REVIEW: My Adventures With Superman #4

My Adventures With Superman #4 breaks out the Christmas decorations early here in the autumn. Despite the black ops agency feud and the quest for Amazo’s freedom, it’s a wonder that Clark, Lois, and Jimmy are able to make time for the holidays with Ma and Pa Kent at Cadmus. That’s what makes this issue a great read – it really homes in on all the wholesome things about Superman during the most wholesome time of year. Meanwhile, the action continues to escalate, and it is even surprising.

Li Cree continues with the shadowy urban covers starring Superman and either the agents of Task Force X or Team 7. This time, it’s both with him in the crossfire of both Deathstroke and Bloodsport. Reading this series makes you really wish that Bloodsport had Deathstroke’s role in the show with his roots as a Superman rogue. As part of the show’s animation and art team, Cree has been bringing these wishes to still life on the covers.

This cover set the geek world abuzz because it came at a time when it needed it the most with the passing of Manga legend Akira Toriyama. This variant cover by Ricardo Lopez pays homage to his magnum opus Dragon Ball –the Superman influence when Dragon Ball Z came around was undeniable with Goku being revealed as a survivor of an alien race and being rocketed from his exploding home planet. This particular cover references Toryiama’s last cover for the current series of Dragon Ball Super with Superman in Goku’s pose. Lopez also combines the show’s art with Toriyama’s, which was already ripe with his influence. The influence and homages all come full circle with this cover.

It’s three days until Christmas and the Kents, Lois, Jimmy, and Amazo have been keeping a low profile from Task Force X and Team 7 in Cadmus. During this time, Amazo gets a taste of humanity and experiences having a family –a power that he could never replicate on his own. As he remembers falling from space, Amazo finds that he has more in common with Clark than he could imagine. The android’s memories are slowly coming together, but an important piece is still missing. Who is his true creator?

Of course, if a duck sits in one place too long it’s bound to attract the predators. This happens as Amanda Waller and Robert DuBois’ forces converge on Cadmus – Task Force X led by Deathstroke with a squad of their droids and Bloodsport in a wild tech suit called the Angel Array. It’s got to be one of the best suits any version of the character has gotten. It looks like something right out of a hero shooter game –the offense character with the most attack power that is. That’s exactly why Bloodsport is bringing this issue. There’s no bridge or civilians nearby holding them back. Superman and Amazo must bring this off-the-books feud to a close in the name of Amazo’s freedom and now the spirit of Christmas.

Josie Campbell draws the reader into this issue not with action or a confrontation left on a cliffhanger from a previous issue, but with one of the main pillars of Superman’s family. Who better to teach Amazo about it than Jonathan and Martha Kent over the setpiece of Christmas? Family and friends transcend the stars, and in Superman stories that is literally true. There are just as many wholesome panels in this one as there are action sequences. This had to be one of the inspirations for Campbell to develop a Superman show. Letters are by Lucas Gattoni.

Pablo Collar’s art for this issue is the reason why this issue ranks a point higher than the rest. But it’s not for the explosive second act – it’s for the lighthearted first act. The subtle detail of Amazo becoming tinsel when he touches it, the panels of Clark making his connections as he grows, Jimmy and Lois shoving the mutant Christmas tree aside, and Ma and Pa Kent looking like sweet old people with their Metropolis tourist shirts are a nice break from the explosions and G-men. Don’t worry, plenty of those await in what could be the penultimate fight in this arc. Colors are by Nick Filardi.

(9/10) Get ready for Christmas in September with My Adventures With Superman #4. Family is an essence of Superman stories and often something that gives us power. It looks like Amazo’s gift will be a heart. But will he get a chance to use it?