SuperChat is back everybody, and joining Tony Thornley is Armaan Babu to look at the new issue of the Superman anthology Superman: Red & Blue #4 featuring:
āNamrepusā written by Mark Waid, drawn by Audrey Mok, colored by Jordie Bellaire and lettered by Dave Sharpe.
āProspect of tomorrowā written and drawn by Francis Manapul and lettered by Sharpe.
āA Little is a Lotā written by Robert Venditti, drawn by Alitha Martinez, colored by Emilio Lopez and lettered by Sharpe
āFor the Man Who Has Nothingā written by Michael W. Conrad, drawn by Cully Hamner and letter by Pat Brosseau
ā#Saved by Supermanā written by Rich Douek, art by Joe Quinones and lettered by Sharpe.
Tony Thornley: Welcome back everyone! Itās been a quiet couple of weeks on the Superman front, however, the next two weeks are big ones, with five titles over this week and next. And to go with that, weād like to welcome back Armaan Babu, who is officially joining team SuperChat with this weekās column!
Armaan Babu: I could not be happier to be joining this column with a book that features the best, saddest and strangest super-character of them all: Bizarro! Me am always enjoy inconsistent backwards speak but me hate writing with you, Tony.
Tony: Now, for a brief programming note: Armaan and I, along with our editor Matt Lazorwitz, made the judgement call not to cover Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow this week. We are considering whether to cover it in later months. However if you would like to check out some great coverage of the series, we suggest our colleague Cori McCreeryās write-up about the first issue over at WWAC.
With that said letās take a look at this weekās Superman: Red & Blue #4!
Some Imps Just Canāt Catch A Break
Tony: This was such an interesting issue, because it largely had a thematic throughline, and the stories actually shared a few elements. We get two stories featuring Mxyzptyk and Bizarro. We see the emphasis on Clarkās humanity. Itās an interesting issue to reach. However, one story stuck out like a sore thumb thematically, and thatās the opener from Waid, Mok, and Bellaire.
Waid has wanted a run on Superman for years. Heās been very open about it. And now in one of his first DC stories sinceā¦ at least 5 years (maybe closer to 7 or 8) heās ready to jump back in. Now reading this, I canāt help but think of the Superman 2000 pitch which was famously rejected by DC after Waid, Grant Morrision, Tom Peyer and Mark Millar were told to put it together. Mxy was a central figure in that proposal and itās clear that Waid has a story for him.
What did you think here Armaan?
Armaan: I should be able to enjoy a silly Mr. Mxyzptlk (I am proud of myself for getting through typing that) story set in a prank-loving cartoon dimension – and honestly speaking, more often than not, I tend to enjoy Mark Waid stories. This story had a lot of fun elements to it – but that comes at the cost of an extremely petty Superman. Hopping dimensions and making Mxyās life miserable just to show Mxy how annoying that is? Make better choices, Kal-El.
That being said, Audrey Mokās art is charming – the 5th Dimension drawn here is a 5th Dimension meant for kids to be able to enjoy, which to me is the best way to use Mxy. Jordie Bellaireās soft colors really bring me back to the childrenās anthology comics I read as a kid, and itās a lovely feeling.
Tony: Agreed. It was very Silver Age in a lot of important ways. I liked it, and it was a solid opener. Mok and Bellaireās art just ruled. It just didnāt seem to fit the other stories quite as well.
Armaan: Superman comes off as a huge jerk in this story, but I did enjoy this bit: he goes by many names, but itās Clark Kent he needs to say backwards in order to go home – thatās the name he identifies with the most.
Bizarroās Feeling Blue
Armaan: We then move on to our first of two Bizarro stories. Of all the silliness to have come out of the Silver Age, I think Bizarroās the one that appeals the most to me. Even back then there was always this tragedy to the character – everything about him is meant to be wrong. A warped reflection, but not a dark one, not an evil one. Heās just messed up, but heās always trying his best.
The first, written and drawn by Francis Manapaul, and lettered by Dave Sharpe, is a little confusing to start, but is a damn-near perfect short piece on a second read once you realize whoās narrating.
