Review: Superman/Batman Annual #5

Superman/Batman Annual #5 came out this week and continued the Reign of Doomsday storyline started in Justice League of America #55. And yes it is a Doomsday story as he and the CyborgSuperman do their best to destroy everything and everyone in their path.

But really this is a Supergirl story with a lot of carnage happening around her. The issue wraps up the Dark Supergirl story started back in the Omega Man arc and does it in a very satisfying way. In fact, one of the reason it works so well is that it is a moment of calm in this book surrounded by the chaos of the brawling within the JLA satellite.

James Robinson really does great work in this issue. Yes, in many ways it is a 'smash em up' issue, a near nonstop fight from beginning to end. But within all that action, he still is able to give us some great characterization. So we hear how CyborgSuperman still wants to die but not at the hands of Doomsday and so fights on. And we can hear how much Dick Grayson cares for Supergirl. And, as stated above, we get a lot of Supergirl here as well.

And even more impressive is that the explanation behind the placement of the characters ... why Supergirl has time for some introspection ... doesn't feel forced.

On top of that, Miguel Sepulveda's art throughout the issue is just lush, highly detailed work which crackles on the page. If only Supergirl's boot didn't have heels! The art alone is worth the cover price.

With CyborgSuperman and Doomsday ripping up the satellite, Supergirl and Batman take refuge in the sick bay, a sort of fortified last stronghold on Watchtower. During the fight, Supergirl felt weakened and Dick realized that a retreat was called for simply for survival.

Most likely the battle triggered a defense protocol to flood the satellite with magic radiation, a way to weaken any potential Kryptonian villain (like Zod). In the sick bay, there is no radiation and so Supergirl is safe.

But Dick also realizes that to win this fight, Supergirl has to be in the game. He needs to get to the other side of the satellite and turn off the defense systems.

I think that it makes sense for the satellite to have significant defense systems both external and internal. And given the recent events of New Krypton, having anti-Kryptonian measures doesn't have the usual ring of paranoia and now seems more like common sense.

And yes, this twist does isolate Supergirl from the battle for a bit, a turn that leads to her story.

The CyborgSuperman continues to battle against Doomsday rather than let Doomsday fulfill his wish for death. Part of Cyborg's motivation is to prove that he is a bigger man that Superman. To defeat Doomsday would prove that. Hmmm ... given recent stories, I wonder if CyborgSupes really wants to die after all.

But while that battle rips up the ship, the Sick Bay medical computers go on auto-pilot and scan Supergirl. The analysis is that she is dying.

Great ...

I think Supergirl fans are always waiting for the other shoe to drop, always waiting for DC to decide to kill her off again, erase her from continuity again. It is such a palpable feeling within her fanbase that I understand why creators would want to explore that. I know I had a 'here we go again' moment of angst when I read that panel. When a writer is able to evoke something like that, they have done their job. Now maybe people who aren't Supergirl fans just breezed by that panel. But I know I didn't.

Dick continues to make his way to the control panel.

Unfortunately the safety features in the X-Mansion Danger Room ... oops ... I mean Arena have been deactivated. To turn off the defenses, Batman has to make his way through an armada of villains. How can he survive this mess?

I really included this panel just to showcase more of Sepulveda's work. Wonderful.

One of the more interesting parts of this Reign of Doomsday has been the new powers that Doomsday is manifesting. He became armored against Steel. He developed energy blasts against the Eradicator. And here, after nearly being vivisected by CyborgSuperman, he develops the same organic machinery capabilities as Cyborg.  Moreover, the real CyborgSuperman suddenly finds that he can't repair himself. That is fascinating.

Even more interesting is that this Doomsday did not have armor or blasts. I am convinced that there are multiple Doomsdays, one for each of the Supermen. And now that I think that Lex is behind it, I wonder if this is some sort of Doomsday clone infused with some Amazo tech.

So brawls are all well and good. They are a fun part of comics.

