Review: Smallville Season Eleven Special Effigy

Smallville Season Eleven Special:Effigy came out last week, a Batman/Martian Manhunter sort of Brave and Bold sort of adventure. Despite the basic lack of Super-family, I enjoyed this book because it brought all the things that I love about Smallville to other DC characters. 

I have enjoyed the series Smallville Season Eleven immensely, amazed at how writer Bryan Q. Miller has been able to bring an old-school Superman feel to the character while keeping modern sensibilities of current comic stories. So I get a heroic Superman inspiring heroes, married to Lois. And I also get snappy dialogue, an undercurrent of humor, and multiple storylines all happening at the same time. If I have one compliment for this book is that it actually makes me want to go back and watch the show! Something I never thought I would want to do.

Another thing that I have enjoyed with Smallville has been the universe building that Miller has continued to bring to this universe. And boy, does Miller add an interesting new character to the Smallville universe in this story.



This story allows Miller to explore the concept of family and mentorship in the Smallville universe, with (of all people) Batman being used as a sort of sounding board for what it means to have family in a super-hero world.

Lastly, there is a lot of Steph Brown Babs Gordon Nightwing in this book. And any time I get to read Miller writing one of his signature characters, I am happy. There is great stuff here and it will lead me to a particular plea at the end of the review.

Axel Gimenez does the art here and brings a great energy to the story.

The book starts with a peek into John Jones personal life. Living in an apartment building, befriending a single mother and her young son, J'Onn seems to be settling in nicely to a life on Earth. And you almost get the sense that he feels somewhat fatherly to this boy.

While retreating to his apartment, J'Onn looks longingly at a Martian artifact, a sort of cave drawing depicting a family, parents holding a child's hand. He is then attacked psionically, clearly by a white Martian (given the telepathic word balloon), and drops the tile, symbolically breaking the family in two.

I do like the family theme working through this story. But the sort of cave drawing feel to this artifact felt wrong coming from the Martian culture.

Before we get too much more into J'Onn's story, we move to Gotham where Batman and Nightwing are stopping the Mutant gang from an arms deal. It is clearly a riff on the Mutant gang from Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns.

What works here is the banter between the moody Bruce and the more effervescent Steph Babs. We saw a lot of this in the earlier Smallville Detective arc. Nightwing gets the best lines here, punning and funning her way through her fight. There is joy here, a little light in the darker Batman universe, just as we saw in the Batgirl title Miller wrote.

Beating up Mutants is one thing. But around the corner is a White Martian who savagely slashes Steph Babs across the abdomen.

With Nightwing recovering in a Lazarus Pit tube, Bruce is confronted by J'Onn in the Batcave!

J'Onn is there to try to team up but you know nothing goes that easy with Bruce. Seriously, J'Onn appears, reveals that the creature was a Martian, and wants to join the fight. Bruce, being Bruce, tells him to leave and then has Alfred shoot a flame thrower at the Manhunter. I guess Bruce is Bruce no matter what universe you are in!

Still, Batman knows when help is needed and so brings J'Onn alone to investigate the crime scene.

It turns out that the White Martian has struck all over the country making J'Onn think that it is trying to ferret him out.

As I said above, one thing that I like about this story is the feeling of family and the importance of family running through it. J'Onn seems shocked that Commissioner Gordon is unaware that Barbara is Nightwing. I like how J'Onn thinks Bruce should come clean given Babs injury.

Unfortunately, the White Martian has finally found where J'Onn is hiding out. She arrives at J'Onn's apartment house and attacks the mother and son he has befriended.

In what seems to be a recurring riff on Will Smith's famous line from Independence Day, J'Onn welcomes the white Martian to Earth.

The white Martian is driven off.

Afterwards, J'Onn reveals to Bruce some Martian history about the war between the whites and the greens, how he was part of that war and slaughtered whites, how he lost his family and then everything, and how he has reinvented and redeemed himself on Earth.

Again though, even if unsaid, we see J'Onn perseverating over that family cave drawing, furthering that need for family seeping into the story.

This was also one of my favorite scenes in book. While researching the White, Bruce learns that Steph Barbara has recovered. J'Onn tries to figure out that exact nature of the Batman/Nightwing relationships. I really love that Bruce calls Steph Barbara his anchor. He needs someone to keep him in the 'real world' so he doesn't really go off the deep end.

That also adds some comment on J'Onn's life. J'Onn is alone, completely. Maybe he needs someone too.

