Leviathan Wednesday: Manhunter #16, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, And 34

How close are we to the end of Leviathan Wednesdays?

Well Checkmate #1 is out in 2 weeks. So we are really close. 

Today I basically wrap up what happened to Mark Shaw in the remainder of the Kate Spenceer Manhunter series. The last storyline in Manhunter, reviewed here, wrapped up the major Mark Shaw plot. In that, we learned that Mark Shaw had been programmed by the DEO to have two personalities, his own and Dumas. Much of the Manhunter history was fiction. The DEO had created nanites that when injected could rewrite someone's personality, making them think they were Mark Shaw and encoding his skills. That tech was then enhanced to create the OMAC warriors. Shaw is damaged. And the DEO is the cause. Hmmm ...

Shaw remains in the Manhunter series, showing up now and then. What happens to him is worth reviewing as it shows how Shaw is a victim. It shows why Shaw is a bit unhinged. And it shows why he would be on the road to becoming Leviathan. 

These issues are written by Marc Andreyko with art mostly by Javier Pina and Michael Gaydos. What is amazing are the array of cover artists for these issues including but not limited to Howard Chaykin, Arthur Adams, Kevin Nowlan, and others. Amazing.

But the thing is after this deep dive, I feel like Shaw has been abused by the system and the DCU. Now wonder he wants to lash out.

On to the books and a quick peek.

Leviathan Wednesday: Manhunter #14 and Manhunter #15

Welcome to Leviathan Wednesday, my look at Mark Shaw's history and how it led him to become Leviathan. 

Shaw's history took some significant turns in the Marc Andreyko Manhunter book as we discovered that he was brainwashed by the DEO into become a killing machine. The Manhunter cult and the N'Lasa being were all part of  his programming, artificial memories implanted into him. And we also learned he had the Dumas personality built in as well, being two assassins in one, a perfect weapon for a corrupt secret organization. 

Trust me when I tell you things are going to get weirder in today's post where I cover Manhunter #14 and Manhunter #15. The first issue sort of wraps up the major Shaw storyline as he confronts the OMACs and makes a sort of ally with Kate. Manhunter #15 is a bit crazier as it opens up yet another can of worms about Shaw's history. 

In fact, for those of you who manage to get through these long posts, I am going to ask you an important question at the end. (I will bold it for those who want to just scroll.)

As I have said, Andreyko really embraced the Manhunter history in this arc and I appreciate it. And Shaw is such a compromised human, abused and tortured and unstable, and all because of the superiors of the shadowy organization he worked for. No wonder he wants to take them out. No wonder he hates them. No wonder he became Leviathan.

But the art on these two issues is just incredible. In #14, you have Javier Pina bring his smooth, organic, clean style to the book. In #15, you get flashback tales from two current superstars, Rags Morales and Sean Phillips. Sean Phillips is a personal favorite. In his story we learn that Kate Spencer's gauntlets belonged to the Azrael Batman. So seeing him draw an issue of Manhunter was a treat.

On to the books. Settle in.

Leviathan Wednesday: Manhunter #12 and Manhunter #13

Welcome to Leviathan Wednesday where I look at the character of Mark Shaw to see how he could become Leviathan. And trust me, if you were going to read one segment of this Supergirl blog side tour, it would be this one. Because if you want to see why Mark Shaw might hate secrets and spy agencies so much that he became a super-villain/anti-hero, this is the one. 

Today I look at Manhunter #12 and Manhunter #13. As I have said, writer Marc Andreyko really leaned into the history of the Manhunter legacy with this series. Sure Kate Spencer picked the name but it seemed random. Now, stuff is going to get real.

Andreyko does take a few liberties, re-writing a lot of what I have covered here before. But the re-imagining of the Manhunter timeline somehow works here. The question really is what is the actual DC history of Mark Shaw in the current post-New 52, post-Rebirth world? This probably has some impact given Shaw's hatred of Spencer in Event Leviathan. Hmm ...

The art in Manhunter #12 is by title regular Javier Pina and has the usual polished, clean feel. Love the cover, an homage to the classic Infantino Batman and Robin pin-up.  Manunter #13 has Brad Walker as a penciler. This is probably early in Walker's career. The art is really slick in that chapter, detailed and vibrant.

Settle in. A lot is revealed in these two issues but they work best reviewed together. On to the books.

Leviathan Wednesday: Manhunter (Vol3) 10 And 11

Welcome to another segment of Leviathan Wednesday where I look at the history of comic character Mark Shaw.

