Bullet Review: DC KO #5

DC KO #5 came out last week, finishing the story and, in theory, rebooting the DC universe yet again. Will there be any repercussions from this reboot from a continuity view? It doesn't feel like it. It feels like this was both an event and a non-event as it swept through all the books, was labelled an event on the cover, but ultimately will need to no tangible change other than Superman being out of the books for a while.

Perhaps the most memorable thing to the book is the sort of rock-em sock-em plot, the fight club style issues leading to the championship bout in this issue. I think we all knew it would end up being Superman fighting Darkseid. Too bad the bracket wasn't a true bracket. This issue is a sort of boxing match of cosmic proportions with the Universal Ruler being the title. 

Scott Snyder does a fine job putting Superman as the center of the DC Universe again, setting him up to be the core of things. I also think the ending where Superman reveals his plan is true to his character. I don't know if there was any revelation here either. All that said, the book is filled with some solid moments if you are a fan of Superman.

Javi Fernandez and Xermanico are on art. The art is cosmic. Some of the pages are wonderfully composed. And there are good flourishes worth pointing out that make the book a pretty solid visual feast.

The parts are more than the whole in this series though. Nice moments throughout but that don't come together into something more.

On to those moments.

Review: Superman #35

Superman #35 came out last week, another DC KO crossover and another chapter in the redemption arc for Superboy Prime. It succeeds on both fronts. There is an interesting wrinkle to the Doomsday storyline as well, perhaps leading into a dramatic event in the actual KO finale as well. 

Joshua Williamson has done a good job so far making me a little sympathetic towards Prime, veering into actually liking him. Prime has learned some hard lessons and continues to do so in this arc, reminding him why Superman was his hero so long ago. This issue Williamson reminds us who Prime has been in the past, and maybe showing that he still has some darkness in him. Perhaps some down to Earth Kent wisdom will help tamp down the remaining vitriol.

The Doomsday piece does intrigue me as it is basically a new element to his origin and changes him fundamentally. I suppose that Doomsday becoming the Time Trapper was a big step already, one that makes some sense. I recall hearing that Dan Jurgens didn't like that change so I doubt Jurgens will be on board with this one either.

Eddy Barrows is again on art and continues to show why he is a favorite. The fight scenes are brutal. There are emotional scenes with heft. The pages layouts are interesting. But the high water mark for art here is the expressive work, a strong part of Barrows' art.

Will the events of this change the climax of KO? I think so.

On to the book.

Review: Superman #34

Superman #34 came out last week, a DC KO tie in and a pretty big treat for a Legion fan like me. More impressive than the LSH stuff in the issue is that somehow writer Joshua Williamson continues to make me like reading his Superboy Prime.

The KO stuff is really on the periphery of the issue. The main plot is Prime, Lois, and a Superman Robot trying to get to Doomsday to give him the information we learned from the Lara Lor-Van tapes. That trip takes a few detours as we get to contrast the brash Prime to the earnest Superman simulacrum. We are on a sort of redemption tour for Prime and his being inspired by an automaton is a nice wrinkle.

We know Josh Williamson is going to be writing a Legion of Super-Heroes book in the future. Maybe we see some glimpses of what he thinks of the Legion in this book. I hope that book sings.

Eddy Barrows is on art and I have always loved his work. He really has shined on this arc and it is great to see his take on these DC KO landscape. His splash pages are fantastic. And wait until you see his Legion.

On to the book.

Bullet Review: DC KO #3

DC KO #3, written by Scott Snyder with art by Javi Fernandez, came out this week and was another bonkers, high energy brawl of a book as our heroes and villains vie to see who will win the title King Omega and take on Darkseid to reinvent the universe.

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. 

But then ...

Review: Superman #33

Superman #33 came out last week, a Luthor solo story showing his round 2 DC KO brawl with Etrigan. Written by Joshua Williamson with art by Hayden Sherman, it is a deep dive into the intricacies of Lex's mind and history so was an intersting read.

Since the beginning of this volume of Superman, Lex has been front and center. The whole premise by Williamson was showcasing the Lex/Superman relationship as Luthor wanted to befriend Superman, first for nefarious reasons and then because he was turned. Then House of Brainiac, amnesia, a truly good (almost naive) Lex emerging, only to have his unsavory life outlook sort of resurface. For sure, Lex has been complicated.

In this issue, Lex dwells on his mindset and background. He has an 'ends justify the means' foundation that he uses to justify every decision he has made in life, from literally making a deal with the devil to doing what he needs to do to advance in this Omega tournament. Throw in the Demon, Etrigan's own history, some deep DC history, and this is a worthy even tie-in.

