Supergirl #0 Preview

Well, Supergirl #0 is coming out tomorrow but for people who can't wait and want a little taste, DC's Source blog has posted a preview. Here is the link: http://www.dccomics.com/galleries/supergirl-0-preview

 This is only the first 5 pages but there are some major bombshells already. Definitely worth checking out. But here were the two things that already grabbed me.

 As I hypothesized way back here Zor-El was part of the World Killer project and Kara was an occupant in that empty 5th tube. Moreover, Zor is lying to Kara telling her he is only 'gene scanning' her when he is obviously doing more. And Kara has no recollection of what he is doing. She doesn't even remember being put in the tube.

It is creepy and a bit obsessed. But it is clear he loves his daughter willing to do most anything for her. I suppose these 'experiments could explain the mutated power set she had. He may have augmented her.

 And we see Kara playing with her little cousin Kal.

Jor-El talks about the rift between he and his brother, a rift formed because of Zor-El's 'experiments', experiments Zor has earlier admitted to Kara 'push boundaries'. So maybe it isn't cloning (which we know is illegal on Kara) but gene enhancement?

It does make me wonder if Jor-El might be a better candidate for 'Who Shot Zor-El?' than I initially thought. Back here I said 'no way'. Maybe I should reconsider.

So I suppose I should wait to read the entire issue. But if Kara is somehow 'enhanced', does it make her something of a Matrix?

Review: Superboy #0

I have had my problems with Superboy as a title recently, trying to understand a frame shift of 'lost boy with good tendencies' to 'lost boy with bad tendencies'.

This month, I have been impressed with DC's 'zero issues' as most have been on the money with the jmping on point, origin sort of story. In particular, Action, Animal Man, Demon Knights, Earth 2, and Worlds' Finest have all been very good, building on the title while commenting on the characters' beginnings and the feeling accessible enough for new readers to grab on to.

Superboy #0 continued this trend of solid zero issues. We get some history about Kon, the killer Kryptonian clone. We get a new wrinkle to Superboy's history, perhaps explaining his odd feelings towards heroes and Superman in particular. And we get a curious cameo which puzzled me a bit. So that was great. Kudos to writer

But, because of how this was tied into Krypton's history, this also felt like a sort of 'zero issue' for H'El on Earth and better explained Supergirl's response to Superboy a few issues ago.

I still don't think I want a bank-robbing bad boy as Superboy but at least I can understand this one and why he might do that a bit more. Kudos to writer Tom DeFalco for weaving the distant past and the near past together, building on the origin of Superboy.

The book opens up with some exposition about Kon and his attack of the clones on Krypton.

Kon is shown to be leading an army of clones, ripping through cities and citizens alike, razing the surface of the planet. And yes, he does strike a resemblance to Superboy.

These are dramatic first pages showing just how brutal and bloody this revolt was, at one point threatening the entire planet when Kon and his group took over some weather control stations.

So is this man Kon the Kryptonian genetic basis for Superboy? And if yes, how did they get this sample? What is interesting is that Kon is the name of this clone. I had originally thought that Kon was a generic term for clone on Krypton.

And in case you didn't notice on this splash, there is Supergirl in the lower right corner.

Could this mean that at some point there will be a Supergirl time travel story? Or some astral projection to this moment in time to witness this? Maybe it is seeing this piece of history that makes her set out against Superboy fully?

As for this exposition, it turns out it is provided by Harvest who has access to 'certain historical documents'. And he is telling it to Omen at a time around Superboy #1, a time when Superboy was still in a tube in NOWHERE.

While it meant I had to see Harvest and Omen again, I did find this intruguing. Just how did Harvest get hold of Kryptonian documents? I am starting to wonder if Harvest might have some stronger connection to Krypton and Superboy than just scientific curiosity.

Oh yeah, and I was reminded that Superboy was in pod #02. Who is in #01?

Harvest continues to talk about cloning on Krypton.

Clones were used for initial space exploration, then medical experiments, then menial labor, and then finally slave labor. And, at some point, base on 'impulse control' issues, they revolt against their enslavers.

It reads very much like the use of Replicants in 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' and 'Blade Runner'. Maybe too much? Of course, the movie is 30 yrs old and the book is older than that. Maybe this reference is only at the front of my memory.

