by James Robinson (writer), Fernando Dagnino & Raul Fernandez (art)
The Story: Mon-El, Superman’s replacement on Earth, finds himself a prisoner of the anti-Kryptonian Project 7734, run by General Lane. When one of his captors is revealed to have their own personal agenda, the possibility of escape arises.
What’s Good: After having him missing for a month, Robinson brings Mon-El back to the forefront of Superman this issue and that’s a good thing. Of all the characters the writer has running around in this title of late (and there’s quite a lot), Mon’s definitely the one who he does his best work with. The fact that he makes someone who, despite the best intentions to the contrary, could easily come off as Superman-lite an interesting, unique character is an impressive feat worthy of the Man of Steel himself.
The decision to keep the story within the confines of Project 7734 almost until the very end of the issue was a good move. Robinson also keeps the P.O.V. completely with Mon-El; we only see what he sees. Both tactics serve to enhance the claustrophobic mood of the tale, while also keeping the reader sympathetic to Mon-El’s plight as a prisoner trapped in this strange place. If the writer instead cut away to a sub-plot at any point, the tone would have completely been minimized. Also, Mon-El’s adamant refusal to betray his morals in the early scenes serves to not only speak volumes about who he is as a person, but also informs the reader quite a bit about the antagonist of the piece, General Sam Lane.
What’s Not So Good: General Lane seems to be a smart man. He’s certainly been made out to be in previous issues as well in the other Superman titles. It’s that fact that makes Robinson’s portrayal of him seem off here. He’s shown to be disappointed that he’s unable to sway Mon-El to his side, yet I never felt that to be even a possibility during their confrontations. If I could see that almost immediately, you’d think he’d have figured it out pretty quickly. Yet he never does.
Another problem with the script is the somewhat abrupt conclusion. The odds seem to be stacked against our hero pretty well here, yet the story suddenly gives him what feels like a very convenient way out. This manages to belittle all the work Robinson has put in at the beginning of the issue and, frankly, comes off as cheap. This isn’t helped by the fact that Lane, when faced with his prisoner’s escape, basically steps to the side with nary an argument. I understand that he physically stands no chance in stopping Mon-El, but, really, couldn’t he have at least given him the finger or something? A little anger would’ve seemed a bit more realistic.
Conclusion: James Robinson and Fernando Dagnino turn in an acceptable issue of Superman. Despite the fact that the title character is nowhere to be found within, the creators held my interest, despite a few wrong turns in the script.
Grade: C
-Joe Lopez
Filed under: DC Comics Tagged: | Fernando Danino, James Robinson, Superman, Superman, Superman #693, Superman #693 review
