Superman / Wonder Woman Volume 1: Power Couple Review

Everyone’s favourite power couple is finally together, and I use “power couple” quite literally. Superman has moved on since the Lois Lane days and is deep in the throes of a very public romance with Wonder Woman. Superman / Wonder Woman: Volume 1 follows the titular characters as the balance their relationship, their commitments to the Justice League, their families and their pasts. It’s a pretty good love story set with the backdrop of a really good Superman comic story.

This story brings Zod, Faora and Doomsday to the New 52. It’s first and foremost a Zod story, with just enough Doomsday to scare the tights off Superman and remind the readers of just how powerful he is. When The Phantom Zone starts, for lack of a better word, leaking, Doomsday gets out briefly, and then Zod. Zod tricks Superman and escapes his cell at the Fortress of Solitude and puts into motion his plan to open up the gate to The Phantom Zone to let all the prisoners out. Superman readers will really enjoy this story arc, especially those who are fans of Zod and have been missing him since the New 52 started.

I think the best part about this story arc is that it balances the love story with the main story well. It doesn’t feel forced or awkward, and it doesn’t get too sappy. Superman’s love story with Wonder Woman really is a completely different dynamic than we’re used to with Lois Lane. Lois Lane is very much a love story with Clark Kent, whereas in this comic the love story is Superman’s. It’s also a lot more public because the superhero lovebirds have a definite celebrity status in this universe, and their romance has basically become a TMZ story. They also have their own past histories with not only enemies but also family. Superman has basically the worst “meeting the parents” experiences I’ve ever seen. I’ve never been thrown across the room by a member of a new girlfriends family, and I’ve never had to use my heat vision against one either.

While the graphic novel is a love story and it has several strong female characters, so I do think that it is a story that girls will enjoy, I wouldn’t say that it is exclusively a comic for girls. I am a guy and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Superman / Wonder Woman: Volume 1. I’ve never really been much of a Wonder Woman reader, but as a Superman fan, this comic was enjoyable. The story arc was a fun read and it was really well drawn. The last issue ended with quite the cliffhanger, so if you’re wondering if I’ll be reading more of this comic series, the answer is a definite yes.

And if you’re wondering if I wish the person I talked to about my relationship troubles was Batman, the answer again is a definite yes.