There have been a couple quick arcs with guest writers on this series lately. I get that when you’ve got a bi-weekly series going on, you need a break every now and then to catch up. But I do hope that the series regulars come back soon. And that’s not to say that the last couple of issues are bad by any means. The last couple of issues are just more of a Deathstroke story than a Superman series.
Written by James Bonny, Superman 32 is part 2 of a 2 part Deathstroke story. The first issue mostly focused on Lois Lane, showing how she’s both a very good reporter and someone who’s willing to take risks. She manages to track down Deathstroke for a great interview. The comic ended with Deathstroke apparently arriving to assassinate Lois Lane.
As expected, Lois Lane wasn’t actually shot at the end of the previous issue. I won’t say exactly what the twist is, but you’ll likely figure it out long before it actually happens. The comic does an alright job at exploring how far Superman can be pushed; he barely resists killing Deathstroke to protect Lois Lane. It works well enough, but I can’t help but feel there are more effective ways to do this. Maybe it’s partly because I know little about Deathstroke to begin with, but this comic doesn’t really make me care much about him either way. Some of the action does get intense from a visual standpoint, but at least for me it never really felt intense.
The art by Tyler Kirkham is good. There’s plenty of environmental detail in the backgrounds, whether it be the streets of Metropolis with its shiny buildings in the distance, trees in the near background and the buildings on either side of the opening fight. When Superman gets angry in this comic, he almost looks like he’s ready to go on a rampage. With that said, Lois Lane’s facial expressions aren’t as good. In one moment where she’s sitting on a bench with Clark, watching Jon play, she shifts from content to a bit worried. That part works perfectly. But in the more intense scenes, she almost looks somewhere between bored and confused more than she looks afraid. The colours by Arif Prianto are great though. The comic is generally bright and colourful, with great use of shadows, and a bit of a silhouette effect when there are fires and explosions in the background.
There’s nothing necessarily bad about this comic, and there are some good writing points. It’s just not all that special. Maybe it’s partly because I don’t care much about Deathstroke either way, but this kind of felt predictable and I was never truly worried about Lois Lane’s safety. For a comic that heavily uses a deadly assassin who’s apparently after Lois, that’s not a point in this comic’s favour. It’s at least worth a look if you’re a Superman fan, but I’d recommend you read before you buy. Not sure whether to recommend this to Deathstroke fans or not.
6/10
healed1337 
Yes, I agree, it was an ok issue of Superman, but I really hope we get the regular team back soon. This is the only real disadvantage with DC’s twice monthly schedule really, when we get these kinds of filler stories to bridge the gaps. I’d prefer a monthly book done by a regular team so you get consistency of story and art. I’m not a big fan of Deathstroke either. Great review!
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I can see the benefit of both, and at least DC’s bi-weekly titles are only $3 each (Marvel’s are $4 each), but you’re more likely to get a consistently good series with a monthly instead of a bi-weekly. Or even a series that tends to go back and forth between one and two comics a month if the writer is productive enough.
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The price point is a very good point. Probably why I get more DC or IDW than Marvel right now. A bi-weekly schedule works in some instances and titles, it seems to suit some characters better than others, still prefer monthly schedules best though.
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