Superman: Before Truth (Comics) | Review

Countless threats have tested the Man of Steel across decades but the New 52 era brought radical changes to Superman that hit quite like this in ways fans never expected or saw coming. What happens when the world's most powerful hero faces something his fists can't fix?

Writer Gene Luen Yang (New Super-Man: Equilibrium, Shang-Chi: Family of Origin) and artist John Romita Jr. (Amazing Spider-Man: Coming Home, Wolverine: Enemy of the State) tackle that question head-on in this bold and controversial storyline that spans through Superman #40-44 and a mini story from Divergence issue #1.

Here's the thing about Superman stories in 2015. DC was experimenting hard with their flagship hero, pushing boundaries that longtime fans found controversial. Before Truth sits at the intersection of two massive shifts: a solar flare power and blackmailers threatening his identity.

Coming off the introduction of solar flare ability in The Men of Tomorrow, Superman discovers his power has serious drawbacks. When he unleashes this explosive burst of solar energy, he's left powerless for 24 hours. No flight. No invulnerability. Just Clark Kent minus the costume, vulnerable to everything from bullets to hangovers.

No flight. No invulnerability. No super-strength. Just Clark Kent minus the costume, vulnerable to everything from bullets to bad hangovers. The opening chapter puts this concept through its paces with the Justice League, showing Superman experiencing full humanity for once.

The opening chapter, written and penciled by Romita Jr., puts this concept through its paces with the Justice League. There's genuine charm watching Superman experience humanity in full, getting drunk off just two beers while Batman cracks jokes. It's lighthearted setup for what becomes a much darker and more intense story.

Enter Hordr, a shadowy tech corporation dealing in digital blackmail and information warfare. Led by the mysterious Hordr_Root, they've cracked the biggest secret in the DC Universe: Superman is Clark Kent. Their ultimatum is brutally simple and utterly terrifying.

Do what we say, or everyone learns the truth. What unfolds is Superman caught between impossible choices, playing puppet to corporate interests while trying to protect everyone he loves. Yang handles the blackmail angle with surprising nuance. Clark isn't just worried about himself but everyone who might become a target.

Clark isn't just worried about himself. It's Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, his relationship with Wonder Woman and every person who might become a target once his dual identity becomes public knowledge. The psychological pressure builds chapter by chapter relentlessly.

The supporting cast gets serious attention here, something earlier New 52 Superman books struggled with. Jimmy Olsen particularly shines, discovering Clark's secret independently and wrestling with that knowledge. Lois Lane plays a controversial role that sets up the Truth event.

What makes this different from typical Superman stories is the genre shift. This isn't aliens or magic or multiverse threats. It's corporate espionage, digital surveillance and information warfare that Superman's heat vision can't solve. Hordr_Root exists entirely in server farms and encrypted networks rather than a physical space.

The pacing stumbles in places. Issue #42 and #43 detour through classic Superman villains like Metallo and Titano in ways that feel obligatory rather than organic. These fights serve to demonstrate Clark's fluctuating powers but interrupt the momentum of the Hordr storyline.

Where Before Truth excels is consequence. Every choice Clark makes ripples outward with devastating effects. Compromising with Hordr means betraying his principles. Refusing means endangering innocents. Yang doesn't offer easy answers and that moral complexity elevates it.

DC renumbered their Superman trades when Yang took over, making this technically the start of a new creative run. It functions as both a standalone arc and the prologue to the massive Truth crossover event that would span Action Comics, Superman/Wonder Woman and Batman/Superman titles throughout 2015-2016.

John Romita Jr.'s Superman work divides fans but his kinetic energy remains undeniable throughout. The solar flare sequences explode off the page with genuine force, all heat and destructive power. When Superman moves, you feel the weight and speed behind every action.

His character acting deserves mention. The subtle shift between Superman's determination and Clark Kent's vulnerability comes through in facial expressions and body language. Klaus Janson's inking adds texture and depth, particularly in shadowy sequences where Hordr operates from behind screens. Dean White's colors really pop.

Yang's writing handles big ideas better than fine details. The conceptual framework of information as power, of Superman vulnerable to exposure rather than Kryptonite, works brilliantly. Individual dialogue scenes can feel expository with characters explaining plot points.

The chemistry between Yang's concepts and Romita's visual energy doesn't always click perfectly. The best moments happen when both are locked in: Superman testing his solar flare with the Justice League, the first confrontation with Hordr_Root, the growing paranoia as Clark realizes how exposed he really is to surveillance.

Superman: Before Truth works better as foundation than standalone story. The Hordr plotline lacks proper resolution, ending on a cliffhanger that requires diving into the broader Truth event to pay off completely. Essential context for fans but incomplete on its own.

What this collection does well is establish a genuinely new threat for Superman. Not another alien invasion but the modern reality of digital surveillance and information warfare. Yang understands that in 2015, your secret identity living on corporate servers is legitimately terrifying. That thematic weight carries the book.

John Romita Jr.'s art will make or break your entire experience completely. If his angular, kinetic style clicks for you, there's real visual power here. If not, no amount of interesting plot will overcome the constant distraction from his bold and highly unconventional approach.

Read this if you're following the New 52 Superman chronology, curious about the Truth event, or interested in Superman stories that push beyond traditional boundaries. Skip it if you want classic Superman heroics or self-contained stories. Before Truth is a middle chapter of a larger arc and it functions best when you read it that way.

You can read Superman: Before Truth in physical format through the Superman Vol. 1: Before Truth hardcover and trade paperback edition from DC Comics and it is also available for readers digitally on Amazon Kindle, ComiXology and DC Universe Infinite platforms.