Finally, a pattern emerges in the White Martian attacks. It leads Batman and the Martian Manhunter to an abandoned missile facility in Colorado.

J'Onn battles the martian where it is revealed that her attacks were only on criminals. She seems young and impetuous and very angry and sad.

Meanwhile, Batman discovers that this martian had been living a life as King Faraday's (!!) daughter. She was rocketed to Earth by her loving parents to save her from the ravages of war ... a sort of sideways version of Superman's origin. She was found by Faraday and raised in the likeness of his dead daughter.

I suppose it could be creepy ... raising a shapeshifting alien as your dead daughter.

When Farady died, the white Martian became angry and alone and began to lash out.

And the white Martian is ... M'Gann Morzz. Hello M'Gann!!!

And so both M'Gann and J'Onn find someone to care for and share their lives with. Despite the planet's history, these two recognize the value of family and so take each other in. You can definitely apply the earlier conversation about Bruce/Babs to these two - too old to be a daughter, too young to be a lover, instead an anchor.

And then we get a nice 'quiet' moment between Bruce and a recovering Steph Barbara. We see a crack in Batman's armor as he actually cracks a joke while training, only to self-mock immediately afterwards.

Overall I thought this was a great issue, introducing Miss Martian to the Smallville universe and showcasing how these heroes need someone in their lives to keep them semi-sane. And, much like the main title, it really deepens and broadens this universe. And it continued to have the nice blend of humor and action.

But if there is anything that this Special #1 did is made me hope ... BEYOND HOPE ... that a Smallville Special #2 is already in the works ... one starring Supergirl, Nightwing, and Miss Martian!!!

Let's face it, we have read Miller's Kara/Steph crossover stories and how fantastic those stories were. Why not bring that magic here!

I don't know if Bryan Miller comes here or reads this ... but if you do Mr. Miller, please write that story!!

Overall grade: B+

Review: Smallville #8

It has been a week and a half since Smallville #8 came out. I am woefully behind in my reviews and I apologize.

This issue closed out the Superman/Batman main plot while moving forward on all the subplots that writer Bryan Q. Miller is weaving into the story. There are a couple of stories being juggled in this book but Miller makes sure that we check in enough to keep them simmering. Perhaps most impressively, he actually has me interested in the Ollie/Chloe relationship. My 'spider sense' is tingling about that plot; I am sensing a sad outcome.

And Miller continues to infuse just enough humor into these stories, even some with tragic overtones like this, to keep the reading popping. Add to that the inclusion of Steph Brown Barbara Gordon as a quirky strong Nightwing and this issue continues the trend of Smallville being one of my favorite titles each month.

Art this month was split between Axel Gimenez and Kevin West. Neither is as polished as Jamal Igle or Chris Cross. But there is a sort of raw energy in their work which suits the issue.

I have said before that the subplot I have been most interested in has been the possession of Lex by Tess. Tess has slowly started to gain control of Lex's body. It has been amusing to read their interactions. This issue I loved that Lex said he was inconvenienced by Tess' presence. She retorts that of course she is more inconvenienced since she is ... in fact ... dead.

I also liked that Lex didn't want Tess to take any more liberties with his body while his consciousness was sleeping. He will be strapped to a bed and locked into a room so Tess can't roam any more. Lex doesn't want to wake up to being in the amorous grasp of any of Tess' prior lovers.

As for Superman, he is healed after some minor surgery by Bruce. The two are recuperating with Lois and Babs on a well-equipped freighter, untraceable back to Batman.

It is the similarities and differences with these characters that make their interactions so wonderful. Clark remains at heart a simple country boy so hearing Bruce complain about his butler must be crazy. First world problems indeed. And Bruce being so irascible in the presence of Clark's sunny disposition is also funny in its own way.

The two realize they need to go after the Prankster and Mr. Freeze. With the powers those 2 posses, some wardrobe upgrades are needed.

As I have said before, I am just not an Ollie guy. But was intrigued by his part to play in this story, especially last issue when he was arrested for helping Batman escape the police.

Chloe on the other hand has become much more interesting over time in my book. She really is strong and independent and the brains behind the super-hero team here. Here, she shows enough knowledge of the law to play the part of Ollie's 'attorney', presenting a good enough case to get him sprung.

Of course, it makes me wonder what she sees in such a brick like Ollie.

