New Superman, Vol. 1

Perhaps the most honestly titled graphic effort of the past decade, this volume is exactly what it sounds like: a new Superman who happens to be from China. The art is crisp and the storytelling is lively enough, but once the reader is past the “What if Superman and the Justice League were Chinese?” gimmick, they’re left with a rather generic superhero series that could have been about anyone. It relies too much on the Superman brand to draw in readers. Despite the impressive pedigree of writer Yang (American Born Chinese), he seems to have added little to the tale, and artist Bogdanovic’s otherwise solid art is marred by his clear need to study how to draw Asian people. This is by no means terrible, but it is easily dismissed. (June)