I started this out as a simple diversion to bide my time until the Checkmate sequel to Event Leviathan hit the stands. But as I have read more and more of Shaw's history, I have been amazed at how convoluted his history is and how complex his character is.

We are now into the Kate Spencer Manhunter series and starting in Manhunter #10, Shaw becomes part of the narrative. As we saw last week, someone is out there killing Manhunters. It is only a matter of time before the assassin turns their eyes onto Kate. And this is wonderfully depicted in the cover of Manhunter #10 with the chalk outline of dead bodies on the ground, the Manhunter masks demarcating who has been or may be killed.

Marc Andreyko clearly embraced the Manhunter name and it's history. As we saw last week, he went back to the original Manhunter and the extreme 90s version of the character. So no surprise we see that there are a few more potential victims out there.

Javier Pina is on art and has a very organic and smooth style which keeps the narrative moving in a polished way.

But we are here to learn about Mark Shaw and we see that since his last adventure, he seems to have hit on tough time.

Leviathan Wednesday: Manhunter (Vol 3) 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10

Welcome to Leviathan Wednesday, a running series where I look at the history of Mark Shaw while looking forward in time to his becoming Leviathan.

I have gone through much of his history and I have been fascinated how themes of truth, deception, honor, loyalty, identity, and masks have played through. When you see those themes, the idea of Shaw becoming a charismatic leader whose identity is his mask and his cult, who is against secrets becoming Leviathan makes perfect sense.

We are rounding the last corner with Marc Andreyko's Manhunter series, the third volume bearing that name. And bear with me, this post doesn't have Mark Shaw in it per se. We are early on in this Kate Spencer series. She is just getting a handle on her super-heroing under the name Manhunter. She is trying to get a better handle on the tech she has purloined for her purposes.

But it is clear that Andreyko did his homework about that Manhunter name. You will see in this post that the Manhunter legacy is an important part of this series. In many ways, Spencer is the polar opposite of Shaw. He was a Public Defender. She is a prosecutor. No wonder he held a grudge in Event Leviathan. 

The art by Jesus Saiz and Javier Pina is wonderful. There is a fine-lined elegance to the proceedings. And the coloring is moody and evocative, giving this superhero book a sort of Noir feeling at times.

Let's dive in.

Review: Superman #698

Superman #698 was just released and marked the 3rd part of the Superman:Last Stand of New Krypton story arc. While Supergirl #51 looked at the war from the perspective of New Krypton, this issue takes place almost exclusive on the second 'front' of this war, Brainiac's ship.

It's hard to believe, but there is basically one issue left on James Robinson's run on the title and only one more issue 'starring' Mon-El. This issue seemed to showcase the upcoming transition with both Mon-El and Kal-El having some big moments. While I have, at times, been a critic of Robinson's work here, one thing I have appreciated has been his handling of Mon-El. He really felt like a fully realized three-dimensional character.

Javier Pina and Bernard Chang split the art duties for the issue, with Pina handling the Superman heavy pages and Chang working on the Mon-El pages. Unfortunately, it distracted a bit from the flow of the issue, especially at the end when the two characters finally team up. But on to that in a bit.


The issue starts on the ground with the shocking announcement that 10,000 Kryptonians have been killed in the first few hours of the war. The population of New Krypton has literally been decimated.

It rightfully frightens General Zod who knows that Brainiac would have anticipated the results of this battle. If this is only the first volley, what is coming next?

You know what I keep thinking ... that feeling in my gut that New Krypton is going bye-bye. That the planet is going to explode. That would be something 'worse'.


On the ship, Superman remains trussed up by a Green K powered Brainiac drone while Brainiac and Luthor gloat over their victory.

Superman doesn't quite understand what Luthor hopes to gain out of this battle and asks him outright what it is he wants.

I love Luthor's response. It is creepy and malicious as he tries to use his poker face on Superman. Now I don't know if there is anything tangible that Luthor hopes to procure from his agreement with Brainiac. But at the very least, isn't slaughtering Kryptonians and emotionally injuring Superman it's own reward?


In the meantime, Mon-El has broken onto Brainiac's ship the same way Superman did. As he scours the ship to find and rescue Superman, he is contacted by a telepathic race captured in a Brainiac bottle.

He also has to fight against Brainiac's organic defense systems ... giant white baboon like creatures called Koko. Comic historians will recall that way back in the early Silver Age, Brainiac had a cute little pet white monkey called Koko. Clearly these are the 21st century upgraded models.

One thing that has worked well in the first chapters of 'Last Stand' have been the use of splash pages when appropriate. This one works well as we see a small Mon-El facing off against the masses of Koko's climbing into the room. The background even works here, giving this part of Brainiac's ship and arena-like feeling.


