It feels intentionally over the top with the fate of the universe at hand, the winner being able to scrawl their idea of what reality should be.
Round one was a battle royale style race for immunity totems (magical items).
Round two was a two out of three solo match.
Round three is a tag-team match with each entrant able to pick their partner.
It is silly in a good way with high stakes and I have mostly enjoyed it. But two things have detracted my enjoyment from the title.
The first is a bit meta, the promotion of the event. I will talk about that at the end.
The second, how Supergirl was treated in this particular issue hence the bullet review.
They are, overall, small distractions to the insanity of the book. It is fun in an 'over the top' way.
But let's dive into Supergirl's part in this issue.
The rules of engagement are clear. The Elite Eight are allowed to pick a partner, any partner, got the tag team battle. If they don't choose a partner, one will be chosen for them.
Superman chooses last. The omnipotent voice almost chooses for him but then Clark makes up his mind.
Is the crumbling Supergirl statue supposed to mean she is who was almost chosen for him? Does it mean he contemplated picking her but picked someone else?
Either way, at least she was near the top.
The Elite Eight matches are announced and we see who was picked for the battles.
Superman chose Captain Marvel.
Lex chose Supergirl!
Now that did make me pause.
First off, I thought it showed how much respect Supergirl has garnered over the past couple of years if Lex picked her as his partner in this universal event. Has he seen how much she has grown? Or is it something else?
First off, I thought it showed how much respect Supergirl has garnered over the past couple of years if Lex picked her as his partner in this universal event. Has he seen how much she has grown? Or is it something else?
But then it made me wonder how this works. If Clark chose last, then Lex chose before him. If Lex chose Supergirl how could she be almost chosen *again* by the voice to partner with Clark?
Anyways, Connor Hawke is a weird choice, even in how it is explained. Diana picking Barda is pretty cool.
So Lex picking Supergirl as a way to show her respect was a pretty cool idea.
But I love Kara's response. She bashes him, saying she'd never fight with him, and basically throws in with the Aquaman/Hawkman tag team. I love the look of indignation on her face in the top panels.
I mean why would Kara ever want to have the universe rewritten by Lex's rules. This response is perfect.
But it all takes a turn.
It was a trick.
Lex didn't want to team up with Supergirl. He wanted to use her, weaponize her.
He exposes her to Red K, inciting rage.
But it is red K, black K, silver K.
It basically Hulk-i-fies her, and she lashes out taking out our heroes, bringing Lex in as the victor. Supergirl is basically a tool for Lex to exploit. So this wasn't a sign of respect by Lex; it actual was disrespect ... he used her. Bummer.
At least when in control of her faculties, she defied Lex.
There is some stuff to unpack here. How did Lex know this crazed Supergirl wouldn't attack him first? If he has had access to 'designer K' in the past, why not use it before this? It is a little too 'I needed this for the plot of this book, no one will mention this again' of an idea.
Crazy art by Fernandez.
I did have to share this pic of Superman breaking out of a Green Lantern made Black Mercy flower. So evocative of the classic Superman #233 Kryptonite Nevermore cover.
But Superman uses Captain Marvel's partnership to be granted the wizard's powers to overpower the two Lanterns. This bestowing of powers also feels like a 'I needed this for the plot of the book, no one mention this again' plot point.
Still. It was fun. Liked the Diana/Barda team.
On to my second gripe. The promotion.
Everyone knows that if you have a bracket like this, fans will fill it out. Heck, the NCAA cornered the market on bracket contests. Even DC promoted it saying there'd be prizes.
I filled out my bracket immediately. I figured the end would have to be a hero taking on a villain. So why not Lex vs. Zatanna.
The problem? Well first off, Batman wasn't actually in the tournament. He was replaced by the Joker. It is easy for DC to say 'we'll give a prize to whoever has a perfect bracket' when that was impossible. The Joker isn't on this. Had I known the Joker was in the tournament, perhaps I'd have filled things out differently.
Second, the first round was more Battle Royale. We never saw Supergirl actually take on the Demon. So the premise was wrong. The promotion was wrong. And so they bracket idea seems flawed, As a fan, I am disappointed.
At least I can say I got 3 of the Final Four.
It is very clear this is heading to a Superman/Joker finale.
Overall grade: B-
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