But it also makes me wonder something. Are Kryptonian clones literally clones of someone (meaning there was a person who was the exact genetic makeup and donor for Kon) or are they simply androids/artificial life, created from random code?

This did have a sort of echo of the cloning issues on Krypton we heard about in John Byrne/Mike Mignola's The World of Krypton.

What I did like about this issue was that it was much like Superboy #1 albeit from another point of view. We know that Superboy eventually escapes that pod with some help from Fairchild.

And yet, we now see that somehow the concept of bloody revolution is hardwired into Superboy.

And what about his human cells? I can't imagine that they are Luthor's anymore. So whose are they? Any guesses?

Back in the past, just when Kon seems about to win his war, he is betrayed from within leading to the genocide of the clones. This being a good mystery, Kon's body is said to have not been recovered.

So even more questions arise and that is always a good thing for me. When I try to piece through a puzzle, it grabs my interest.

Who is this 'Kryptonian agent' who snuck into Kon's camp? If Supergirl's appearance is true, that she time traveled ... maybe it is her? Or maybe it is Superboy himself if he joined her? Or maybe an El family ancestor, perhaps the genetic donor for Kon? Hmmm ...

We then hear about a sort of isolationalist movement/ fatalistic cult that blossoms in the aftermath of the clone revolution. Krypton will remain pure and alone.

Is it me, or does this cult leader look like Kon? Could he achieve his goal of vengeance by keeping Kryptonians out of the stars, thus making them bound to the planet as it explodes around them?

One thing I don't have a clear sense of is when this happened in Kryptonian history. Is this shortly before the planet's destruction? Is this cult around to thwart Jor-El's efforts (I assume yes given what Scott Lobdell has shared about Superman #0)? Or does this failed coup happen centuries before Kal is rocketed to Earth? I don't know.

Now this background about the Kryptonian Kon would have been interesting enough to make this a winner issue for me.

But there is more.

In another twist from Superboy #1, we find out that Harvest has been trying to warp Superboy's psyche from the beginning. While Fairchild was running VR Smallville scenarios, Harvest was running deeper scenarios of Superman rejecting, hating, and pummeling Superman.

So this brainwashing explains why Superboy seems so distrustful of Superman. And Harvest is doing this only to sow the seeds of chaos, hoping Superboy will snap and revolt just like Kon did. I might not like it but at least now I understand why Superboy is keeping his distance.

In the end, Harvest hopes that Superboy will become his ultimate weapon, fighting all the heroes he can. Nice action pose of Kara here.

So, maybe H'El is the pod #01 occupant? Could Harvest somehow be connected to Kon or Krypton? Could Supergirl be traveling back in time to fight Kon? And can Superboy be deprogrammed so he can become the hero I hope he will be?

As usual, artist RB Silva and inker Rob Lean do a solid job here, bringing the right energy to the war pages and the more exposition driven panels.

And I know feel I have a better foundation of who this Superboy is. He certainly is damaged goods, created in a pod, fed negative and extremely negative images and information, and let loose into a world he doesn't understand. Add to that a volatile genetic makeup and I suppose I could understand why he would do what he is doing. I can only hope that he is able to overcome this history and be the right hero to wear the S-shield.

But kudos again to Tom DeFalco. I was losing interest and not caring about this character the last couple of months. At least not I am curious about where this is all heading.

Overall grade: B+

Review: Legion Lost #0

Legion Lost #0 was the first of the zero month issues that sort of fell a bit short.

Now don't get me wrong, this was a fine rethinking of Timber Wolf's origin and a decent if somewhat formulaic morality play.And Pete Woods' art remained slick to look at.

But the bar was set kind of high. We had the inspirational Action Comics #0. The tragedy of  Worlds' Finest #0. The (as yet unreviewed) historic revelations of Superboy #0. Even the dramatic twist of a hero crossing the line in Earth 2 #0. All those issues felt like a mini-event or eye opener. After that, this nice little story of Timber Wolf maintaining an ethical line while avenging his parents seemed to fall short of those issues. The other zero issues felt like mini-events. This could have been a rest issue at any point really. And the truth is, I might have enjoyed it more then. 

