Review: Superman #50

Superman #50, the finale of the 'ground-breaking' storyline The Truth, came out this week. And like an untrained runner finishing a marathon, this book wheezes its way to the end.

I have been critical of The Truth over the last year. The idea of an exposed, powerless, brooding Superman was never embraced. It was never written well enough to make me want to explore this version of Superman. Superman was aloof and angry. He pushed his friends away. He wrestled for money. He battered shackled villains. It wasn't Superman.

On top of the premise, the arc seemed to lose its way about 4 months ago. It was clear than an ending was looming closer than expected. So suddenly, diverse plots were woven together into something that made little sense. The characters changed motivations and personalities quickly. And other plots ended crazily. Suddenly Smallville being razed is forgotten. Suddenly Wrath, an avatar of ire, became a sympathetic character trying to find her family. Suddenly

As a result, the ending is Superman and Vandal Savage having a philosophical debate, contemplating if might makes right. I doubt that writer Gene Luen Yang had this as the final act when he pitched it to DC. He wanted this Superman to be the new baseline.

But Superman fans want him interacting with his supporting cast. They want him to be powerful but restrained, an inspiring figure of hope. And the character in this arc was none of those things. The monster in Doomed isn't that guy. The jerk walking across the country isn't that guy. The guy who left Earth to head up the military guild on a New Krypton isn't that guy. None of the recent mega-arcs have leaned on Superman's strengths. Instead, the creators are trying to make Superman into something he isn't. And maybe those creators aren't the right people to be on these books.

The art on this book is lovely. We have Howard Porter, Patrick Zircher, Adrian Syaf, and Jon Bogdanove bringing great images.

Review: Action Comics #49

We are a month away from The Truth ending. It frankly can't come fast enough.

Action Comics #49 came out this week, and much like last week's Superman, feels like huge plot turns are happening. Things are being said and being done to get us to an ending. But these story contrivances and twists make me question so much of what came before. This reads like a sprint to the end. And plot holes are being hurdled or avoided.

Unfortunately, next month brings the Pak/Kuder time with Superman to an end. And that I will lament. When I think of this run, I'll think of their first issue which reintroduced us to Lana. A book where Superman learned the limits of his power. I'll think of Subterranea and I'll think of haunted Smallville. Because when left alone, Pak and Kuder brought it. Heck, even their chapters of Doomsday and TThe Truth had some merit.

Instead this run will end with a whimper not a bang as Pak brings us to this conclusion.

Remember Hordr_Root and his information city? Wrath trying to take over Metropolis with rage? Superman's time in a wrestling group? Hordr_Root captured for a page or two. Smallville turned upside-down? The President being swayed by Angle Man? A Nazi gunship under the ice? A portable sun? Almost none of these plots seem to matter to this ending. We weren't building up to anything. We weren't building on things. It all seems random and meaningless now. Hardly the 'changing' arc this was portrayed as.

Kuder isn't even on art this issue. Adrian Syaf brings a straight forward art style to the proceedings.

The book starts with a gangly kid in North Dakota being picked on by bullies. The Black Mass bombs of Wrath's explode overhead. The child mutates into something monstrous in size and bulk. He is a son of Vandal Savage, the effects of the bomb prove it. And so we have a new character in the mix.

If you reread the original Wrath story, you see the Metropolis mayor and police filled with ire and trying to convince the city to turn on Superman. That was when wrath dealt with wrath. Later, we learn that Wrath is trying to have the black ink make people not be wrathful, which sounds weird especially when you just had an arc making people feel wrath. You even had a temple to wrath built.

Now we have learned that the black Wrath is to find Savage's kids. That makes no sense. Even if it made sense, it makes no sense to unleash it in Metropolis as it had been earlier.

And this gathering of his kin that Savage is doing now. We haven't heard why now and not a millenia before. We haven't heard why about much of anything ...

Last issue of Superman, we heard Clark suddenly tell us that his cells were mutated not to absorb energy and he needed Kryptonite to kill those cells like chemotherapy. That came out of left field. We didn't know how Clark learned that about his cells.

Now he is charged up with Kryptonite energy. He yells at the Puzzlr that it was Savage who mutated his cells.

When did he learn that? Is he figuring that Hordr_Root was working with Savage?

This is a big plot point. And we don't know how we got here.

The Puzzler takes off and Clark has to assess his condition.

