Superwoman #1 Review
Written By Phil Jimenez
Pencils by Phil Jimenez
Inks by Matt Santorrelli
Colors by Jeromy Cox
Letters by Rob Leigh
Review by John Dubrawa
Superwoman #1 is a reason to love DC Rebirth. It’s a risky, alternate take on one of the company’s most recognizable superheroes that might not have gotten a chance during the more continuity-conscious New 52. It is also another book to benefit from that mandated $2.99 price point, because who the heck wouldn’t pay that to at least see one issue of Lois Lane with Superman’s powers? I know I sure couldn’t pass that up, and that is about all I knew heading into this, which turned out to be for the best. What I didn’t expect was for writer/artist Phil Jimenez to completely hook me into this title for the foreseeable future, but here I sit, chomping at the bit for more Superwoman.
Jimenez spins an insanely intriguing narrative that’s for sure, and the less known about it the better, so feel free to drop this review like a bad habit and go pick the book up before other readers have a chance to realize one of Rebirth’s best books just came out. For those still here, I will say that Lois Lane is the central focus, having procured Superman’s powerset, and she’s looking to Clark Kent’s old friend Lana Lang for guidance on how to control her new abilities. While this story does take place in the current maelstrom of Superman mythos, Jimenez does an admirable job of catching readers up, though he likely would have been better served to just set this outside of current shenanigans involving Lex Luthor and Pre-New 52 Superman. Still, Jimenez manages to carve out his own corner in a crowded space, and takes this issue to some real unexpected places while fleshing out the characters of Lois Lane and Lana Lang in a lot of extraordinary (and equally unexpected) ways.
Whereas the book is a complete surprise in terms of where its narrative goes, it is not a surprise at all that it looks this damn good. Jimenez also provides the interior artwork, filling every page with beautiful character designs (particularly Lana Lang and Lois in her Superwoman costume) and detailed backgrounds. His panel layouts are noticeably different than most DC books, too, with pages being filled to the brim with image upon image, sometimes overlaid onto one another. You would think this could cause the book to feel overstuffed or crowded, but it never does. Matt Santorelli’s inks and Jeromy Cox’s colors provide the perfect compliment to Jimenez’s thick pencil work, giving the book a look that’s very DC but also wholly unique to itself. In the current landscape where there are already three Super-titled books on the stands, Superwoman #1 finds a way to feel cut from the same cloth as her brethren but also stand out amongst them.
The Verdict
Buy! If there’s one main reaction I had after finishing Superwoman #1 it’s, “whoa, what?!” What a pleasant surprise this was, not only from where it started but to where it winds up. Seriously, this is one of the best surprises to come out of DC Rebirth and that’s not exactly an easy thing to say right now.