What this issue should have been was a look back at this squad in the 31st century when they were hunting for Alastor. Maybe writer Tom DeFalco could have pulled back the curtains on one of the character's hidden agenda, their specific 'origin' for this book and this team.

Maybe I am sounding too harsh. In this day and age I should be praising a book where the hero is tempted to kill and instead doesn't.

The issue starts with a nice scene of Brin Londo, here called the 'vigilante Lone Wolf' trying to make his way into the compound of a crime boss named Lord Vykor. We don't know how we got here but I like the 'dropped into the middle of the action' opening in comics sometimes. It brings a sort of energy to the book and is a little off-putting (in a good way) to the reader as you have to catch up about how we got here.

I like Pete Woods' young Timber Wolf look complete with long crazy pony tail. It has a sort of 80's feel to it which is befitting given that it takes place in the 'past' of Timber Wolf. And there is a ferocity to his attacks that is palpable.

It turns out that Brin is on a mission of vengeance. His father Marr Londo has been accepting funds from Vykor to create a sort of super-healing, super-durability, super-power serum. Vykor wants it for himself.

When Londo tells him that despite great strides in creating the serum (we see it work on rodents) it won't be ready for human usage for years, Vykor ups the ante, gunning down Brin's mother and Marr's wife. Londo better perfect the drug before Vykor comes back to shoot Brin.

As I always say when art and words mesh, no medium is better than comics. I love the expressions on the Londo's face coupled with their silence. I like the blase look on Vykor as he kills this innocent woman, showing what a villain he is. And I love the red background, which started white at the top of the page and grew darker down to this panel, echoing the procession to this violent act. Solid stuff.

Enraged, Marr does perfect the serum and injects it into himself and Brin. When Vykor comes calling, the Londo's attack. But after briefly getting the upper hand, Vykor's men batter Marr leaving him no choice but to destroy his lab and all his work. Brin is able to escape.

One thing that this issue does do nicely is talk about how events turn Brin from a little kid excited to go to the zoo to a near-feral fighter. I mean, to defend his dying father he brutally bites Vykor.

And with no where else to turn, Brin ends up living on the streets, becoming a vigilante protecting the weak. It is a one page montage of a cold young Brin living out of a card board box (they still have those in the  31st century) and then realizing he wouldn't let another person be harmed the way his parents were. In many ways it is sort of a Batman story but told from the perspective of poverty rather than riches.

So we finally catch up to that early action piece and Wolf, after a skirmish with the Science Police, finally is able to break into Vykor's home.

Now here is where things get just a bit wonky for me. Vykor found a vial of Londo's and injected it into himself and his son Tor. He has been luring Brin into this attack so he can capture him, dissect him, and reverse engineer the serum.

And so, this great crime lord decided that after luring the animalistic vigilante into his home he would have his only son defeat him in hand-to-hand combat? Wouldn't a real crime lord have about 60 people with guns in this house or paralyzing gas or ninjas or a rogue Durlan? I mean, I'm not a crime lord and that is what I would do.

Now, while not bright, it does allow some resonance between Brin's story, a son defending his father. And it allows DeFalco the opportunity to get inside Brin's head, to hear his internal conversation about finally avenging his parent's death by killing Vykor and son but realizing that crossing that line will change him too. It is a pretty good speech as Wolf differentiates himself from the 'beast' within by realizing he will lose himself if he murders.

And I also like that the street-hardened brawler had an edge over the educated person who has only sparred. It is sort of an anti-Batman riff!

Of course, in the end, Brin subdues the two rather than killing them. And in comics today, that is to be lauded.

Even the Science Police who frown on vigilantes realize that there is more to Brin than just a street fighter. One even recognizes that he would be a good addition to the Legion. Nice touch.

But Brin is still the Lone Wolf ... or Timber Wolf as he renames himself.

Okay, after berating comics for being too dark and too focused on anti-hero, I am thrilled that this book showed how justice doesn't need to be meted out with executions. And the internal struggle within Brin to remain human and not give in to his more primal urges was relatively well done.

