Justice League #23.4: Secret Society – Review

By: Geoff Johns & Sterling Gates (story), Szymon Kudranski (art), John Kalisz (colors)

The Story: Whether for good or evil, every man can use an excellent butler.

The Review: You know the most disappointing thing about the Secret Society?  The fact that it’s been an incredible misnomer, for despite its brief existence, it hasn’t been much of a secret (as A.R.G.U.S. knew about it when the Society was Signalman and a bunch of robots) nor much of a society.  Ultimately, the Society was rendered moot the moment the Crime Syndicate entered our lives, and we haven’t had much reason to care about the group or its mastermind ever since.

Still, since the Outsider was ostensibly the man responsible for the state of Forever Evil, it made sense for Johns-Gates to at least dot their i’s and cross their t’s on this still largely mysterious figure.  So in a way, naming this issue Secret Society is something of a misnomer, too, since the villainous group features in only the most indirect way for all of a page.  To make up for it, Johns-Gates reveal that the Outsider may have a more crucial, lasting role in this Event than expected, making the issue more worthy of a read.

Justice League of America #7.4: Black Adam – Review

By: Geoff Johns & Sterling Gates (story), Edgar Salazar (pencils), Jay Leisten (inks), Gabe Eltaeb (colors)

The Story: He’s a bit like Che Guevara, only with more lightning.

The Review: Kahndaq has always been a rather useful tool for DC writers to bring in Middle Eastern issues while conveniently avoiding the worst of the reaction that would happen if they actually tried to talk about the Middle East.  Whatever value Kahndaq may have as a political proxy, it’s blunted by its association with Black Adam.  It’s pretty hard to take a nation seriously as a realistic sovereign body when it’s led by a magic-infused bodybuilder with a cape.

In that sense, Kahndaq requires more exploration and development as a concept than its resident superhero.  Johns-Gates make some efforts in this regard by giving us an efficient, if extremely generalized summation of Kahndaq’s history: an age of despotic rule by your factory-fresh violent dictator, an age of peace(?) under Black Adam, the removal of Adam and then a slow slide into domestic misery and political instability under another violent dictator.  Acceptable, if not worth remarking upon.

Vibe #6 – Review

By: Sterling Gates (story), Pete Woods (pencils), Sean Parsons (inks), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: What are bros for if not to break each other out of interdimensional prison?

The Review: I don’t like to attribute a title’s problems to editorial interference or creative shake-ups; it sounds too much like an easy excuse for poor writing to me.  Occasionally, though, the evidence of defects coming from higher up than the writer or artist is too strong to ignore.  To be frank, though, I don’t see this as a complete justification for a weak story.  With serial fiction especially, writing is as much craft as art, and part of the craft is flexibility.

Gates definitely had obstacles going against him from the moment he started on Vibe.  First of all, it’s a major red flag that both the title’s original writers checked out within two—seriously, two?—issues.  Second of all, and meaning no disrespect to the Vibe fans out there (both of you), but it’s Vibe.  So Gates not only had to suddenly and unexpectedly step up to the plate with a half-formed story barely started, he had to work with a low-rent character no one cared much to see anyway and try to complete his transformation into a top-notch property.  Blergh.

Vibe #5 – Review

By: Sterling Gates (story), Pete Woods (pencils), Sean Parsons (inks), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Generally, it’s not a good idea to run away with a girl while you’re on the job.

The Review: You know, we frequently give publishers a lot of crap for putting out inferior titles, but I think we don’t appreciate how deceptive a good pitch can be.  Think of the one for Vibe: Geoff Johns writing the adventures of an underdog, city kid from Detroit who becomes an dimensional border cop.  Sounds pretty good to me!  Who could have predicted that five months later, it’d be Sterling Gates writing a hopelessly insecure kid on the run from his own employers?

While I did think it was a good idea to have Cisco’s fallout from A.R.G.U.S. happen sooner rather than later, now I’m thinking it could have stood to happen perhaps a little later.  Neither Johns nor Gates (nor Andrew Kreisberg, I suppose) ever fully mined the potential of Vibe’s association with A.R.G.U.S. before throwing it on the rocks, which seems a sadly missed opportunity to me.  What about Agent Gunn playing Murtaugh to Vibe’s non-suicidal Riggs?  Think how much fun that would have been!

Vibe #4 – Review

By: Sterling Gates (story), Manuel Garcia (pencils), Fabiano Neves (art), Sandra Hope Archer (inks), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: It’s not every day you meet a cute girl while chasing after extraterrestrial travelers.