The Prankster meanwhile shows that he is pulling a lot more strings than he initially showed. He takes control of Mr. Freeze's power suit, sending Fries out into Metropolis to indiscriminately kill and destroy.

Having traced Superman and Batman to the freighter, he sends an army of thugs to the boat.

And, for good measure, he uses a Captain Carrot Action Figure to get control of a military drone bomber and sends that to the ship as well.

A Captain Carrot figure! I'd buy it.

Unfortunately, Superman and Batman are in their fancy suits and not on the boat. Superman is in a lead-based suit, enough to block out the Kryptonite the Prankster has at his disposal. Batman is in a heated sun suit to fight Freeze.

The Prankster has his own power-suit, a sort of Giant Robo/Metallo mix.

I love Superman's deadpan 'another robot'.

Whatever she is called, this Nightwing reads like Steph Brown to the point that she is Steph in my mind.

With that gang of bruisers storming the boat, Lois and Nightwing prepare for battle.

Steph Babs says she is ready for an ass-kicking, a sort of reverse tough statement. When Lois calls her on it, she recognizes what she said and moves on. That is laugh out loud funny. And that, by far, was my favorite moment of the issue.

And then  Lois and Nightwing bring the fight to these guys, taking them down.

There are other fun moments like Ollie knocking the controlled Mr. Freeze off his feet with a boxing glove arrow. Even better is Ollie basically saying he had to do something comedic - either a boxing glove arrow or a bad pun.

But the Prankster is really looking to make a splash. He has overloaded Freeze's suit. It is basically a cold bomb which will wipe out a chunk of Metropolis.

While Superman defeats the Prankster's K-Suit with some ingenuity, Batman unplugs Freeze.

But the big thing here was that both hero, when faced with something disastrous (Kryptonite or cold suits)  says 'Not if I take them out of the equation'. It just was a nice way of showing that these guys might not be as different as they seem. Both know what needs to be done.

The freighter in the mean time has been perforated by drone missiles and is sinking.

As Nightwing and Lois scramble to make it to the surface the whole boat lurches. Superman has hoisted the ship on his shoulders, saving the day.

These two panels are great as the particulars all respond.

Nightwing is shocked.
Batman is incredulous.
Ollie is calmer but still amazed.

And Lois pronounces her love! Man, I miss the Clark/Lois relationship. It is so good to see it alive and well here.

Later, Bruce places roses in Crime Alley. Superman shows up.

This was a very well written scene and I wish I could include it all.

For one, there is this part where Superman reminds Bruce that he tried to save Chill from the Prankster. Bruce would not have killed Chill if he had been given the chance.

But there are also panels where Clark says that Bruce not only mourns his parents but the death of his own innocence as well.

Again, you have a mix of humor and seriousness sprinkled nicely throughout the book.

And then some joy with Chloe announcing she's pregnant.

Now that is interesting!

But I do worry here. We have already seen on Chloe die in this comic, albeit the Earth 2 Chloe. But could that be foreshadowing?

I doubt Miller would resort to a 'refrigerator' role for Chloe. But I do think this adds a layer of peril to her character. I will be watching closely.

And so 'Detective' comes to a close. But not without a cliffhanger.

Lex suddenly realizes that Tess probably has valuable information about Superman, information that is literally in his head. And it is time for him to have access to it.

Maybe having Tess downloaded into a robot shell would have been favorable.

So I think the small moments in this book, the dialogue and characterization is all solidly entertaining. Do I quite understand why The Prankster was doing what he was doing, why he brought Freeze along, why all these things intersected? Not really. But I think I can roll with it given everything else that comes here.

I also think, unlike a lot of DC books right now, there is a sense of fun and joy in this book. It isn't slapstick ... but it does feel like real life. There are ups and down, sad moments and happy ones. How great was it to hear Lois say she was going to kiss Clark's 'stupid face'? Completely endearing.

Smallville continues to be the most well-rounded of the super-books. It has a nice pre-New 52 feel to it without the ennui of the television show. I wasn't even sure I was going to get this book. I am glad I did!

Overall grade: B+

Review: Action Comics #904

And so ends this volume of Action Comics.

Action Comics #904 came out a couple of days ago, ending the 73 year run of this incarnation of Action.  Written by Paul Cornell with art by Axel Gimenez, the issue ends the Reign of Doomsdays story arc. As with much of the Doomsday story, that portion of the issue ends with crazy plot discoveries, with things happening fast and with loose explanations. I shrugged my shoulders at that stuff. This arc has been a silly loud smash-em-up which was sometimes incoherent. I think it was meant to be high action like a loud summer movie release.

