Review: Action Comics #888

Action Comics #888 is the penultimate chapter of this title's Year Without Superman. Are we speeding towards the end of the Flamebird/Nightwing story arc? Or like the ersatz Rao in the desert, are we plodding along.

I have been as big a proponent of this long storyline as anyone, mostly because I have come to like the complexity of the Thara/Flamebird character. But the truth is with the amazing action happening in Last Stand, this story feel disconnected right now. And as a result, my enthusiasm for it has waned a bit.

My fear is that the resolution of these characters' stories will fall flat and color how I ultimately perceive the whole arc.



With the fake Rao strolling through the desert and with Chris transported into the Phantom Zone, Jax-Ur/Vohc gloats over his presumed victory.

It seems like the Kryptonian gods have the same feel as the Greek gods of myth, motivated by mundane human issues rather than being above them. The motivation for this devastation? Vohc's jealousy and unrequited love.

I did like that the narrator here is Vohc the Breaker ... not Jax-Ur. We are hearing straight from the demigod himself.



Conventional weapons and Flamebird's attacks seem to feed Rao rather than hurt him. And with India and Pakistan poised to fire their nukes at him, Flamebird is thrilled to see the JSA arrive to help.

But even their combined attacks don't seem to produce any results. If anything Rao seems to get stronger.



In the meantime, Chris wonders through the Phantom Zone until he finally comes face to face with the Nightwing entity.

The Nightwing implies that he has not been active, has not manifested in Chris, because of his separation from Flamebird. Let's face the true Nightwing has been a non-entity in this story so far.

I sincerely hope that we get a little exposition about this Phantom Zone. Remember, the original Zone crumbled at the beginning of New Krypton. (That event has never been explained.) I hope the creation of this "new" Phantom Zone (or the re-establishment of the old Phantom Zone) is explained.



Finally, Rao takes some damage when Wonder Woman shows up and takes a few whacks at Rao's eye with her axe. Combine that with some Alan Scott power and Rao finally falls.

It is enough to shock Vohc, appearing in his natural form.



Chris is able to look on and realizes that he needs to get back and help Thara.

The connection between Chris and Nightwing has always been there it seems; Chris has always been 'more than Kryptonian'.

Now what does that mean? That Chris, conceived in the Zone, is different and therefore a suitable vessel for Nightwing? Or that Nightwing has always been part of Chris.

With Thara in trouble, Chris makes the decision to merge with Nightwing and truly become his avatar.



And it is a good thing. Rao gets back on his feet and India and Pakistan decide not to wait any longer. They fire their nuclear missiles at the false god, a move that would only fuel Rao more.

The warheads disarm before they can hit ... disarmed by the suddenly present and fully manifested Nightwing.

So where are we?

Well we are one issue away from a conclusion. And we have a lot to get through.

We need to see Jax-Ur and Rao defeated.
We need some explanation on Chris' condition.
We need some explanation about the Phantom Zone.

And we need the ultimate resolution of the Nightwing/Flamebird relationship ... both the gods and Thara/Chris. One of them is destined to die right?

It seems like a lot to get through in one issue. Frankly, I'm worried.

One thing I know already is that I have come to really appreciate Pere Perez' art. I feel his stuff has improved, become more polished over his time on Action. I hope he finds work somewhere else soon.



I know I have basically ignored reviewing the Captain Atom second feature in this book.

The short version is Captain Atom battles Mirabai and it looks like he has won. Cafu's art is stunning.

Overall grade: B/B-

Review: Adventure Comics #10

As an amateur comic historian, I have really loved how Adventure Comics has felt the last couple of months, how it has been rolled into the super-family of books. The last two issues have starred Superboy, the Legion, and Supergirl. The last several issues have had multiple stories.

And the original Adventure Comics? Well there were long and storied runs for Superboy, the Legion, and Supergirl. The original Adventure was often an anthology series with multiple stories in every issue. So the current make-up of the book is a nice (even if unintentional) homage.

The current book continues to flesh out the entertaining Last Stand of New Krypton storyline. As with the last two issues, this issue pushes the main storyline forward while adding some depth to the ancillary characters.

Top it off with another great cover by Joe Quinones and you have another satisfying issue.

Now I have been effusive in my praise of the Eric Trautmann/Pier Gallo Car-Vex story and this issue's chapter gives us a phenomenal conclusion. So much of this review will focus on that story, the strongest part of the book.