The Review: From the moment Vibe agreed to work with A.R.G.U.S., we always knew shis collaboration would end in bitterness and disappointment at some point.  No relationship can function without trust, and A.R.G.U.S. has never been upfront with Cisco about much of anything.  But once the truth comes out, as it inevitably must, what can he, the least experienced and most naïve member of the Justice League of America, do about it?

The title has done Cisco a favor by speeding up that inevitable conflict.  Given how obvious both Gunn and Waller have been in their deceptions, our hero would look pretty dumb if it took a couple arcs for him to catch on—especially with his brother, Kid Flash, and now a mysterious dimensional breacher (named Breacher, confusingly enough) all telling him A.R.G.U.S. isn’t to be trusted.

Vibe #3 – Review

By: Sterling Gates (story), Fabian Neves (art), Pete Woods (pencils), Sean Parsons (inks), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Vibe discovers that Kid Flash can be a little touchy about being touched.

The Review: I have a soft spot for all the second bananas of the world; those are my peeps, right there.  When it comes to comics, much as I admire and respect the big names, the major architects of their respective universes, I also really like to root for the lesser-known but no less reliable writers.  Their individual styles might not stand out like their more famous peers, but they are solid craftsman who can deliver as needed.

I count Gates as one of these much overlooked writers.  I very much liked his work on the previous volume of Supergirl, and even when he’s been given some real dogs of titles to work on, you can see the talent underneath it all.  Putting him on Vibe is a great choice.  If you can’t have Geoff Johns putting his star power to work on the title, then you need someone who can bring a similar sensibility and level of attention to a fairly vulnerable character and story.

Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost #3 – Review

By: Sterling Gates (writer), Oliver Nome, Scott Kolins, Trevor Scott (artists), Brian Buccellato (colorist)

The Story: Run, Flash, run!  And bring back some fries while you’re at it.

The Review: Some people see it as a burden, but I rather like that DC has a bunch of legacy heroes, those who’ve taken up the name, mantle, and mission of those who came before.  But all of us have our favorite “version” of the character, and it can get a little awkward when the current writer’s favorite doesn’t match ours.  Like most comic readers from my generation, I’ve always been a Wally West fan, while Barry Allen remained a respected, but distant name to me.

Barry’s return and resumption to being the primary Flash didn’t bother me at first, but now I find his idolization pretty tiresome, especially when it relegates every other speedster in the DCU to sidemen.  So please forgive my cynicism when I confess that I was unmoved this issue, seeing every member of the Flash family quite literally give themselves up to help Barry Allen be the great rescuer of the universe for—what is this now?—the third time.

By itself, this plotline already bears a lot of problematic implications for the story and for the future of the Flash mythos in general, but it also reminds you that even in a title where he’s the star, Kid Flash remains a sidekick.  Having gone through life-and-death to regain his powers and prevent the hellish future he landed in from becoming reality, Bart ends up a pawn for the Speed Force, a glorified courier whose sole purpose is to pass the torch of attention to his grandfather.

Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost #2 – Review

By: Sterling Gates (writer), Oliver Nome (penciller), Trevor Scott (inker), Brian Buccellato (colorist)

The Story: Oh, Bart, you can’t hide anything.  I can see right through you.

The Review: In watching a few episodes of Dexter I noticed that even though the titular lead is one of the most compelling figures in television, very little about the overarching storyline or supporting cast bears enough interest for me to keep watching.  It sort of proves that even if you have a fantastically developed character, if the rest of the material underwhelms, then the piece as a whole can never reach beyond serviceable.

That’s sort of the case with this series, as Gates writes a pretty excellent Kid Flash.  Bart started his existence as a hardcore gamer and television addict, and his portrayal as a geek culture otaku really works as a modern spin on that.  If you count yourself among that particular demographic, you’ll be delighted with his frequent references to definitively nerdy media, like the relatively obscure, “Put me down, Dr. Ball!” (see Robot Chicken cartoon, “Dr. Ball, M.D.”).

On the other hand, Bart is also a much more thoughtful, serious young man than the hyperactive boy he once was as Impulse, so a few gags and lines in this issue come off a little over-the-top.  Bart seizing the Cosmic Motorcycle may be fun as an idea, but in the context of the story and the current incarnation of his character, it seems wildly stupid and kind of pointless, as it steals one of Patty Spivot’s few opportunities to do something useful.

