The Man of Steel’s allies gather to reflect on the world’s greatest hero admitting his secret identity.
Superman: Heroes 1
Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Greg Rucka and Jody Houser
Pencils and Inks by Scott Godlewski, Steve Lieber, Kevin Maguire, Mike Norton and Mike Perkins
Colors by Gabe Eltaeb, Nathan Fairbairn, Dave McCaig and Paul Mounts
This issue makes no bones about it: Batman is a bad person and a bad friend. With all of his allies gathered to show support as Superman reveals his secret identity to the whole world, Batman is jealous.
In an emotional conversation with Wonder Woman, Batman reveals the root of his issues with Superman’s world-changing decision, and Diana didn’t even need to use the lasso of truth! As competitive as Bruce is, this is an act that he just can’t top, and it eats at him a little bit, because it give Superman a little bit more freedom in the world.
The conversation between Bruce and Diana is just one of a series of vignettes in the special, which deals with one side of the reactions to SUPERMAN‘s decision to reveal that he’s actually Clark Kent. Other than Bruce being revealed as a terrible friend, there are several other scenes that lift up the mythos of Clark Kent and Superman, putting the company’s first big hero back on the pedestal where he belongs.
My favorite is easily the flashback scene, where we get to see a young Clark Kent coming home from school after a bad day. It’s not breaking any new ground, but I’m always a sucker for a good Clark-Pa Kent scene.
Especially now that I’m a father myself – though my kids are still too young for these kinds of heart-to-hearts – these scenes are always so heartwarming. It’s so important to portray Jonathan Kent as a loving, inspirational figure who puts his son on the right path, regardless of how different he is than everyone else. The Pa-Clark story is the heart of the issue. While it’s nothing revolutionary for these characters, it continues to establish why Superman is who he is.
Of course, Superman’s pal Jimmy Olsen gets his own little spotlight here, letting Clark know that he managed to figure out Superman’s secret identity before being told.
While I’ve gone on the record as believing this conversation should have been with Perry White – the old newshound is too smart to have not figured it out on his own – the story as it’s told makes perfect sense. After all, the only people in the world who call Jimmy Olsen “Jim” were Superman and Clark Kent. Even the best actors screw up sometimes.
And then we have the future tease. It’s a mandatory part of any book like this.
Booster Gold catches up with Superman after his stop at the Hall of Justice, basically to brag that he knew that Superman was Clark Kent all along. Because he’s from the future, you see? And he managed to keep the secret this whole time, which was hard for him because he’s an idiot. I’m really not a fan of complete bumbling Booster (especially how he’s been portrayed the last few years), but this was more sweet than the his typical post-Rebirth portrayal.
As the two heroes part company, Booster promises that “what comes next” for Superman is “amazing.” I’m sure this will come to pass.
Superman: Heroes was a fun issue with a lot of great moments. And it should lead directly into the Superman: Villains special, which will show how Superman’s biggest rivals react to the big news.