REVIEW: My Adventures With Superman #2

My Adventures With Superman #2 is an adventure that doesn’t actually involve Superman at all. Rather, it’s one of our three favorite Daily Planet reporters. After Amazo is captured, Clark, Lois, and Jimmy follow the trail to a military base where it turns out Task Force X isn’t the only shady group at work here and there could be some dirty politics at work.

Li Cree, one of the animation team members on the show, is the perfect artist for a cover in this series. It looks like a screenshot from a never-before-seen episode. This cover focuses more on the Superman vs. Task Force X aspect of the story rather than the search for Amazo. Because it’s not being animated, Cree can focus on the little shading details that are often overlooked.

Megan Huang’s variant cover is all about the color rather than style. This is a scene that could easily be featured in the show’s opening with Superman, Lois, and Jimmy on a crane. Again, colors that awash the sky are something else. Because of this, the whole cover has a pleasant purple tint to it.

Another great variant comes straight from Warner Bros. Animation as Lois’ character design sheet. You could tell they were really having fun designing her with the anime influence.

Clark, Lois, and Jimmy head to Mt. Simonson under the guise of writing a story as they search for Amazo who was taken by a specialized government agency that isn’t Task Force X. No, this is Team Seven and they seek to replace Task Force X, led by Robert DuBois who we all know as Bloodsport. In a Superman comic, his presence does not bode well. It’s a big deal that Team Seven is getting control of Mt. Simonson, but Slade Wilson is there is sabotage it.

Clark and Lois closely follow Amazo’s trail to a lab where the android screams for help, seemingly held against his will. It’s signs of sentience like those why Clark refused to let him out of his sight. As Slade’s sabotaging of the base reaches its apex, it’s a free-for-all between Amazon, Deathstroke, and Bloodsport as Clark must keep a low profile and minimize the damages.

Showrunner Josie Campbell keeps the show’s tradition of introducing DC characters, some close or distant to Superman, with slightly altered backstories with Robert DuBois now making an appearance. Without Superman flying around, this issue feels a tad slower, but we do get some great Lois and Clark moments. There is some sort of task force feud going on now, which adds to that political thriller aspect of the series and shows that not all of the threats Superman faces come from space. Letters are done by Lucas Gattoni.

Artist Pablo Collar takes us on a claustrophobic adventure through the bowels of Mt. Simonson in this one as opposed to the bright, open streets of Metropolis – all around its locked doors, narrow hallways, robot prison, and red son shields. But the main event here is Bloodsport vs. Deathstroke –Suicide Squad fans must’ve debated that one at some point. Bloodsport’s design naturally has that newfound James Gunn influence. That mask was truly a game-changer for the character. With Deathstroke’s comic and show design, it’s honestly a hit-or-miss depending on who you ask. For a lot, it still is jarring seeing a young Slade Wilson. Colors are by Nick Filardi.

(8/10) My Adventures With Superman #2 is a cool issue because it feels exactly what the show was pitched as – a Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen adventure without much Superman intervention. As it would happen, the battle for Amazo’s sentience isn’t the only one that is just beginning.