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.
What’s Not So Good: I can’t complain, even about the planned artistic changes. I get that each issue is going to be drawn by a different penciller, which will give the series as a whole a bit of a weird feel, but each issue will be artistically consistent.
Conclusion: DC has delivered a strong book on a series that promises to wrap up everything I’ve been following for the last fourteen months since World of New Krypton started. DC has me pumped up for the rest of the series over the next three weeks. Pick it up. It looks like a good ride for only $2.99 a book.
Grade: B-
-DS Arsenault
Grade
Conclusion