But the best part of this story occurs in the sick bay. After a 'computerized' Dr. MidNite cannot diagnose why she is dying, Dick (from a distance and while on an open comm-link with Kara) activates another medical program, this one Dr. Fate.

Robinson remembers that Kent Nelson was a psychiatrist.

He points out that Dark Supergirl has manifested multiple times in the past. I love how Nelson equates the Kelly Supergirl, the one where Zor-El was telling her to kill Superman, was a 'Dark Supergirl' even if the costume remained blue. I don't think that undermines the Kryptonite poisoning explanation Sterling Gates used. In fact, it might add to it, a reason why those particular hallucinations came to the forefront.

Fate realizes that Supergirl has had so much psychiatric trauma both recently (New Krypton) and in the past (the destruction of the first Krypton) that she is being crushed ... literally killed ... by survivor's guilt and (I think) PTSD.

Even Kara knows that this manifestation of Dark Supergirl isn't evil. She's just acting like a self-centered brat. In comparison to the more villainous prior manifestations, I suppose it shows some personal growth by Supergirl.

Nelson knows Supergirl needs to simply accept that she is blameless in all that has happened. He says my favorite line in the whole book (and what I am sure will end up on my best of 2011 list) 'You survived because ultimately your mother chose her love for you over everything else'. What a great line about Alura, a character I still miss.

And finally Supergirl expresses her feelings .. she's angry and sad and tired and sad. Her life has been hard to live recently.

It might sound simple but Fate knows Supergirl needs to forgive herself, to move past the thought that somehow she is responsible for the tragedies around her. It is implied here (although never outright said) that bu shedding this weight from her psyche she will 'cure' herself, will stop dying.

In some ways this is just covering material already done by Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle and Bernard Chang in Supergirl. A lot of these revelations were discussed, reviewed, revealed in the BizarroGirl arc.

Still, I think this was done well. It shows how complex Supergirl is a character. And it shows how deep Robinson's understanding of the character is.

And her introspective healing comes just in time. Right after turning off the magic field, Batman is about to die at the hands of Doomsday. He call for help and Supergirl arrives ... clad in the classically colored costume! (Ugh ... but those heels!)

Man, that is a great double splash page of Supergirl. Sepulveda's stuff is really slick. You can feel this right uppercut, shrapnel flying all around.

It gets better ...

Supergirl proceeds to beat the tar out of Doomsday for a couple of pages. She is able to finally cut loose. She even talks about how she wanted to take him on one-on-one, unlike the group battle in WONK.

Even Dick can sense it. "Her light is back.' 'She's magnificent.' And the art is spectacular.

And it even looks like she is going to win the fight, Doomsday in shreds.

But in a scene which eerily mirrors Crisis on Infinite Earth's #7, Supergirl is distracted by Batman before she can finish the job giving Doomsday just the opening he needs to defeat Supergirl. He then rips off CyborgSuperman's arms off.

And just like that  the fight is over and Doomsday teleports away with his victims. Doomsday teleporting? This can't be the Doomsday.

Unfortunately, the remaining Leaguers can't track Doomsday. His essence has been cloaked even from Blie Lantern's ring.

We do see where Doomsday went ... to the site of New Krypton. Another nice twist.

So I thoroughly enjoyed this comic ... more than I thought I would.

For one thing, the action sequences are crazy spectacular. I will admit that I like seeing comic punch-ups as much as anyone. And the battles here ... from Doomsday and Cyborg, to Dick vs the villains, to Supergirl vs Doomsday ... are all over the top and beautifully drawn.

But the Supergirl moment, the discussion of her feelings, her ultimate self-forgiveness, and transformation back to the real Supergirl, was all done so well. It just added a level of psychological drama on top of the wild carnage happening everywhere else. I think Robinson is really treating Supergirl right here, much better than he did in Cry For Justice. He just seems to 'get her' now.

