Redemption isn’t easy, but Superman is the last person to dismiss it out of hand. After the shocking Superman #4 introduced a love story between Jimmy Olsen and Silver Banshee, redemption seems more possible than ever. As the story heats up, though, it remains to be seen if Lex Luthor will be able to claim it. That’s exactly what Joshua Williamson and Jamal Campbell are exploring in Superman #5 as they continue to bring in the Dawn of DC.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Superman #5!
Having ended the last issue with Jimmy declaring his undying love for Silver Banshee, this issue has a surprising opening: It shows just how they fell in love. Having met while Banshee was putting up flyers, the two went for a movie night, karaoke, and a walk on the beach — all lain out in a single well-paneled page. They also confess their pasts and move in together.
There’s a brief recap page laying out exactly what happened in the last issue. It’s not particularly necessary, given that the book offers another recap blurb just one page later. After that interlude, it’s back to the present, and Silver Banshee is touched by Jimmy’s declaration. Lex Luthor, meanwhile, thinks it’s utterly ridiculous.
There’s a brief fight, before Silver Banshee admits that she was forced to fight Superman to protect the ones she loves. That’s Jimmy, in case the recaps weren’t enough to get that across.
DC Comics
Lex, meanwhile, informs Superman that he’s going to need to take out Silver Banshee. He does surprisingly clarify that he wants it done without hurting the former villain. It’s an interesting note for Lex, and it really does mark a turning point for him. Could he be telling the truth about his desire for redemption?
Spurred to action, SuperCorp arrives and offers Superman a gun that can take Banshee out with ease. Unamused, Clark smashes the gun but keeps the core components. He takes it — and Jimmy — with him to chase down the runaway Banshee. Jimmy convinces Banshee to comply with Superman’s advice, and it’s enough to cure her with relative ease. It does, however, temporarily damage the Man of Steel’s superhuman hearing.
With Banshee safe, Superman takes a visit to the enemy base. There, holograms of Dr. Pharm and Mr. Graft urge him to question Lex’s story and even share a key clue about his true nature.
After returning to Lois, Superman puts down the cape and heads off for a date. They acknowledge some of the new mysteries of Metropolis and share a few concerns about Lex. Lois doesn’t trust him, but Clark won’t give up on anyone — not even him.
It’s on to a double date night with Banshee and Jimmy from there. While they listen to Banshee perform a song, Clark reflects on how nice it is to hear the world without his powers. It’s about the worst time to be having that dialogue, because Lex is being set up for an attack.
As the guards lead Lex on, he’s accosted by his other inmates. It turns out, Pharm and Graft planned Superman’s hearing damage. He can’t hear Lex crying out as he’s attacked. Lex takes a knife to the chest and begs for Superman’s help. It never comes.
DC Comics
This was a pretty fun issue that offers closure on the Silver Banshee arc, while also leaving her relationship with Jimmy open for future exploration. There’s a lot there to be mined, especially since it gives more for Jimmy to do outside of being Superman’s best pal.
The art is also exemplary. Everything looks clean and bright with so many colors; it really gets across the gravity of the situation. It also knows when to dial back to darkness, as it does whenever Pharm and Graft make a move. As Lex is stabbed, the color completely bleeds away, leaving only the reds and grays of a man who could be dying. It’s a great move, and it grounds the scene against the bright and warm double date going on just alongside it.
Lex’s redemption also remains a common throughline throughout the book. With every issue exploring his motives and changes, it really is starting to look like he could actually have an altruistic interest. As much as Clark is grappling with the question of his intentions, the lack of clarity for the readers allows anyone to puzzle through it all right alongside the Man of Steel. Dramatic irony is always nice, but sometimes leaving the readers in the dark is even better. Williamson knows exactly how to explore that mystery without making it feel tiring.
If there’s any major issue in the book, it remains SuperCorp. It’s tiring to have major issues solved with a gun produced after only a few pages. Having a weapon lined up for every major Superman villain just takes away the stakes completely. It’s fun watching Clark puzzle through ways to stop villains without hurting them. If a solution is automatically available to him, it takes away some of the interesting elements that make him the great hero that he is.
That doesn’t, of course, take away from how fun the issue is. Superman #5 builds on the rest of the Banshee arc and brings it to a satisfying close. The questions that it raises remain compelling, especially when it comes to Lex’s redemption. The only reason that the cliffhanger ending disappoints is that it means another two months before we get to learn just what’s going to happen to Superman’s greatest nemesis.
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