As if fighting off all those baboons weren't tough enough, the next line of Brainiac's defense shows up, alien races which have sworn allegiance to Brainiac in return for being freed from the bottle. You might recognize these races as the components of Ultra the Multi-Alien.

During these fights, the telepathic race continues to contact Mon-El imploring the Daxamite to save them. They are the Lanothians. I don't know that race off the top of my head. Are these new to the DCU? Or a race I don't know about?

Still wrapped up by the Brainiac drone, and weakened by the nearby Green K, Superman shows the villains why he is who he is. He never stops trying ... and actually overcomes his imprisonment, breaking free.

Again, a semi-big moment given a splash page for emphasis. Big moments deserve big art. Frankly, I am still giddy just from Superman being in his costume. But this moment, with Superman showing his toughness and temporarily wiping the smile of the faces of Brainiac and Luthor, was good to see.


Despite this bold moment, Luthor reacts quickly and with malevolence. He stops Superman in his tracks by threatening to simply blow away a whole race simply by aiming his sidearm at a bottled city.

Luthor is such a wonderfully evil character. I absolutely have no doubt that he would do it. He has such clarity in his thought ... able to turn most situations to his advantage, with no depth he won't go lower himself to.



In true heroic fashion, Mon-El flies in, wresting the city from Luthor's grasp and saving the Lanothians.

Here we have yet another splash page. And here is another moment I think will end up deserving it. Mon-El says to himself that somehow he knows that saving this city, this world, was part of his destiny on Earth.

With his bargaining chip out of his hands, Luthor slips away.


And Brainiac calls out his army to combat the Supermen. Nice double splash page here.

So, overall I would say that I enjoyed this issue, although maybe just a smidge less than the prior two issues. While this issue did progress Mon-El's story, it did not necessarily move the whole Last Stand story forward that much. That's okay, there are 2 more months to get to the finale. It's just that the Last Stand #1 and Supergirl #51 had such a fast pace.

I have talked about the duality of splash pages here before. They can be spectacular ways to focus on an event in the story. Unfortunately, they cut down on the space for story-telling. Think of how much story you can fit into 6 panels instead of one. As this is such an important storyline, the culmination of two years of Superman stories, I have a little bit more mental leeway towards creators use. (For example, the moments here where a splash page was used just feel more important than let's say the double page splash of Quislet shooting lasers or the Chameleon Boy reveal from last issue.)

Bernard Chang is slowly becoming one of my favorite artists, especially for fight scenes or post-fight scenes. That shot of Mon-El holding the city, his uniform ripped and wrinkled, his expression focused and angry ... that's good stuff. Javier Pina's pages looked like a mix of Jim Starlin and Pete Woods and didn't have the 'ooomph' of the Chang pages. The back and forth art styles did distract a bit as I read this.

Still, Last Stand has yet to disappoint.

Overall grade: B+

Review: Superman #697

The 'Year Without Superman' is coming to a close over the next couple of months so the stories running in the super-titles need to be heading to their conclusions. I have felt that 'rush to finish' in Action Comics where the religious and relationship part of the story have dominated the book leaving the 'sleeper agent' storyline as almost an after thought.

I have not felt that sort of rush in Superman. As I have commented before, there have been so many small plotlines that have been started in this book that just have languished or been forgotten that I wonder how this can all be wrapped up. Remember Zatara? Prince Ra-Man? The hint of Mordru in a satellite? Atlas? Metallo? Evil Gorilla scientists? Mirabai and her magic world? Dr. Light and the Guardian? These haven't been advanced in a while. I am sure there are plot lines I have forgotten about so I can't even mention them there.

Superman #697 unfortunately doesn't do much for these lagging plot lines. The book concentrates on the Mon-El/Legion story and begins to hint about Mon-El's ultimate destiny. But it does so in a brief way. There are a large number of splash panels or double splash pages which basically limits how much story can be told. While the art (split duties by Bernard Chang and Javier Pina) is very good, I just want more story.

I also can't help but feel like a bit of a hypocrite when I review this book. When there are too many plots, I complain. When there is only one plot covered, I complain. I guess what I am trying to convey is that if the entire run was like this issue, concentrating on one underlying story, I probably would be happy. But when other plot lines are begun, I want there to be resolution. My guess is Superman returns as the star of this title with issue number 700. That means James Robinson has 3 issues to bring this book to some sort of closure.

Of course, some of the big picture hinted at here could be resolved in the War of the Supermen book too.

Last issue ended with the destruction of the Science Police Headquarters in Metropolis and the reveal that Control officer Rachel was Chameleon Boy.