And Miguel Sepulveda's art is powerful and nuanced. I can't wait to see what he does in Action Comics #900.

And no more 'Dark Supergirl'!

Overall grade: A

Brian Wood Taking Over Supergirl

Over on Bleeding Cool, Rich Johnston has posted that Brian Wood is going to take over Supergirl some time within the next few months. Here is the link:
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/04/06/brian-wood-to-take-over-supergirl/

With James Peaty's storyline almost over and Kelly Sue DeConnick already saying she is on for just a three-parter, I have to look upon this as good news. Hopefully the phrase 'take over as writer' means that Wood will be on the book for longer than an arc.

After being worried that DeConnick's last issue would have the 'final issue' tag, to hear even a rumor that the DC is planning more on the title makes me optimistic. And I promised optimism here!

As for Wood himself, I will admit that the only thing I have read of his was the recent Vertigo Demo 2 mini-series he did with Becky Cloonan. But

I absolutely loved this mini-series. Demo featured 'done in one' sort of Twilight Zone stories that focused on people's relationships. What was amazing to me was the amount of depth Wood was able to give his characters in the span of one short issue. So whether it was the obsession of the woman in Demo 2 #1 as she careens to a predestined event, or the struggle with morbid addiction of the man in Demo 2 #2, or the obsessive-compulsive behavior of the woman in Demo 2 #3 (my favorite issue of the series), Wood made these characters three-dimensional. And there was always, always just a hint of tragedy and sadness there, something which made the Smiths-playing Anj happy. Add to that Becky Cloonan's work (which I love) and this book was a winner. I highly highly recommend it.

I have only heard good things about the other titles Brian Wood has worked on like DMZ, Northlanders, and New York Five as well. So this announcement sounds like the shot in the arm this book has needed.

Of course, it is still just a rumor on Bleeding Cool and since I am not reading a Jamal Igle penciled Birds of Prey, I have to take it with a grain of salt. But I'll remain optimistic.

Action Comics #900

Boy, the more I see and read about Action Comics #900, the more excited I am to see it. The DCU Source blog recently gave more details about all the goodies inside. Here is that link and some blurbs (in blue):
http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/03/31/action-comics-900-all-of-the-many-many-details/

The 51-page lead story by Paul Cornell, Pete Woods and Jesus Merino sees Superman return to ACTION just in time for both the conclusion of the critically-acclaimed “Black Ring” story starring Lex Luthor and the start of the next act of “Reign of Doomsday”.

I'll be interested to see just what the page breakdown is going to be between Merino and Woods. I hope they are bunched. I'd hate to go back and forth between those two styles as that would be pretty jarring.

And just how will this Lex story end? Will the sudden turn of events of #899 be fleshed out? Will there be more LoisBot? And where does Doomsday fit in?

As a bonus, Dan Jurgens, Rags Morales, Ardian Syaf, Jamal Igle and Gary Frank are each contributing their artistic talents to special segments of this main story.

But wait, there’s more!

Okay, I was hoping that Jamal Igle's pages are Supergirl-centric since she will be involved in the Doomsday brawl. It would have been great to see some Igle Supergirl again. But on his Formspring, Igle said Supergirl wasn't in his scene. Bummer.

I have to assume that Dan Jurgens will be handling some sort of flashback page within the book looking back at the first Doomsday storyline.

But there will also be pages by Frank, Morales, and Syaf too!

Action #900 will contain short comic stories by:

- Damon Lindelof and Ryan Sook

- David Goyer and Miguel Sepulveda

- Geoff Johns and Gary Frank

- Paul Dini and RB Silva

I know I am being fanboyish but what a great collection of talent here as well. As a big fan of the Johns/Frank Superman work I can't wait to read that story. But Lindelof, Goyer, and Dini penned stories is an embarrassment of riches.  And I have droned on about how great I think Ryan Sook's work is in the past so I won't gush more. RB Silva just did the great Jimmy Olsen one-shot and Miguel Sepulveda is doing the Superman/Batman Annual this month and the advance pages have been sweet. So DC really has done a great job collecting talent for this landmark issue.

