Superman: That Healing Touch [Paperback]

I would like to start out by saying that just the very last chapter, involving a visit from Mxy, is worth the price of the collection. Time are hard in the DCU and sometimes even Superman must be reminded that we all live in hope. Who would have figured it would be our favorite imp from the fifth dimension who would remind us all of this.

Greg Rucka, I guess, and I am glad for it.

Since last year we have seen Rucka write some incredible Superman stories trully developing the character and turning Adventures of Superman into the best of the Superman books. Superman acts like Superman without having to live in a four color world. Rucka portrays Clark Kent as a complex character without reducing him to whinning indecision. Superman will face a greater dilema later in Sacrifice and its aftermath, but that is neither here nor there in regards to this book.

Seriously, folks, pick this up, the best Superman in years.

Reprints the short back-up stories from Adventures Of Superman #s 625 & 626; and Adventures Of Superman #s 627-632 in their entirety.

This collection starts with two short prelude pieces - the back-up from Adventures Of Superman # 625 (which introduces Lt. Lupe Terese Leocadio-Esudero, the new head of the Metropolis Police Department's SCU) and the back-up from Adventures # 626 (showcasing Lois Lane during Superman's abscence in the big crossover that Adventures 625 & 626 were part of). It then kicks into gear with Adventures # 627, starting up one of the last big Superman arcs before Infinite Crisis. It's the arc of Ruin, the new villain obsessed with bringing down Superman, who's been studying the Man Of Steel in secret for years, precisely analyzing his strengths and weaknesses, his behavioral tendencies and the manner in which his powers work, with the aim of knowing enough to take him out where so many others have failed. Of course, this basic modus operandi could describe any number of Superman adversaries from over the years, but writer Greg Rucka and the rest of the creative team quickly establish Ruin as feeling fresh and non-generic, and a villain who could contend for one of the upper slots in Superman's vast gallery of enemies. In his initial forays against Superman - either facing him directly or using other super-powered beings he's manipulated into serving him - Ruin's not even looking to win, but to get Suprman into specific situations where Ruin and his technology can more thoroughly analyze specific aspects of his power. Ruin may not be quite on the level of Lex Luthor as a criminal mastermind genius, and even with his vast technological resources and armaments he's not the physical threat Doomsday or Mongul is, but he comes fairly close on both fronts (especially on the genius/Lex side of the equation), so he's a very multi-faceted foil for Superman, not relying on one particular power or tactic. And extremely ruthless, willing to kill anyone if he thinks it'll provide the slightest potential advantage.

Among the other plot strands weaving through Unconventional Warfare - with Lt. Leocadio's new tough, confrontational style as head of the SCU, Superman finds himself in the rare position of being somewhat at odds with the law enforcement units in Metropolis. As has happened on other occasions where various institutions - federal or international - have tried to assert more control over him, the ball is largely in Superman's court. They really can't force him to take their marching orders, but Superman is prone to bending over backwards to accomodate everybody's concerns and 'play by the rules'. There are, though, certain situations where he Won't go by somebody else's book - when the rules would hobble his effectiveness at protecting the innocent, where he feels the authorities are playing too rough and reckless, etc. Lt. Leocadio could have come off as an annoying, cliched character, but Rucka is one of the best in the game in fully developing both the cast and supporting cast of the books he writes (just see his work on the Batman titles) and the same is true here. Leocadio even turns out to be not nearly as unlikable as it initially appeared she'd be, but an intriguing part of the story. Another plot strand - this in keeping with what was going in in the other Superman titles at the time: although Superman has been continuing to be successful in his career, his role as reporter Clark Kent has been languishing a bit, and Kent has been demoted from his star reporter role to covering the beat with rookie reporters. In this case, he's tagging along with the SCU on some of their missions. Throughout the Superman titles of this period, Clark's demotion was used for both humor and personal drama. And I can't forget to mention another key story point in here: Lois's dispatchment to a war zone for embedded reporting. It's a complex war with no clear 'good guys' (remember, in DC Universe continuity, Lex Luthor was president at the time America got involved in a series of ongoing wars - the soldiers sent off overseas are generally seen in a sympathetic light, Luthor's administration is not) and Superman can't be seen in the area because he can't be seen to be taking sides, so Lois is largely on her own.

The art and character designs are great, the dialogue well-done and believable, and the various plot strands mesh perfectly into the overall story. Also includes several 'Secret Files' type bios of several characters at the end. Great, under-rated story arc that flew under a lot of radars at the time because all the attention was on the lead-up to Infinite Crisis. Enthusiastically recommended.

This is a good effort by a writer who understands the subtleties of the characters involved. While some of us may be naive enough to proclaim what a fictional character can and cannot do, Rucka has the maturity and intelligence to realize that the viewpoint of an Amazon warrior is not guided by a "Super Friends" mentality. His stories also display a nice tendency to allow the characters to explain their own actions if you have the patience to allow them to develop.