Something stressed here is General Lane's overall xenophobia. He hates more than just Kryptonians. He has his troops surround Cham with the expectation that they'll capture him or worse.


Cham says he is not alone and one of the SciPo's camera drones turns into Quislet.

After Chameleon Boy tells Quislet to 'go easy' on the military, Quislet uses (I guess) the weapons system on his ship to blast away at the troops so the Legionnaires have time to escape.

I'll have to review Quislet's powers but I don't recall them working entirely like this. I thought he left his ship to enter something and animate it. Here it looks like the ship morphs as well. I also thought that Quislet could only stay in something he manipulated for a short period of time before the object disintegrated at a molecular level. Of course, we are talking about a my memories of comics from 2 decades ago. I'll follow up on this I promise.

I definitely don't remember him having unreal weapon systems on his ship.

While this was a great shot of Quislet holding the line for Cham, it was a huge 2 page spread. Could that space have been used better ... to tell more story?


Mon-El gives chase but before he can close in, he is shocked to see Superman flying at him.

It turns out that Superman is only an illusion, nicely depicted here in a panel that took up half a page.


With that Wilcox reveals herself to be Projectra and drops her SciPo disguise to become Sensor Girl. She made the distracting Superman illusion appear.

I know it has been said in other places but I don't like this new interpretation of Sensor Girl's outfit either. First off the tiara look seems a bit off. I prefer the white "Spiderman' eye holes as opposed to seeing her eyes. And the short sleeve, high gloves, plunging neck like just doesn't work.

While the broad shoulder of her original outfit may scream '80s, I also think that uniform had a military feel to it. Part of the evolution from Princess Projectra to Sensor Girl was that loss of innocence and that realization that the world is a hard place. After Karate Kid died in LSH, Projectra said she could 'see through the illusions of the world' and recognized the universe as an unforgiving place. The original costume gave that sort of vibe more than this one.


Tellus uses a mental blast to stun Mon-El more and the Legion Espionage Squad flies off.

The original Espionage Squad members include people who could actually pull off the spy stuff - Chameleon Boy for his disguise, Shrinking Violet and Invisible Kid for stealth. It is hard to imagine funny guy Matter Eater Lad or silly Quislet or even odd appearing Tellus doing anything quietly. Of course, this is again my placing the personalities of the 80s/90's Legion into this incarnation.

This first half of the book was drawn by Bernard Chang. As with last issue, his style is suited for the destroyed fiery battle scenes in the city.


The second half of the book is penciled by Javier Pina and covers the aftermath of the battle at the Science Police HQ as well as shows that Steel has recovered and is back.

Steel has fixed the Metropolis sewer problem so people are no longer short of water. There are multiple big panels showing John Henry fighting with super-villains and even teaming up with Mon-El. I was happy to get an update on how Steel was doing, especially since he is said to play a part in the upcoming crossover events.


And then we are treated to another scene of Mon-El and Billi Harper in a more private environment. There is a two page scene where Mon-El tells Billi about his interaction with the Legion. This includes a nice reveal that Quislet was the hover cam that told the Guardian that Mon-El was drowning a few issues back.

Still I question why this conversation was placed in such a titillating setting. It is not as if an amorous shower was necessary for the discussion. While maybe Robinson is trying to show that the two are getting close, it felt a bit gratuitous. This conversation could have happened in a living room or at a coffee shop. It didn't need to be in the shower with the two lathering each other up.

The issue ends with Conner showing up in Metropolis asking Mon-El to join him in Smallville. Mon-El again flashes back to his earlier conversation with Conner when he asked Con to go to the Fortress and prepare Mon's rocket.

There is a nice exchange about how the two are eager for Superman to return because they are feeling some pressure to fill Kal's shoes. But otherwise not much is said here. Even the big reason why Mon-El wants a readied space ship is only teased again.

It turns out that Superboy wants Mon-El to join him in Smallville so that Mon-El can finally meet the Legion.

Again, while nicely rendered, the Pina pages include a couple of splash pages and a couple of pages with only 2 panels. I am trying to balance the need to visually tell a great story and the need to have enough content to please me. I am glad that this Legion portion of the story was advanced in this issue with all the undercover Legionnaires shedding their disguises.

Still, this issue read quickly. I was hoping that more would happen here.

I think that I need to rearrange my expectations here. Much like with the World of New Krypton, I have to realize that the end here is not going to be with the final issue of Mon-El's run but more likely in the pages of Last Stand or Adventure or War of the Supermen. That said, my biggest pet peeve with this run has been the multiple plot lines left hanging. I just don't feel settled with this title.

