Review: Superman #693

Superman #693, written by James Robinson and illustrated by Fernando Dagnino, came out last week and the whole issue was devoted to Mon-El's plight as a captive of General Lane.

In some ways it was again gratifying to see an issue that didn't seem to jump around to all the subplots that Robinson was has been introducing. This was an issue about Mon-El and his story.

And the story itself was pretty good, showcasing the resilience of Mon-El, both physically and mentally.

As usual though, there are some parts of this issue that I am scratching my head about.

It is important to remember that the 'death of Mon-El' was a rallying cry for General Lane, another way to swing public sentiment against New Krypton and in particular the Metropolis Three.



The issue starts with Mon-El in a sort of sensory deprivation tank. While Agent Assassin attempts to pry into his mind, General Lane gloats over his capture. It is a nice set of panels, drawn from Mon-El's perspective. I thought that was a nice touch.

But there is another thing to point out here. All along I have felt that there is an undercurrent of malice between General Lane and Mirabai. For now it seems General Lane is commanding her. But I still get the sense that Mirabai is playing him as much as he thinks he is using her. Look at how they both say 'You're welcome' to each other. Things aren't 100% rosy between them ... I'm sure of it.



When the tank can't break Mon-El's resolve, Lane places the Daxamite in a prison chair beneath a red sun lamp and decides to talk to him.

It seems that Lane wants to convince Mon-El to join Project 7734. Now that is an interesting turn of events. Certainly Mon-El would be a powerful ally. In an attempt to turn Mon, Lane shows him everything that Project 7734 is up to. We see shots of the Human Defense Corps, Luthor battle suits, GI Robot, and alien experimentation. It looks like a fairly formidable army.

In fact, Lane tells Mon-El to follow him or be opened up on the operating table bu Dr. Calomar, yet another rogue scientist from Gorilla City.

While I understand that the red tint of these panels is emanating from the red sun lamps, it certainly adds a feeling of malevolence to the discussion.



But there is more to show Mon-El than just the troops of Project 7734. We see that Natasha Irons (still acting as Jenny Blake) and Major Force are also taking orders from the General (although in Irons case it is as a double agent).

Finally we see Lane's 'core team', the heavy hitters ... Metallo, Atlas, Parasite, and Mirabai.

Incredibly, Lane thinks that showing Mon-El that these would be his teammated would be a selling point for the hero. Lane does say that he thinks Mon-El truly wants to protect Earth and that means standing against General Zod. But showing this scum to Mon-El would not be a way to convince him.



As expected, the move backfires. Mon-El calls the core team what they are: a psychopath, a killer, a bully, and a trickster.

Showing some great courage, Mon-El says he chooses to be dissected rather than join Lane. Instead of granting him that wish, Lane decides to let Atlas treat Mon-El like a punching bag. He is beaten for two weeks.

I thought this was a very good scene, really letting the reader see how heroic Mon-El is, especially in the panel above, showing the shackled but defiant Mon-El.



Just when things look lost, just when Calomar starts talking about a 'strenuous battery of tests' he is going to run, Mon-El is handed a life line.

Turns out the Parasite hasn't bought into everything that General Lane is selling. He was captured and brought to Mirabai's world just like Mon-El was. But the Parasite didn't have the fortitude that Mon-El does. He joined Project 7734.

He joined, that is, until he can get away. And surprisingly he has a plan. The Parasite did a little drain of a technician and has absorbed the code for the portal home. But he needs Mon-El's help to get there.

With no other choice, Mon-El agrees.



The two fight there way through the ranks and get to the portal.

While uneasy allies, their differences are apparent. Mon-El just wants to get to the door. The Parasite doesn't mind leaving a few bodies in his wake. The fact that Mon-El jeopardizes his own escape to save some Project 7734 lackey again shows that he is a true hero.

Mon-El is able to escape, crossing over back to Earth, only to stumble upon the wreckage pf Project 7734. The exit point is the site of Brainiac and Luthor's escape and we saw how violent and destructive that was in Adventure Comics.

