Way back in August 2023, Superman The Last Days of Lex Luthor #1 came out. In my opening paragraph of that issue, I talked about how the book was sort of under-advertised and snuck up on me which made me worry that it would go unnoticed.
Here we are, over a year and a half later, with my review of Superman The Last Days of Lex Luthor #2. With 19 months separating these chapters, surely this Mark Waid/Bryan Hitch book has been mostly forgotten and will again be mostly overlooked.
And that is a shame. Because all of the things that I lauded about the first book are still true here. It is a Mark Waid Superman book, which is always awesome. It is a classic story told with modern sensibilities. It is packed full of DC history, not surprising from Waid. And it has a few nods to Superman's appearances in other media.
But it is the Luthor/Superman dynamic that stirs the drink here. Lex has to be reminded of what Superman is to others. Others have to be reminded by Superman of who the Man of Steel is. But we also get an update to the classic Luthor origin, of a mishap in a lab that perhaps fostered a hatred of aliens in Lex.
As I have said before, I am not the biggest Bryan Hitch fan. But I am a huge Kevin Nowlan fan and Nowlan certainly puts his panache on the art. I'll say we cover a lot of DC real estate in this book and it just makes me wish we saw more of Nowlan on current issues. Everything is gorgeous.
On to the book.
Last issue we learned Lex was dying of a mysterious illness, something burning out his cells. He made Superman promise to help save him. Superman agreed but the rest of the world wasn't too keen. We see in a Daily Planet poll that 89% of the world are against the save.
Jimmy agrees. Why save someone so purely evil like Lex.
Luckily Lois is there to remind Jimmy just how slippery that slope would be. Where would it stop?
I can't help that the 'snap the neck' line is a swipe at Snyder. Lois triples down on everything we know is true. Superman does what's right. Superman finds other solutions.
Waid gets Superman.
The next stop is Atlantis.
When various solutions proved fruitless last issue, Superman decides to take a tour of the DCU looking for cures.
First stop, the future and the Legion.
I love how it is implied that no one remembers Lex in the future. And I love how Lex is flummoxed by that. Hubris!
But I am a Legion fan and seeing Nowlan on the Legion made my heart sing.
Brainiac 5 can't find a cure.
But we do get more of the origin story. Lex wants to see alien life and has built a wormhole projector powered by the Green K he found. When Clark reels from the K exposure, Lex thinks he is recoiling from Luthor. He kicks Clark out.
Within the locked lab, the machinery explodes and Lex disappears.
This is why Clark was banging against the locked door in the first issue flashbacks.
This is an update to the 'Lex's protoplasm experiment caught on fire and Superboy made him lose his hair' origin. But it does keep the 'experiment gone wrong in Smallville' take. Removing the 'I'm upset because I'm bald' is a nice update. And Clark being the target of Lex's ire, not Superboy, is also a nice twist.
This is what Waid does well. Takes classic DC and punches it up a little.
When the future doesn't work, it's off to Paradise Island to ask for the Purple Ray to be used.
It leads to a fight between Superman and Wonder Woman. Diana is against this healing tour.
Here it is Superman reminding her how he has to be perceived as immaculate. He cannot seem to sit in judgment over even a life like Lex or people will fear him.
It is interesting to see Diana so cold-blooded here. But it sets up this moment which props up Superman.
The purple ray also fails.
But here Wonder Woman tells Lex how Superman thinks humans are heroic. Superman marvels at how humans continue to strive for greatness despite their lack of powers.
Lex needs to learn about how Superman has never held Luthor back.
As I said, this whole is issue is as much about contrasting Superman and Lex as it is trying to cure him.
There Superman gathers up 'The Fruits of Arion' as a possible magic cure. But it doesn't work either.
It is a shame that there was such a delay between issues. We just got a Ronal/Lori sighting in World's Finest last week. To see them in such a 'back to back' way diminishes them a little.
Here Ronal says how helpless Superman is, constantly responding when Atlantis needs him to even if it breaks his heart.
I am a little bit of a sucker for Lori Lemaris. So this was a nice moment.
The tour continues ... this time as a two page spread of everyone in the DCU being unable to help Lex. The New Gods, Darkseid, Mxy, Vartox, Maxima, the GL Corps, the Spectre, Adam Strange ... they all can't seem to help Lex.
Nowlan shines here. I love seeing him on all these characters.
And how crazy must this illness be if the Spectre and Mxy can't help.
Back in the Fortress, things look bleak. Lex again chastises Superman for somehow holding him back.
In an effort to get through to Lex, he does something unthinkable. He reveals who he is. Lex cannot believe it.
Last issue, Superman kept wondering when Lex would spring a trap. Now, as Clark, suddenly he is powerless. Is this Luthor's trap?
Well, we end on a cliffhanger which makes it seem that Lex hasn't been the mastermind here.
How great is it that in a scene in the Fortress where Lex betrays Superman and makes him powerless, that Superman yells 'Luthor you poisonous snake!'. Superman said that line to Lex in a scene in the Fortress where Lex betrays Superman and (in theory) makes him powerless in the Superman II movie!
I think this is a fun story and it is a shame that we had such a delay in its release. And issue like this is the perfect middle chapter. The story is moved along, especially with the cliffhanger. But the majority is building up the characters and their conflict. Tossing in a tour of the DCU made it fun. I loved seeing how the Legion and the Atlanteans and the Amazons all respond to Lex and Superman.
I have barely mentioned Bryan Hitch's art and layouts which all sing, especially with Nowlan's inks.
I can only hope the last issue comes out sooner!
Overall grade: A
6 comments:
Great review! Great spots on homage moments. I’m glad you gave Hitch a good shout-out towards the end, he does tend to do tight pencils. Nowlan is definitely the cherry on the cake.
I loved this too, roll on next month.
I'm unreasonably amused by how Desaad is laughing his ass off at Superman asking Darkseid to help Lex.
"And how crazy must this illness be if the Spectre and Mxy can't help."
It really is a little too much, yeah. Now I'm imagining the next issue where Mephisto inexplicably shows up and offers to cure Lex in exchange for Lois and Clark's marriage. Thankfully, DC isn't stupid enough to do something like that, and their legal department nixes the unauthorized crossover before anything comes of it.
I agree on Hitch. There's less and less energy in his art and it often feels like still lifes. That's why I didn't bother with issue one and got two but still haven't cracked it open. The bizarre Legion costume changes I've seen from the issue are holding me back too.
On the negative side, I didn't like Wonder Woman hitting Superman because I don't like to see super heroes fighting each other. The occasional heated argument, yes, physical violence, no.
On the positive side, it was great to see the Legion of Super Heroes again. I particularly enjoyed the prominent roles given to Saturn Girl and Brainiac 5, two of my favourite characters anywhere in comics.
On balance, this story has been a good one and I'll certainly be buying issue #3.
Am I the only one who hates both the "Clark and Lex knew eachother as kids" and "Lex hates Superman because he's an alien" angles? I don't care how egotistical and "Nothing will ever come out of Smallville except me" Luthor is, if he and Clark grew up together he would ABSOLUTELY recognise him as Superman. And he hates Superman because he's JEALOUS of him, not because he's xenophobic. Waid is a great writer, who respects comic history when so few creators do, but there are some things even he sticks too religiously to.
Appalling wait, classic cliffhanger, Peak Waid. The only thing missing is a "Kara Kameo" ...but I can say that about a lot of things:). JF
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