Adventures of Superman #5 review

Breezy, that's the word for this fifth instalment of DC Digital's Superman title. Writer Joshua Hale Fialkov and artist Joëlle Jones present a day in the life tale which sees Lois and Clark battling for the Daily Planet front page, even though the most exciting thing in the diary is the Metropolis Dog Show. With Lois refusing to let Clark share her cab to the event, our hero has to make his own way there, and en route he finds one or two distractions ...

Fialkov and Jones are the latest pair of creators to demonstrate why this 99c digital-first, weekly gem could easily be titled This Is Superman! They give us the Man of Steel in his traditional costume, capture the classic Clark/Lois dynamic and throw in plenty of action and heart. And so far as humour goes, there's a terrific gag involving time travel in the DC Universe.

I love the Forties stylings Jones gives our reporters, just look at Lois, classic and cool. I'm fine with believing that even though we're in the 21st century - you'll notice the odd hoodie and laptop - Planet newshens still know how to rock the Rosalind Russell look. And Jones seizes the opportunity to give us her take on timeless bits of Superman business.

Putting Fialkov's words on the page is letterer Wes Abbott, while Jones' stripwork is brought to colourful life by Nick Filardi - it's an excellent performance all round, under the auspices of editor Alex Antone.

I hope to see Fialkov and Jones back soon to give us their take on a full-on villain encounter, but for now, so far as fun overviews of the Life Super go, I doubt this could be bettered.

If anyone at DC Entertainment is seeking a creative team for a playful new Superman Sunday strip, Fialkov and Jones may just be the Kent and Lane they need.