Superman: The Stranger #3
Writer/Artist: Wes Craig
Colorist: Jason Wordie
Publisher: DC Comics
As the fledgling Superman continues his one-man war on crime and corruption, Lex Luthor continues his many schemes and machinations—all the while, the two men unknowingly edge closer to their inevitable showdown...
Through the Fire and Flames
We start with an extended flashback to Clark Kent's childhood. Let's just say it was not a happy one, with the orphanage he grew up in "lending" its young charges to a sweatshop. One day there was a fire, and only Clark survived.
Today, the yet-unnamed Superman continues to take on the greedy and corrupt, bringing them down and leaving them for the police. He approaches Lois Lane, sensing an ally—and he learns of his true foe, Lex Luthor.
Elsewhere, Lex is experimenting with a strange green rock that his people found...
Threat or Menace
We're at the midway point for this miniseries, with all the pieces and players starting to circle each other now. This issue gave us a ton of great insight into not only Clark, but also Lois and Lex as well.
We knew from issue #1 that Clark grew up in an orphanage, and that he was writing letters to someone from that time. Although we still don't know exactly who it is, based on this issue I'm guessing it was Pete Ross—and that he's actually dead. Clark's memories of the orphanage are anything but happy, and it just got worse after he started getting his powers.
We learn the origin of Clark's S-shield: it was the logo for the Saturn building, which was the place where Clark and the other youths were sent to work in a sweatshop. The place that caught fire and killed everyone who wasn't Clark. That had to have messed him up something fierce—he was durable enough to survive the flames, but not strong enough to free everyone else from being trapped in the building. It's no wonder he lives alone and hardly interacts with anyone.
Not as Clark, at least. As the mysterious "super-menace," he routinely interacts with the corrupt and the criminal. He soon starts to realize that his methods of getting information aren't the most efficient, and he goes to introduce himself to Lois Lane.
Despite the fact that Clark and Lois are probably destined to end up together, she's not too impressed with him at first. She makes it clear to the "big blue idiot" that he can't just tie bad guys up and leave them outside the courthouse, that isn't how things get done. She's a no-nonsense kind of dame, this Lois Lane. She reveals to Clark that there is one man who is behind all of the crime and corruption. She's tried to expose him before, but is always stopped. He's so powerful and dangerous, she can't even say his name out loud.
I have no such issues. It's Lex Luthor.
Lex is meeting with the various city officials and captains of industry who "work" under him, but he's also hearing a voice in his head. It's not clear who the voice is, but I'm willing to guess that it's his father's voice. Kind of like in Marvel's Spider-Man comics when Harry Osborn would hear Norman's voice in his head telling him what to do.
No matter who or what the voice is, it's become abundantly clear that this version of Lex is more than a little unstable—and very dangerous...
Tangled Up in Blue
Wes Craig's script makes a few big changes to what we're used to from modern Superman. Beyond the reduced power set, which is in line with the character's earliest appearances, there is the orphanage/sweatshop and how that ties to the S-shield. But all of these changes add to the feel of the book and help make it truly its own. This issue isn't the most eventful in terms of action, but between the backstory and the first meeting of Superman and Lois, it's still a very impactful issue.
On the art side, I think this might be Craig's strongest issue yet. Not that the other issues were bad—far from it—but the artwork just hit differently for me this time around. Maybe it's the fact that this is the most singularly focused issue so far story-wise, or maybe he's just continuing to refine his style. Whatever the reason, I found the rooftop scene in particular to be some of the strongest work we've seen from Craig yet.
I do think part of what makes the art seem stronger is the colors, which are once again the work of Jason Wordie. Just like the art, it feels a bit more focused this time around. The flashbacks at the beginning of the issue use a standard palette, then when the fire happens, everything takes on a harsh red tone. The rooftop meeting of Superman and Lois is heavily shaded in blue, which fits the scene taking place at night, but it also gives the whole thing a melancholy feel. Following that with a purposely jarring transition to Lex's scenes, which are very brightly lit so as to make his bald head and white suit truly stand out, is another great way to show the contrast between the two men.
Say His Name
Superman: The Stranger #3 is probably my favorite issue of the series so far. It brings together classic elements of the characters with some new ideas, and gives us a first meeting between Superman and Lois Lane that doesn't go quite how you'd expect. Lex Luthor's threat continues to build in the background, as the two men continue to head toward an unavoidable collision.