And that’s STILL not enough…

Richard Donner and Derek Hoffman collaborated on a story that’ll be presented in a screenplay format that we’ll run alongside storyboards by Matt Camp.

I love that Richard Donner still feels attached to the character of Superman. I have also talked in the past about how amazed I am that the Donner films have been a big influence on a lot of comic creators. It will be interesting to see how the screenplay format play out in a comic.

Matt Camp did great stuff as the ultimate Supergirl pinch hitter during the Gates run. As story boards tend to be rough sketches, I don't expect to see the usual perfect pristine Camp art on this story.

And one last thing ...

Brian Stelfreeze adds in a two-page spread showing the evolution of Superman throughout the decades, drawn in the art styles of some of Superman’s most well-known artists.

Okay, I used this as a cheesy excuse to post my Stelfreeze Supergirl commission again.

I also am a big Stelfreeze fan so this issue is like a smorgasbord of some of my favorite writers and artists.

I figure Stelfreeze will give us some Shuster, Boring, Swan, Adams, and Byrne. But who will he try to mimic from the 90s and 00s? Jurgens? McGuiness? Any other guesses.

The bottom line is I am glad DC is treating this issue with the respect it deserves. I will be trying to grab one of the Hughes variant covers.

Supergirl Shrine

In looking back, it has been almost 2 years since I showed pictures of my complete Supergirl collectibles collection. With the addition of the Adam Hughes Cover Girls statue and with no new item coming in for a while, I figured it was time to show it all again.

The top shelf is the most disorganized of the display. Initially deemed the Silver Age shelf, it has become something of a hodge podge. Yes, Silver Age Supergirl is there in the Action #252 cover statue, the DC Direct classic Supergirl figure (with Streaky and 'Welcome to Midvale' sign) and the DC Pocket Heroes. I also have the Supergirl bobble-head which has her emerging from her rocket albeit in a Matrix style costume.

But this shelf also has the Pepsi glass showing the 70's look, the Adam Hughes Supergirl bust, and the Kotobukiya vinyl statue. And what are those GL and Flash rings doing there?

The second shelf has really come together nicely. There is the Deluxe Collector action figure and Barbie Supergirl. There are several action figures showing the current costume including the Turner and McGuiness look. There is the MicroMan Japanese import, the Infinite Heroes mini-figure, HeroClix, and DC MiniMates.

But the anchor of this shelf is the statues: Turner Mini-statue, Hughes Cover Girls, DVD Maquette, and Terry Dodson bust.

The final shelf is also something of a mix but with strong bookends.

On one end we have the white-shirt costume items: statue, paper weight, plushy, several action figures and some JLU toys.

On the other end is the headband items: large and small action figures and Ertl diecast.

Between them is the DC Dynamic statue. It is such a great statue I wanted to showcase it a bit and thought it would shine on this shelf. We also have the Justice 70's look figure, the ElseWorld's Finest figure (which is the hardest to get to stand), the Superwoman figure, custom Lego Kara, and the Gary Frank mini-statue.

I also have a shelf devoted mostly to Superman and Supergirl trades which is the backdrop to pictures I take of new items.

Coming up later this year is the Supergirl/Steel Superman family statue and an Amanda Conner Supergirl bust.

Thanks for looking!

Review: Jimmy Olsen One-Shot

The Jimmy Olsen second feature, written by Nick Spencer and illustrated by R.B. Silva, originally ran in the early chapters of Paul Cornell's Action Comics run. When the 'Second Feature' idea was scuttled to drop down prices, the end of the Olsen story seemed destined for the dustbin. We had read the first 4 days of 'Jimmy Olsen's Big Week' and I wondered if we would ever see the last three days.

