As the Dawn of DC ushers in a new era for DC Comics, Superman #4 is ready to show off exactly how he’s changing to fit Lex Luthor’s new vision. Writer Joshua Williamson and artist Nick Dragotta have come together to answer the question of just how much Superman can rely on his life-long nemesis. With a new villain on the horizon, the answer could decide the fate of Metropolis.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Superman #4!
The issue starts with longtime Superman villain Silver Banshee enjoying a nice weekday morning. She’s out on parole and having the time of her life. She calls out to her lover to wake up, because Lois Lane won’t exactly be happy if they’re late. But as she’s making food, a knock comes at the door. It’s Dr. Pharm, and it doesn’t end well.
While Silver Banshee is left to wrestle with a temporary loss of her powers, Superman is confronting Lex Luthor. Why? Well, after Superman agreed not to give up on Lex in Superman #3, his nemesis is already gearing up to challenge him. A few prisoners were arguing that Batman is better than Superman, and Lex calmly attempted to kill one of them for it.
To Lex, it doesn’t really matter. What’s really important is protecting the city — or so he says. He and Superman reflect on their recent adventures as SuperCorp, and they’ve done some incredible things. Now, though, Superman demands to know exactly what Lex has been keeping from him.
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The answer? Not what Superman was expecting. After Lex first arrived in Metropolis, he was supposedly a hero working in the shadows. He saved a band of homeless people from Dr. Pharm and Mr. Graft. It was a truly heroic deed, and Superman doesn’t buy it for a second.
In order to appease the Man of Steel, Lex gives him the location of that first lab. Superman heads straight there. Waiting for him is a projector to the Phantom Zone.
Lex realizes it’s a trap, but he’s a little too late. An evolved Silver Banshee is already there. Her scream sends a horde of silver ghosts at Superman. That’s some bad luck.
Meanwhile, life continues on at The Daily Planet, where Clark Kent isn’t yet at work. Lois is grabbing a cup of coffee at the newsstand when she runs into a sprinting Jimmy Olsen. The two share a few words before Lois requests Olsen tell the story of Marilyn Moonlight, who was introduced in Superman #2. Jimmy, as always, is well-aware and more than prepared to share.
Unfortunately for them, their talk is interrupted by Superman and Silver Banshee bursting through the wall. Superman manages to blast her with just enough heat that she can’t take a breath to scream. It earns him a slight reprieve, while Lex praises his initiative.
While Superman plans to get Silver Banshee to SuperCorp, his efforts are slightly hindered by Jimmy. In a shocking splash page, Jimmy throws an arm over Silver Banshee and declares his love for her.
It’s certainly a surprise that Jimmy falls in love with a supervillain. The beginning of the issue does a nice job of setting Jimmy up for this romance, but it doesn’t really go far enough. That, of course, is just this issue. It does help that Jimmy has been happily proclaiming his love for his girlfriend since the first issue of the run. With that in mind, the payoff is pretty incredible.
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The romance also plays into the continued semi-redemption of Lex Luthor. If Lex can be redeemed, as Superman desperately wants to believe, then it’s entirely possible that Silver Banshee can turn to the path of the light. Parole has been working out for her well, and Jimmy could be exactly the breath of fresh air that she needs.
This is also the first issue of the run that doesn’t focus on Parasite, and it goes a long way to prove that the run has potential. It looks like the structure for the foreseeable future will be small arcs revolving around mutated villains, while Lex, SuperCorp, and the Man of Steel himself desperately try to uncover the secrets of their secretive enemies. Lex is still keeping secrets of his own, but that’s somewhat inevitable for a reforming villain.
The only surprise is that his lies are so absurd, they’re almost impossible to believe. With that in mind, it almost feels like he could be telling the truth. Superman may not believe him, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Lex doesn’t have Metropolis’ best interests at heart. After all, he has been a hero before. It’s not entirely absurd that it could have happened even sooner.
It is somewhat disappointing that there has apparently been a major time jump since Superman took charge of SuperCorp. With four missions already done, Lex has been worming his way into the hero’s heart one leap at a time. Yet, while it is sad not to see some fun concepts, they really don’t need to be explored. The concept is already there, and they all seem like somewhat typical Superman stories. If this run wants to stand apart, skipping the early days of their partnership could be a great move.
Above all, this run has also been doing a great job of really establishing Clark as a good man first and a superhero second — something that always tends to be the case in the best Superman comics. Despite the attack, he won’t actually let anything happen to Silver Banshee, and he just wants to figure out what’s wrong.
As always, the future looks bright after Superman #4. The art remains a highlight, especially whenever the newly mutated Silver Banshee is on the prowl. The intrigue in the run is already piling up as SuperCorp builds legitimacy, and the added romance between Jimmy and Banshee is sure to add some fun conflict in future issues.
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