As the only supporting character to this tie-in, Patty really deserves more to do than act the cipher to Bart, but she functions merely as a means for Bart to escape from his predicament.  Why else would she take up Hot Pursuit’s costume and equipment?  Even Gates has a hard time rationalizing her previously adamant decision to involve herself in meta-crime again with her inexplicable, left-field declaration that “I’d found the tools that would let me pursue justice.”

Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost #1 – Review

By: Sterling Gates (writer), Oliver Nome (penciller), Trevor Scott (inker), Brian Buccellato (colorist)

The Story: You ever get the feeling you just don’t belong to this world…and era…and reality?

The Review: Dealing with an altered reality and all the taken-for-granted conventions it entails (subtle or not) can get pretty mind-boggling to begin with.  And by now we all know anything to do with time-traveling comes packaged with paradoxes and quantum leaps and all sorts of other nonsense guaranteed to give you a considerable headache.  Now, mix the two together and you’ve got a whopper of a migraine just waiting to happen.

And so it is with Kid Flash, a character out of time to begin with, and now skipping along the time stream in a strange universe.  But you can shelve your aspirin for now; Gates sticks the issue to mostly one setting: the Flashpoint world of 3011, conquest of Brainiac.  His eternal quest for knowledge apparently involved watching The Matrix, as everywhere is covered with techno-organic structures bearing humans trapped in glassy cocoons (head attachments included).

Bart actually makes a veiled reference to the film when he finds himself trapped, Speed Force-less, in this dystopia, which thankfully saves the plot from looking like one giant cliché (not to mention unashamed plagiarism).  In fact, his casual use of pop culture for problem-solving is a kind of relic of his Impulse days, and tempered with the good sense and focus he’s gained as Kid Flash, Gates offers the most balanced portrayal of Bart we’ve gotten in a while (especially compared to emo Bart in the last few issues of Geoff Johns’ The Flash).

Plot-wise, we still have a lot of questions left up in the air: how Bart got dragged into the time stream in the first place, how Brainiac managed to “fish” him out, and what role he’ll have in the grand scheme of Flashpoint.  Gates gives some hints as to how all these issues will tie together when Brainiac claims he’ll “find a way to pull the chronal energy from your cells…”  It wouldn’t be surprising if this winds up playing an integral part of solving the whole Flashpoint mess, continuing DC’s tradition of giving young heroes central roles in these “crisis” stories.

Dean’s Drive-by Reviews

My pull list is way, way too long and every week there are a few titles that don’t get the full review treatment by me or my colleagues here at WCBR, but they still deserve a mention of some sort…

Thunderbolts #150 – Sheesh! Is Jeff Parker on a can’t miss string right now, or what?  This is my pick of the week in a pretty strong week of Bat-books.  I love the bastardized team-up between Avengers and Tbolts that leads to a duel of sorts in some alternate universe with talking frogs.  And….we get to see Captain Steve smash the All New Crossbones (with heat vision)!  How great is that?!?  Kev Walker’s art is just perfect for this title too.  My only criticism is that Marvel could spare me the Wikipedia entry on the history of the Tbolts and I always hate getting these old reprints in the back of my issues.  I never even bother to read them and hate paying the extra buck.  Grade: A-

Superior #2 – Mark Millar can do feel-good story telling!  This comic is really Big with superpowers.  This issue was just a blast as we watched this kid learn how to use his new powers.  Ever wonder precisely HOW Superman goes about flying or shooting lasers from his eyes?  Well, this at least shows you what it’s like the first time you try those tricks.  Can’t wait to see what happens when the space monkey comes back!  It goes without saying that Yu’s art was very good and I love the championship belt in his costume.  Grade: B+

Superman: War of the Supermen #3 – Review

By: James Robinson and Sterling Gates (writers), Cafu (penciller), Wil Moss (assistant editor), Matt Idelson (editor)

The Story: The Battle for Earth: First, the Kryptonians are screwed. Then, the sun (turned red last week) is turned back to its normal yellow. Only 7,000 Kryptonians have survived the brief color change and the destruction of New Krypton. Now the humans are screwed. Actually, I mean really screwed. Prime Minister of Britain dead (don’t know if they’re talking about Brown or the new one). Prime Minister of Japan torn to pieces. Thousands of people dead.

