Superman: For Tomorrow
With a new Superman movie heading into theaters faster than a speeding bullet, it’s time to stock up on some Superman titles before demand becomes more powerful than a locomotive. This is surely among the edgier choices in a large field, reprinted from a story line that first appeared in 2004. Azzarello, at the time hot with the success of the dirt-gritty crime opus 100 Bullets, seems a more apt choice for Batman, but he brings a dark moral ambiguity to Superman’s tortured search for millions of people who simply disappeared off the face of the earth, including his beloved Lois Lane. In addition to Superman’s soulful talks with a deeply troubled priest, Azzarello darkens things considerably with characters like the mercenary Mr. Orr, the hideously ferocious Equus, and a mysterious returning archnemesis. Lee, for his part, brings shadow to the standard Superman palette, providing an array of duly troubled countenances to go with the heightened ferocity of the action. --Jesse Karp