Overall grade: C

Review: Superman #694

I read Superman #694 after I had read the excellent Superman Secret Origin issue and the intriguing Cry For Justice issue. It would be hard to follow up those issues in terms of quality and mystery but I tried to keep an open mind.

Unfortunately, this issue is a microcosm of my concerns with James Robinson and this title. In some ways it was a fine read. The issue really focused on Mon-El and his reemergence into the DCU after his presumed death. It also focused on his realization that he was not representing Superman well enough. He feels guilty that General Lane was able to orchestrate a smear campaign against Kal-El.

But there are a lot of the subplots in this title that have been dangling for some time. And while it was interesting to see Mon-El struggle with these issues, I would've rather seen these other subplots moved forward.

Or, more importantly, I would love to see how people - superheroes, the media - would have responded to his return to the "living". Remember, it was his death that was such a key propaganda tool against the "Metropolis Three". Doesn't Mon-El's return negate that? Shouldn't he come forward and say that Gen. Lane has lied? Isn't that going to be a better way to defend Superman and root out villainy than wearing a new costume?

I know that these concerns may be answered in the future ... but I sometimes feel impatient with this book.

The issue starts with a Science Police struggling in the battle against Bizarro. I love how Javier Pina draws Bizarro as just an immense monster.

I don't know howBizarro got to Metropolis. And I don't know if it was hinted at that Lane had him in Project 7734. And I don't know if I should be wondering about that or if this is simply Bizarro showing up randomly as he has in the past.

But one thing for sure, the Science Police are outmatched.

Suddenly, Mon-El shows up and joins the battle sporting his new costume.

Of course his former colleagues are shocked to see him. But there isn't much chance for him to tell them what has gone on. Bizarro is keeping him too busy.

We then flashback to Smallville. It seems when Mon-El returned to Earth from Mirabai's dimension, he went to the Kent farm to figure out his next step.

While there he realizes that he should not only have defended Metropolis in SUpwerman's absence but also defend Superman's character as well. Sure, Mon-El has stopped a super villain here and there, but he has also allowed General Lane's twisted version of events to become accepted truth.

Moving back to the battle, we see that Mon-El is having a hard time with Bizarro. In fact, during the battle, Bizarro overturns a car trapping a young girl inside. Before Mon-El can break free from Bizarro's grasp, his friend Mitch runs to the car and rescues the girl by eating his way into the chassis.

That's right... Mitch is Matter Eater Lad! At least it makes Mitch's career as a restauranteur a more whimsical touch.

And so another Legionnaire is revealed to be acting in current time. I think that makes the current count of known Legionnaires 5.

We again flashback to Smallville.

Ma Kent gives Mon-El a pep talk, telling him some of Pa Kent's small-town wisdom. When you strive to do good, when you live up to your ideals, you will always have the final victory.

You can see how Clark became who he was if these are the lessons he was taught in his youth.

One part of this issue that I did really appreciated was Mon-El's discussions with Connor.

I do like how Mon-El reassures Connor that he is the true legacy to the name Superman. That he is not trying to replace Connor.

I do think that it was good to acknowledge that Connor might be thinking this. And I think that it was good that Connor states that he wasn't thinking that at all. It shows that some maturity in the character of Superboy.

When Connor reassures him that he will help Mon-El anyway he can, Mon-El says he does have a favor.

He says he wants to go to the Fortress of Solitude.

Apparently, an idea came to him while he was being tortured by the mad Gorilla City scientist. Any guesses anyone? I have no idea.

And so we come to the evolution of the new costume.

Ma says that she has an idea that can help Mon-El reclaim what the S-shield stands for. She can help him defend who Superman is. And one easy way to become that symbol is to don a new costume which evokes Superman's legacy.

I don't know if I really like the small symbol over the left chest. Why not have it be big like it is on Superman's costume? It almost looks like a name tag.

And don't you think that Mon-El will need to do more then just put on a new costume? Shouldn't he go public and confront General Lane? I know that may come in the next issue but I worry about pacing in this title.

The issue ends with a cliffhanger.

Both Bizarro and Parasite converge on Mon-El. And, wouldn't you know it, his powers have decided to disappear on him.

To be honest, I had completely forgotten the subplot that Mon-El's powers were switching on and off. And the thing is ... I don't think I should forget about things like that. I wonder if it is because there are too many things going on in this title for me to keep track of.

I know this is a repetitive complaint I have when I review Superman. The issue itself was an okay issue with some good back-and-forth transitions from Smallville to Metropolis. And the moment between Mon-El and Connor was a good one. On its own merits, the issue is fine.

