Superman #40

Superman #40 is an entertaining, condensed narrative that tells and important story. Some parts of that story are rushed, but the important parts are not glossed over. Superman learns more about his new power. He also learns more about human experiences, from the pleasant taste of a cold beer to the unmitigated agony that too many beers can incur. But he still finds time to be Superman. It's a perfect summation of what makes him an icon among icons. Only now, he's not just an icon that can inspire others to be better. He's an icon they can share a cold beer with and that just makes him all the more heroic. Read Full Review

Superman #40 wasnt a groundbreaking issue, but it was definitely a fun read. It was nice to see the Justice League get the chance to pal around as ordinary people. John Romita Jr. did a nice job on both parts of this book and should be proud of himself. Hopefully this level of consistency can continue in the book and give readers the Superman they deserve. Read Full Review

Superman #40 is merely a transition issue, a comic in-between Johns' run and Lang's upcoming take on the character, and for an intermediary story, there's really not much to complain about. A decent enough comic, but nothing exceptional. Read Full Review

If all you want is a Superman comic that celebrates the Justice League camaraderie and explores what happens when Superman gets drunk, this comic is for you. Yes, the dialogue could have used some fine-tuning, and the coloring sometimes gets in the way of the art, but this issue serves as a fun palate cleanser before the next era begins for Superman. Read Full Review

It is not only as a poorly conceived plot device that this issue fails, but also as an overall concept. The use of other heroes, especially Batman and Wonder Woman seems almost flippant, reducing them to two dimensional characters that are trying to spout non sequitur one liners relating to Superman's new powers and new condition. Thus not only does this not really feel like a normal Superman, but his colleagues from the Justice League also seem out of place. It begs the question why this approach has been taken, especially when there are a lot of great Superman stories which have been told while working with him at full strength. As it stands, this issue and the overall plot is a bit of a misfire. Read Full Review

"Superman" #40 positions the comic well for its return this summer; I'm looking forward to seeing what Yang does, and Romita has set him up well. It might not be the most riveting of comics but it gets in and out and accomplishes exactly what it's supposed to. Read Full Review

So there was plenty of upside in this issue. I loved the camaraderie of the League, sparring, joking, and having a bite out. But that is built on the foundation that Superman has never felt like a human. And that just isn't how I imagine Superman. That's not what I want in my Superman. So I am even more worried about 'The Truth'. Read Full Review

There are a many interesting ideas and moments featured in "Superman" #40, but an uneven story and strangely retro dialogue makes the issue feel odd and disjointed. John Romita Jr is a great artist, with a long list of justly deserved accolades, but the pieces just don't come together here. Read Full Review

Romita is an artist who needs to solely focus one thing. Once his attention is divided, his artwork suffers, such as when he was working on CAPTAIN AMERICAand KICK-ASS. It's clear in SUPERMAN#40, where his artwork suffers quite a bit. His reliance on lots of lines rears it's ugly head, which creates some pretty ugly scenes. While intended as a joke, Aquaman hiding Superman's naked body from Wonder Woman felt a little odd. They've been dating for a while. I think if anything it should have been the other way around. As Romita is rushed, his reliance on blocky characters makes for some ugly talking head panels. Also, Batman seems to be missing his cape in every scene. Dean White's colors are as gorgeous as ever. Klaus Johnson does his best to hide the failings of Romita filling every scene with lines. Read Full Review

As a whole, the idea for the issue, along the lines of Superman trying to understand his new powers and getting help from the Justice League, shows a great amount of promise. The problem is that the execution isn't there. These characters don't have their essence here and having the Justice League trying to bond over beers feels really forced. The art team does some great work, but the dialogue and second half of the book simply do not work. Read Full Review

Superman #40 is a comic that tries to feel like “The Avengers” and miserably fails. John Romita Jr. shows no respect for the characters he is writing and makes this issue simultaneously feel like a bad sitcom and a cringe-worthy Superman comic. When I see other reviewers give comics 3/10, I usually think that maybe they’re being a little extreme, but not with Superman #40. This comic is the worst issue I’ve read in the last year, maybe 2. That is why I implore you all not to purchase this comic. Read Full Review

This issue may be the writing debut of John Romita Jr., but don't let that get you too excited.  It is not good.  It is also unnecessary and will give you that been there, done that feeling.  Just sit patiently and wait for the real book to resume in June. Read Full Review

Slayer666

May 04, 2015

I really enjoyed this issue. The jokes were meant to be silly. I thought it was cool to see the banter between Batman and Superman. Not taking themselves seriously for a change. Plus I like the whole new power thing. Different and new is a good thing. I'm usually not a fan of JRJR but I though he did a very good job with this one. My expectations were not really high for the writing so I was not disappointed at all. Not sure why so many poor reviews. To each his/her own I suppose.

Supes' soups

Apr 30, 2015

I don't get why this issue has gotten so much hate. Sure it wasn't anything spectacular but it wasn't awful either. Although the main ingredient in issue #40 was lame jokes, it was actually kinda amusing to see Superman have a hangover. The new superpower is clever because a lot of people dislike Superman as a superhero because he is pretty much invincible if it wasn't for the inconvenience of being allergic to green rocks. Now you have a convenient "power" to blow up once and be human for a day. It's gonna be interesting to see how they can effectively integrate this and have it stay relevant. Other than that, it was good to see Romita get a chance to draw the other Justice League members. Love him or hate him, Romita's art is distinctive and you know right away who's pencils you're looking at. The writing was passable and plus you can't really judge a person's writing ability based on one interlude issue so I'll keep my opinion to myself. Other than that, bring on the Truth storyline, curious to see what it's all about. more

JBL Reviews

May 02, 2015

Good not great