But there was much to like in this issue. Much much much to like. Because, knowing that this is the closing chapter in this version in Superman, Paul Cornell uses the issue to show us his thoughts on the Man of Steel. It is a reminder of all the things Superman is right now, all the things he should be, and maybe a reminder to the upcoming creators of the DCnU to not lose sight of what makes Superman special. And for those final pages, I want to openly thank Cornell. He said on page a lot of the things I have been thinking.

I would even like to think that he does the same with Supergirl. Kara had some big moments in this Action issues of Doomsday, showing what a hero she is. Maybe this was Cornell letting the upcoming Supergirl team know that they don't need to scrap all of her core identity.

And those pages elevate this comic into rare air of excellence.

Axel Gimenez art is very stylish and works well with this story. It is a little cartoonish at times and a little manga-like at times. In a story with such over the top action, that works well. I would definitely look to get a commission from him if I saw him at a convention.

Last issue, Superman was apparently incinerated in Doomslayer's ship. It turns out that he was no disintegrated, but instead transformed into 'information' and taken into the ship's database.

In a quick explanation (finally) of what has been happening in this arc, the ship turns out to be sentient and gives Superman some much needed exposition. The ship was an intelligent probe sent from another universe to explore ours. When here, it was first corrupted by Luthor for his purposes. And yes, Doomslayer is the evolved form of the Doomsday that Kara through down the cosmic rabbit hole a couple of months ago. He also took over the ship for his own evil purposes.

Luckily, the ship's sentience was able to grab Superman this way and teach him how to fix the ship and set it to teleport back to it's home destination. In fact, it will teleport away in a timely fashion so Earth won't implode.

Easy and quick answers to a tough plot.

Now if you are a Supergirl fan, you have to love this scene. Leading the charge against the Cyborg-Doomsday and shows some serious determination.

But her words resonated more with me than her right cross! "You don't get past me and you don't get to hurt my home!" This is the Supergirl I want to read, stepping into the role of Superman when needed, honoring the S-shield, and defending Earth as a hero should. Earth is her home!

Contrast that to the upcoming Supergirl, angry with no affection for humans.

Which Supergirl sounds right?

On the Doomslayer ship, Superman is able to fix the ship and set the warp field on a three minute timer. And Doomslayer, full of self-loathing, full of the rage of a Doomsday, does his best to get past Superman to stop that teleportation.

Is this panel another nod by Cornell to the 'old' DCU? Superman talks about being taught the 'rope a dope' style of fighting by an old friend. Of course, Muhammad Ali was the boxer whose specialty was the old rope-a-dope. And, in the pre-Crisis DCU Superman actually boxed Ali once. Is this referencing that story? I hope so!

The actually Doomsday, barely under the control of the Eradicator consciousness, is sent to the ship to help Superman while Supergirl and Superboy fire the defeated other Doomsday clones into the impending event horizon of the Doomslayer ship teleportation wake.

There is a nice little discussion by Superman here, that sometimes life is complicated and doing the right thing is tough. It is far easier and far more destructive to simply think of the world as a nail and hammer away at it.

Doomslayer is no different that Doomsday, always falling back on violence and death as a solution rather than a problem.

Realizing that the ship is about to leave this universe, and knowing that Doomsday is about to reclaim his body, the Eradicator tells Superman it was an honor to be his friend and throws Superman off the ship. The Eradicator sacrifices himself knowing the world needs Superman. And with that, the Doomslayer probe ship returns to its home dimension.

All that's left is the wrap-up. But most of it really is a credo on Superman as a character.

First off, Superman seems almost angry that the Eradicator sacrificed himself, angry because he thought he should have been the one to do that. Supergirl states the obvious - 'your example let him be a hero to the end.' And look at the look on her face. You just know that she would do the same thing.

That is part of Superman. He should be an inspiration to all super-heroes. They should strive to be like him.

And finally, finally, we get a prolonged scene with Lois, the reconciliation scene that we didn't see at the end of Grounded.

Cornell uses this quiet dinner to again state the basic tenets of Superman.

First off, Cornell (I think) comments on the citizenship fiasco from the Goyer story in Action Comics #900. Lois says that China wants to make Superman an honorary citizen and Clark simply doesn't want to go there again.

Nor should he.