There is some nice dialogue between Mon-El and Lane here.

First off, I know foreshadowing when I see it. So when Lane says he knows that Mon-El will take his orders eventually I believe it. Whenever the Earth/New Krypton war happens, Lane will be on Earth's side and so will Mon.

But I find it odd that Lane simply let's Mon-El go. Sure there isn't anything the General can do about it. He is there alone. But he doesn't even give a threatening speech to Mon-El. He tells the Daxamite to go to the Daily Planet.

It just doesn't feel right. Lane has to know that the public sentiment he has so carefully orchestrated could backfire when Mon-El tells all he knows. He has to understand that all his secret plans could be laid before the public. Even if it is empty threat, wouldn't he warn Mon-El to stay quiet ... or else?

Much like Lane's releasing of the Metropolis Three, this quiet acceptance of Mon-El's release is perplexing.

Mon-El vows to show General Lane just what it means to be named Superman's successor. My guess is part of that is for him to don the new outfit with Superman's shield on it.

Regardless, it is a good thing that Mon is heading back to Metropolis because the Science Police look like they will have their hands full with Bizarro.

Overall I thought this was one of the better recent issues of Superman. It did not have that choppy sloppy feeling other issues that dealt more with the ancillary characters in the title. And while I have never claimed to be a big Mon-El fan, this issue did a good job of showing just why Superman would ask him to protect Metropolis.

I also think that Fernando Dagnino's art was one of his best efforts here as well. I think each issue of the Super-family he has done has been better than the last. In particular, I really liked his Parasite.

Overall grade: B+/B

Review: Superman #692

Superman #692 was released last week and seemed to be a sort of rest issue as we pick up on the many plot threads that James Robinson is weaving in this book. In fact, he even added a few more story lines in this issue.

If I have had a complaint about Robinson's run is that he is juggling so many plot lines right now that it is difficult to see if there is a grand plan, a method to his madness. As I have posted in the past, I find myself wondering why pages are being dedicated to certain plots and characters that seem minor to the overall arc when maybe they could be better spent on a bigger theme.

That said, I didn't mind those moments this issue. After Codename:Patriot, we needed an issue to catch up with everything that is going on. More importantly, I thought it was good pacing to see the responses to the 'Metropolis 3' attack on the city and the presumed death of Mon-El.

Still ... another plot line? I don't know if I can keep up with them all.



The issue opens with a group of super-heroes trying to fix the destroyed Metropolis sewers so that water can again flow in the city. Unfortunately, as Dr. Light tells us, the bomb used to destroy the water system including nanotech which undoes any repairs performed on the pipes. And that tech is clearly from John Henry Irons' Ironworks factory.

Irons is alive but in a coma. Again, I wonder why Lane or Atlas would leave Irons alive when they could have easily dispatched him. It makes even less sense if they were going to implicate the Metropolis 3 for the attack on him. Why not implicate them in his murder? Maybe I am more ruthless than General Lane?

The effect of the lack of water is shown in some detail as we listen in to another episode of The Edge of Reason. There isn't enough water for hygiene. There is barely enough for survival.



The haggard appearing Edge then goes into pure propaganda mode, talking about General Lane as a normal man who will save the world from the super-human Kryptonians. Throughout this rant, Lane is shown in incredibly patriotic images while Supergirl and Thara are shown thrashing hte military.

I find it interesting that Lane's influence can reach into a private sector celebrity like Morgan Edge. I hope we learn if there is some back story between the two.

Meanwhile, Mirabai is shown interrogating Zatara.

The more I read, the more I am worried that Mirabai isn't going to always be a good little soldier for General Lane. I wonder if she has her own agenda and working for Lane is just serving a purpose. I mean now she calls herself 'Mirabai the Forlorn' as she playfully twirls a rather nasty looking axe. Her powers seem to have no limit. Even here she has magically silenced Zatara as she questions him telepathically.

