Am I dreaming? After the lovely surprise that was Knight Terrors: Zatanna #1, here’s another great tie-in to an event that sounded terribly unpromising on paper. And the set-up was exactly what I thought would result in a very dull, seen-it-all-before story.
How wrong I was. Straight away, writer Joshua Williamson and artist Tom Reilly grab me as Superman falls asleep in 2023 and wakes up in… The Silver Age?
An ever-shifting Silver Age, because he’s in a dream, of course, thanks to new villain Insomnia, who’s sent most of the world to sleep in his search for the McGuffin Stone.
Refreshingly, Superman realises pretty speedily that he’s dreaming, causing Insomnia to send him through the doorway to nightmare.
Soon he’s confronted by a horrific creature claiming to be himself as seen in his own nightmares. And the Man of Screams has a suggestion that truly does scare our hero.
The rocket as a speeding bullet that’s going to destroy the Earth. Now that’s a smart notion from Williamson, I’d never noticed the shape of the classic rocketship, but it’s right there. And how well does Reilly sell the image? Also, cute bald baby Kal-El with S-kiss curl. Just great.
Reilly, with colour artist Nathan Fairbairn, provides spectacular visuals throughout the issue. DC needs to grab Reilly and put him on a series, heck, give him some prestige projects… his work is amazing. The highs and lows of the Man of Steel’s internal drama are nailed, with some images I think will prove memorable. The composition and colour choice that heralds the arrival of someone close to Superman later is very smart… and wait until you see who they bring with them. A nod, too, to letterer Ariana Maher, whose sensitive font choices helps sell the script. And Gleb Melnikov’s full-colour cover illo is a moody masterpiece.
So yes, a comic I was going to skip – Twitter pal and massive Superman fan Glen Clark recommended it – turns out to contain a surprising story that’s respectful of Superman’s history, intellect and emotional strength. And if solicitations are to be believed, it’ll be feeding back into Williamson’s outstanding run on the regular Superman title. Do not miss this fantastic comic.
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
I haven’t read your full review yet, but I got the tone of it. What a pleasant surprise!
I remember seeing a creator I trusted (can’t remember who) saying on social media that a lot of the tie-ins were pretty great. It’s starting to look like that wasn’t just hype!
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I wonder who that person was!
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