Review: Superman #691

Superman #691 marked the conclusion of the Codename:Patriot crossover but clearly the reverberations of this plot are going to be felt for some time. There were no pat endings here.

One thing this arc did show is the sheer cunning that General Lane has. He has plans on top of plans and recognizes not only the weaknesses in his opponents but also how to capitalize on those weaknesses. He seems quite pleased with himself at the end of this issue but pride always comes before the fall.

James Robinson does a good job of making sure the story gets where it needs to. There are a couple of things that we have not seen which I would have liked to know now. For example, while we know that Lane's troops have defeated Flamebird, Nightwing, and Supergirl we don't know what they have done with them. Are the heroes lying unconscious where they fell? In a Project 7734 holding cell? Since deception was such a key part of Lane's plan, I would have liked to see what he did with them.

Renato Guedes did the bulk of the art for the issue although the last pages are done by Eduardo Pansica. Their styles are quite different so there was a jarring feel to the flow of the issue.

Last issue ended with Mon-El and Supergirl (Mirabai) chasing 'Kryptonian nationalists' Nightwing and Flamebird (Reactron and Metallo). Supergirl leads Mon-El into the Metropolis sewers saying she overheard 'Nightwing and Flamebird' talking about blowing up the water systems of the city.

While underground, Mon-El is defeated by the villains who drop their glamour and reveal who they really are.

The more we see Mirabai, the stronger she is shown to be. Wielding magic is one thing. Punching a Daxamite is something completely different.

In fact, she is strong enough to make Metallo apologize for calling her 'baby'. Knowing Metallo, it takes a lot of power to earn his respect/attention. That says a lot about Mirabai.

As does her statement that she finds the sewers 'confining' and wants to leave. I remember that Legion villain Mordru's weakness was severe claustrophobia to the point of becoming catatonic when buried. Could that be a clue to Mirabai's origins?

We know little about Mirabai's back story but I am okay with it here. Her role in the story is different than someone like Superwoman where I felt we needed to know more once the identity was revealed. Here I can roll with it a bit.

The 'blow up the water system' part of Mirabai's ruse turned out to be true. With Mon-El unconscious, the villains trigger their explosives, caving in the sewer system and wreaking havoc in Metropolis.

This might be an overlooked page in the issue but I thought this was another time the 'widescreen' approach to comic art mattered. On this 2 page spread (I am only showing a small part of it) we actually see the citizens of Metropolis enjoying the day until explosions rock the city and send people scattering. Sometimes I think comics lose the 'common person' perspective on the metahuman events happening around them.

Now could those 2 pages have been better used to show what Mirabai did with Mon-El (leave him buried or carry him off) or what has become of Supergirl? Maybe. But I thought it was nice to show how the interplanetary plans of 7734 still have a street-level impact.

Unfortunately, 7734's camera drones are everywhere. The 'Supergirl' attack on Mon-El is broadcast on Morgan Edge's show fanning the flames of public fear of Kryptonians.

It also further cements Lois' feelings about Supergirl. Lois thought Kara was irresponsible about Superwoman. Now Lois sees Kara taking out Mon-El? My hope would be that Lois would see through the charade but she seems all to ready to write off Kara.

Using Morgan Edge as a propaganda tool is another way of showing how far-reaching General Lane's plans are. He has thought about his anti-Kryptonian agenda on all levels - military, governmental, and the average person on the street.

The actions in Metropolis are really just a delaying tactic to make sure that Superman and Ral-Dar are isolated as they streak to Markovia. Remember, Ral-Dar thinks this economic summit is a war council where Earth will declare war on New Krypton.

Superman actually is close to subduing Ral-Dar on his own when General Lane reveals himself ... and the troops he has brought with him. Stunned into near silence, Superman is surprised to not only see Lane alive but to hear that Ral-Dar knows him.