What’s Good: Wow, is this issue ever fast-paced and action-packed! The story swept me along and didn’t let me go until the final splash page. It jumps from disaster to near-miss to cliffhanger, leaving corpses everywhere. On Earth, in space, in the sun….bodies everywhere. Remember last issue I said that the Human Defense Corps would never have stood a chance against Kryptonians moving at full speed? Well, here we see what happens when Kryptonians really get pissed and use all their powers. It is awesome to behold. It reminds me a lot of when Darkseid took over the mind of every Daxamite in an old Legion arc called the Great Darkness. A hundred thousand Daxamites? Seven thousand Kryptonians? It doesn’t matter. Anything more than about five and you haven’t got a prayer, not even those clever Australians with their kryptonite robots. Robinson, Gates and Cafu have shown the supermen in all their overwhelming power.

Superman: War of the Supermen #2 – Review

By: Sterling Gates & James Robinson (writers), Eduardo Pansica (artist), Wayne Faucher (inker)

The Story: General Lane has turned New Krypton into a pile of rubble, killing almost all the Kryptonians on it. Zod’s navy is on its way to Earth for retribution. Kal-El is the only person standing in their way.

What’s Good: The drama and tension in the book is pretty obvious. The reader is asking himself if Lois will get the story to the Daily Planet before General Lane silences her and if Superman can stop the invading force of Kryptonians. These are two powerful story drivers that make me want to read all the issues of this series already. The dialogue is crisp and pretty solid and although I wasn’t sold on Pansica and Faucher in the beginning, they closed the deal with the first splash panel and the second panel of page 3. There’s a lot of emotion throughout the book and the faces and action sequences are dynamic.

What’s Not So Good: The writing really gave me pause in a couple of places. The biggest plot hole for me was that an American General, wearing an American uniform and deploying (for the most part) American assets, committed attempted genocide that is going to result in the destruction of the Earth. Where is the President in all this? Senate Armed Forces Committee? Secretary of State? How is it that this guy has so much money and staff and yet has nobody watching him? (I have the same problem with the basic premise of Dark Reign.) Another plot problem for me was the senseless fight between Superman and Supergirl. Maybe Kara is grieving and feeling guilty, but is anyone’s first grieving action to slug their cousin? And draw it out and draw it out? And then have her mind changed by a few words? The fight smelled like filler.

Superman: War of the Supermen #1 – Review

By: Sterling Gates & James Robinson (writers), Jamal Igle (penciller), Jon Sibal (inker)

The Story: Superman is getting the tar beat out of him by Zod’s henchmen while an army of super-powered Kryptonians closes on Earth. Superman is going to try to talk Zod out of the attack. Problem is, the Kryptonians are right – Earth has been screwing with them.

What’s Good: I was expecting Eddy Barrows on art, so Igle surprised and disappointed me on the first page. But then, I kept reading. And his art grew on me, but fast. By pages six and seven, I was digging the opaque light suffusing the tense confrontation between Kara and her mom. By page eleven, the burning yellow color work was wowing me. By page fifteen, the disintegrating Kryptonian in panel two had sold me on Igle. Then came the double splash page. Boom! Wow. His work on texture and expressions (especially Jimmy’s) really had my appreciation, and then the tears in space sealed the deal. Excellent choice on art.

Gates and Robinson, on the plotting and dialogue, told a tight, tense, speeding story filled with war crimes, authentic moral struggles, secret plots, double-crosses, carefully laid traps and a whole lot of grief and sadness. And megalomaniacs. Did I mention megalomaniacs? Let me lay it out mathematically for you. [Zod] = [Awesome]. He’s creeping up my list of top DC villains. And you know what makes him good? He’s got a real beef. He’s justified. Hate him or love him, it doesn’t matter. He’s a man who’s going to protect his people, no matter what the cost. That’s the same kind of greatness that elevated Magneto back in the 80s.

Adventure Comics #5 – Review

Superboy Prime Story by Geoff Johns and Sterling Gates (writers), Jerry Ordway (artist), Bob Wiacek and Jerry Ordway (inkers)
Superboy Backup Story by Geoff Johns (writer) Francis Manapul (artist), Brian Buccellato (colorist)

The Story: Superboy Prime fights a bunch of zombies through the offices of the DC editors and creators. Alex Luthor teleports the whole donnybrook back to Superboy Prime’s basement where the climax occurs in blackest night fashion. The backup features our black-shirted Superboy who gets himself in trouble when he goes after a most charming vandal.