Hayden Sherman is on art and brings a great style to the proceedings. I have just started to discover Sherman's work while reading Batman Dark Patterns and Absolute Wonder Woman back issues. One of the best things in this book is the page layouts with creative panels and page layouts. I don't know if his style is best for Superman but for an issue mostly located in Hell? Perfect. Alejandro Sanchez's color schemes of oranges, reds, and yellows only accentuates it.

If I had one nitpick, this issue could have used some editors notes pointing out where some flashbacks took place. 

On to the book. 

Review: DC KO: Superman Vs. Captain Atom #1

D.C. K.O. : Superman Vs. Captain Atom #1 came out this week, a tie-in to the latest big company-wide crossover D.C. K.O.  

This event is one of those 'don't think about it too hard' sort of stories for me. If you try to actually understand what is happening - a Heart of Apokolips chaos engine pitting characters against each other in a tournament to create the King Omege to fight Darkseid - you'll probably get a headache. Or say 'comic book science'. 

A bigger problem I have with this event is it was built as a bracket style tournament but the first round was a battle royale. So why put out a bracket for fans to fill out? Why not do two promos? First pick the 16 Battle Royale winners and then set up the bracket for fans to fill. It sort of let some air out of the fun.

Still, everyone likes a good brawl and certainly Superman vs. Captain Atom is a great brawl. Writer Joshua Williamson does his best to inject some characterization into the proceedings. The point of this book is 'who will go the farthest' to get this power. No one thinks Superman can take that step. And Captain Atom, who has flirted with being a despot, just might. There are some good bests here. 

Sean Izaaske is on art here and has a lot to contend with. Multiple rounds. Multiple versions of the characters. Multiple settings. And an ending that veers into a Grant Morrison-esque fourth wall busting. The work is pretty impressive.

But in the end, this seems like a wrestling match with a good pre-bout speeches.

On to the book.

Review: Superman #32

Superman #32 came out last week, a true tie-in to DC KO with some replayed scenes and added moments to that storyline. But the main thrust of this issue is two-fold. One, Luthor entering the fray. Two, Lois dealing with the Absolute Legion while she tries to help her husband.

Writer Joshua Williamson has been focusing on the Luthor/Superman relationship this entire series with Lex going from duplicitous and villainous to inspired to amnestic to philosophical to now back to being villainous. Seeing Luthor say he is the better person to wield to Heart of Apokolips and win the tournament is a nice new addition to their dealings in this book. Is this a quick heel turn for Lex who went to Nanda Parbat to hide and meditate? Maybe. But the world is at stake. 

As for Lois, I have been enjoying her dealing with Superboy Prime who is at his most likeable in this story. How did she get her powers back? Who knows. It had been hinted at that they had been stolen from General Zod. Did he regain them only to lose them again? Will we ever find out the hows and whys of these.

Eddy Barrows is on art again and brings a nice aesthetic to the whole thing, a mix of a fine lined pencil work to excellent shadowing. I like how DC is using Barrows, having come in for a few issues and not saddling him with the idea of a monthly book. His art is great and I always like seeing it.

One thing about this issue is that it does spend some pages retelling things I have read in this title and in the DC KO #1 issue. I suppose there are readers who haven't read the other and these recaps help.

On to details.

Review: Superman #31

Superman #31 came out this week, a tie in to DC K.O. complete with banner at the top. W e have already had the first issue of that event comic so this is a sort of prequel, showing us what happened just before Superman entered the arena. Maybe there are a couple of hints sprinkled in too.

Writer Joshua Williamson gives us a pretty good tour of Superman's life as he struggles with the idea of entering a tournament, fighting friends, in hopes of coming King Omega, fueled by conquest. On its face, that doesn't sound like Superman. So no surprise, he would be looking for advice and answers. The ultimate answer comes from an unexpected source.

We also get a healthy dollop of Lois in the book which always makes me smile. Even staring a universal cataclysm in the face, she is brave and keeps asking the right questions. I will say there is one part of Lois' story here that struck me as a little off but it is a quibble.

In what is a great surprise, Eddy Barrows is back on art. His work is so polished. Between splashes and subtle flourishes, this exposition heavy book still looks gorgeous. And love his Lois.

All in all, this is a solid issue, an early lead into cross-company event. So glad we got a little of the background on what the super-family was doing leading up to the fight.

On to the book.