Review: Superman The Last Days of Lex Luthor #3

In August 2023, DC released The Last Days of Lex Luthor #1. 

In April 2025, DC released the finale, The Last Days of Lex Luthor #3, the book I am here to review a day. It is interesting that the last 2 chapters came out within a month of each other, but nearly 2 years after the first. 

My philosophical question for the readers is this. Do dramatic delays in a comic release somehow impact your enjoyment of it? I can't help but think that Doomsday Clock might have read better if it came out in a timely fashion. Or if read in one sitting when you aren't wondering when the next chapter is coming out.

I know. Why am I talking Doomsday Clock in a review of this book?

This is a fine Elseworld book. This has an interesting, and I might say controversial, ending. I don't know if I like the ending here. The art by Bryan Hitch and Kevin Nowlan is scintillating. I am glad I bought and read this. From the tour of the DCU to the update of the Luthor origin to the interplay between Lex and Superman, it has been a fun read.

But I really wanted to be blown away by the ending of this book, probably because I have been waiting so long for it. And that is probably unfair of me to have scheduling drama alter my expectations. Of course, the ending falling flat for me is probably as big a reason as any.

On to the book.

Review: Superman The Last Days of Lex Luthor #2

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.

Review: Superman The Last Days Of Lex Luthor #1

A Mark Waid Superman book is always fantastic. A Mark Waid Superman book should always be trumpeted from the highest hill. Bryan Hitch is a modern comic legend. Hitch doing a DC book should be big news. And Hitch inked by Kevin Nowlan is a dream team! A Mark Waid/Bryan Hitch Superman book? That should be heavily promoted ... everywhere.

So how did Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor #1 sneak up on me? Because this is just what I would expect a Mark Waid/Bryan Hitch Superman book to be, near perfect. This is a modern book with Bronze Age sensibility and reverence. I was blown away by how spectacular this first issue was and I fear it will go unnoticed.

Waid gives us the Superman we need, willing to do anything to help people, even someone like Luthor. When Lex says he is dying, Superman agrees to help save his enemy. But we see some peeks that lead me to believe that Superman blames himself for Lex's turn to evil, an echo from classic DC history. Throw in action, the Fortress, and Kandor and you have a great milieu to tell a wonderful story.

I am not the biggest Hitch fan but inked by Nowlan (an artist I am a big fan of) leads to a sleek presentation. The story moves all around allowing the art team to stretch itself. I love the Chris Samnee variant cover I picked, especially because the wedding ring is so apparent.

But the best thing for me, again, is how Waid references the Lex/Superman origin I grew up with. Waid also opens and closes the book with that flashback, or that hint of a flashback, which just bookended the issue nicely. 

Much like World's Finest, if you are a Superman fan you need to get this.

On to details.

Leviathan Theory: Event Leviathan #6 Cover & Maxwell Lord

I have a #Leviathan Theory and I am sticking to it.
Leviathan is Ted Kord, with the help of the other Charlton Heroes.
Much of that has been driven by the Watchmen-like vibes I have seen in a number of stories. The Watchmen characters were based on the Charlton characters. It is a sort of dark mirror image of each other once over sort of theme.
I had a cutesy little catch phrase too! 'This time I'm right!'

I have back-up theories. I have reviewed the clues. You can read all those posts here:
comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/search/label/Leviathan%20Theory

But I started this whole #LeviathanTheory thread with the idea it was Ted and I have to stick to that. In poker talk, I am pot committed.

Unfortunately, I am starting to think, this time I'm wrong.

Because when I saw the covers to Event Leviathan #6, my mind started leaning towards Leviathan being Maxwell Lord.

Part of that is the shadows of the Leviathan Troops in this Bryan Hitch cover. While I know they are the helmeted troops we have seen in this title, in silhouette, they look an awful lot like OMACs.

And in the Main cover, we see the Leviathan mask peeling away revealing a 'third eye' in the middle of the forehead. While you might think of Despero or Starro, it feels more like the Brother Eye eye.

I mean, those guys on the first cover look like this.

And given Maxwell Lord's connection to OMAC's back in the Infinite Crisis time, it all seems to make sense.

Review: Superman Special #1 (2018)

With the Bendis era around the corner, DC has allowed the current Superman creative teams a little breathing room to wrap up some storylines.  Earlier this month we had  Action Comics Special #1 , an extra issue to let Dan Jurgens finish one of his ongoing plots, the complex recent relationship between Superman and Lex Luthor.

This week we got Superman Special #1 which allows Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason one last chance to showcase the super-family as well as close out a lingering plot point, the destiny of Captain Storm.
As this is a special, we also get a couple of short bonus stories, perhaps inventory left unpublished before now.

I have touted the Tomasi/Gleason run since it started so no surprise I love their story.  It is a nice amalgam of the father/son relationship we have seen grow in this book, a wonderful representation of Lois (something missing before Rebirth), and a nod to heroes of all ages. It ends with a literal closing of the door, a symbolic way for the creators to show that their time here is done.

The art on the main story is done by Scott Godlewski who brings a nice feel to the piece, bring a little Darwyn Cooke and a little Wayne Boring to the proceedings, totally appropriate for an adventure on Dinosaur Island.

But the key thing is that it made me once again realize that despite firing on all cylinders, this team is being nudged out. I am hopeful that Bendis is bringing something phenomenal.

On to the book.

Bullet Review: Justice League Rebirth #1

I wasn't necessarily planning on reviewing Justice League Rebirth #1 but the story ended up having a healthy chunk of Superman in it so I thought I could bullet review it.

Now, I'll be up front about one thing, and I'll be ready to face the slings and arrows, but I am not a big fan of Bryan Hitch's art. That was probably the biggest reason I stayed away from his JLA book. The upcoming Justice League will have Tony Daniel art and I love his work. So I am going to check that out.

From reading this issue, Hitch seems to capture the voices of the JL members pretty well. The premise of this book is how the League is reacting to their being a new Superman active on Earth. And we get the reverse premise, how this new (old?) Superman regards this League. I don't think this necessarily jibes with the prior times Diana and Bruce have met this Superman. But I'll roll with it.

I have to assume the plot that brings everyone together is a tease towards what Hitch is planning to bring to the new title. And I'll have to see how that plays out there because I wasn't blown away with the premise. But it did tug at the old heart strings when in the end the team names themselves the League. And I liked that the people of Earth (at least via a new report) recognize the League as protectors. There wasn't a whiff of grim, dark distrust anywhere here.

On to the book!