The mutated cells are being effected by the Kryptonite. But they are fighting it by absorbing the K-energy. I guess I have to just accept that as the way Kryptonian immune systems work.

So while he is powered by Kryptonite, the absorbed Kryptonite energy is killing him.

Still, Superman can fly again, is invulnerable again, albeit fueled by poison. And he seems giddy about the whole thing. He is smiling and wallowing in the power. While I can understand him being happy to have some power back, it is in the context of his friends being held captive by Savage. You think he might stay on task.

He meets up with Diana to try to form a plan of attack. She can tell he is dying from the Kryptonite but he knows he had to sacrifice himself to save everyone else.

I did like this dialogue, a nice exchange between ex-lovers. He says that she is so inspiring that anyone would try to be more of a hero around her. This is my favorite panel of the book.

It also turns out that the Kryptonite energy effects Superman differently than yellow sun energy. He has new powers such as seeing energy waves.

He is happy this occurs because he can see what Savage is doing. It's not like Savage has a truly massive satellite city in the sky. Good thing we have this new power to help.

Syaf really makes Superman seem manic with this power, another thing that struck me as odd.

Before Superman can fly to the Savage's satellite, he is attacked by Savage's son from the opening scene. Despite being dressed up like a barbarian (the child's favorite book character), he really is just a kid.

We get several pages of the two smashing into each other.

If only those pages could have been used to explain some of my questions about the current plot.

Meanwhile Wonder Woman couldn't get on the satellite before it teleported away.

Before leaving, he shot Jupiter with energy, increasing the planet's mass. This is a new plot point.

Is this to make Jupiter a second sun? Attract the comet that gave Savage his powers by making a gravity well? I guess we'll find out.

The huge satellite teleported from orbit into lower orbit. It is sucking the Fortress of Solitude up.

I don't know.

I know my tone has been snarky here. But I feel like this story rushing to any conclusion is worse than giving me a later but decent conclusion. So much information is dropped in one liners in the last two issues, important plot points suddenly revealed. We have fight scenes that are meaningless, robbing space to give me more exposition or explanation. The earliest stories are sort of invalidated by what Savage is trying to accomplish here. And all that is wrapped up in the angry, punch first, powerless Superman who is beating up shackled prisoners, avoiding his friends, and generally acting unlike the Superman I know.

I am sad to see Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder go. Because I bet they had great Superman stories they wanted to tell.

Overall grade: C/C-

Review: Superman #48

Superman #48 came out this week, the next chapter in The Truth.

I have been complaining about The Truth almost since its inception. This isn't the sort of Superman I necessarily want to read. And with this mega-arc working through 4 titles, each with a different timeline and sometimes a very different Superman, it has been hard to embrace this vision. Outside of a depowered Superman, even outside Clark being exposed, it is more the characterization that has bugged me. The overly angry Superman in Superman/Wonder Woman. The sometimes stupid Superman in this title. The one quick to jump into a fight and endanger others in Batman/Superman. The whole thing has been something of a mess.

Now, with the end of The Truth coming up, somehow the four books have to intertwine and bring this thing to an end. I should be happy that we might be coming up on a Rebirth of Superman in his books. But, much like when World of New Krypton sprinted to its ending, I think I am going to be just as unhappy with the ending.

And so I read this issue and felt this was a giant step forward towards wrapping this up. But such rapid and ill-defined plot progression felt forced and therefore unsatisfying.

The art on the book is split between Howard Porter and Adrian Syaf. They each have a distinct style which makes the book feel a little disjointed as well. I prefer Porter's art and wish he had done the whole issue. It isn't that Syaf's stuff isn't good. I just think Porter has really done wonderful work here.

The book starts with Superman stopping a criminal named Kingslayer from blowing up a political debate. Steve Trevor is also on hand to try to protect the proceedings. I like seeing Superman helping Trevor and working as a hero.

But this is the beginning of where the four distinct times of the books come crashing together. Superman says that he has been made mortal by the Olympian gods.That means this is after last week's Superman/Wonder Woman. We don't know how long has passed from last month's Superman issue. Days? Weeks?

I've never heard of Kingslayer before. He seems delightfully goofy.

Kingslayer has been apprehended and placed in what sounds like a technological version of Wonder Girl's old pain lasso. Trevor begins to torture the villain for information.

Superman takes the high road, as he should, telling Trevor to stop.

