DC Comics continues their exploration of stories behind their shows in “Earth Prime.” The first issue of this limited series filled in some holes in the most recent season of Batwoman. Issue two turns from Gotham to Smallville as we check in on Superman and Lois. The main story, The Anniversary, focuses on the difficulties their respective lives as world’s greatest superhero and world’s greatest investigative reporter cause their relationship. What is really nice, and very much in tune with the show, is that despite some unfortunate things happening that could cause lots of relationship drama, both characters are mature and responsible adults who are aware of how complicated their lives are. It also, at least notionally, brings several more villains into the Arrowverse from the comics that we haven’t seen yet, and even gives us a brief glimpse of a character from another show.

Another nice touch is getting to see them in the heyday of their careers in Metropolis. With the way the show is set up, this something we’ve largely just heard bits about, instead of seeing any of it. Lois is dedicated and driven, and Clark is an amazingly nice guy. They clearly love each other, and are putting in an effort to make things work. We end up seeing a special ritual they do every year and, while there’s been no hint of it on the show, there’s been nothing to say it can’t happen there, too. In a great character piece that I really enjoyed.

There are several backup features, and I liked most of them. Father’s Day is mostly about young Clark and the influences on his life. We learn how he first got interested in being a reporter, see some great scenes between Clark and Jonathan, and, a personal favorite for me, there seems to be a swipe at one of the scenes I (and many others) hated most in the fan-divisive movie Man of Steel. Controlled Burn is a much darker story and it took me a few minutes to figure out what they were doing. Once that clicked, it was some interesting background on something we hadn’t seen before. And the final few pages are brainstorming from Natalie Steel about how to make and improve her father’s armor.

What I liked: I’m really enjoying the concept behind this series, and I’ve liked both issues so far. I’m hoping the initial run gets expanded or a sequel is added. I’d really like to see more stories set in the Arrowverse. This one, like the first issue, captured the feel of the series, gave us a look at things we hadn’t seen, and put in a few new things I really enjoyed. I especially liked the backup story Father’s Day. And yes, I enjoyed what felt like a slap at some of the darkness in Man of Steel, which I admit I didn’t care for at all.

What I didn’t: I really enjoy Jonathan and Jordan on the show, and they got cameos at best. The rest of the supporting cast also didn’t get to show up, which I understand, but didn’t like.

This was a good second issue and, as far as I’m concerned, proof they didn’t just get lucky with the Batwoman issue. I’m looking forward to seeing what they do with the remaining issues. I’ll give this a 4 out of 5.