Before Ral-Dar can explain anything to Kal, Lane gives the order to 'fire at will' at the Kryptonians who have to be assumed to be a threat to the president.

The next 2 pages show Superman and Ral-Dar under a withering barrage of Kryptonite lasers. It is a good couple of pages, almost Frank Miller like in rendition. It really conveys the power behind these guns as the two Kryptonians just seem buffeted by the blasts.

If the military has access to such weapons, maybe we would have a shot against a Kryptonian invasion. Not a great shot ... but a shot.

Here is the one let down moment of the book.

So after a two page 'wide screen' spread of shots showing the power of these weapons, Superman simply emerges from the green haze apparently unharmed.

Even more confusing ... Ral-Dar is not only effected by the weapons but appears dead in Superman's arms.

How can there be such a wide discrepancy in the weapons capabilities? Is this going to be a Kingdom Come like explanation where Superman has absorbed yellow sunlight for so long that he would be more resilient to Kryptonite exposure than relative newcomer Ral-Dar?

I would have liked one line about this here. Some explanation thrown out so I don't have to make my own conclusions. Moreover, I would have liked to have one line about Ral-Dar. Is he dead? Unconscious and grievously wounded? Obviously, Lane needs to kill Ral-Dar to make sure all his plans and chicanery are not revealed. That said, if Lane knows that he needs to kill off Ral-Dar for that reason, the same would be true for Flamebird, Nightwing, and Supergirl.

Add to this confusion about the weapons is the sudden shift to the Pansica art which is much muddier than Guedes is elegant lines.

Before Kal can question General Lane about anything, he is urgently called back to New Krypton by Alura. Cradling Ral-Dar's body in his arms, he flies into space.

The book ends with Lane explaining why he activated the Codename:Patriot plan. He is Codename:Patriot! He reached a point where he needed to be more overt in his actions against Kryptonians. He could no longer accomplish his goals from the shadows.

By setting up these events as he did, by sowing the seeds of paranoia, by making people question their faith in their heroes, he was able to come out of the shadows as the defender of Earth. With public support behind him and officials fearful of their lives, Lane will most likely be given the keys to the kingdom.

Much like I have a grudging respect for Vril Dox in R.E.B.E.L.S., I have to respect Lane's plan and his ability to pull it off. Codename:Patriot did everything he wanted it to. And it was a pretty simple and efficient plan. My only question is what he does with everyone who knows what happened. Why would Lane leave Supergirl or Thara or Chris alive if he had them in his clutches. Wouldn't he, of all people, simply eliminate them?

Furthermore, his alliance with Mirabai is shown to be deeper than I expected. Project 7734 has moved it center of operations to Mirabai's world of magic. It's a place of dragons, flying squids, and trolls.

There is an interesting panel I did not show here. Mirabai tells Lane "that was our deal wasn't it? You help me. I help you." The next panel shows a large dragon eating a smaller one. So who is the large dragon here? Is Lane using Mirabai the way he seems capable of using anyone? Or is Mirabai lying in the weeds, feigning a weaker stature but ready to eliminate Lane when it suits her. It is that marriage of words and images that makes comics such a great medium. Maybe I will scan them in later.

As for this world ... I don't particularly recognize it. It does make it less likely that Mirabai is a Native American as some folks postulated.

It did feel a bit too convenient that Superman got called back to New Krypton right before he is able to question Lane. How would the story be different if that call came even one minute later?

On his way back to New Krypton, Kal listens in to the airwaves now filled with anti-Kryptonian rhetoric. Nightwing, Flamebird, and Supergirl have all been labelled saboteurs. Mon-El has been listed as dead. And Superman has no answers.

This didn't seem like an ending as much as a new beginning. This is the next phase of the New Krypton story.

This review as a whole reads a bit more up and down than I thought the issue was in total. I actually enjoyed this issue a lot if only for showing just how nefarious General Lane is.

Things are a little hotter in the super-family's world right now.

Overall grade: B+