Originally Posted by
Cipher
Superman should't need a face and form to punch, though -- or at least it feels reductive if he does. Superman can and should be willing to stand with the downtrodden against the complicated, the formless, the controversial. Needing to render complex problems into a form Superman can deal with narrows a character and concept that should need to be narrowed. And while I'm generally fond the idea of ground-level stories giving way to cosmic wackiness, and appreciate the holistic approach, there are times in which it feels like paying homage for the sake of it, rather than being willing to invest in the truly contemporary. In most stories, that's a joy. Here we had a build up to something different that gave way to the familiar.
I don't think this is a bad story line, and even in my disappointment, there's nuance to the story and levels in which it continues to address systematic problems while still rending both sides, police and protesters, as real people, which they are. But I can't help but feel the whole thing still feels a bit toothless, and I don't think it takes anything away from Pak and Kuder's finely crafted superhero comics to call it out as such.
This is ... fine. But it was almost great.