‘Superman Special #1’ (review)

Written by Ian Flynn, Mark Russell,
Patrick Gleason, Peter J. Tomasi
Art by Scott Godlewski,
Kaare Andrews, Bryan Hitch 

Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason say goodbye to The Man of Steel in Superman Special #1 this week. The oversized special also features a backup by Mark Russell and Bryan Hitch and another by Ian Flynn and Caare Andrews.

This book is certainly meant to be a companion piece to Action Comics #1000 to tie up loose ends before Brian Michael Bendis takes over Superman duties at DC with rebooted numbering and some enhancements to the origin.

Tomasi and Gleason are a superstar team, going back to Batman and Robin as well as teaming up on Super Sons starring a new Superboy Jonathan Kent and Robin Damian Wayne in DC’s Rebirth.

Scott Godlewski draws the Tomasi / Gleason story and it looks spectacular. Jonathan Kent is contemplating the story from Superman #8 and #9 on Dinosaur Island with Captain Storm of The Losers.

Closing the chapter as it were, Supes and Jon return to The Fortress of Solitude for a solution to return to Dinosaur Island. The port into the stomach of the T-Rex about to snack on Captain Storm, just in the nick of time.

After fighting off hybrid zombie monsters composed of lizards and dead soldiers, they all return to the present day and Storm gets to play the ‘frozen in ice’ card. Back in Metropolis, the rescued Loser trades in his lizard leg with a new prosthetic courtesy of Cyborg.

Tom Petty’s “Even The Losers” plays on Storm’s pickup as he heads on a mission to return the dog tags of his platoon to their respective families.

Lois and Clark tuck in to bed with some on the nose banter about shutting the bedroom door to add to the reflective mood of the story.

In all this was an action packed story with some nostalgia thrown in and Superboy teaming up with his Dad! What more could you ask for in a farewell? Beat that, Bendis!

Russell and Hitch’s story deals with a giant Atlantean insect finding his way to the streets of Metropolis, Supes takes the Buddhist way out and returns him to the sea but not without saving a few dogs and elderly along the way.

Ian Flynn’s story with Kaare Andrews has floating skull character Atomic Skull joining the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit under Maggie Sawyer. Does this unlikely Brave and the Bold team-up result in multiple arrests? The Odd Couple indeed! We see plenty of villains playing the good guy role these days and this story was fun, but maybe I just like glowing skulls.

This was a great special, I hate to say it but attention wise, this may be a better comic than Action Comics #1000. I’ll take three well done stories any day over page counts stuffed with pinups!