Kudos to DC for realizing this was a fun and offbeat story that deserved to have it's ending delivered. And even more interesting was DC's decision to put the whole story into an oversized Jimmy Olsen one-shot, reprinting the opening chapters for those who missed out.

Sure it's also a business decision. Nick Spencer is a hot name in comics right now so why not make an oversized issue with a $5.99 cover price. People will come. Add to that a spectacular Amanda Conner cover and you've got a winner.

The thing that I enjoyed about this story was the fantastical elements that Olsen careens through. Spencer did a great job here getting the feeling of those crazy Jimmy Olsen stories of the Silver Age without making it seem old or silly. The fact that Jimmy is able to simple roll from one event to the next shows that this is his life, Action Reporter with a few wrinkles here and there.

For me though, I think this worked better as a short featurette every month instead of one massive story. Part of that is Nick Spencer's witty and timely dialogue. In short spurts, it is clever and funny. In a long narrative it becomes almost unbelievable. No one without a script can be that clever all the time. To use a food metaphor, this was like cheesecake. One slice is delicious and great. But if you try to eat three slices it becomes too heavy ... too rich ... too much.

As I reviewed the opening chapters here earlier, I'll concentrate on the new chapters. Remember the story left off with a 5th dimension young imp paying boatloads of money to have a date with Jimmy and then tries to get him to marry her.

At the altar, Jimmy tries to get Superman to help him by triggering his signal watch only to have his bride-to-be tell him that he is Superman, or co-Superman at least.

Suddenly Jimmy is in a world where he is on top.

As co-Superman he is saving lives. He is also the Daily Planet's top reporter. Sebastien Mallory is in jail. And Chloe seems to regret having broken up with him. It is a true fantasy world even if Jimmy can't remember how he got there.

There are some cute lines in here like Jimmy talking about writing about himself as co-Superman 'not in a Livejournal-braggy' way.

As he tries to figure out what is going on, Jimmy finds a letter from Maggie Mxyz.....

Turns out that despite her initial crush, she isn't madly in love with Olsen and doesn't want to marry him. But as he is such a nice guy, she set up this magical world so he could see that even all this greatness wouldn't matter without the right person ... without Chloe. Jimmy can stay there as long as he wants. But he can leave any time he wants by running back into the bathroom he ran into when he tried to escape Maggie before.

Again, nice little references by Spencer here calling this world 'It's a Wonderful When Harry Met Sally', a mash-up of Capra and Reiner. He also has Maggie quote the Beatles. All this makes sense to Jimmy who ends this adventure by yelling heroically 'I gotta go to the bathroom.' That was perhaps my favorite moment of the new material. That's funny.

On day six, Jimmy realizes he needs to win back Chloe and that means intervening in her date on Sebastien Mallory's orbiting apartment. For that he needs help. And so he goes to Natasha Irons to outfit the ancient concept of the Daily Planet's Flying Newsroom as a spaceship.

Again, this is just a panel to highlight some of Spencer's pop culture tweaks. Jimmy describes Natasha's speed as 'Meet Joe Black' slow, 'Cold Mountain' slow and 'The English Patient' slow.

I do like that Jimmy has seemed to shake the doldrums off, determined to win back his love.

I also liked that it turns out that Chloe isn't attracted to Mallory at all, instead going on dates to try to uncover what he is up to. And like any good investigative reporter, she is able to uncover his plot.

Mallory is behind the development of the Superman video game we see Jimmy playing in the first chapter. Loaded with subliminal messages, the game is addictive to the masses. But more importantly, their play clogs the internet, slowing everything down. Only LexCorp will have free-flowing web info ... for a price of course.

Chloe responds that as a dastardly villain move it could use more giant squid. Almost comes off her tongue too quick, no?

Luckily our hero is charging in to save the day. I wish I could figure out what song he is humming her. But the expression on his face is priceless.