But remember, this is the same Superman that we have seen batter and bash a tied up Parasite just a couple of months ago. How can he take the high road when he was doing the same thing?

That is the problem of The Truth.

One of the political candidates is J. Wilbur Wolfingham, a charlatan and con man from old DC Comics. After bad mouthing Superman in the opening scene, he tells everyone to listen to the Man of Steel and calm down. Because he's 'still Superman'.

But remember early in the series when everyone hated Superman. Where his friends cast him out? Where he was being shunned, even on the run from police? Where did all that hatred go?

Meanwhile, we meet another member of Vandal Savage's children. This one is a the Puzzler.

Working with Hordr_Root, Puzzler's human consciousness is downloaded into a robot. Then, much like with Hordr_Root's origin, the human body is killer. Only the data model, inside an attack mecha survives.

This origin is so similar to Hordr's and this character is so banal, I don't know if we needed him introduced. If the ending is so close, do we need another villain?

Now things get even more rushed.

Superman says a layer of his cells have been mutated blocking his ability to absorb solar energy. Unless I have blanked, I am pretty sure this is the first time that we have heard this. So suddenly we have an answer. But to drop it as one line in the middle of this book and not have it be more of a reveal feels off.

Even crazier, Superman has figured out that Kryptonite will kill those cells and therefore cure him. That also is one line dropped in the middle of this issue. Shouldn't that have been a bigger deal? Maybe an end of an issue bombshell? Clark has sought out Trevor because he knows ARGUS has Kryptonite.

Also, we learn this takes place after the Superman Annual. Vandal Savage has brought the Stormwatch satellite into orbit. The JLA is trapped. Wonder Woman is free. So Superman is doing this side mission while his friends are being drained? And what is Savage doing during all this? Just sitting back?

The time line is so crazy. I don't know what has happened when any more.

There are two good moments in the book worth reviewing.

One is Trevor saying that he was sad when Diana broke it off with him. He was sad that she went with Superman. But it is hard not to imagine the two together. They 'seem' perfect together.

Maybe Trevor is the voice of DC's leadership? Or maybe he is supposed to be saying that while they might appear perfect, they aren't. Seeing Steve voice his feelings was appreciated.

Superman does expose himself to Kryptonite and does feel the effects.

Wracked with pain, he says 'tell her ... that my last thoughts were with her'. He doesn't say Diana. So in my mind, he is talking about Lois.

Maybe when this is over, he'll tell Lois about this moment. But I doubt it. I bet Yang let's that moment stay like this ... vague.

Of course, the Puzzler, now the Puzzlr, shows up to try to kill Superman.

I have no idea what his powers are. But it seems like he shoots puzzle pieces at technology which allows him to get control. It's crazy. But visually he and the flying puzzle pieces are pretty grabbing. Porter has always drawn mecha like this well, starting (for me) with Armek of the Hyperclan. I had to include this splash of the robot towering over a withered and green-tinged Superman. Beautiful.

Superman is pulled out of this sure death situation by Trevor. But the K-treatment seems to be working. Superman feels hungry and somehow that means he is being cured. So Clark jumps into a huge vault stuffed with Kryptonite.

Okay, this issue was hard for me to wrap my head around. This Superman acted like Superman should, fighting crime, stopping senseless violence, thinking of Lois, using his head, trying to be a hero. Unfortunately, it feels almost incongruous from what we have seen before in The Truth.

Worse than that, the understanding of his condition and the K-cure seem to have come out of nowhere. This was dropped in our laps, never hinted at in any other place.

I have said it in other reviews and I'll say it here. I am ready for this mega-arc to be over. And, given some snippets I've seen, I am interested in seeing Yang on a more classic Superman. Thankfully we'll get there soon.

Overall grade: C

Review: Batman/Superman #26

Batman/Superman #26 came out last week, another chapter in the seemingly interminable 'The Truth' story arc. I have talked about how this depowered angry Superman isn't for me. I have talked about how Superman hasn't acted the way I want Superman to act. And in this comic, last issue, we saw him eager to rush to action, even when it was ill-advised.

Now this issue, we see a calmer Superman. He realizes his limitations. And he becomes a decent teammate with the Batman Family. And so part of me was happier with this characterization. Outside of one moment, this Superman acted in a decent way. So at least this issue has that going for it.

But the overall arc of 'The Truth' has been pretty rough. And if the end cliffhanger of this issue is the big reveal of this storyline, I will be even more disappointed. But more on that when we reach those pages.

