A digital-first adventure for the Man of Steel gives a great one-and-done story with an appearance from everyone’s favorite bar owner!
Superman: Man of Tomorrow 20
Written by Josh Trujillo
Art by Stephen Byrne
Since the debut of the weekly online issues from DC Comics back in April, a lot of the digital-first stories have been of the throw-away fare. Not to say the stories are bad; many of them have delivered more than the 99 cent price tag, giving us complete stories in a single issue – which we don’t see very often any more.
But every now and then, we get a real gem of an issue, and that’s what happened in last week’s issue of Superman: Man of Tomorrow.
While the main continuity has seen Superman reveal to the world that he’s actually Clark Kent, that’s not the case here. The story revolves around the Man of Steel’s secret identity being “revealed” by a conspiracy website – and the many different names being bandied about is causing a little bit of chaos in Metropolis, forcing Superman to address the rumors. And that adds more fuel to the conspiracy fire.
The issue kicks off with a visit to the Daily Planet from one of my favorite 1990s supporting characters – former boxing champion and owner of the Ace O’ Clubs bar, Bibbo Bibbowski. Bibbo’s name is included on the list of names of people who may be Superman, and it’s causing him a little bit of distress. So he asks Lois Lane and Clark Kent to do something about it, which sets the story off on its way.
Writer Josh Trujillo gives readers a great complete story here, and the inclusion of Bibbo makes it all the better. Since the end of the 1990s run of weekly Superman comics all telling a cohesive story, the vast supporting cast of Metropolis has been given the short shrift over the last 20 years. I really miss how expansive the city of Metropolis felt back then, with a rotating series of players that kept stories fresh.
The issue is enhanced by the beautiful art of Stephen Byrne. From his work on Green Arrow to the amazing issues of Wonder Twins with writer Mark Russell, I am always impressed by how great Byrne’s art is, and it really elevates this issue into something special.