Free Comic Book Day: Divergence

Free Comic Book Day was last Saturday and, as always, it was a great time.

The middle Supergirl joined me in going to the local comic store. We grabbed some free loot. My local comic store limits patrons to 2 free books to make sure that they have enough for the masses. I grabbed DC's Divergence and Marvel's Secret Wars. (I would have grabbed the young Avengers book but they were already out of that book.) She grabbed Attack on Titan and the Teen Titans Go! book.

Despite the business I give the store, I try to buy something on FCBD to help the store defray the cost of all the 'free' books they need to buy. I reached out to Landry Walker to recommend some books for me to try out. He told me to try The Fuse and Invisible Republic. I bought the first issues of both titles and they are sitting on my nightstand. My daughter grabbed the Luna issue of My Little Pony Fiendship: is Magic book.

Divergence gives us a little look at the future of Superman and gives us some info about 'The Truth', the upcoming mega-arc in the super-books. Exposed, written by Gene Luen Yang with art by John Romita Jr,  is probably lifted pages from the upcoming issue but I figured I would review what we know.

We open up with Clark and Jimmy eating out of a food truck in Metropolis. By now, it is apparent that Clark being Superman has gone public. Clark says outright that he is trying to keep a low profile. Obviously a reveal like this would make everyone come out of the woodwork to try to confront or interview or bother Clark.

I suppose this explains the buzzcut and whiskers as well as the hoodie and sunglasses. He is trying to hide in plain site. And this isn't the first time we have seen something like this. (Remember when he posed as a lumberjack when he was hiding out from Kenny Braverman, Conduit?)

But also we learn that Superman is partially depowered. He isn't absorbing solar energy as efficiently as he used to. Maybe constantly using the solar flare power has fried his cells?

But even dressed like this, Clark is recognized by a huge superstrong burly guy who has a grudge against Superman for a prior arrest.

Whoever this guy is, he has glowing tattoos and is tough enough to hoist the food truck up on his shoulders and throw it onto Superman.

Superman is strong enough to shrug off the attack, box this guy's ears, and then takes off. It isn't clear if Clark is leaving because he is afraid he is too weak for a sustained fight or if he doesn't want an open brawl in a populated area.

I will say I loved this page. Yang uses background television screens, tweets, youtube videos, and newspaper blurbs to give us the background we need about the story. Superman has been revealed as Clark. And this was revealed by Lois Lane.

But for me, I loved the tweets, a sort of commentary on the reactionary nature of social media. Seeing the negative tweets about Superman after his years of service rings true. 

After that, we see Lois heading to a motel where she has discovered Clark is hiding out.

Clark has gone to the mattresses. He is in hiding. He isn't working. And he seems angry. Lois wants to help but she is the reason all this is going on. And Clark wants no part of her, essentially slamming the door in her face.

I miss Lois. I miss her place in the DCU. I miss her having a prominent place in the Superman mythos. So this feels wrong.

I have to hope that somehow Yang and Greg Pak and DC Comics know what they are doing here. But that hasn't worked out too well for me recently.

Posted in: Reviews