Unfortunately, the flying newsroom has no shields. A few missiles later and Jimmy is floating in space.

Fortune favors the bold though. Jimmy has the remote controls for the Dalwythian ship from days two and three and is able to call it to him for a rescue.

This was another of my favorite moments in the book. Earlier, the aliens had crashed the ship into the Daily Planet leaving it hanging out. The repairmen thought it would be cheaper to push it into the globe and fix the globe rather than arrange to remove the ship entirely. Perry White thinks it will make a nice anecdote for school tours, 'what's inside the planet', until it crashes outwards. His deadpan and underwhelmed response 'I hate kids anyways' is perfect for Perry.

Picked up by the alien ship, Jimmy careens into Mallory's satellite in order to 'rescue' Chloe only to discover that she has already beat up Sebastien and hog tied him with duct tape. I like how she says she's 'no Poison Ivy'.

When told of Sebastien's plot, Jimmy says it 'needs more Anti-Monitor'. Again, funny and cute. But too cute? Too 'just on the tip of his tongue'?

But much like defeating the Dalwythians meant making Metropolis boring, Jimmy knows that the way to get people off the game is to make it boring as well. And man ... he does just that.

But that is also saving the world while 'sitting around in underwear playing video games', the very reason Chloe gave him for breaking up. Nice irony and very well played. This was yet another very good moment in this book.

Ugh, seriously, who would play a Superman game and pick the Alpha Centurion level?? I am cringing.

With Mallory's plan crushed, the only thing left to do is try to win back Chloe. And while he mends some of the earlier damage, Chloe wants to take it slow for now.

This comic is crazy, wacky, and fast-paced. It's funny and topical and witty. And it seems to channel all the good energy from the early Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen comics. R.B. Silva's art is the perfect fit here, detailed and stylish. This really was a fun read and I highly recommend it.

I just think the next time I read it, I'll do it over the course of a week myself. One day at a time. Because if taken in large doses, I wonder if it would read as 'too clever' which I know sounds like when Salieri said Mozart's work had too many notes. Uh oh ... now maybe I am being too clever.

Overall grade: A

Cover Girls Of The DC Universe Supergirl Statue

I was finally able to add the  Cover Girls of the DC Universe Supergirl statue to my collection this week. After a nearly 2 month delay from initial release date, the statue finally arrived at my local comic book store.

It was worth the wait.

Based on a design by Adam Hughes, the statue is really a lovely piece. There is a very dynamic feel to the statue as Supergirl seems to be erupting from the statue's base, chunks of rock flying all around her.

While Hughes is best known for 'good girl' or cheesecake art, this is much more of a heroic and dynamic piece. And best of all, it has Supergirl in my favorite version of her costume

A view from above better illustrates the beauty of the statue as Supergirl is looking up to the heavens as she emerges from the ground. The face her is very natural and has an almost determined expression. The hair has nice detailing.

Really, this pose is something I would expect to see more in a Superman statue ... a fist thrust skyward, the other fist cocked and ready to fly ... a sort of 'up,up, and away' pose. So I am glad that the same action pose was used with Supergirl. It really is slick.

I thought I would include a couple of shots from the side so everyone can get a sense of the whole statue. One thing I liked was the inclusion of the rock shards affixed to Supergirl's boots, again adding to the feeling of a kinetic burst of rubble as she escapes.

And the reverse angle, here you better see a chunk of stone by her knee. You also can better appreciate that her left foot is still basically in the ground, as if she has just just torn through the base.

This statue works on so many levels that I think it will probably become one of my favorite pieces in my collection. From the pose, to the costume, to the beauty and majesty of Supergirl, this one clicks on all cylinders.

If you are a Supergirl fan and are thinking of buying a statue and $99 isn't too pricey, this is the one I would get.

It will be a while before something new comes out to add to the collection, so I will probably post an updated look at my Supergirl stuff next week.

