DC's NEW 52 SUPERMAN #40

SUPERMAN #40: The issue is mostly spent with the Justice League testing out how Superman has been affected by his new power and how powerful that power really is. After setting of a solar flare on the Justice League satellite, most of the team decides to go to Metropolis and have some dinner and drinks. Maybe not the best idea now that you have become powerless from your last test of your new powers. That means, he not only gets loud and braggadocios, but he also gets knocked on his keester by one glass of light beer. The next day, he awakes with an awful hangover but duty calls and he attempts to fly out of his apartment, forgetting he has no powers. He goes off to stop an armed gang and, although he survives, he pays the price for it. Bloodied by the encounter, his image is captured by amateur videos from cell phones. Later, Lois sees Clark and notices that his bruises seem to match those of the Man of Steel. I smell a betrayal for a Pulitzer in the making!

This issue was written and drawn by John Romita Jr. and sets things in motion for the story Post Convergence when Gene Luen Yang takes over as writer. And, based on the tale thrown at us during Free Comic Book Day’s DIVERGENCE book, it looks like Clark’s getting outed and his life is going to hell in a hand basket pretty quickly! This tale becomes a nice little set-up for that. Romita’s art is his usual stuff and his writing is really good, considering I really don’t recall ever reading anything he has written until now.