Review: Superman Beyond #0 by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz

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Superman Beyond #0

Plots, Pencils, and Scripts: Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz
Finished Art by: Sal Buscema
Lettering by: Dave Sharpe
Colored by: Chris Beckett

Published by: DC
Cover Price: $2.99

Note: This review is for the digital version of the comic available from DC Comics on Comixology

Q: How can you tell whether or not you will like this book?

A: The villain is named Armorgeddon and even before he becomes a low rent Absorbing Man, his name was Mangler Macarro. Definitely cut from the old school cloth. If you are rolling your eyes, you probably will not like this book. If you’re like me, you got a nostalgic smile and are curious to read more.  Superman Beyond #0 is everything I love about being a comic fan.

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Before it was “hiatused,” Batman Beyond was my favorite comic that DC put out.  On top of that, I am a long time Spider-Girl fan, so when I heard Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz would be working on this title, I was interested in seeing what they can do.  I am happy to report that this book is exactly what I was expecting it to be.  But as I discuss later, is that enough in the modern comic market?

The comic starts with a much older Superman who has been wandering the universe like Kane from Kung Fu after the death of Lois Lane and the defeat of Lex Luthor.  This apparently happened in Superman/Batman Annual 4.  I actually had no idea Superman Beyond had appeared in mainsteam DC comics, so I need to check that out.

Superman keeps finding himself get pulled back into being a hero. The comic starts with him protecting an alien world from invasion, and there is a great homage to Action Comics #1’s cover in the process.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, without Superman and Luthor, Metropolis has become pretty crime heavy. But, there have been no major “world-demolishing threats” coming from there so the Justice League have not been all that active in stopping it. You get the impression that they consider it to be slumming.

And Batman has enough to deal with in Neo Gotham. This actually is a nice tie in to a scene that happened in the early issues of the current Batman Beyond run where Batman makes it clear to the Justice League that Neo Gotham will always be his first priority.

In Metropolis prison, we meet a criminal named Mangler Macarro (did Stan Lee name him?), whose ex-wife has decided to stop bringing his young daughter to prison to visit him. Mangler gets sent to Lex Labs on a work detail (whoever thought that was a good idea needs to be fired from their job in the penal system) and ends up knocking over a container of glowing green goo. He turns into Armorgeddon, with powers similar to the Absorbing Man.

Armorgeddon is determined to see his daughter and ends up smashing up Metropolis and pummeling the Justice League in the process.  Superman happens to be back on Earth, visiting his family’s graves and mulling over a job offer from Jimmy Olsen.  He shows up to help the Justice League. Superman is showing signs of his age and realizes that his approach to fighting villains just doesn’t work anymore.  He tries to fight a little smarter, and in the end, he ends up getting a nasty wound in his chest.

Armorgeddon almost falls to his death, and Superman risks his life to save him, which makes Armorgedden respect him.  Superman realizes that he still can do some good on Earth.

The comic ends with a great conversation between Bruce Wayne and Clark over Lois’s grave. There is some friendly competition in their tones. In fact, all of the dialogue through this comic is really well written. Superman especially had some great lines back and forth with the Justice League.

I really enjoyed this comic from beginning to end. It really reminded me of what got me to fall in love with comics back in the late 80’s.  It had great action, a lot of characterization, and tells a whole story in just 22 pages.  The art is solid and conveys the emotional range of the book, from the aging Superman to the conflicted Armorgeddon.  DeFalco and Frenz make a great team, and this is the perfect book to show off their talents.

There are some moments that have been done to death, like when Armorgeddon sees his daughter and she freaks out.  But I really think they worked very well in the context of the story.

I definitely want to see Superman Beyond come back as an ongoing.  DC has seemed to do real well with Batman Beyond, and I have heard rumors of ongoing Justice League Beyond and Superman Beyond titles.  I would be first in line to buy them.  This is a great expansion to the DC Universe.

This actually was a pretty difficult comic for me to review. I really was not sure how to approach it. It was a book that definitely appealed to my tastes, but at the same time, I also understand that it just might not have a place in the modern comic market.   Older readers want something a lot edgier, a little less playful.  Young readers are likely going to think it’s just old fashioned.

That thought actually made me pretty sad. DeFalco and Frenz definitely recaptured the magic they had in Spider-Girl, but considering that book was always near cancellation, that might not be enough here to maintain an audience.  I am not trying to be negative. I loved Superman Beyond #0, and I think this needs to be an ongoing series, pronto. I just don’t want to see it not do well and turn Marvel and DC away from this direction.

Final Score: 8.5 – Not for everyone, but if you love a fun, classic superhero story, Superman Beyond is for you.

Mike Maillaro is a lifelong Jersey Boy and geek. Mike has been a comic fan for about 30 years from when his mom used to buy him Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Adventures at our local newsstand. Thanks, Mom!! Mike's goal is to bring more positivity to the discussion of comics and pop culture.