And then, Clark again talks about how much he loved fighting alongside the Superman Family but not if that means the Family will sacrifice themselves. Clark thinks he is just 'some guy', not someone people should be following to their deaths.

Again, Lois (like Supergirl), reminds him that his example ... that his thinking that way ... is why the Superman Family strives to do the same. The Eradicator would have sacrificed himself for anyone just as Superman did.

And this, perhaps, was my favorite panel in the whole book.

I always say that it is the Kents that made Superman what he is. And Lois comes right out and says the same thing. Superman is a 'decent guy', someone old-fashioned, who lives a whole human life. Someone raised with the right values. Someone who puts others before himself.

All that reads 100% right to me. These are the reasons Superman is who he is.

Will he be like that in the DCnU? Without the Kents? While embracing his alien origins? Without Lois by his side?

Morrison seemed to grasp all these concepts in All-Star Superman. 'Kindly couple' being a key part in his short retelling of the origin. I hope he remembers them in the new Action.

And then, Lois asks Clark to take her home. Clark's a lucky guy.

Funny how that short speech seemed to answer all the nonsensical questions that led Superman to walk across America.

The last panel shows Superman simply as a man, someone in the crowd, not above it all. But grounded.

So this chapter of Superman comes to a close. And like many of these last chapters, the book has a sense of closure, ending on a high note.

But it also comes with the sadness of finality. Goodbye Clark and Lois as a couple. 

It is clear, based on this last issue, based on this last scene, that Cornell has a great grasp on just who Superman is. But we didn't really get to see him write a Superman story. We got the end of the Luthor arc and this Doomsday arc. I want to read more Cornell on Superman.

I want to read more of the Superman described in that last scene.Will the DCnU Superman have that feeling of hope, optimism, and inspiration? Will the new DCnU have a Supergirl that fights to defend her home? I can only hope so.

I can only hope so.

Overall grade: A

Review: Action Comics #903

It was a very busy comic week for me with many books coming out to review.

One of those books was Action Comics #903 by writer Paul Cornell and penciled by Axel Gimenez.  This is the penultimate chapter of the Reign of Doomsday storyline (I think DC should have trademarked 'penultimate chapter' as a phrase given the relaunch). I have to say I am still somewhat confused about everything that is happening here, the motivations of some of the characters. But given the high energy, high octane action of this arc, I have been willing to go with the flow. It is sort of like seeing a Michael Bay movie in that respect.

Still, this is really the last storyline for this Superman in Action. So in many ways I was glad to see him flying into battle, risking his life and saving the world. I was happy to see him show his love for Lois. And I really loved seeing him inspiring the Superman family here. In fact, it is these moments of characterization that work best here, more than the crazy smash-up of the main story. Cornell does a fantastic job with those moments, with that dialogue, saying a lot in a few words.

But I still don't know if I quite get all that is happening here. So Lex created the Doomsday clones with their adapting powers to keep the Superman family busy while he searched for the black ring energy. Lex also dumped them onto the Doomslayer satellite/pocket universe which just happened to be floating in our solar system )how did he break in when Superman has a hard time doing the same?). And Lex was able to figure out some of the tech on the satellite. But Doomslayer is the captain of this ship and he hates Doomsday. So he allowed Lex to do all that despite his hatred of Doomsday? He let Doomsday stay imprisoned on the ship? And his hatred of Doomsday extends to the Earth? But then he sends the Doomsdays to Earth to fight for him despite his hatred of them? I don't know if that is all internally consistent. Or comprehensible. But this arc so far has been more about the battles.

There is no Kennth Rocafort here other than this great cover. I think Axel Gimenez does a great job on interiors. In particular, I thought his Supergirl was great.

As I said above, last issue ended with Doomslayer sending the three remaining Doomsday clones (imprinted with Steel, Eradicator, and Cyborg Superman powers) to Earth to run rough shod on the planet. I did like Doomslayer sending the clones to 'doomsday' sites, nuclear reactors, virus labs, etc. What better way to unleash mass destruction. It is at least quicker that Doomsday killing people by himself.

So we see Steel and Superboy doing their best to each slow up one of the Doomsdays. And we get this great shot of Supergirl, strong and determined, lashing out at the Cyborg Doomsday. It is just a fantastic shot and I love the snarky quip. Great work by Gimenez there.