What’s Good: Ordway on art, especially with Wiacek, is a great treat, and he caught the flavor of blackest night with moody effects, black-costumed zombies, and the colored emotions. You can also tell that they had a good time drawing about twenty of the DC staffers in various states of shock. On Manapul’s side, the art is evocative and powerful. And he draws a mean Krypto, expressions and all. Manapul manages the expressive faces, those startled reactions and the arriving menace.

On plotting and story, blackest night looked at one of the least sympathetic characters in the DCU and put him through his own grinder, making him find a solution to the blackest night problem unlike any other’s so far. On character, both Clark (Prime) and Conner’s stories are about their feelings and how they fit into the world. Both stories are effective as character pieces.

What’s Not So Good: The tactical choices in these two stories were fine, but where the book fell down for me was on the strategic choices: using Superboy Prime and the whole metafictional angle. Superboy Prime really is the Jar Jar Binx of the DCU. He’s unsympathetic and whiny and it’s difficult to watch him do anything because I didn’t care about him at all. You have to be able to root for someone in the story, or at least sympathize with someone actively trying to accomplish something. Superboy Prime is craven, and in my opinion, even at the climax, unheroic, and is no fun to read.

Adventure Comics #4 – Review

by Geoff Johns, Sterling Gates & Michael Shoemaker (writers), Jerry Ordway & Clayton Henry (artists)

The Story: Superboy-Prime gets his hands on his own copy of this very comic book and, upon discovering how it all ends, desperately tries to find spoilers about the next issue.  Things become difficult, and creepy, when Alexander Luthor returns from the grave in order to break Prime’s heart, figuratively and literally.  Meanwhile, in the 31st century, the Legionnaire Blok visits former flame, the White (or is it Black) Witch.

What’s Good: Ahhhh.  Now THAT was a breath of fresh air.

Johns and Gates deliver an issue that surpasses everything expected when this was originally solicited.  Blackest Night tie-in?  Okay, that’ll mean someone dead shows up and tries to eat someone’s heart or something.  Superboy-Prime appearance?  Ugh, so soon?  I could’ve used a bit more of a break between this and Legion of 3 Worlds, but okay.  He’s whiny and annoying, but I’ll deal.  These were my preconceived notions, and yes, all of those things do happen, but damn this comic book is so much more than that!

As soon as I flipped past the cover and saw, on Page One, Superboy-Prime looking back at me, holding a copy of the same comic that I was holding in my hands, grumbling, “Oh, great!” I knew I was in for a fun, fourth wall-breaking good time.  “Why couldn’t they leave me out of this?  People already hate me enough as it is.” Prime literally echoes the same opinions that I had at his presence in this story, and I found myself laughing.  At the chutzpah the writers showed in poking fun at the readers in such a brazen manner.  At the promise that this very likely would break out of the box that the other Blackest Night tie-ins, no matter how good they are, find themselves in.  And most of all, I laughed because Johns and Gates were right.  They knew what I’d decided about this issue before I’d even picked it up, and they weren’t letting me off the hook for my judgments.  Boy, am I glad they didn’t.

Odds are, if you possess even a tiny ability to laugh at yourself as a comic geek, you’ll find something in this issue to chuckle about. And, really, if you’ve made it through at least one complete thread on a comic book message board, you’d hardly blame them!  As Alexander Luthor (of Earth-3, of course) takes a look at a computer and notes “This box.  It’s a conduit for the rage of the people of this Earth,” I found myself replying, “No shit.”  The writers obviously use the script to let off some steam when it comes to the fan community, but it never comes off petty or mean.

It’s not all barbs and jabs, though.  The metatextual conceit of the plot allows for a somewhat unconventional tale that delivers a welcome break in the Blackest Night tie-in formula.  While there is still the obligatory info dump followed by the resurrected villain attacking the “hero” of the piece, the fact that Prime is aware of the nature of his existence makes it all feel brand new.  Meanwhile, Jerry Ordway brings his usual amazing artwork to bear.  Forgive my brevity as to the pencils, but I really have no more to say than that it’s perfect.  Ordway knows what makes Superboy-Prime work visually and he proves that once again.

What’s Not So Good: Well, unfortunately, the Legion of Super-Heroes second feature gets the short end of the stick here.  Despite solid artwork from Clayton Henry, Johns and Shoemaker submit a, while perfectly serviceable, fairly regular tale.  It’s a nice little story about love and what one would sacrifice for the sake of that love, but when you place this ordinary story beside the unique and surprising lead feature, it falls somewhat flat.  DC would have been better off going the same route as they did with their other tie-ins and simply stretching the main story to thirty pages.