The art here is done by Adrian Syaf, Vicente Cifuentes, and Cliff Richards and it is lovely. In particular, I adore the Batgirl in this book. She is just wonderfully depicted.

But I know that I am losing patience with this arc based solely on the length of my reviews. When things get brief, when I don't have a lot to say, I think I'm fading.

Last issue, Superman and Batgirl stumbled upon some camp Vandal Savage has established in Siberia. There are humans working as labor, getting uranium from decommissioned nuclear missiles. It is clear that Clark and the Batman Family need to save these people and scuttle this operation.

The heroes approach the team and, after an initial period of distrust, decide to work together. And Superman acts as a sort of leader. This is the weakest we have seen him physically (he bleeds when stabbed by a fork). But this is the best we have seen him.

Everyone has their role.
Batgirl will try to figure out a way to get the people out or stop Vandal from getting there.
Dick will set up new identities so everyone will be safe once they escape.
And Jason will be their battle leader, figuring out what to do if Savage should come back and a scrap needs to happen.

This felt very classic to me, like when the Justice League would split up based on mission needs and team makeup.

Savage arrives at the camp via a teleporting disk. Batgirl is trying to figure out the device. Maybe she can use it send the people away. Or maybe she can use it to send Savage somewhere else should he try to come.

While I like what this Superman is doing in this issue, he does go a bit dark here, wondering if Savage can be teleported into a solid rock. I don't think he is joking here. I think he is fearful. And is contemplating it, even for a second.

But I love Batgirl's response. She is really laughing there. Because to her, Superman wishing someone to be killed is so wrong it is hysterical.

And this temptation is fostered a bit from Jason. Red Hood knows the handful of guns and few bricks of C4 explosive probably can't hurt Savage too much. The heroes have a choice. They can try to subdue Savage, which seems futile, and then watch as Savage kills all the campers. Or they can kill him, by luring him there and blowing up the nukes. Sure it'll be an ecological disaster. But Savage will be gone. And the people will be alive.

Thankfully Batgirl is again there to say just how stupid the idea is. There has to be something better than 'everyone dies' or 'nuke the world'. I love she stands up to Jason calling him stupid. Perfect.

It is this teamwork and this discussion is what I loved about this story. You can only have Superman questioning his ethics and decisions if he is depowered.

During this preparation, the Shadow Demons of Wrath show up. Everyone wades in. And when they see Superman tearing through them like paper mache, they know these things aren't sentient. Kendo blades and bullets are allowed.

But ... when did we learn that?

We have seen people in Metropolis go from human to demon. We have seen Lee infected by the shadows. When did this go from demonized humans to mindless automatons? Like many parts of this nonlinear multi-title storyline, I felt I needed more information. Maybe we learn about this later?

There are a lot of shadow demons. Luckily Superman's wild card, Batman, just happens to arrive at the time of the battle. Even Superman knew he needed more firepower. And with friends at a minimum, he had to call in this frenemy.

But even this irks me a bit. Not Diana. Not the Flash. Not a Green Lantern. The unknown armored Batman. Really?

And, of course, he didn't call Kara, his blood family. Because ....

Well we will never get an answer to this question.

Of course, it does seem odd that Vandal would have so many shadow demons nearby to defend this place. The uranium can't be worth so much to require so many shadow defenders. Why not have Savage's live  troops? Why not stay himself? What could be going on? And maybe Savage is trying to hide something in plain sight? Defend only with shadows and only when needed?

Superman realizes that all of Savage's gambits are about stealing energy, from his own, to villain's, to the portable sun. All that energy has to be being prepped for something big. The heroes use the C4 to blow up the snow to see if there is something beneath the surface.

It seems a bit idiotic to me that Savage wouldn't stash the pieces of his anti-Superman plot in a safer, more defended place. Did he think that burying his ill-gotten gains in the snow would be the right move? Of all the places Savage must have around the globe, putting these critical elements in an open space was the best idea?

Okay, he is a stupid super-villain. Maybe he thought it was wise.

But what is it he is hiding??

Oh my god.

It's a nazi gunship.

First off, he buried a portable sun under snow? A sun we know is strong enough to vaporize a city. Am I to guess that the green globe dampened the sun's power so much that it didn't melt the snow?