Mirabai begins her discussion by telling Zatara that the Mark Merlin he met was actually the Parasite in a false form trying to worm near the magical power source of General Lane's satellite. I think this is a lie. I think that that truly was Merlin.

More interesting is her revelation about who is the power source of the satellite. It is not Prince Ra-Man. In fact it is someone people won't know 'in a thousand years'. That reference to 'a thousand' and all the Legion members running around this comic make me think the source is a magical character from LSH.

You may remember that when Mirabai was underground in the sewer system with Reactron and Metallo she talked about how those close quarters were unnerving to her. Back then I wondered if her claustrophobia meant she was somehow related to Mordru. Now she drops this nugget of information. I know I am not the first on the 'net to say it but I think Mordru is the power source.

The scene ends coldly with Mirabai casting a sleep spell on Zatara and telling him that when he awakes he will serve her in her court. Mirabai may very well be the big bad in this story arc.

Back in Metropolis, The Guardian reveals that Johnathan Kent was in fact Mon-El and that the troops should all raise a glass in his honor.

Jamie Harper looks astonished that Mon was her partner.

I am more astonished at The Guardian. Mon-El is invulnerable. There was no body found. Heroes get resurrected every other day. I am surprised that Harper would reveal the secret identity this early. It seemed a bit incongruous.

In what I thought was a good character development scene, Guardian then tells Jamie how proud he is of her and all her accomplishments. It is a nice moment between a clone and his (?) descendant.

Robinson does a good job of keeping the development of his characters moving forward, of creating three dimensional players out of even the most bit player. I still wonder though if this cast is too large.

And here is yet another character driven scene. Harper's lieutenant Officer Wilcox talks about how she is recently widowed and that her heart is cold right now.

When I first read this scene I wondered why Robinson was giving us more back story on another small cast member. I mean ... am I supposed to care about a Science Police squad leader, the equivalent of a red shirted landing party member in Star Trek?

Well ... it turns out that yes I should care.

Wilcox is later shown in her apartment talking on the phone to someone. As she hangs up she picks up a picture of Princess Projectra and Karate Kid and says 'Val' sadly.

The next panel we see her crying, a Sensor Girl costume in the background. Wilcox is Princess Projectra somehow active in the past! Wow! I didn't see that one coming.

Of course, Projectra became Sensor Girl after Karate Kid (her husband) got killed in combat with Nemesis Kid way back in the Levitz/Giffen Legion of Super-Heroes in the mid 80's. For a while, the Sensor Girl mystery was a hot topic as many thought she was Supergirl, brought back in a clever way by Paul Levitz.

Now I am very interested in why all these Legionnaires are hanging out in the past and what part they play in this arc. And I like Sensor Girl so I am intrigued to see what Robinson is going to do with her. But now I have another big plot line added to this already complex tangle of threads. Is it too much? Will Robinson be able to bring all these subplots together into a grand finale?

The issue ends on a high note as we see General Lane walking through Project 7734. We see some of the different areas within the headquarters and some of the metahumans and creatures he is assembling. We are shown a genetics division. We see the Creature Commandos. And we see this robotic are.

GI Robot? A Manhunter? The original Robotman? Mekanique, the time travelling robot from the early JSA adventures? This is like a wonderful buffet to a DC fanatic like me.

It is clear Robinson also likes the dusty corners of the DCU. When you add these characters to Sensor Girl, Prince Ra-Man, Atlas, etc ... you see that no character cannot be reclaimed and refitted for his story ... for the current continuity.

The last shot is of an angry Mon-El, alive and in captivity in the bowels of Project 7734.

Overall, I actually liked this issue a lot. The more character driven scenes are written well and move the individual stories of these characters forward. No one is a two-dimensional character here; everyone feels fleshed out.

And while no major step forward in the World Against Superman storyline was made, enough bay steps were taken to make me feel that this wasn't a glorified rest issue.

I have to add that I have mixed feelings about the Sensor Girl reveal. I am glad she is back but I wonder if we have room for a new major character in this book.

