Of all the superheroes that have ever been written, there is no hero with as wide of a list of powers as Superman.  Originally conceived based on what is now somewhat flimsy science, the character’s super-heritage was enough to allow for a sequence of expanding powers over the course of his existence.  As he was super, this came to mean that he was super at everything, extending to his five senses and his mental ability.  So too was his strength and speed a forward moving limit, with him going toe to toe with the Flash for speed and showing increasingly complex feats of strength (like moving Earth.)  So too did other powers develop which had little basis on being super, other than they were maybe topically relevant and thus became part of his bag of tricks (freezing breath, heat vision, X-ray vision.)  Part of these powers came because of the serialized nature of comics, where any story had to be resovled in issue, and thus sometimes unconvetional results were used, such as the introduction of new powers.  Regardless over the course of his publication, his powers have generally creeped forward to be more and more fantastic.  This is not always the case though, as it becomes one of the most common stories to dial back or redefine his powers so as to provide some plot.  Such was the case for instance in the 1980s with the Byrne reboot, or in the 1990s with the Blue Superman, and such is the case currently with the new solar flare ability.

It should maybe be said though that as a plot development that this is perhaps one of the weakest inspirations that Superman gets.  It makes sense in a way, because as an overpowered individual it can be hard to find relevant foes for the character, and this way allows for the introduction of new antagonists as his powers waver (even if these episodes are generally very short-term.)  Such would seem to be the case with the new solar flare power, which is somehow tied to his heat vision, though no other Kryptonian has ever experienced anything of the kind before.  This issue deals with Superman trying to get a grasp of his new powers, while also realizing that they have made him more human than ever before, even able to be easily enough damaged.  As a concept it is weak as it has been covered before and even done better.

It is not only as a poorly conceived plot device that this issue fails, but also as an overall concept.  The use of other heroes, especially Batman and Wonder Woman seems almost flippant, reducing them to two dimensional characters that are trying to spout non sequitur one liners relating to Superman’s new powers and new condition.  Thus not only does this not really feel like a normal Superman, but his colleagues from the Justice League also seem out of place.  It begs the question why this approach has been taken, especially when there are a lot of great Superman stories which have been told while working with him at full strength.  As it stands, this issue and the overall plot is a bit of a misfire.

Story and Art: John Romita Jr.
Story: 6.2 Art: 6.2 Overall: 6.2 Recommendation: Pass