Hope everyone is staying healthy and safe out there! While I’m picking up trades curbside I’m also going with these digital firsts that DC is putting out. We all gotta do our part and support this industry in any way we can so that it’ll thrive. Furthermore, I’ve seen people slam these digital firsts simply because they believe if it isn’t physically printed then it can’t be worth reading. I have to disagree. While I was skeptical to pay the monstrous dollar that these books are priced at, so far I find them to be pretty good.
#spoilers
I’m pretty sure these are new stories, not reprints, but I could be wrong. I haven’t seen anything yet to confirm yes or no, but the main thing here is that this story isn’t clear on its continuity. Either it’s a one off that we’re free to place wherever we want, or it’s post-Rebirth, pre-Superman revealing his identity to the world. However, the way this story is written is quite ambiguous, more specifically, it feels like a somewhat cliche Supes tale thriving on old tropes and dynamics.
I gotta say, it’s pretty awesome. We get to read a Superman story that feels traditional, but has the nice shiny layer of the new age. It’s great!
What else is great? PARASITE. I can always do with more of this guy, and he delivers in this book. He actually takes on a bit of an Electro role here in which he goes completely power hungry and blackouts Metropolis. Superman’s plan to stop Parasite is good, too, in which he takes him to the dark side of the moon where there is absolutely no power for him to feed on.
In the end the main message of the book is quite wholesome and uplifting. Between Superman rallying the masses to care for each other during the blackout and reaching out for Parasite’s medical aid after he’s been defeated, there’s a lot of good vibes emanating from this story that I believe many of us can appreciate. If you have it in you for an old school Superman story with a modern spin, I can’t recommend this one enough.
TL;DR Score: Come on, show Parasite a little looooove!
TL;DR Comics 