But next, Savage's grand plan to defeat Superman and rule the world is a giant Nazi gunship? This thing is what he needs the Quarmer's for, what he drained Superman, Atomic Skull and everyone else for? This is what he needs a small sun for? And uranium for?

A Nazi gunship?

Now I feel even more cheated. Talk about a hackneyed plot device. Talk about something that could probably be taken down by just about any super-hero group. This just felt silly. Especially when we have been told that The Truth is supposed to be some deep, mature exploration of who Superman is and what he represents.

I guess I should wait to see what this thing ends up being. But I laughed when I saw this. And not in a good way.

So overall, I like Clark in this issue, a true rarity in The Truth. But the lack of explanation about the demons lack of life, the idea that Savage would leave his major gains buried and virtually undefended, the fact that his coup de grace is a giant Nazi warship made me question the story-telling here.

As I said, the art is very easy on the eyes. The Shadow Demon melee is energetic.

Overall grade: C+

Review: Batman/Superman #24

Batman/Superman #24 came out last week, the apparent conclusion to this title's opening arc of 'The Truth'. Much like last week's Action Comics, this one book ends with a decent cliffhanger and reveal. It has some good moments which show an understanding of the essence of the Superman character. But there are also some head-scratching moments as well. The story's conflict has something of a quick wrap-up, also similar to this week's Action Comics.

Writer Greg Pak has a grasp of the heroic nature of Superman. He has had him grow in this storyline, moving from dude on a motorcycle to someone rejecting the 'dark' tactics of Batman. He also has had Superman experience the rough conditions of life in Subterranea, an environment Clark contributed to. It is interesting to see Superman sympathize with these people who he plunged into darkness.

The art on the issue is something of a hodge podge of good artists. Adrian Syaf, Yildiray Cinar, Howard Porter, and Vicente Cifuentes all contribute here and most have a similar enough style to make this book flow fine. I do like the Kuder cover. Has a sort of anime movie poster feel to it.

The conflict is clear. WayneTech has an unstable miniature sun they are trying to somehow get rid of. Uruk, the leader of the refugee camps of Subterranea, wants to sun to power his lands. He is aided by a group of terrorists called Dawn Patrol. Aquaman has joined their side because he thinks the sun will poison the sea.

Superman just wants the conflict to end peacefully. And with this sun being unstable, Superman knows that the answer of simply giving the sun to Uruk doesn't make sense. And because of that, Superman is the enemy.

Aquaman ends up fighting Superman to try to stop Clark from foiling Uruk's plans. While I am sick of seeing heroes (especially friends) fighting each other, I was glad to see Aquaman tell Superman to stand down or take a fall. He doesn't want to truly harm his friend.

We also get a harder definition of just how depowered Superman is. Aquaman is 100x as powerful as Superman right now. Wow. Superman is really weak right now.

It doesn't stop Clark from trying to do the right thing. With the battle now on the WayneTech ocean refinery, Superman pushes Uruk out of the way of being vaporized by the blasts coming from the unstable sun.

Even Uruk has to be impressed. He was just trying to skewer Superman. And here, Superman saves him.

Inspirational.

It turns out that Batman has a plan to get rid of the sun. He puts it on a rocket platform hoping to blast it far enough away from the planet so its inevitable explosion won't hurt anyone.

Superman jumps on board as well. He wants to pilot this thing since he figures he has a better chance of surviving this trip than Gordon.

As the sun lashes out, Superman seems to tolerate its blasts. I don't know if this means he has maintained the ability to absorb the sun's energies? Or if he is still that tough. Regardless, he doesn't seem energized.

And then the quick ending.

Dawn Patrol grabs the sun, plucking it out of the sky. The ship either is incinerated by the sun or teleports away. And the Patrol all teleport away. They got what they wanted (just like Wrath teleported away when she got what she wanted).

So this seemed a little quick to me, just like when Wrath did it. Why did they need to do all this? I hope we find out.

Lucius Fox reaches out to help the people of Subterranea.
Batman chastises Superman for being too impulsive and sentimental. Things are more dangerous with a depowered Superman around.

Perhaps the whole purpose of this story is too isolate Superman completely. He has no home in Metropolis. He can't hang out in Gotham with Batman. We see how Smallville hates him. Where can he go?

If only Superman had a family member he could lean on in these trying times. If only, let's say, he had a cousin who he could call on for support. If only ....

(Rolls eyes.)