Still, this felt like a standard comic book origin story. And certainly couldn't be looked at as a jumping on point for a book set in the 21st century and made up of Legionnaires harboring secrets. So it just felt a little flat.

Overall grade: C+

Scott Lobdel On 'H'El On Earth'

Over on Newsarama, Scott Lobdell did a pretty in depth interview about Superman, his thoughts on the comic and upcoming storylines. I highly recommend reading the interview as a whole. Here is the link:
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/lobdell-superman-plans-krypton-more.html

As usual, some questions and blurbs from the interview stuck out to me and I thought I would give my usual commentary on the specific Q&A's. Now I will admit when Lobdell was initially named as the new Superman writer I was a little concerned. But his enthusiasm and answers in all the subsequent interviews have made me feel a lot better about his guiding the ship. And there is a lot of Supergirl stuff in this interview as well.

Still some things gave me pause. Here we go:

Newsarama: Scott, let's start by talking about your hopes for this Superman run overall. How would you describe the overall tone you've achieved in Superman as you delve into writing the first few issues of the series? 

Scott Lobdell: If I had to sum it up in one word? I'd have to say, "Lots." Since I started Superman, I've discovered that he's returned me to those days where so much is happening each issue that after I send it off to the editors, I'll re-read it and be surprised by how much has happened in that story. So far, each issue is bursting at the seams — and I couldn't be happier. 

We are at a time in the industry where I think we really have to look at the notion of the "decompressed story" and re-evaluate. 

I feel strongly that in the monthly books, we have to get back to the place where every issue is bursting with story, with characters, with subplots — and Superman, the first superhero, the flagship, is going to be drawing that line in the sand. 

Who can complain about this response.

In many ways, I have grown a bit tired of the decompressed style. When used in the right spots, when moments deserve a pause so people can wrap their head around what is happening, it is perfect. But all too often it feels like it is being used to draw out a plot, to make a 2 issue story fit nicely into a 6 issue trade. And that just doesn't work for me. So to hear that the Lobdell issues will be running fast is great.

Nrama: Let's talk about the story that did show up in Superman Annual #1. You gave a lot of attention to Helspont. How would you describe what we saw from that character in the Annual, and can you give us any hints about his future? 

Lobdell: We saw Helspont stop talking the talk and start walking the walk. Here is a guy who has enslaved entire worlds — so if he hasn't kicked Earth's ass yet, it is for a very specific reason. That said, he learned upside his head why Helspont is really good at what he does. 

Like I said in my review of the annual, Helspont has suddenly become a legitimate threat to this Superman. We really haven't seen too many of Superman's classic villains in the DCnU. We don't know what the 'current' Luthor is doing. We haven't seen the Parasite or General Zod or Mongul. So to put some sort of measuring stick out there, something that can actually be viewed as a threat, a source of true conflict is a great building block for this new Superman. 

Nrama: Before we get to that new threat, you've got Superman #0 coming later this month. It tells the story of Jor-El learning about Krypton's destruction. Why did you choose to start with that story? And what does that choice say about your run and Krypton's importance to it? 

Lobdell: It tells the story of his realization that Krypton doesn't have long to live, but it also explores the fact that on that same night, Jor learns his wife if pregnant. It is the night that the clock starts ticking for the House of El — even if he can't save his planet, can he at least save his son? 

Now, everyone who has ever heard of a comic book knows that, yes, Jor saved his son. But the story of how one man fought impossible odds — how he battled back an entire movement dedicated to stopping him? We're going to realize that while Jonathan Kent helped him be a man, he got all his super from his biological parents. 

So this response is mostly a winner.

I do think that making Jor-El discover the impending destruction of Krypton on the night Lara finds out she is pregnant is actually a decent new little wrinkle to the story. It adds just that much more drama to Jor-El's story.

I guess we see the 'entire movement against him' a bit in Superboy #0, a sort of isolationist rank and file on Krypton who are against any space travel. I guess that means all of Jor-El's experiments have to be done in secret making his construction of the space cradle that much more impressive.

And I hope that Lobdell isn't going to downplay the role Jonathan Kent played in forming Clark's persona.

Also, as can be seen in Supergirl #0, as brilliant as Zor-El is (and he is), the man’'s genius came at a serious price. He'’s a bit mad, carrying a grudge against Jor-El right up until the dying breath of their planet. 