The problem is an issue like this seems like wasted space for me when there are so many unanswered questions and prior events that I have been waiting to learn about. Instead of just enjoying this issue for what it is, I end up thinking about this over arcing story as a whole. When will some of the prior subplots be shown again? Or wrap up? I know that isn't fair to the creative team to feel this issue is something of a failure because I am looking for the overall plotline to be advanced. But that is how I feel.

Javier Pina's art seemed a bit different than his usual. His lines seemed a bit thicker. Still, it is a clean style which works well with the Super titles.

Overall grade: C

Preview Pages on The Source

Over on The Source late last week, Matt Idelson was kind enough to post a bunch of preview pages from all the super-titles. Here is the link (and hopefully it works):

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2009/10/30/what%e2%80%99s-going-on-the-superman-books-next-week-find-out-from-editor-matt-idelson-now/

I have to admit that I love preview pages and some of the ones he posted are worth a little discussion. As always, I advise reading the whole post on the Source.

So the first pages worth talking about are the ones from Supergirl #47 which will be released on November 18.

One thing I wondered was how I would like Matt Camp's fill-in art on issues #47-49. So I was glad to see these pages so I could get a better sense of his style.

Judging from these pages, his stuff looks very solid.

And is there any better tease than seeing Alura take out some unknown Kryptonian official? Alura has acted unhinged before so I wonder what this guy did to deserve the left hook. I wonder if he is the 'public defender' for Reactron. Does New Krypton even have forced legal representation?

Well, it turns out there is a better tease. How about seeing Alura crush Reactron's hand? I wonder just how Supergirl is going to react to Alura's responses here.

I can only imagine the salacious and awful things he is saying to her.

Again, I will say that the art in these pages looks great so hopefully there won't be a letdown until Jamal Igle comes back.

The close up panels of Alura remind me of some celebrity but I can't think exactly of who.


I love this page from Action Comics #883.

For one, I have really like Pere Perez' artwork on the title. This page is a winner. I love the bottom 'kiss' panel. Thara's positioning, leaning in with one leg up .... Chris' obvious shock from the kiss ... the art deco circle behind them. It all works, looking like a magazine cover from the '40s.

And given that Flamebird has just drained all the flame out of a Brimstone style creature, my guess is that is one hot kiss!

Lastly, this double page spread from Superman #694 showing, I believe, the first appearance of Mon-El in his new snappy costume.

I like Javier Pina's take on Bizarro as he looks absolutely immense. Still, I would love to see Renato Guedes back here.

There are a couple of pages from World of New Krypton #9 on the DC blog as well. Overall, looks like it will be a fun month.

Review: Superman Annual #14

Superman Annual #14 continues the origin theme running through all the super-annuals. Action Comics had the origin of Nightwing and Flamebird. Supergirl will have the origin of Superwoman and Linda Lang.

The annual not only recapped Mon-El's origin but also shed light in the origin of Daxam as a whole.

Written by James Robinson and drawn by Javier Pina, it certainly provides significant back story for Lar Gand.

The annual starts with a bit of a deus ex machina as Mon-El discovers 2 small red crystals which, when touched, seems to download historical data into Mon-El's mind. After some small interactions with the crystals and some glimpses of his past, Mon-El finally gives in and opens up his mind to them.

These are the crystals that Sodam Yat gave Tellus a few issues back. But how does Yat have them? And why does he feel that Mon-El needs this information now. And does this mean that Tellus was responsible for the curative potion?

Hopefully all these questions surrounding Mon-El will be answered.

Daxam's past actually begins on Krypton!

Back when Krypton was an expansionist society, it visited and invaded many worlds. Some of these invasions failed - like these images from (I assume) Tamaran, Imsk, and Durla.

But others succeeded. Kryptonian explorer Dax-Am led the expedition to Mon-El's homeworld. Not only was Daxam conquered but the Kryptonian conquerors accepted the Daxamite natives, even co-mingling with them. After a few generations, the people on the planet no longer considered themselves Kryptonians. They were Daxamites.

Hmmm ... so Kryptonians and Daxamites are cousins with the same ancestors. Interesting.

While we might be used to reading Daxam as an isolationist planet, in its infancy it also was led by explorers.

But rather than conquest, the Daxamites hoped to share with and learn from other cultures. We see the Daxamites landing on a number of worlds peacefully - planets whose names I don't know but which look like the home worlds of Tigorr, Blok, Tomar-Re, and Despero.

It looks as though they even journeyed to Earth. It looks as though they were the reason why the Incans were so advanced.

