Superman: American Alien #5
DC Comics
Written by: Max Landis
Art by: Francis Manapul
Cover by: Ryan Sook
Variant cover by: Francis Manapul
“It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s . . . Mister Metropolis?”
Issue 5 begins with Clark breaking up a robbery and trying to instill fear into criminals. He has a long conversation with Lois Lane about what the “flying man” stands for or wants. We get a look at Clark talking to his parents about his superheroing, and he stops his first super villain.
In the next part of the issue, Clark makes his first mistake by bringing a now under control Parasite back to Lex Luthor. Luthor lectures Clark making him feel dumb and regains control of Parasite. A dejected Clark has another talk with Lois Lane where she tells him what the “flying man” should be. Then, Clark leaves Luthor a present bringing the issue to a close.
Max Landis is doing great with this miniseries. I’m not sure what else needs to be said when the work really speaks for itself. He’s consistently impressed people with this series every month. The stories feel fresh, and his passion for the character shines through in every issue.
Francis Manapul has some gorgeous work in this issue. His costume for Clark was perfect, and one I’d actually love to see more of. His art is easy to follow, the colors are perfectly chosen to pop and flow together. There’s fine attention to detail, and the way he lays out panels is just gorgeous. Manapul was a perfect choice for this issue, and his variant cover was incredible.
Simply put: I love this series. I look forward to it every month and read it at least twice before even thinking about a review. Each issue leaves me with a smile on my face and a reminder of why I like comic books. I like that Landis has set restrictions on his Superman. His Superman isn’t a genius, and he even bleeds! Luthor through a two page lecture is able to shake Clark’s whole foundation, making him feel like a legitimate threat. This is the Superman I never knew I wanted but really needed. At this point if you’re not reading “American Alien,” I can’t imagine why, but seriously go pick it up!