So what fell short? The revelation that Jor-El and Zor-El have a grudge. That Zor-El is a 'bit mad'.

We haven't necessarily seen any insanity in the bits of Zor-El we have been shown in the DCnU Supergirl book. But a mad Zor-El with a grudge against Jor-El. It just harkens back to much to the 'mad Zor-El, kill Kal-El' nonsense which plagued the last incarnation of Supergirl at the beginning. I don't think I want to see that Zor-El again.

Nrama: As you've mentioned, we've been seeing quite a bit about Krypton in Supergirl, and some hints in Superman and elsewhere. What are you hoping to bring to this New 52 "revamped" story of Krypton? 

Lobdell: I want it to feel more real.  It seems to me that we've spent a lot of time on Krypton at that moment when Jor and Lara were saying good-bye to Kal before sending him off into this great black void. That and the scene where he addresses what has always seemed to me to be a very close minded Science Counsel. 

It is true that in Supergirl we have seen the planet, but we really haven’t seen the people. I would love to know what it was like to be a teenager on Krypton. What were her friends like? Did she have a boyfriend? A best friend? How did they spend their free time? Is “school” there the same way we experience it on Earth? Are marriages arranged? Are they limited to just one man and one woman? I am fascinated by the concept that even on Krypton something as “human” as babysitting exists. I am so intrigued about seeing this in Supergirl because it speaks to me about what Kal would have been like had he never left for Krypton as an infant. 

Sounds like Lobdell is going to let some of these Kryptonian ideals and ideas be unveiled in Supergirl which makes sense since she is the one who would remember such things. One thing I do like is that it sounds like the creative teams are talking to one another so at least we will get some consistency in how Krypton is being portrayed.

Nrama: After the #0 issue, you dive right into your first present-day story with Superman #13. The solicitation for the issue was pretty cryptic. Now that we know about H'el and the coming crossover, can you describe what's coming in #13? 

Lobdell:We get to see a heretofore unrevealed ally of Superman, we learn more about his powers than we have in the past, Clark gets two major body blows (one sort of self-inflicted) that are going to leave him reeling for the next few months, he finds himself entwined in the life of a Daily Planet co-worker in a way he could not have imagined, he takes a pretty severe beating from a completely unexpected enemy, he learns something staggering from his cousin Kara and he almost meets H'el. 

Okay, so that is a lot of stuff happening in one issue.

Two body blows, one self-inflicted - dating Wonder Woman and rethinking his relationship with Lois. In fact, I wonder if the entwining in the life of a co-worker is Lois. Certainly, in the early stages of the Kal/Diana relationship, having Clark working even closer with Lois might be interesting. In the Annual, Lobdell at least hinted that Clark has some feelings for Lois. How will that play out given the new power couple? (Have I mentioned I think the Superman/Wonder Woman romance is ridiculous?)

As for the staggering news from Kara? I am going to assume it is her talking about Superboy more in depth with him. How will he respond to knowing there is clone of him out there, possibly unstable?

Anyways, sounds like it is a busy book.

Nrama: The "H'el on Earth" storyline that we're seeing in the Super-books in November features what appears to be a new villain, but he's got a Bizarro look about him. Is H'el a new take on Bizarro, or something new that you guys created for this story? 

Lobdell: In my effort to re-imagine Superman's villains, I went so far afield in re-imagining Bizarro with Kenneth, that editorial started saying "Um, Scott — this character is so not-Bizarro any more; he's a whole new character, with new motivation, new history, new look, new origin. You're at the point where it doesn't make any sense to call him Bizarro any more." 

And for everyone who wonders about the "S" on his chest? It is so far removed from Bizarro or Prime or anyone else that you can relax: By the time this story is over, you'll see that H'el and Bizarro can exist in the same world. 

Well, one thing I was upset about was the rethinking of Bizarro into a character called H'El. So I suppose I should be happy that they aren't going to be the same. 

Nrama: Was H'el a story idea first and you realized it was big enough for more than just Superman? Or was it a crossover first, and then the threat was developed? How did the idea for a crossover evolve? 

