Superman #701

So writer J. Michael Straczynski takes over the writing chores on Superman with this issue, and he obviously decided to do something... different.

So the result is this ongoing story of the Man of Tomorrow walking across the country (no flying except in emergencies or when he wants to teach annoying reporters a lesson).

It's an opportunity to bring the character out of the clouds (and the big, intergalactic, multi-issue event stories) and tell lots of real world stories as Superman interacts with regular citizens.

It's a bit early to tell if this is going to work for the long haul, but this first issue is pretty good. It's not perfect - Superman seems to spend more of the comic discussing philosophy instead of doing superheroic things - but that's the point, and it's fun to see him hanging around with normal people.

I like the art by Eddy Barrows and J. P. Mayer - it has a solid, real-world feel about it. Their interpretation of the iconic Superman costume is interesting - the cape design seems to evoke the original George Reeves costume, as in droops down below his neck in the back, and sweeps across his shoulders in the front. A nice, traditional look.

(Interesting to note the ad in this issue for Straczynski taking over the writing of Wonder Woman, who's depicted wearing her traditional costume.)

Anyway, a solid start here, but not a game-changer yet. We'll see where Superman's "Walkabout" goes from here.

Grade: B+