Superman #701

JMS delivers a very solid first story about a side of Superman that we haven't seen much of before. His story works well in conjunction with the artwork in the book to show the struggle that Superman is facing and the distance he's feeling from his former self. Being a new type of Superman, this book is very approachable for the reader who hasn't been following Superman for awhile or just wants to start getting into Superman. Read Full Review

Hmm ... it looks like I still have some preconceived notions that I am going to have to overcome. But I'll say it again, I liked this issue. I really think it showed just who Superman is. Eddy Barrows art is surprisingly effective here. I picture him doing bigger than life, super-stylized scenes. He seems at home here on a smaller scale as well. Read Full Review

Anyway, a solid start here, but not a game-changer yet. We'll see where Superman's "Walkabout" goes from here. Read Full Review

Obviously JMS has something to say about Superman, but it may come at the expense of a story. This never truly feels like one complete and unified issue, but rather a series of events strung together in order to give JMS the perfect setup to tell us, rather than show us, why Superman matters. It has the potential to grow stale rather quickly, so hopefully JMS has more in store for the Man of Steel than this. Read Full Review

"Grounded" gets off to a somewhat mixed start, but leaning in the positive direction. Eddy Barrows shows the right instinct to make sure the emotional aspect of the comic is apparent in the art, but overdoes it, while Straczynski alternates between great and cornball dialogue, especially with Superman. There's also the question of how well this sort of story will work as it progresses since one issue of Superman cleaning storerooms and reminding people not to run red lights is fine, but could easily become tedious after a few more. Read Full Review

But what do I know. I'm just a critic. Read Full Review

At least its not bad to look at. Eddy Barrows is a fairly solid artist for the book, though his Superman fluctuates between sensibly muscular and approaching the dreaded Caucasian Hulk territory where he just looks stupid. If hes Super, he doesnt need gigantic muscles. Hes got a bit of a Brent Anderson vibe--and I think Astro City is a good comparison to draw with this book--particularly in the facial expression territory. His pages are often six panels stacked on one another, but this kind of story isnt really conducive to sequential experimentation. Read Full Review

The amount of things wrong with this issue are too many to enumerate. It is the worst Superman story I have ever personally read. It is one of the worst comics I have ever personally read. I don't know how a writer can write Superman so far off the mark as he was in this issue. Read Full Review

If we had a lower grade than F-, this would have gotten it. Read Full Review

Reaper74

Jan 04, 2023

A much better issue then the prelude. While very heavy handed at times it is an interesting premise that just fully doesn’t pull it off. It has nice quiet moments with great art and while relatively low key it’s not boring.