Lobdell: I'll be honest — I didn't know it was a crossover until the solicits came out last week! That isn't me taking a dig at marketing or editorial; I can completely see why someone would look at the coming events between Superman, Superboy and Supergirl and say "A crossover!" 

But to speak to the heart of your question... the story came first, and the enthusiasm between me and [Superboy writer] Tom and the Mikes[, Supergirl writers Michael Green and Mike Johnson,] as we started to explore the impact of H’'el on Earth followed. So in that way, I think it is the best type of “crossover” because it resulted organically from the story. 

I have trashed DC's editorial crew so much I am starting to feel like a jerk. Still, the writer of the main title of the crossover doesn't know it is being marketed as a crossover until he reads the solicits? That just seems insane.

I will say it again though. It is good to hear that the creative teams of the super-books are talking and making sure there is a consistent vision to this whole thing.

And lastly ...
 
Nrama: Will Superman continue to grow closer to Supergirl and Superboy over the coming months? 

Lobdell: No and yes. That is, he'll be growing closer to one and more adversarial to the other. Just like most families, things are complicated. 

Now I don't want to see a Superman being adversarial to either. That said, if he gets closer to Superboy and more adversarial to Supergirl ... well ... I don't know what I will do because that makes absolutely no sense.

I will once again recommend reading the whole interview as I lopped out a lot of good stuff. It might sound crazy but I am actually pretty excited to see what Lobdell is going to do on the book. There doesn't seem to be any 'it is going to be a dark and grim book' feel to anything he has said.

Sales Review: August 2012

Comics as a whole continue to do well from a sales point of view, perhaps buoyed by two excellent comic book movies in the theater this summer. August was another month of extremely solid sales. And, things look much better than they were in 2011 at this time. And as always, ICv2 has my favorite coverage of this topic. Here is a link to their site and a review of last month's sales: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/23854.html

Now it is funny to look at this list of comics because it seems like last month a lot of Marvel comics shipped twice ( 2 X-Forces, 2 X-Men, 2 Iron Men, etc etc). It also was another Avengers vs. Xmen heavy month. And on top of that there were the continuing Before Watchmen minis and a number of DC annuals. So would a heavy month of 'added comics' take people away from their usual pull lists?

Supergirl #12 slipped 11 notches, down to the number 77 of the top 300. That most likely is more representative of the annuals and double issues.

Sales slipped about 5% which seems to be (unfortunately) the month-to-month erosion off the sales of this title.

So I guess this leaves me with a couple of nagging questions.

One, what is the ultimate final destination of sales on Supergirl? Where will sales settle out at? Again, I think this book remains a solid seller and a winner overall in the New 52. But I would like to see things a bit more stable.

Two, what will the Zero issue sales be like. Again, sales don't necessarily mean readers. But I wonder if stores will pick up more given the 'jumping on point' nature of the issue. I suppose I am expecting some minor blip up in September's numbers.

Three, what will the trade sales be like. I keep reading on multiple sites how people dropped the book early on thinking the decompressed style was more befitting a read as a trade. Will those people come back for the trade?

Lastly, while digital sales don't figure into these numbers, I wonder where Supergirl lands on the downloaded sales.

Anyways, we have Supergirl #0 coming up, answering some origin questions. And that is followed by the H'El super-book crossover. So things remain healthy and might even look better soon.

Review: Smallville #5

You know what has been a pleasant surprise in my comic book life? The Smallville comic.

I was hardly a big fan of the show. I stopped watching it after the third season only to be brought back into the fold when Supergirl started to make appearances. And while Kara was treated fairly well there, they also had to make her take a back seat to the 'not Superman' Clark.

So when Smallville:Season Eleven was solicited, I thought I would probably sample it but not get it long term and that initial prognosis was done despite having a great creative team of writer Bryan Q. Miller and artist Pere Perez.

And yet, here I am enjoying the book immensely. Maybe it is that Clark 'The Blur' Kent has finally become Superman. Maybe it is because there elements in this book which are missing in the DCnU, a Superman comfortable with being a hero, a Superman who is embraced as a hero by people, and (most importantly for me) a Superman/Clark who has a great relationship with Lois.  Maybe it is because Miller is just bringing it, adding the right mix of super-heroics, characterization, and humor to the book. It is probably all of it.