There is a sort of tacked on ending to this issue which I don't get. I don't read the Batman books but it seems Bruce Wayne is living 'undercover' as the owner of an orphanage. He is raising kids.

Superman stops by. The scene is a throwback to one of the earliest issues of this title when Pak and Jae Lee had Bruce and Clark interact with kids. (Even the art seems to want to be like Jae Lee.)  Here we see Bruce adopting some of Clark's kinder ways.

But I don't think this added anything to this story. I don't know why Clark looks cleaner and happier. I don't know how Bruce is hiding out in his home town with only a beard as his disguise.

And then another reveal. In Action Comics we saw Wrath enter a dimension where three other villains were scheming against Superman. Here we learn who one of them is ... Vandal Savage.

That is a nice reveal. Savage is a big enough villain to be a challenge for Superman.

So I like how Clark acted in this issue. This was a more natural feel of Superman than he was in the earlier parts of this arc. And I like that the Subterranea subplot was dealt with.

But this didn't have the energy of the Action arc. This story, as a whole, hasn't really grabbed me. In my mind, I am putting this chronologically after Action. Superman leaves Metropolis and heads to Gotham. But I don't know if that is true.

Still, at least The Truth, as a whole, is moving forward.

Overall grade: B-

Review: Batman/Superman #23

Batman/Superman #23 came out last week, the second title Greg Pak is writing that is involved with The Truth. Unfortunately, this book came out the same week as Action Comics, the other Pak book covering The Truth. I say unfortunately because this book couldn't help but suffer in comparison to Action.

Of course, The Truth is taking a roundabout look at Superman's story, telling 4 separate stories. While Action is looking at what is happening in Metropolis, and Superman/Wonder Woman is looking at what is happening in Smallville, Batman/Superman is looking at what is happening in Gotham and Subterranea. With disparate plots, it is easier to compare and contrast the approach.

In this book, Superman is acting more and more like Batman, like a street level vigilante, riding a tech-loaded motorcycle and relishing the fisticuffs. With the focus of the story moving to Subterranea, Superman needs to wrestle with this identity crisis and decide who he wants to be.

And above ground, Jim Gordon begins to investigate Superman, wondering if the Man of Steel is trustworthy. What a terrible DCU we have when Commissioner Gordon doesn't trust Superman. And to rub salt in the wounds, we see that distrust spread into Superman's supporting cast.

The cover dress is 'Alienation'. I suppose it works to remind us that Superman is alone now. Some close friends have turned on him. And he is down in the depths of an alien nation. 

Adrian Syaf, Vicente Cifuentes, and Beth Sotelo do a good job on art mixing the fantasy landscape of Subterranea with the above ground, more normal scenes.

Pak does do a good job of making the antagonists of the piece sympathetic. Ukur is now leading Subterranea. And all he is looking for is light and an energy source so his people can live. It is enough to make Clark question his next move. We went from the bullish guy who was craving a fight last issue to someone wondering if he should be helping.

I definitely like this panel as we see the magnificence of Subterranea, as seen in those earlier Action issues, reduced to a camp of tents, lit by fires. And while I am sure that Clark doesn't regret stopping these folks from using living creatures as an energy source, there is no doubt that he is somewhat responsible for their current state.

The WayneTech experimental sun is the easy answer to Subterranea's problems. But Batman doesn't care. He moves the sun to a safe place.

But this is where that ugly New 52 feeling rears its head. Gordon wonders out loud to Lucius Fox if Superman can be trusted! What a terrible question, reflecting how insane this DCU Is. At least Fox knows that the police of Gotham haven't exactly been trustworthy with Clark either.

One of my main complaints about last issue was this feeling that Superman was devolving into a street level crude brawler. I wonder if Pak was baiting a trap, knowing he was going to change directions an issue later here.

This Superman knows his powers are severely diminished. He knows he can't win a huge brawl. He wonders if he should call in his powerful hero friends. But then he knows that he has to win this as Superman. I suppose that means trying to be an inspirational figure, trying to talk through the problem and get to a peaceful end.

It leads to a fun little riff where Superman says he has to act like Batman, donning a 'costume' to hide his face (Subterranea armor found on a fallen soldier) and going undercover. Superman even calls himself lucky for surviving, a word Batman used to describe himself in Miller's Year One and DKR.

