Family as well. Let's jump into this issue, where we head back one final time to Hamilton County so that The Kents and us can say goodbye. Let's check it out.
Explain It!
Our issue begins with The Kent's farmhouse in Hamilton County being sold and our family coming back to their former home so that they can clean everything out and give the old homestead a good scrubbing before its new owners move in. It's kind of weird though for how long The Kents have lived in Metropolis now and just left a lot of their stuff in their former house, but I'm also not big on moving so maybe this is something that people do. Whatever the case is, I'm happy to be back in Hamilton County even if it's the last time and as this issue progresses we see that Jon may not be that into letting his hometown go, even though Clark tells him over and over again through life lessons and Robert Frost quotes that sometimes change is for the best.
After everything is moved out, thanks to The Flash, cleaned up and Clark and Jon have some father/son bonding time, it's off to the Hamilton County fair as we continue our stroll down memory lane and I'm happy that we're ending back at the fair because it's in issue #7 of this run that we got the fair and it was my favorite issue of this run so returning there just felt right. While we're there, we see that Kathy and Maya are trying to acclimate the Bizarro Boys to living on this Earth and while they're still kind of off putting at times, I hope that we get to see more of them in the future....... Also, Kathy and Maya. I really love those characters and would hate to see them disappear into obscurity.
In the end, we see that after the events of Black Dawn, where Superman and Superboy saved the town that they're being forever remembered by Hamilton County with a gold statue and while this always makes Superman feel odd, Jon's just loving it. Too bad the fun can't last though because the Justice League need their Man of Steel and Lois lets both Clark and Jon answer the call. As our issue closes, Lois makes it back home to Metropolis, where she finds her two boys passed out on the couch after scarfing some pizza and she ends the night by placing a blanket over them. Just a really nice issue that hits all the right points that fans of this series would want to see.
That's it for this issue of Superman and while the majority of this issue is just our characters walking around and talking, which at times gets a little tedious with its change is good lesson, for the most part it hit all the right emotional moments that we've come to love from these writers in their depiction of the Superman Family and the extended cast. I love the art in this issue and the trip down memory lane aspect of it and in the end, I'm really going to miss these creators on this book. Yeah, there was some bumps along the run, but overall, this was a really good run of Superman and one of the best series in Rebirth.
Bits and Pieces:
While this issue might not be for everyone, the long time readers of this series will appreciate the walk down memory lane that highlights all the reasons that this series was so good. It's got some really touching emotional moments with our Superman Family and I really enjoyed the art overall. I just wish that the underlining theme wasn't shoved at us so hard. Overall, this run is one of the best series that Rebirth has put out and I'm going to be sad to see it go.
8/10
This Super Family has really been one of the highlights every month and I hope it stays with the new creative crew. SuperDad has been a joy to read and Jon has been a nice addition to the Superboy legacy.
ReplyDeleteAgree almost completely. There was a slight feeling of this being a sort of re-run of issue 7, but that is also my favorite issue as well, so I didn't mind that it may have felt that way. I liked how the transitioned Lois from the beginning to the end of the issue. She starts off as sort of a bitch, but then when you see her crying while mopping the floor it made think that her being bitchy was a front to hide her real emotions.
ReplyDeleteWhile I've since read older trades, I didn't start pulling monthly until Rebirth, almost all of my Superman comic experience is through Tomasi/Gleason. I'm afraid they may have spoiled me.
I agree. This was a nice cap on their run and they will be missed for sure. I also hope that some of the side characters they've introduced don't disappear forever.
ReplyDeleteI am with you...I liked the nice ending and the fact that it's reassuring the reader that they are not bitter
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