Smallville #5 came out last week and added a new wrinkle to the storylines, Batman and Nightwing. And, as usual, I liked the issue.

As I said, perhaps the thing that I miss the most about the DCnU is the Clark/Lois relationship. And Smallville shows us just how great a couple they can be.

Here in the Fortress, shielded so that Lex cannot trace the special radiation he sprayed Superman with, Clark and Lois enjoy a little down time. This scene is a couple of pages long, showing how ludicrous the science of comics can sound to a 'normal' person, how deep the love between Lois and Clark is, and how perfectly Lois' personality works with the more staid Superman.

Smallville shows you that, when done right, Lois and Clark works.

Perhaps the biggest story about this issue was the inclusion of Batman and Nightwing. Of course, Nightwing was initially solicited to be Steph Brown and then was changed to Barbara when it was felt the most 'iconic' versions of characters should be represented here.

And yet, throughout this whole issue, the Nightwing character reads like Steph. After having some fun taking down some bad guys, she is chastised by Batman for showboating. This happy-go-lucky Nightwing doesn't read like Babs at all. If anything she would be more Carrie Kelly. That's two female sidekicks she sounds more like than Barbara.

The plot thickens when the gun runners state that their Metropolis connection is Joe Chill. There is a nice montage shot of small panels highlighting Batman's tragic origin including the famous 'falling pearls' image from Dark Knight Returns. Chill as the Wayne's murderer is a nice piece of DC lore to include here.

Another of the plots I love here is the 'Tess is inside Lex' thread. Last issue we saw her starting to exert some control over Lex' body. Here Luthor's flunky Otis finds him asleep at his desk. I doubt Lex would ever be found like that. He is too in control to ever let himself be caught off guard, to lose control of himself and his body like that.

I think Tess took his body for a stroll and left him there.

Of course, now that Superman can always be tracked by Lex, he can't be Clark Kent anymore. Instead he is Superman 24/7. That means he is performing a lot more super-deeds and helping out a lot more people.

I love that Lois tries to persuade people to look elsewhere for news. Heck, didn't a Luthor shuttle just explode days earlier. Aren't there bigger stories to cover. Maybe she wants to give Clark a little space so he won't burn out.

Lois just shines in this book.

As I said before, another thing I like about this book is that the public likes Superman and thinks he is a hero. This isn't the alienated person we have seen in some of the DCnU books.

We see that inspiration played out in this scene. When a terrorist with a teleportation vest takes a school bus hostage, one of the students decides to play the part of Superman ripping open his shirt to show the red S underneath. This shows how Superman as an idea can inspire even the littlest of us to do good.

Thankfully the real Superman arrives, stops the teleporter, and traces his vest-tech back to LexCorp.

I said before that Nightwing reads like Steph.

This was perhaps my favorite scene in the book, mostly because it oozes Steph-ness. She and Bruce go to Metropolis to investigate Intergang and Chill. Bruce is taken aback by the brightness of the city of tomorrow. And Nightwing teases him about how he needs the dark dank corners of Gotham to feel at home even when when they might include 'penguins that are trained to kill'.

Look at that last panel. Would Barbara ever talk like that to Bruce? Even a Smallville version of Barbara? And is this character like the 'iconic' Babs?

This is Steph.

As for that Lex-tech on the terrorist, Luthor denies knowing anything about it leading Superman to try to figure out who else could whip up such a device. The Toyman could be someone but he has been under tight supervision.

Except ...

Now we know there are (at least) two Earths. Maybe this Toyman didn't make the vest. Maybe the E2 Toyman did here on our Earth. That's my guess.

In the end, Batman decides to interrogate Intergang imprisoned boss Bruno Manheim about Joe Chill. Batman breaks into Stryker's Island and tries to beat information out of Manheim without success.

Turns out Manheim is now an acolyte of the Bible of Crime. His faith is such that he won't talk.

One of the few things that sprung from the 52 Aftermath was the Crime Bible mini-series. So I was thrilled to see that concept still existing somewhere. And to see the fanaticism in Manheim was interesting. Even Batman couldn't scare him. That's creepy.