Tony: I really wish Manapul wrote more! Every one of his stories that Iāve read has a great imagination, and this is no different. In this particular case, the narrator is a MARS ROVER! And the story is all about the Rover and Superman teaming up to save another rover and Bizarro! This short is the first of the bunch that is all about Supermanās sense of compassion, a throughline that would carry through the rest of the issue. In fact, after this story the Michael Conrad/Cully Hamner story (with GREAT lettering work by Pat Brousseau) features Bizarroās very good birthday and a very similar show of compassion on Clarkās part!
Armaan: I saw the Manapaul story differently – to me, I thought the narrator was Bizarro himself, under the influence of Blue Kryptonite making him smarter! Itās a fun use of the Red and Blue theme, if so. The colors for this story are stunning – hyper-saturated reds and blues that make every page glorious.
Tony: Oh I didnāt even think of that, but you know what? I think youāre right. That changes a bit of the story for me, and makes me like it even more!
Armaan: I loved the Bizarro birthday story as well. Mxy returns to bully my backwards birthday boy, and I have never been madder at the imp. All Bizarro has ever wanted is to belong – to be the hero he is modeled after but can never quite become. Mxy takes those feelings and uses them to humiliate him, until Superman comes to save the day with that one, simple act of friendship. Weāre getting a regular anthology series featuring many acts of kindness on Clarkās part, but somehow him remembering Bizarroās birthday and reaching out to comfort him shines the brightest. [Editorās Note: Like Bizarro? You should check out Metropolis Grove, the most recent book in DCās line of Graphic Novels for Kids- Matt]
Look, Up in the Sky!
Armaan: The two remaining stories take two very different approaches to Supermanās status as an icon. Who do people see when they do look up to the skies, and see him flying by? One gives us a look at what Superman strives to be – a man who leads by example – and the other gives us some idea of what he looks like to the public. Heās respected, sure, and admired, but not necessarily taken as seriously as would like to be.
Tony: I really liked these two companion pieces, just like the two Bizarro stories. In the Robert Venditti, Althia Martinez, Emilio Lopez and Dave Sharpe story, we get Clark learning a lesson from his father, which then transfers to him inspiring others to help. Then in the closing story, Rich Douek, Joe Quinones and Sharpe show how Superman would handle people being inspired by him in all the WRONG ways.
These felt like two sides of the same coin and I really liked how they approached the same ideas differently. What did you think?
Armaan: You couldnāt have described it better! Weāve always known that Superman strives to be an inspiration to people, but that hits a lot harder when we see a more grounded, human version of that. With all the evil Supermen weāre seeing around, the magic of an alien learning compassion through small town kindness is especially beautiful.
But Superman himself isnāt the most grounded of concepts, and the other story we see is a number of Metropolice kids start to do a social media Superman challenge – falling from great heights to capture Superman saving them. While the original intention of an influencer wanting to show the world the good that Superman does is a good one, it fuels fleeting fascination more than actual inspiration. Superman works hard to be seen as an example – but how people choose to interpret their fascination with him is something thatās outside of his control. To some people heās an ideal, to others, a passing thrill.
It says a lot that this doesnāt get Superman down. As long as he can figure out a way to respectfully get people to stop endangering themselves, heās not going to try and force his narrative onto others. He just continues to help people – both on the ground and in the sky – and hope thatās enough.
Iām really happy with this issue.
Tony: Definitely. If they could make it ongoing, I would campaign for exactly that! Itās been a lot of fun.
Super-Thoughts!
- Itās really impressive just how good each issue has been.
- DC really just needs to give Waid a twelve issue Superman vs Mxy story
- Bizarroās Fortress of Multitude, smack in the middle of one of the most biodiverse deserts in the world? Genius use of his Supermanās-Opposite theme.
Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. Heās also very humble.
Armaan is obsessed with the way stories are told. From video games to theater, TTRPGs to comics, he has written for, and about, them all. He will not stop, actually; believe us, we've tried.
