Waid has been weaving together a very entertaining story jumping around a bit as he explores the concept of the Phantom Zone from beginning to 80s fever dreams back to the present. Jor-El not wanting the Zone used as a prison? Interesting. Aethyr as ruler of Phantom Zone (again)? Interesting. Mon-El struggling with his life in the Zone. Interesting.
When you string that many plot lines and even time travel into one story, there are bound to be some leaps, some short cuts. If you read this modern comic with Bronze Age sensibilities, it all works out fine. Things like giant orbiting technology appearing out of nowhere can be jarring unless you remember you are reading comics AND it works for the story. Things in this issue and this finale move quickly but end in a great way.
Clayton Henry is on art and shines as usual. This is a high action issue with a surprise guest star. There is big action with big splashes. Henry has been around the DC block a bit. I hope he gets a monthly.
On to the book.
On to the book.
Last issue, Professor Xa-Du returned from the Phantom Zone to organize the remaining criminals.
On Earth, Superman knows a war is about to happen and so mobilizes the entire family. It is time to prepare.
But they will be one down. Mon-El's phasing technology is weakening. To protect Mon, Superman sends him back to the Zone.
I have enjoyed this running thread with Mon-El in this story. Seeing his struggles with being stuck in the zone, with not being able to help Superman, with resorting to violence in a violent world ... it has made him more interesting to me than he ever has been.
The wait for the war is brief.
Xa-Du arrives with his army and they batter the team senseless. Interestingly enough, they want them alive.
Love Henry's pages here. Great action. Poor Kara.
When they awaken, the team is on a floating platform surrounded by Xa-Du and the villains.
Xa-Du decided the best revenge would be the most agonizing death, strapping the team to this bomb which will turn the super-family into Kryptonite.
It makes no sense. It reminded me of the Dr. Evil line from Austin Powers. "I have a better idea. I'm going to place him in an easily escapable situation involving an overly elaborate and exotic death."
Why not just kill them??
I mulled over this for a bit before reading on.
I mulled over this for a bit before reading on.
I should have trusted Waid.
It turns out that this Xa-Du is really the Martian Manhunter in disguise.
The ruse is up when the real Xa-Du shows up.
Nice feint. Unexpected and surprising. Loved it.
Turns out the floating platform isn't some Krypton-bomb. It's a Phantom Zone Projector. Just like that all the criminals, including Xa-Du, are back in the Zone. The threat is over.
So this is where I needed to just roll with a little, put on those Bronze Age rose-colored glasses.
Didn't Firestorm figure out how to make Kryptonite last issue, a way to stop them all?
Is it weird that all the Phantom Zone villains would fall lock-step in with Xa-Du instead of living a life of ease in the vast vast universe?
Is it weird that somehow our heroes were able to put together a giant Phantom Zone platform?
Is it weird that the real Xa-Du crawls his way out of Aethyr's time tunnel trap at the exact time the heroes are about to spring their trap?
Is it weird that the real Xa-Du crawls his way out of Aethyr's time tunnel trap at the exact time the heroes are about to spring their trap?
Yeah. It's weird.
But I'll allow it. It reads 'classic'.
Nothing left but the wrap up.
Superman remains exiled from Kandor. But Supergirl heads there to wrap things up.
The Zone has stabilized. It is back to its initial state without the 'hellish landscape' of Aethyr.
But more importantly, Kandor will work on following the criminals in the Zone, looking to see if the Zoners have served their term and can be released. Who better to be the 'warden' and help the Kandorians figure it out than Mon-El.
I love this. Great panel of Mon-El looking proud and strong. After the pain we saw in him, it is great to see him have a purpose. He already was sort of doing it, helping the criminals in the Zone. Great ending.
Superman seems pretty sure that everyone who escaped the Zone is back in it.
But we see what looks to be the Cyborg Superman out in the wild.
Nice tease.
And then a nice Supergirl/Superman moment.
I have talked about how Waid treats Supergirl with respect. Here, she can see that Superman is still struggling with Mon-El being in the Zone. She is there to support him, console him. It is a small but important moment for me as a Supergirl fan. Shows how important the cousins relationship is.
So a rapid fire ending to an entertaining story. Great art throughout. Kudos to the creative team for getting it all out on a weekly basis!
Overall grade: A
3 comments:
Waid should have reintroduced Kal and Kara's cousin Don-El to be their advocate in Kandor as pre-crisis, he was in charge of the Kandor Police Force...
Dev-Em would have been a nice addition if there had been room as well. He would make a great contrast to the always moodier Mon-El. And yes, I thought this was excellent but a but rushed as well. The curse of having too big an imagination? I'll take that after what we've seen with the execrable backup!
Love Waid's conclusion to Mon El's plotline. Mon El as warden of the Phantom Zone makes perfect sense. I also loved Supergirl coming up aces after Superman entrusts her with a vital and delicate diplomatic mission that no one else in the Superman family, including him, could have pulled off.
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