Of course, Superman doesn't know why Batman is in the prison or why he is throttling prisoners. He tries to stop Batman leading to the rather formulaic fight between heroes when they first meet. Still, those are some pretty cool red sun gloves he has there.

So let's see - Lois and Clark, Joe Chill, a Steph-like Nightwing, and a heroic Superman embraced by the people of Metropolis. Check, check, check, check, and check. Nothing to complain about here.

Add to that Chris Cross' art on the issue which is stylized enough to be engaging but not warped enough to be off putting and you have another winning issue.

Kudos to Miller for showing how a more classic interpretation of Superman can still be a gripping story.
Now where is Kara and the Legion? I need Supergirl and "Steph" to team up again!

Overall grade: A

Review: Action Comics #0 Back-Up Feature

I gushed about Action Comics #0's main story last week, thinking it a perfect sort of reflection on not only the origins of a young Superman but also the origin of the concept of Superman, someone here to help.

And I have applauded Sholly Fisch's back-up stories in Action Comics as well. If Morrison is laying the bricks of the foundation of this Superman, Fisch's stories are like the cement holding it together. They just add some of the finer details to key aspects to Superman's early years.

In Action Comics #0, Fisch and artist CAFU turn the concept of the 'zero issue' on its head. Instead of being an origin story for Superman, it is an origin of Eric Drekken, the evolution-powered supervillain in the little man's Anti-Superman Army. And even better, he tells it from a reverse point-of-view from Captain Comet's review from Action Comics #12. It is that sort of attention to details that makes this book so solid.

But I also worry. Way back in Action Comics #6 we saw the group shot of the Army of super-villains the gnome had gathered. Will we every learn about all of them? Sure we have touched upon Nimrod and met Suzie Hopkins. And we know a bit more about Drekken now. But the rest of them?

I have to stop worrying about what Morrison will do to end his run. Instead I need to roll with it.

The issue starts with a young Erik Drekken talking to his mentor Dr. Emery Zackro. Zackro had written a paper about evolution being spurred along by ambient radiation. In return for this paper, Zackro is ridiculed and ostracized from the scientific community.

But Drekken sees some potential in the study. He wants to talk to the subject of the paper - Adam Blake, Captain Comet.

There are a bunch of small things I liked here. First off, I did my best to try to anagram Dr. Emery Zackro into something with 'crazy' and failed. Second, it just hit me that the 'comet' that triggered Blake's transformation was probably Kal's rocket. But most of all, I liked the fact that Zackro seemed to pity Blake.

As I said, this story seems the reverse angle take on Comet's origin last issue. We saw Comet walking on this road in the rain then, but from the opposite way. I could post panels side-by side but trust me.

I also have learned not to believe in coincidences in comics. Isn't it a bit odd that Drekken happens to run into Comet just as the Oort-kind arrive?

And another thing I liked here was Drekken's personality here. He doesn't seem to be your typical bad guy. He seems more like a committed almost obsessed scientist, someone with a researcher's curiosity. Even here, he notes that the 'comet' went over thousands of people. Why is just Blake effected?

Of course, if it is Kal's rocket, it could be just Blake that was near the rocket as it crashed. (I assume his parents are too old and 'formed' for the radiation to effect them.)

And, like in last issue, we hear Blake talk about the upcoming threat to the planet. He might be isolated, alienated, studied like a science experiment here ... but it is his home. He will defend it.

Comet really is sort of Superman through a mirror darkly. This is what Superman would be if all this alienation overtones seen in the current DCnU wore him down.

And suddenly Drekken has more than just scientific curiosity to drive him. He now feels the need to help defend the world. You can imagine how someone as obsessive as Drekken seems about science suddenly has a cause. We know he is going to veer a bit to zealotry and fight Superman.

I have to say that I have enjoyed these back stories immensely. Looking back at Drekken's battle with Superman in Action Comics #6, he didn't seem like a mustache-twirling megalomaniac. Instead, he seemed pretty out of place. This origin story makes that scene more understandable.

As usual, CAFU supplies solid art here. This story is basically a conversation between 2 characters in the rain and yet I felt the art was dynamic enough to draw me into the story.

Overall grade: B+