Review: Action Comics #899

Action Comics #899 came out this week, the penultimate chapter of Paul Cornell's Lex Luthor story 'The Black Ring'. It has been an interesting roller coaster ride of an arc. I have to admit I came into the story with a bit of a chip on my shoulder. I wanted Superman back in Action so dealing with another year 'without Superman' didn't sit well. So maybe I read the first couple of chapters of this arc with a jaundiced eye.

But then the mystery, the nuances, and the dark humor of 'The Black Ring' started to win me over. What were the spheres all about? How was pulling Lex's strings? Why? And how could Lex not realize he was being played? Trying to figure it all out added an element of fun for me as a reader. And seeing that Brainiac was one of the people behind the curtain was a great reveal last month.

Can you tell there is a 'but' coming?

The problem with having a story building up to a big reveal and finish is that you need to pull it off. And unfortunately, I don't know if this issue pulled it off. When I have to reread an issue 3 times in a row to see if I understand what happened ... well it can't be a good thing.

Still there are some interesting wrinkles to this and Cornell has the last chapter to right the ship for me. But after riding a high of several issues, this issue of Action Comics left me a bit deflated. Part of that may also be Jesus Merino's rougher pencils, a significant departure from Pete Woods smooth as silk art. I usually like Merino's stuff a lot, especially his Justice Society work. But I missed Woods here.

As revealed last month, Brainiac has been controlling LoisBot this whole adventure, sending Lex on this quest for the Black Energy spheres. As Lex goes into space to seize control of the last 4 spheres, Brainiac arrives and let's his presence be known.

And Brainiac just can't help but gloat a little bit, filling Luthor in on how he has been able to mentally nudge Lex. Way back in the first issue of this arc, when Lex was injured by the LexCorp worker, Lois introduced nanites into his system. These undetectable technological germs were able to subtly influence Lex to continue on his quest even if it threw him into danger. And, of course, LoisBot was also there to use her more direct influence as well.

Okay, so far so good.

At first Lex seems shocked at the Brainiac reveal. But then he shows that he has known about the Coluan's plot for some time. He treats it as a joke, laughing at how bad his 'shock' was.

This is probably the best moment of this book as once again we see that Luthor is usually one step ahead of everyone, even evil genius android despots. Lex noted some suspicious hardware in LoisBot when she was split in two by Vandal Savage and so did some research. Not only has Lex known about the nanites, he has researched them and has control of them.

And anticipating the throwdown with Brainiac, Lex says he made sure Superman was too busy 'saving his disciples' to bother with the two villains.

Hmmm ... sounds like Lex is behind the Reign of Doomsday. I'll have to look back into WoNK but I am pretty sure that the Doomsday bludgeoned to death by Alura and the Kandorians somehow ended up in Lex's hands. It also explains why Doomsday is singling out the Super-family (although maybe not the Cyborg). By making it Doomsday and personal, Lex knows Superman is sure to take notice.

I also like how Lex so easily forgives Lois, who seems truly repentant. I like that LoisBot somehow was trying to fight her programming, a sign of her love for Lex.

There is a nice short battle scene between Brainiac and Luthor when they both shout out their technology-based attacks the way Ash yells out Pokemon maneuvers.

"Planck length rams!"
"Null point collapse seeds!"
"Prion spray"
"Neural shock tags!"

Too funny. Another nice moment.

But the bottom line is Luthor has not only overcome Brainiac's viral nanite attack but has turned it into a weapon to override Brainiac's defenses. Luthor ends the battle by breaking Brainiac's neck, just as Brainiac thought he was doing when he killed the Toyman Lex-droid in (I think) Last Stand of New Krypton. Nice symmetry there, something even Lex notes.

With Brainiac defeated and in 'self-repair coma' mode, Lex changes the space spheres. The Earth-based spheres fly into space, completing a circle and opening a doorway that let's this monstrosity out.

