SUPERMAN #35

It was kind of a big deal that John Romita, Jr. went to DC. He'd been with Marvel forever (I first became a fan when he was drawing Punisher War Zone way back when). So DC went full hog, paired him with their biggest writer, Geoff Johns, on their second biggest hero, Superman, and voila! Big time! The problem is that there has never been a good Superman book like ever and that this one isn't really any different. Unlike a ton of online commentators, I really like JRR's bulky, bigger than life characters and his work. I suppose because it's unique while still being classic. This isn't his best work, however. And the story, about Superman meeting a new test-tube baby/super guy from another dimension, isn't all that interesting. This is the fourth issue of the current run with JRR & Johns and probably the worst. It's not awful. It's entertaining, light, easy on the eyes. But it's not compelling. It doesn't really make you care too much about anyone. I will say that Johns is often a long term creator and maybe all of this is just building up to a grand scheme of awesomeness. But, really, no one seems to be capable of writing a great Superman book. Dude's like kryptonite to writer's or something. Someday maybe we'll see an epic, awesome, earth-shattering run. I've been reading Superman books off and on for twenty-five years and still waiting. ** (out of ****)

WYTCHES #1

If you have to misspell a word in the title of your book then it probably means you need a new (original) idea. But I suppose if you wanted to see anyone's take on witches in comicbookdom it'd be Scott Snyder's. With that said, this book is a bit of a disappointment but still a much more engrossing read than most books out there. Jock's art unfortunately doesn't work that well here and, honestly, Snyder could've just called his "witches" something else because they're not really like what we've seen before. The premise is that a teenage girl is bullied and wishes her bully would disappear. She does! A few witches pull her into a tree and she's gone and it fucks up this teenage girl's life. The witches here are all clawed-arms and, apparently, bigger than humans (it doesn't help that Snyder's afterward gives more of the plot/premise away than the actual book). You can "pledge" another human to these witches and in return get whatever you want. So the story is kind of like sell-your-soul-to-Satan. A good read with a few rough edges. *** (out of ****)