And those interspecies relationships and co-mingling continued here as well. We see a female Daxamite explorer talking with an Incan about their love for one another. Realizing a Terran/Daxamite child would have powers under Earth's yellow suns and this child might upset the balance on the planet, she returns home.

Fearing she and her child might be shunned because of this racial status, the space traveller stashes her ship when she returns home to Daxam. She realizes she might need to beat a quick escape back to Earth.

The child is born and lives on the planet (I presume) without any major incident. But the Terran genes spreads over the planet and all descendants of that Daxamite seem to crave the stars and have a need to return to their ancestral home world of Earth.

However, those with more pure Kryptonian heritage wish to stay on Daxam and become more and more isolationist.

The two groups cannot reconcile and as a result a civil war ... The Science Wars ... breaks out.

I don't know if I like how there is a genetic disposition to want to explore or stay isolated.

The Isolationists win and form a ruling body called the Sorrow Cult. This cult comes to power centuries after the war and rewrite the history books instilling a fear of expanding into the minds of Daxam's citizens. They literally shut down the skies of the planet.

At some point in time The Eradicator also comes to the world to help purge the sin of Kryptonian expansion. It makes sense that he would target Daxam. Moreover, it is hinted at that it was the Eradicator who tinkered with the Daxamite genome, giving the natives their vulnerability to lead. It is simply another way to keep the Daxamites on their home planet.

The inclusion of the Eradicator is interesting. I liked the Eradicator concept back in the Byrne/Jurgens Superman era so it was nice to see it still kicking around in current continuity.

Despite the ban on space exploration, some Daxamites (especially those with the Earth genes) still wish to reach for the stars.

At last we see a young Lar Gand, who along with a friend named Van, have discovered the abandoned space ship from the female Daxamite explorer from millenia past. Gand thinks it should be used.

When a Sorrow Cultist learns of their plans, the Cultist breaks into the duo's lab with the plan to arrest the two for treason. Van tells Lar to run off and use the ship while he deals with the authorities. Hmmm .. this might explain why Sodam Yat was so interested in Mon-El. He could still be wanted as a criminal on Daxam!

The ship takes its preprogrammed flight back to Earth but crashes in Smallville rather than Peru for some reason. There a confused Mon-El meets a young Clark.

I think we know the rest of Mon-El's history from this point.

Well ... almost all of it.

It turns out that the woman Daxamite who introduced the Terran gene on Daxam is named Bal Gand and is a direct ancestor of Mon-El.

One thing I'll say about James Robinson, he is doing his best to make me want to care about Mon-El. By weaving Kryptonian and Earth into Gand's heritage, Robinson has put forth a new spin on the character. But I don't know if I care about Mon-El enough to want to read about centuries of Daxam's history.

I guess I have to wonder if all these changes are an improvement on the past origins. Is the Bal Gand revelation a way to give some sense of destiny for Mon-El's activities on Earth? Why would Tellus/Sodam Yat think Mon needs to know all this now. Why do I as a reader need to know all this now? And doesn't it all fit together almost too neatly?

I did enjoy how so much of the DC universe was seen here, how much reach Krypton and Daxam have had.

I admit Robinson's Superman has left me somewhat wanting. This annual left me feeling the same way. I feel like I have enough back-story for everyone we have seen in the book. Now I want story. Now I want to see how it all fits together and moves forward.

Overall grade: B-

Review: Superman #685

The build-up to Superman:World of New Krypton and another year without Superman in the super-titles finally came to an end with the release of Superman #685 on Wednesday. Written by James Robinson and drawn by Javier Pina, it moves all the pieces into proper position for the new stories to unfold.

The last several issues have basically been prologue to this year's major arcs. Superman will be on New Krypton. Mon-El and the Guardian will be in charge of Metropolis. Flamebird and Nightwing will be hunting whatever they are hunting.

The last issue ended with Mon-El ripped from a collapsing Phantom Zone only to begin dying from the sudden exposure to lead.


With Mon-El turning an unseemly shade of gray, Superman comes up with an idea. Why not go into the future for Brainiac 5's cure serum? Superman knows that Mon-El is safely active 1000 years from now.

But when he tries to use his Legion ring to go to the 31st century, it doesn't work. Superman sums it up pretty ominously. "Something's wrong ... with tomorrow."

My guess is that we haven't quite reached the post-Final Crisis DCU. The problem with tomorrow is that the events of Final Crisis:Legion of Three Worlds are still bubbling to the surface.

