Superman Vol. 3: Multiplicity (Rebirth)

Purchased as a gift. They were very happy with it. Job Done.

Superman TP Vol 3 Multiplicity (Rebirth)  collects Annual #1 and issues #14-17 of the rebirthed Superman title, and it really is back to being DC’s flagship title.The Annual leads off the collection, and does actually come before the three-part title story in chronological sequence, which is then followed by a Superboy solo story, which, I am guessing, is a Halloween story...When the New 52 started, it became pretty clear early on that the writers were burning through all the best stories from the previous timelines at to fast a rate for them to last very long, and I was expecting the next Crisis to appear very soon. Convergence came and went, and appeared to have been a misfire, while Grant Morrison’s Multiveristy, which preceded it, seemed to have been produced without anyone telling him that there was another Crisis coming.Well, it was actually a Flashpoint that we got, and DC have gotten themselves back on track; it really was a Rebirth in terms of quality and quantity – though Green Arrow has fallen between the cracks as they can’t (or won’t) reconcile past and current continuities with the TV show’s influence.The Superman Family, however, has recovered superbly, and is now head and shoulders above almost every other title/grouping, though the Justice League, after a wobbly start, is closing up.The opening story, guest-starring the Swamp Thing, involves this Superman being ‘out of phase’ with this Earth, leading, in the Great Marvel tradition, to some punching, before settling down to sorting out the problem, which leads neatly into the main story, as we meet (yet another) cross-dimensional threat who is harvesting the Supermen of the Multiverse – but, for some reason, not our Superman (despite the blurb on the back cover).This brings in the Justice League Incarnate, who are based in the Monitor’s old HQ – and most of whom I recognise from somewhere, so I will need to go to the library and check  Convergence HC  and  Multiversity Deluxe Edition HC  to see where from. The Supermen/women/rabbits are mostly recognisable from past stories (and many are helpfully locked in cages with their Earth numbers on (but who is the figure we can’t quite make out in the Earth 2 cage?), though I don’t remember Captain Carrot being a Superman – have they confused him with Hoppy the Marvel Bunny, or is it just my memory?Then we are off on an old-fashioned epic Superman adventure (just like in the current Action Comics volume), featuring Supermen, Women and Rabbits from across the Multiversity – continuity, past, present and future all tied up with a bow.I really do hope that the executives have been frightened off by the failure of the New 52 and are leaving the day to day running in the hands of the editors, who are too young to remember the Silver Age, and the writers are just coming in and saying “We’ve got a great idea for a story”, and nobody realises what they are up to until it is too late...The final story sees Superboy left alone at home watching horror films, until Lana La… sorry Kathy the Mysterious Neighbour comes looking for help in finding a missing cow and a missing grandfather. Soon, the pesky kids are following the trail into Deadman’s Swamp…In the old days, this would have been a regular backup feature, but in these more enlightened times, they can just give Jon the occasional issue or sub-plot in the main titles. As for the mysterious Grandfather & granddaughter, what do you reckon – from the future, aliens or another dimension?

Book good seller bad as there is a security tag in the middle of the book