That theme of Clark feeling more human, more like 'the little guy', is accentuated when Supes learns that part of this Subterranea refugee camp are humans, escaped prisoners from Gotham prison.  Of course, the prisoners are sympathetic figures, not hard criminals.

And then, the worst moment of the book ... so bad it overwhelmed almost everything else.

Gordon decides to actually investigate Clark and if he can be trusted. Sigh.

But then, in a sequence I simply can't believe, Perry White throws Clark under the bus. He doesn't trust Clark. He doesn't want to work with Clark. He doesn't want to see Clark.

This is ridiculous. 

A Superman people don't trust. A Perry that hates Clark. What an awful place this is.

It is followed by the best moment of the book. Lois follows and then confronts Gordon.

And she defends him! "Clark will always do the right thing."

Gordon worries this makes Clark a dictator, not thinking of the 'little people'. But I think this simply means that Clark is a better, more human person than most. He thinks of what is truly right. He puts others' needs above his own.

It is great to see Lois defending Superman and Clark. But we still need to learn why she did what she did.

But this mohawked, brash, angry Gordon is a far cry from the archetypal Gordon in my mind.

Meanwhile, back in Subterranea, Superman is truly exposed to the plight of these people.

Ukur is something of a charismatic leader, giving a rousing speech that galvanizes his people. In a slick style, Ukur disparages his prior accomplishments only to then promise light and heat in Subterranea once more. He promises to bring the WayneTech sun to their land.

Even Superman is effected by the speech. Look at him, raising his arm in unison with the crowd, almost blank-eyed. Does Superman empathize so much with the plight of these people as to get caught up in the fervor? Or does Ukur have some mild mind control powers?

I wonder if, now grounded and near powerless, suddenly Superman understands the plight of 'normal people' a little better. His Smallville days are a while ago. Maybe he needs a reminder of what it means to be human.

I am trying to look for the best in this arc. But part of me wants a Superman who doesn't need to be reminded.

And then, a decent cliffhanger.

Ukur has an ally, someone who can help claim the sun ... Aquaman.

Now I don't read the Aquaman title. I don't know what is going on in that book. Would Aquaman join Ukur? Is he anti-surface? Or is this another sign that Ukur has some mind powers?

So, I think this is an up and down sort of issue. The 'Superman as Batman' riff is sort of interesting. Clark's thoughts that he has to be the person to help end this, not someone with a clenched fist, is also nice. And lastly, the Lois scene is very good.

But the Perry scene is a disaster. The all too easy ' Gotham prisoners are victims of  circumstance, not evil criminals' feels a bit too simple a turn. And lastly, the foundation of The Truth, the depowered Superman, on the run, not trusted, and shunned by friends ... I still can't get behind this.

I suppose that means I should give Greg Pak some kudos for engaging me as a reader, even for a little bit in this issue.

Overall grade: C

Review: Batman/Superman #22

Batman/Superman #22 came out this week, the next chapter in The Truth, the next issue of this arc with the label justice, and the next issue of this arc which reads quite different from the one which preceded it.

Last week, I read the Greg Pak written Action Comics #42. That issue showed a Superman willing to stand up for people, to be a wall of justice, and to inspire. Of all of The Truth, Action Comics is the comic which comes closest to some version of Superman I can get behind.

In Batman/Superman #22, Greg Pak writes a slightly different Superman. This is a brasher Superman, a darker Superman, a bit more of an anti-hero of a Superman. And while there are brief glimpses of a more classic Superman here and there in this book, the overall feeling is of a crass super-powered dude.

The cover for Action Comics showed a Superman bound in chains, standing between people and a squad of soldiers, trying to squelch a riot. I can get behind that image. The cover here is Superman on a motorcycle, in front of a busted down storefront, beneath a blood red sky. This gives of a very different vibe. Slip a skull t-shirt on him and this is a Punisher cover.

And it is this disparity between the tones of the different titles which ends up taking me out of The Truth. Because I can't wrap my head around this Superman. Caring and inspirational (Action)? Brash and crass (Batman/Superman)? Angry and unhinged (Superman/Wonder Woman)? Idiotic and inane (Superman)? I feel like I am on an episode of 'To Tell The Truth'. Will the real Superman please stand up?

The art on the book is done by Adrian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes with colors by a team of colorists. At times in this book, it looks like Syaf and Cifuentes are trying to ape Romita Jr. and Aaron Kuder. I suppose it is a way to try to streamline this series.