But seriously, not to pick at the finaly scabbed over wound of Final Crisis, when will the DCU move to the post-FC reality. The DCU titles have been moving forward without even a glance at the trauma of Final Crisis. And assuming that each title moves ahead with current storylines will there even be a mention of Earth nearly dying, the death of some friends, the restructuring of the orrery? Hawkman and Hawkwoman and Batman all died in Final Crisis and yet all three are in the current Justice League of America issue. Heck, Hawkwoman stars in the 'Origins and Omens' back-up. Is she dead? Did New Krypton get created before Final Crisis? If so, why weren't 100,000 Kryptonians mentioned? Aftewards? Well where does Final Crisis fit in the timeline of the super-titles. I just think that after a major event .... the last Crisis ... there should be a new feel to continuity. As it is, outside of the impact on the Bat titles, I feel like Final Crisis could have been an Elseworlds mini-series.

Yikes, that's a lot of bile to spring forth from one panel in Superman. Sorry for the tangent.


Realizing that an answer from the future won't come easily, Superman rushes to his lab to try to cobble some cure together last minute.

When he arrives he discovers this 'Alice in Wonderland'-like flask, the 'drink me' label festooned with a Legion symbol. Feeling he has no choice, Superman administers the serum to Mon-El who is miraculously cured.

So this save felt a bit too much like a deus ex machina. However, there aren't many people who could have sneaked into the Fortress to leave it there. My guess? Flamebird and Nightwing. There is a theory floating on the web that Nightwing is Cosmic Boy. He could have brought the anti-lead poisoning serum from the future.

If Nightwing is Rokk, then who is Flamebird? What about Officer Schvaughn Erin?

Now that the immediate crisis of Mon-El and the Phantom Zone is over, Superman can go back to worrying about the ongoing crisis of New Krypton. He simply doesn't trust General Zod. Superman feels his people, the Kryptonians, are in danger and he needs to be there to protect them.

One thing I did like was Robinson showing us Superman's reaction to the UN resolution banning Kryptonians (outside himself) from Earth. He looks pretty shocked and he should be. Things aren't going well with the Terran/Kryptonian relationship. More then ever, he probably feels the weight of setting things right, of being a arbitor between the two sides of his life.

Robinson does give a glimpse of the Guardian as well. Harper has been receiving telepathic messages from Tellus in the form of dreams. Tellus keeps telling the Guardian that he is fine and that the Science Police will arrive. But Harper seems to ignore the advice. After seeing visions of battles with Superman villains Riot and The Atomic Skull, Harper says that he is coming to the rescue.

The rest of the issue is actually a nice character study of Clark. He knows he needs to go to New Krypton to watch Zod, save his people, and hopefully bring an end to the animosity between his two cultures.

But he cannot do it without the blessing of the two women in his life, Ma and Lois. He begins to lay out his reasoning to them. One thing I did not like is Clark saying that he felt Kara was under the sway of her mother. While she may be living on New Krypton, Kara has seemed concerned about her mother's actions as much as anyone. She has never fallen in line with Alura's thinking like a good little soldier.

I did like the little split panel theme seen above. He truly is half Clark and half Superman. It is a nice little visualization of that, as both sides of him are in anguish about how things have unfolded.

I love the support that Lois and Ma give him. When Superman states that he doesn't know what to do, they both say 'yes you do'. They both know he needs to leave Earth and go to New Krypton.

The issue's main story ends with a tender goodbye between Lois and Clark. I am happy that Robinson took the time to show this, as well as Lois' tears after this goodbye. Superman is flying into the lion's den. Lois doesn't even know if he will ever return. And yet, she still knows his place is there. She has faith in him, sure, but that still requires bravery in her part.

The issue ends with a nice 'Origins and Omens' story reviewing Mon-El's history succinctly and setting him up for the next year in Superman.

First off, he gets an identity for Metropolis. He will be Jonathan Kent. Nice touch.

And he looks like he will be busy too. Fights with Atlas and Sodam Yat? Tangling with Lex Luthor? And what looks to be a kiss with Natasha Irons?

I have to say that I am most intrigued with Superman:World of New Krypton. Of all the directions of the super-books, Superman starring Mon-El and The Guardian is the one that I am least optimistic about. Hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised.

As for this issue, Robinson does a fine job of aligning the characters so next month will start smoothly. It still felt more like set-up than story progression, but you have to get to the beginning of a story somehow.

I don't know Javier Pina but his work was serviceable. Certainly it is much smoother than the dark stuff we saw by Jesus Merino and Pable Raimondi recently. Raimondi's stuff looked much better in this month's 'Origins and Omens', less blotchy and thick.

Overall grade: B