It is a very nice design here. It has a feel of Kirby and looks almost like a Marvel Celestial. But it also has weird floating glyphs and a twisted visage which give it a more demonic feel. And the tentacles and appendages also make it vaguely Lovecraftian. Very nice!

Turns out this is the second being who has been trying to manipulate Luthor, the being Mr. Mind is working for.

A projection of Mind shows up to provide some much needed exposition. The being is from The Phantom Zone! That explains the horror that the Joker and others saw when they peeked into the sphere.

Somehow this being felt the 'negative emotions' from our universe and these caused him great pain, especially during Blackest Night. To help keep the energy away from him, the being formed Black Energy spheres on this side. It also knew that these spheres could be manipulated to form a door to open up a path to our universe. All it needed was someone to do that work from this side of the door. He set Mr. Mind up as a lackey to make Luthor that person to set up the gateway. And now that he is in our universe, he is going to end the constant wave of negative emotions by killing all living things.

Ummm ... wha?

So let me get this straight, a Phantom Zone god feels pain from our universe's bad feelings? Is able to manipulate that energy to a point within our universe to form black spheres? Is able to control Mr. Mind, but instead of having Mind make the gateway he has the worm set up articles about black energy to tantalize Luthor into investigating? Oh, and the God also knows that somehow the energy he manipulated on this side of the dimensional rift can be changed to something to help him get here?

It just seems almost too crazy ... too contrived ... too loopy.

I know ... I know ... this is the problem with comics. I can look the other way at gun-toting LoisBots, talking worms, android despots, and black spheres in general but I can't suspend disbelief for all of this. Unfortunately, the answer is no ... I can't. It doesn't make internal sense in comparison to everything else that has happened.

Lex was somehow expecting something like this too. And he also realizes that Mr. Mind has been trying to keep Lex from bring the LoisBot to this final battle. That must mean this creature fears Lois for some reason.

Given that Lois also has Kryptonian tech inside her and that Kryptonians knew how to access/control the Phantom Zone, then she must be able to be utilized somehow to control this thing. The best way for Lex to get hold of that tech is to sever the link between LoisBot and himself and somehow absorb the K-nanites inside her.

So this is another leap of story-telling faith. Just because she is part K-tech doesn't necessarily mean she has Phantom Zone hardware inside her. And I don't know how Lex knew that killing the LoisBot would lead another inoculation of nanites.

And this new influx of Phantom Zone controlling nanites lets Lex assume some sort of energy form and battle the being on a mental level.

Wow ... that is a lot of story, a lot of movement of the plot in just 6 pages. After a slow burn of 10 issues getting us to this point, we have to swallow a lot of exposition and some relatively  implausible plot twists to get us to the end.

And in this new form, Luthor is able to 'possess' this being, becoming something of a god himself.

So a K-nanite infested Luthor is somehow able to psychically overwhelm an alien god from another dimension?

It just seemed like too much, too fast. As if so much information and decisions had to be presented and acted upon with no prior explanation or rationalization. As I said before, I had to reread the last half of the book 3 times to make sure I understood what was happening. This felt rushed. And that's a shame because the rest of this arc has really been wonderful.

I sometimes bemoan page counts and plot progression on this blog. But I would have loved more explanation of all of this issue's stuff, a way to make it more palateable, a way to explain it more than just rolling with it. In this arc, we got whole issues with Death, the Joker, Grodd with lots of conversation and discussion. These were sort of side adventures and all well achieved, all very good issues with an appropriate pace. We had 22 pages to get the whole feel of those encounters.

But the end explanation of the big villain, the not-so-big villain, the nature of the spheres, the purpose of the spheres ... really the foundation of the whole plot and sub-plots ... is all jammed into one issue?

I am hoping that the ending in Action Comics #900 helps me wrap my head around everything that happened here. And I can't wait to see Superman back in this title and to see what Paul Cornell has in store for him.

Overall grade: B/C+