Superman #702

The walking adventures of Superman continues in this issue (behind an outstanding cover by John Cassaday), and I'm still having trouble getting worked up about it.

Which is not to say it's bad. So far it's a refreshing change for the Man of Steel, as he encounters (mostly) down-to-Earth problems, and makes his way through neighborhoods, meeting people and connecting with real-world problems (with one notable exception in this issue).

But where stories like this are a good change of pace between the big, universe-shaking storylines, here the effect seems to be to diminish Superman.

I know, he started out in the '30s fighting for the little guy and taking on neighborhood problems - but when you have the kind of powers Superman has, he should be involved in the big issues of the day, or taking on the natural and man-made disasters that threaten the world.

I feel like a Scrooge talking this way - I do appreciate the change of pace courtesy of writer J. Michael Straczynski - but it just feels like change for the sake of doing something "really different," rather than a clever new direction for the book.

The artwork by Eddy Barrows and J.P. Mayer is quite good, with some fresh layouts and fun action sequences.

I'm going to give this series another couple of issues to catch hold, but I have to say that so far it's just not getting the job done. Your mileage may vary.

Grade: B-