Conclusion: A pleasantly surprising piece of metafiction delivered ably by Johns and Gates made this, hands down, the best comic of the week.  While the amazing lead feature has the regrettable side effect of eclipsing the Legion back-up, it’s so good that I just didn’t care.  Highly recommended.

Grade: A

– Joe Lopez

 

Faces of Evil: Prometheus One Shot – Review

By Sterling Gates (writer), Federico Dallocchio (art and color)

The Story: Prometheus fans rejoice!  Following Martian Manhunter’s death at the hands of Libra, the mental blocks trapping Prometheus within his mind are shattered, and he awakens to find himself imprisoned in Blackgate Penitentiary.  If Prometheus has been catatonic for the last two years though, then who’s been running around committing petty crimes in his name?  Prometheus wants answers, and he doesn’t care who he has to kill to get them.

The Good: This is a perfect example of a great “Faces of Evil” issue.  This is a story about the villain, told from the villain’s point of view, and it isn’t afraid to pull any punches.  I was an immediate fan of this character ever since Grant Morrison introduced him in JLA, and I am so happy to see DC bring him back into the spotlight.  Gates does an outstanding job recapping the history and motivation of Prometheus while at the same time advancing the plot; and if DC were to ever consider an ongoing Prometheus series, I hope they tap him to do the job.

The Not So Good: While I admire him for handling the art and colors on this issue, I wasn’t quite impressed with Dallocchio’s art here.  It’s not crap by any means, mind you.  I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I was looking at the art of a poor man’s Jae Lee.

Conclusion: With Final Crisis coming to its cataclysmic conclusion and “Faces of Evil” in full swing, this was absolutely the right time for Prometheus to make his return to the DCU, and I for one couldn’t be happier.  Welcome back, you sick bastard.

Grade: B+

-Tony Rakittke

Supergirl #35 – Capsule Review

By Sterling Gates (story), Jamal Igle (pencils), Keith Champagne (inks), Nei Ruffino (colors)

This book is somewhat of a mixed bag for me. I’m digging its new direction and how Sterling Gates is making it all fit more closely into Superman continuity, but the art seems aloof at times. More specifically, the facial expressions seem bloated and almost too exaggerated… and it’s grating. I mean, that cross-eyed Supergirl splash page just doesn’t look right. Other than that, I like the layout choices and the broad ink strokes used by inker Keith Champagne.

If you’ve been wanting an excuse to jump into Supergirl, this is the perfect issue. We get an updated “Secret Origin” (ala Green Lantern, but much, much shorter), plus a reveal involving her exposure to Kryptonite. It’s a great package that’s neatly tied into the current Superman mythos and reimaging by Geoff Johns.

Grade: B

– J. Montes

Superman: New Krypton Special #1 – Review

By Geoff Johns, James Robinson, and Sterling Gates (writers), Pete Woods, Gary Frank, and Renato Guedes (pencils), Jon Sibal and Wilson Magalhues (inks), Hi-Fi (colors)

The Story: Clark and his family deal with the emotional ramifications left by the Brainiac storyline. We’re taken to the funeral of Jonathan Kent and the grieving process Superman must go through. While this goes on, other events are taking place. Kandor is alive and bustling. Its residence are gaining the same powers as Superman, and the US Government is very uncomfortable with the possibility of Kryptonians flying all over the planet.

Superman’s allegiance is placed on the table. With Pa Kent gone, will he revert back to his Kryptonian heritage or will he stay true to his human upbringing?

What’s Good? This is probably the biggest and most profound Superman event to hit the DC Universe since his death. After years and years of boring or retreaded storylines, a huge paradigm shift has been made in the way Superman will be perceived and judged – not just by humans, but by his fellow Kryptonians as well. Jimmy Olson finally making a career move is a big deal and the recruitment of Lex Luthor by the US military punctuates the beginning of a huge storyline.

What The Hell? The Kryptonians get their powers and what’s the first thing they do? Kill a Blue Whale!

Conclusion: This is the best comic book released this week. This issue also marks the return of the “Triangle System” making the story easy to follow across all the Superman titles. The bad part is I’m going to have to buy all these titles just to be kept in the loop! But it’s all worth it for a more superior story, not to mention, tight continuity. It’s a great time to be a Superman fan and the perfect time for new readers to jump aboard.

Grade: A+

– J. Montes