Last issue, Superman and the Jim Gordon Batman were about to square off. A group of armored behemoths have been attacking Gotham and Superman is there to help. Batman isn't sure if he wants the help.

Superman extends his hand in an attempt to form an alliance. The weapons the beings are using are energy draining tech. Together, maybe the two heroes can put an end to the attacks.

Gordon, of course, really wants no part of it. You would think after working for years with Batman that he would be more open to working with 'vigilantes'. But Gordon knows Superman is wanted. And, linking to Action, he also knows Superman punched a cop. I suppose a 'by the books' guy like Gordon would not want this team up with a 'criminal'. (Yeesh, I have called Superman a vigilante and a criminal in that paragraph. Something is wrong.)

The bad part is the last panel. Superman is losing his temper, becoming angry. He is less patient than he once was. I am not against a furrowed brow and grit teeth on Superman in the right instance. But this seems too soon.

Clark has to admit that he is still getting used to this lack of power. He can't fly in thinking he is going to be fine and save the day. He can be hurt physically. And he can be hurt psychologically. Trusting someone is a risk. Gordon welcomes him to humanity.

And while this is a decent moment, I had to shake my head at it. Clark was raised human. He acted as a human. He had a job, paid rent, had friends, fell in love. He has been hurt romantically. He trusted Jimmy. He loved his parents.

Superman is supposed to be teaching us how to be the best humans we can be. He shouldn't be getting life lessons from Jim Gordon in a robotech mecha.

Superman tells Batman that he isn't leaving, so Gordon begrudgingly teams up.

Superman is able to use a bat-copter to track the draining weapons as they converge on a Wayne Tech facility. Suddenly Gordon realizes that he could easily be on the run like Superman. If people learn it is Gordon under the mask, he could also be marked, targeted, hunted.

Now I don't know why Gordon would hate Superman for this. Recognizing they are similar should bring empathy from Gordon, not hate.

And look at that second panel, with the shading on Superman's face. That just looks like Romita Jr. No?

Lucius Fox is at the Wayne warehouse. Fox is worried about the 'Dawn Command', early morning technology thieves, most likely the armored beings with the energy draining weapons. And this would be a great target for them.

Because the tech division of Wayne Enterprises has created a 'small sun' which they are housing in this building. The sun is unstable. The company wants to move it but they fear it will explode and incinerate part of the city.

Again, we see that crass Superman. He decides he'll flex his muscles and defend the building from the Dawn Command and leave the moving of the sun to Batman. He tosses a wrench at Gordon's head while smirking.

Is that really Superman?

In a nice call back to an earlier arc, it turns out the Dawn Command are from Subterranea, a kingdom in Pak's earliest Action issues. Subterranea was using living animals as a fuel source and Superman stopped that. Now the general of Subterranea, Uruk, is coming to the surface to find energy sources and get his revenge. While I didn't post it here, the splash reveal of Uruk has a Kuder-ness about it. And initally we see Superman laughing his head off as he jumps into the fight wielding a giant wrench.

A cackling Superman, wallowing gleefully as he enters a brawl, and swinging a wrench? I don't know if that is the image people have when they think of Superman.

Finally though we see a smidge of 'Superman'. He realizes that maybe the mini-sun could be used for Subterranea's energy crisis. He allows Uruk to throttle him so he can get close enough to say that there is a way all this could end peacefully.

And for a second, Uruk seems to think about it.

Yay inspiration! Yay high road!

But how can you go from wrench swinging thug to diplomat in a couple of pages?

Unfortunately, in that pause, Gordon impales Uruk, literally stabbing him in the back. Uruk heads back underground screaming  that the city will burn.

And then we get another peek at a more classic Superman. Depowered and battered, he is still going down to Subterranea to try to calm down Uruk and stop the impending attack. This Superman wants peace.

That last sentence is great. The real Batman wouldn't have speared Uruk. Gordon isn't Batman.

I guess I can say this was something of an uneven book. The art seems uneven. The characterization of Superman seems uneven. I suppose I can try to rationalize it by saying that this Superman is still learning what this new depowered reality means. He might be reeling from the chaos of his life and as a result he is emotionally all over the map.

But between the odd extremes in this issue and the different tones of all the titles, I feel like I am on unstable ground as a reader.

And, like I said in a recent review, I just want to read  a good Superman story. And I don't think we are there. At least not yet.

Overall grade: C+