From 2016-2018, we really had a good thing going.

Superman Rebirth was being published several times each month by two brilliant creative teams who did justice to the character and which fans loved. Sales were strong on both Action Comics and the main Superman title… only to then have DC editorial give both books to Bendis in the hopes of making a giant sales splash.

That splash happened initially, yes, but then quickly petered out as fans began to leave after rejecting the direction the books were going.

Who would have thought that breaking up Superman’s family, retconning his origin, making other DC characters unrecognizable and, oh yeah, destroying Superman’s secret identity would have been met with a lukewarm reaction (he said, tongue firmly in cheek)?

Fortunately, it seems that the Superman books have found their footing again somewhat, and certain elements of Rebirth continue to surface. Peter Tomasi puts out a Super Sons miniseries seemingly every other month, and on TV Superman and Lois adopted the status quo of the books and is still going. Clearly, the era was well received enough to continue on in some form or fashion.

When it was announced last year that Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks would be reuniting to publish a sequel to their seminal Lois and Clark: Road to Rebirth miniseries as seven back up stories in Action Comics, I was ecstatic. I couldn’t wait to read something that I was very familiar with and which should have gone for much longer, but admittedly, I wasn’t sure how much could be done with such a small sample size.

Boy, was I worried for no reason!!

Amazingly, with a mere seventy pages, Jurgens and Weeks demonstrated their incredible ability as comic creators to put out a great story, one which was just as good as anything published in that era!

The story, as collected in the trade which came out this week, begins with Jurgens’ lead story from the Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special from 2022, a decent enough story in its own right which introduced a new villain to Superman’s universe. The Lois and Clark backups begin right after that, in which the Kent family goes back to their farm in California where they lived undercover during the New 52. Jon is still a kid but has discovered his powers and is already doing some superheroing himself, and Supes once again dons his silver and black costume for the sake of nostalgia.

Along the way, the Doombreaker character, a Doomsday offshoot who was inadvertently created from a shard of Doomsday’s bone, returns to cause trouble for the Kent family, as well as a new character named Glyanna, an alien princess who crashes on earth looking for help. Without giving away too much, the action takes place in the country side and off world, with everyone getting some good time to shine.

The story flows quite nicely, with a solid amount happening and without feeling rushed. This alone is probably most impressive part of the book, as the story could easily have been too decompressed or too crammed. The dialogue is great with serious elements and humorous banter, and the art by Lee Weeks is just spectacular. He is an artist who has come into his own over the years and beautifully utilizes modern techniques to his art’s benefit, mainly digital shading and coloring.

The strength of this story, however, is of course the Kents as a family. As I’ve said many times, it is just a perfect extension of Superman as a character to be a loving spouse and dad. Lois is also still her strong, spunky self, and Jon as a young boy soaking up experience and wisdom from his special parents makes for some great storytelling opportunities!

I admittedly waited for the trade of this series to come out (sorry, this is why my review is so late!), and I have no idea what sales numbers were for the original issues. All I can say is I was left feeling incredibly satisfied by this story and consider it a fantastic addition to the Rebirth run. It is a Superman that I know I and many others will recognize and a good story that any fan will love. It is a credit to Mr. Jurgens that he once again can (seemingly) effortlessly write one more story with a character he has written for decades and which fans I’m sure will enjoy.

This story ends with a nice conclusion that leaves a lot of room for a sequel. All I can say is please please please please please let it happen!!!

Do yourself a favor and check out this story and the first Lois and Clark if you get a chance.

Capeage Meter: 9.5 out of 10