Fernando Dagnino's art is solid here. I think he enjoys drawing Mirabai; that scene seemed to crackle a bit more than the rest of the book.

So I think the book isn't treading water in terms of plot progression. But it isn't doing the free style either. It feels more like a doggy paddle.

Overall grade: B/B+

Review: Superman #691

Superman #691 marked the conclusion of the Codename:Patriot crossover but clearly the reverberations of this plot are going to be felt for some time. There were no pat endings here.

One thing this arc did show is the sheer cunning that General Lane has. He has plans on top of plans and recognizes not only the weaknesses in his opponents but also how to capitalize on those weaknesses. He seems quite pleased with himself at the end of this issue but pride always comes before the fall.

James Robinson does a good job of making sure the story gets where it needs to. There are a couple of things that we have not seen which I would have liked to know now. For example, while we know that Lane's troops have defeated Flamebird, Nightwing, and Supergirl we don't know what they have done with them. Are the heroes lying unconscious where they fell? In a Project 7734 holding cell? Since deception was such a key part of Lane's plan, I would have liked to see what he did with them.

Renato Guedes did the bulk of the art for the issue although the last pages are done by Eduardo Pansica. Their styles are quite different so there was a jarring feel to the flow of the issue.

Last issue ended with Mon-El and Supergirl (Mirabai) chasing 'Kryptonian nationalists' Nightwing and Flamebird (Reactron and Metallo). Supergirl leads Mon-El into the Metropolis sewers saying she overheard 'Nightwing and Flamebird' talking about blowing up the water systems of the city.

While underground, Mon-El is defeated by the villains who drop their glamour and reveal who they really are.

The more we see Mirabai, the stronger she is shown to be. Wielding magic is one thing. Punching a Daxamite is something completely different.

In fact, she is strong enough to make Metallo apologize for calling her 'baby'. Knowing Metallo, it takes a lot of power to earn his respect/attention. That says a lot about Mirabai.

As does her statement that she finds the sewers 'confining' and wants to leave. I remember that Legion villain Mordru's weakness was severe claustrophobia to the point of becoming catatonic when buried. Could that be a clue to Mirabai's origins?

We know little about Mirabai's back story but I am okay with it here. Her role in the story is different than someone like Superwoman where I felt we needed to know more once the identity was revealed. Here I can roll with it a bit.

The 'blow up the water system' part of Mirabai's ruse turned out to be true. With Mon-El unconscious, the villains trigger their explosives, caving in the sewer system and wreaking havoc in Metropolis.

This might be an overlooked page in the issue but I thought this was another time the 'widescreen' approach to comic art mattered. On this 2 page spread (I am only showing a small part of it) we actually see the citizens of Metropolis enjoying the day until explosions rock the city and send people scattering. Sometimes I think comics lose the 'common person' perspective on the metahuman events happening around them.

Now could those 2 pages have been better used to show what Mirabai did with Mon-El (leave him buried or carry him off) or what has become of Supergirl? Maybe. But I thought it was nice to show how the interplanetary plans of 7734 still have a street-level impact.

Unfortunately, 7734's camera drones are everywhere. The 'Supergirl' attack on Mon-El is broadcast on Morgan Edge's show fanning the flames of public fear of Kryptonians.

It also further cements Lois' feelings about Supergirl. Lois thought Kara was irresponsible about Superwoman. Now Lois sees Kara taking out Mon-El? My hope would be that Lois would see through the charade but she seems all to ready to write off Kara.

Using Morgan Edge as a propaganda tool is another way of showing how far-reaching General Lane's plans are. He has thought about his anti-Kryptonian agenda on all levels - military, governmental, and the average person on the street.

The actions in Metropolis are really just a delaying tactic to make sure that Superman and Ral-Dar are isolated as they streak to Markovia. Remember, Ral-Dar thinks this economic summit is a war council where Earth will declare war on New Krypton.

Superman actually is close to subduing Ral-Dar on his own when General Lane reveals himself ... and the troops he has brought with him. Stunned into near silence, Superman is surprised to not only see Lane alive but to hear that Ral-Dar knows him.