While the Superman family deals with the clones, Superman himself has the original Doomsday in STAR labs, hoping some weakness can be discovered. Now just last issue, Supergirl tossed the 'real' Doomsday into orbit. The heroes knew Doomsday was awakening. And they know he is invulnerable. So taking him to Earth seemed like a bit of a risk, and off given the 'orbit' idea last issue.

Luckily, when Doomsday awakens we find out that the Eradicator 'possessed' Doomsday via the Luthor tech on the monster. And now he can join the fight as Doomsday. Okay ... it seems a stretch for that to happen. But I'm an Eradicator fan so I'm glad he wasn't outright killed.

Superman figures out that the Doomsdays are a feint and the real threat is the Doomslayer ship which is now floating in our atmosphere.

And Doomslayer confirms this. On his satellite (complete with expandable pocket universe), we hear him plan to send his ship to the Earth's core and have it grow until the planet cracks. The thing here is our lack of understanding of the Slayer and this ship. Who made it? How does it have such properties like an expandable pocket universe?? I hope we learn this stuff.

Now one of the odder moment of the book is Superman playing human cannonball to get into the Doomslayer satellite. We don't hear any discussion of this anywhere. We just see Superman climbing into this gun, stating he needs the extra speed to slip through the ship's defenses. It is weird.

But around that moment is a better moment as Lois again admit to be afraid of losing her husband, wondering if he can wait for back-up, but knowing that he is doing what he must do. I love Superman's response. There is no fear in his voice. He says something as banal as 'I'll be back for dinner', such an everyday response as if he was going for a walk, a simple way to assure Lois he will be back.

In the mean time, the Erad-doom-cator joins the battles on the ground. I am a sucker for team shots, so I thought I would include this splash page.

This is a good team to fight off a Doomsday. Fate, Zatanna, Alan Scott ... big guns. And Hawk, Dove, Cassie, and Jessie Quick are decent super-powered brawlers. I don't know the impact Batman and Ravager will have. But still, a very good squad.

The human cannon works and Superman bursts into Doomslayer's satellite. But rather than fighting the Slayer, Superman flies off into satellite, presumably to stop the ship from functioning.

Doomslayer's response is intriguing. What does this mean? What is he? More on this later.

Again, the book is filled with great battle scenes. Supergirl has really shined in this storyline and here looks fierce as she leads the charge. She has always seemed to rise to the challenge when Doomsday is involved, even as far back as World of New Krypton. That is a great panel. I love the battle cries, rallying the troops.

And this is another good anti-Doomsday team: Supergirl, Captain Atom, John Stewart.

But the other team fighting the other Doomday? The Dick Grayson Batman, Congorilla, Raven, Rocket Red, and Steel. That is definitely not a good anti-Doomsday team. That sounds like a recipe for disaster.

It turns out that Superman is trying to get to the ship's engines and shut them down. But as he is flying around he sees the Superboy-based Doomsday clone that Supergirl tossed into a bottomless tunnel in this internal universe last issue. Now time is weird inside this place so Superman sees that the clone has been falling for a million years raging away. Could Doomslayer be this clone? Eventually this clone will hit some exit, emerge perhaps evolved from the million year fall, and filled with self-hatred?

It is no easy feat to beat Doomsday, even clones of Doomsday. The Era-doom-cator certainly helps, but he feels he is losing control as the real Doomsday's mind tries to assert control.

But this is such a great sentiment. The team needs to be like Superman, to strive to be worthy of Superman's name and shield. And with that rallying cry, the heroes fly again into the fray. That is the legacy of this Superman (and most Supermen) ... to be the inspiration for other heroes.

And the plot thickens. Near the engines, Doomslayer worries Superman will figure out what the Slayer is. Afraid of that, Doomslayer fires up the engines of the ship, immolating Superman.

I will say that while the motivations of the Slayer and Luthor's part of this plot is pretty muddy right now. And the cannonball scene was somewhat strange. But the upside of this issue, the small moments of characterization, the fun bruising fights, and the Superman Family team in action (with some wonderful Supergirl moments) made this a very enjoyable issue. It really felt like a summer blockbuster movie with crazy battle sequences and scenes of mayhem. Cornell does a great job of showing us these characters, these individuals in action rather than simply the action. It adds much to the story.

And, as I said, I liked Gimenez' art here, shining in the big moments of destruction and the quieter moments.

I hope all my questions get answered next month. I did not think I would like this arc at all. Despite the difficult holes in the plot, this has been a lot of fun. This is Superman, until the next incarnation.

Overall grade: B+/B