Image © DC Comics.

There are two common ways to put a popular series or character in the hands of different creators. There’s the relaunch, where you start over with a new series, and there’s the hand-off where things change more gradually. That’s what’s happened in SUPERMAN. The new creative team of Geoff Johns and John Romita Jr. (with Klaus Janson) was heralded widely, then after a decent run, Johns slipped out and writer Gene Luen Yang slipped in, continuing the same storylines and characters while gradually introducing his own ideas. Now Romita and Janson have stepped out as well to make way for Howard Porter on the art. Porter seems to be trying to follow what went before to some degree. How successful the hand-off is in sales, I don’t know. I’ve enjoyed the new creators so far, but this issue loses me a little with a story that takes Superman away from Metropolis to a career of sorts as a costumed wrestler. Only it turns out the other wrestlers are not exactly human either. Jimmy Olsen has a key role to play, as does a recent villain, but otherwise it’s mostly new territory that seems odd for Superman. The art is fine, but I think I’d rather see Porter just being himself. Not a bad issue, but the hand-off is looking just a tad shaky.

Mildly recommended.