Before Ral-Dar can explain anything to Kal, Lane gives the order to 'fire at will' at the Kryptonians who have to be assumed to be a threat to the president.

The next 2 pages show Superman and Ral-Dar under a withering barrage of Kryptonite lasers. It is a good couple of pages, almost Frank Miller like in rendition. It really conveys the power behind these guns as the two Kryptonians just seem buffeted by the blasts.

If the military has access to such weapons, maybe we would have a shot against a Kryptonian invasion. Not a great shot ... but a shot.

Here is the one let down moment of the book.

So after a two page 'wide screen' spread of shots showing the power of these weapons, Superman simply emerges from the green haze apparently unharmed.

Even more confusing ... Ral-Dar is not only effected by the weapons but appears dead in Superman's arms.

How can there be such a wide discrepancy in the weapons capabilities? Is this going to be a Kingdom Come like explanation where Superman has absorbed yellow sunlight for so long that he would be more resilient to Kryptonite exposure than relative newcomer Ral-Dar?

I would have liked one line about this here. Some explanation thrown out so I don't have to make my own conclusions. Moreover, I would have liked to have one line about Ral-Dar. Is he dead? Unconscious and grievously wounded? Obviously, Lane needs to kill Ral-Dar to make sure all his plans and chicanery are not revealed. That said, if Lane knows that he needs to kill off Ral-Dar for that reason, the same would be true for Flamebird, Nightwing, and Supergirl.

Add to this confusion about the weapons is the sudden shift to the Pansica art which is much muddier than Guedes is elegant lines.

Before Kal can question General Lane about anything, he is urgently called back to New Krypton by Alura. Cradling Ral-Dar's body in his arms, he flies into space.

The book ends with Lane explaining why he activated the Codename:Patriot plan. He is Codename:Patriot! He reached a point where he needed to be more overt in his actions against Kryptonians. He could no longer accomplish his goals from the shadows.

By setting up these events as he did, by sowing the seeds of paranoia, by making people question their faith in their heroes, he was able to come out of the shadows as the defender of Earth. With public support behind him and officials fearful of their lives, Lane will most likely be given the keys to the kingdom.

Much like I have a grudging respect for Vril Dox in R.E.B.E.L.S., I have to respect Lane's plan and his ability to pull it off. Codename:Patriot did everything he wanted it to. And it was a pretty simple and efficient plan. My only question is what he does with everyone who knows what happened. Why would Lane leave Supergirl or Thara or Chris alive if he had them in his clutches. Wouldn't he, of all people, simply eliminate them?

Furthermore, his alliance with Mirabai is shown to be deeper than I expected. Project 7734 has moved it center of operations to Mirabai's world of magic. It's a place of dragons, flying squids, and trolls.

There is an interesting panel I did not show here. Mirabai tells Lane "that was our deal wasn't it? You help me. I help you." The next panel shows a large dragon eating a smaller one. So who is the large dragon here? Is Lane using Mirabai the way he seems capable of using anyone? Or is Mirabai lying in the weeds, feigning a weaker stature but ready to eliminate Lane when it suits her. It is that marriage of words and images that makes comics such a great medium. Maybe I will scan them in later.

As for this world ... I don't particularly recognize it. It does make it less likely that Mirabai is a Native American as some folks postulated.

It did feel a bit too convenient that Superman got called back to New Krypton right before he is able to question Lane. How would the story be different if that call came even one minute later?

On his way back to New Krypton, Kal listens in to the airwaves now filled with anti-Kryptonian rhetoric. Nightwing, Flamebird, and Supergirl have all been labelled saboteurs. Mon-El has been listed as dead. And Superman has no answers.

This didn't seem like an ending as much as a new beginning. This is the next phase of the New Krypton story.

This review as a whole reads a bit more up and down than I thought the issue was in total. I actually enjoyed this issue a lot if only for showing just how nefarious General Lane is.

Things are a little hotter in the super-family's world right now.

Overall grade: B+