One of the lower-profile highlights from the turn-of-the-millennium was "Superman Adventures." Every issue a single story, created by a variety of top creators, the series followed the animated series' lead and told new stories that weren't constrained by the rampaging beast that is DC Universe continuity.

It was filled with good old fashioned classic super hero storytelling, along with a selection of stories that played with the medium or format to create something new.

One of those issues happened to cross my path this weekend while back issue bin diving.

"Superman Adventures" #57 is written by Dan Slott. It's been so long and he's become Mr. Spider-Man in the meantime, so it's easy to forget that Slott did some DC work back in the day.

The story also features art from Cameron Stewart. This is some of his earliest work. He did two other "Superman Adventures" issues before this, one of them being a page or two in the classic Mark Millar issue #41 that told 22 stories in 22 pages.

With those creators on board, how could I not immediately open up this issue for a reread?

Not Quite Rashomon

Slott's story is cleverly constructed, and perhaps more than a little meta. Perry White is sick of the daily "Superman Saves the World" stories. He challenges his reporters - Clark, Lois, Ron Troupe, and Jimmy Olsen -- to cover the next such story from different perspectives.

For as many writers who strive to create a Superman story in their career, there are just as many who say that they would have a hard time finding a "new" story to tell. That push and pull is well-represented by Slott here through White.

The next time Superman saves the world, all the reporters all hit the ground running and start interviewing different people who were at the scene. It starts off like an issue of "Astro City." People "on the ground" describe to the reporters what it's like to live and work in a city where Superman is always above them.

One feels scared into being a good guy, knowing Superman can see and hear everything. (He describes being worried about getting caught accidentally mixing trash and recyclables in the same can. That's how bad it is.) Another is a raving Superman fanboy. One's more worried about his day-to-day job, while another just wants his car to stay in one piece.

These are all valid points of view and complaints to have about Superman's presence. They're not often covered in the mainstream superhero books, aside from the occasional villain who's out for revenge because their family member was collateral damage in some kind of Super-dust-up.

Slott adds journalistic touches to the story. The reporters worry about landing honest and truly impartial witnesses. Everyone has their weaknesses, and the reporters need to circle around that, often, to get at the truth and what it real.

But here's the twist Slott brings into the book that makes this truly interesting: Each of these characters comes around on Superman. Yes, they're bothered by the side effects of his actions, but they all still root for him, are glad to have him around, and would likely join his fan club if given a chance. It's a nice gentle twist on the story -- well-reasoned and not done for surprise's sake. These feel like real people in the end, which might be Slott's strongest accomplishment of the issue.

There's a final page gag with the chubby nerdy Superman fanboy that perfectly caps off the issue. Having not been included in the final newspaper story, he throws the paper away and reveals the Batman t-shirt he's wearing. Maybe he'll be acknowledged as a superfan on Gotham!

If there's any one weakness with the issue, it's that character. It's about the most stereotypically lazy cliche depiction of "socially awkward super fanboy" you'd ever expect. I mean, he'd fit in perfectly on an episode of "The Big Bang Theory."

Cameron Stewart's art fits neatly into the "Adventures" mold here. It's solid work, using the animated series' style as a base, while adding in enough personal flourishes to keep it fresh.

Stewart is smart enough to know there are things comics can do better than animation, and he uses those things -- like thick ink lines and speedlines. He uses the soft shadows and the design sense of the animated series to his advantage, though.

It's still early Stewart work, though. There are times when the backgrounds drop out for far too long, or panels where simplicity might be a little too simple. There's some anatomy at odd angles that I'm sure he'd like to redraw today, but I'm picking at nits now. I'm sure today's Stewart would draw a lot of things differently and present a more energetic and gesture-filled style to all of his characters.

The Cover

I love the cover by Mike Manley and Terry Austin because it does so much. At first, it looks like a typical fight scene. You have Superman fighting Kalibak, with some civilians below them, dodging the debris and running for their lives.

After you've read the issue, you come to realize that those civilians are actually the stars of the issue. They're the interviewees. And that is really the fight scene that happens in the issue, but it almost doesn't matter. You could swap in any fight scene, but Slott picked a good graphical character and, inside the issue, Stewart made him look interesting. He blends his own style with the animated look, and even gets to throw in some classic Kirby Krackle along the way!

The so-called "kids books" at DC have always been a hotbed for strong comic stories. Some great artists and writers have worked on them over the years, so give them a shot whenever you come across one.

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