As part of Superman’s most recent anniversary, this mini-series came out, and the first issue had Superman return what was mere seconds from Lois Lane’s perspective but was twenty years for him.
So, how did he get back?
Issue:  Superman: Lost #2, April 2023
Writer:Â Â Priest
Artists:Â Â Carlo Pagulayan and Jason Paz
The Plot:Â Â Superman begins his long journey home.
Commentary:  The basic idea here is something made the return trip somewhat traumatic for the Man of Steel. It could be just the simple fact he was gone for 20 years. It could be something bad and horrifying happened to him out there. At this point, I don’t know and the story hasn’t told me yet.
What this second issue has done is give me a rough idea how the story is going to go. Priest is a smart writer, and his work has always been able to play well with time and space in terms of how he parcels out his plot points. At this point, if I were to hazard a guess, Superman is trying to get home, he doesn’t quite know the way, and he has to stop at various places along the way. There’s a sci-fi twist on the whole thing as it would appear that Clark’s trip home will be stymied at various points by the gravity and solar radiation of whatever planets he visits.
Case in point: his first stop is a planet where people don’t really use names, but there are places ruined by environmental disasters and others that are fine. Maybe this story is also going to be allegorical for things Superman sees on Earth that he can’t stop even with his great power.
Regardless, I like how this is turning out so far. I just wish it didn’t feel like it was paced as slowly as it seems to be. Two issues in, and it seems like hardly anything has actually happened.
Grade:Â A-
More Stories
Better Call Saul “JMM”
Comic Review: Something Is Killing The Children Volume 3
Noteworthy Issues: Unstoppable Doom Patrol #2 (April, 2023)