The first half of the book concentrates on the main storyline of Last Stand, the battle for Kandoe on Brainiac's ship. It is something of a creative hodge-podge ... written by James Robinson and Sterling Gates and drawn by Eduardo Pansica and Travis Moore. They all have been on the prior Last Stand issues of Adventure albeit on seperate story segments. But with all the plots converging onto Brainiac's ship, the creative teams have merged into one segment.
Remember, the last Last Stand chapter ended with two cliffhangers. One was Superman, powerless after a blast of red sun energy, plummeting to his presumed death. The other was the rebottling of Kandor and General Zod's enigmatic 'he's lost' comment about Brainiac.

The first cliffhanger is answered pretty quickly.

Superman is grabbed before he splatters by a flying Brainiac drone. Of course, it really isn't Brainiac. It's Quislet controlling the robot.

And in classic Quislet fashion, the device cannot tolerate his presence for too long. Rather than simply disintegrating the object as he did during the Levitz years, the drone explodes.

With the red sun effect ended, Superman races to re-enter the fight.


Meanwhile on Brainiac's ship. Superboy continues to fight with the Legion. During the fight however, Conner gets separated and ends up face to face with his nemesis Lex Luthor.

In a nice nod to continuity, I like how Conner angrily brings up the recent Smallville events as yet another reason to pound Luthor. What Lex did to Lena in this very title was unbelievably cruel. And he did it right in front of Conner. That memory should be fresh ... should evoke rage in Superboy.

Anger only gets you so far though. After a healthy slug of Green K, Superboy is struck by the weapon Lex is carrying.

When Conner awakens ...



He finds himself in Kandor. Nice perspective shot in this splash page. Life in that bottle must be terrifying. Imagine always seeing giant robot heads looming over you.

But giant Brainiac drones isn't the only thing Conner sees.

Unfortunately, he also sees Mon-El, trussed up and captured by Brainiac. We do get a peek into the fevered dreams of Mon-El who seems tormented by his xenophobic Daxamite heritage and his time in the Phantom Zone. Alas, we know he is probably headed back there.

Unsure of what to do next, Conner seeks out General Zod.

Zod initially brushes Conner off. This forces Conner to show the General that he has more in his arsenal than just his inherent Kryptonian powers (which are somehow negated in the bottle). Conner still has his tactile telekinesis which he uses to toss Zod around.

Zod then shows why he is the military leader he is. Now aware of Conner's abilities, he adapts his fighting style and makes short work of Superboy, besting him easily.

One thing I didn't like in this scene was Zod seizing military control of the city from Alura ... accomplished in one panel. This happened after such a big deal was made of Alura's standing up to Zod in the last issue, her maintaining control of the city.

And we finally learn why Zod seemed pleased when Brainiac bottled Kandor and took it on board. Turns out Zod has a handful of devices which can counteract the Brainiac shrinking technology. (Okay, it comes a bit out of left field but it has been said many times that Zod was obsessed with besting Brainiac. Developing this tech would be part of that obsession. So I was okay with it.)

When Brainiac brought the city on board, it was like bringing the Trojan Horse into the city. Now Zod and his hand-picked elite soldiers are enlarged and free on board. This 'Brainiac Revenge Squad' is ready to fight. Yet another nice turn of events, another enticing cliffhanger.

Now if only someone could explain to me my odd infatuation with Ursa.

But the winner of this book the last few issues has been the Trautmann/Gallo look at sleeper agent Car-Vex and the slow erosion of her morality.

We have seen how she went from overworked drug-addicted laborer to repentant accidental killer to soldier in Zod's army. I have talked about how she has traded one form of slavery for another when she began to blindly follow Zod's orders.

What is interesting for me is watching her lose her moral compass. Back in the zone, she truly grieved the loss of the children's lives in her care. And now she is willing to sacrifice her friend Quex-Ul to advance her mission.

But it is easy to see how Zod could bring her into the field. Her life on Krypton had no meaning. Her life in the zone was literally intangible. Here he asks her if she wants purpose ... if she wants to be something bigger. Her answer ... of course ... is yes.


For those who questioned how Car-Vex could sneak into Project 7734, how General Lane could let her get so close , the answer is easy. He knew she was Kryptonian! He did it on purpose. And now that she has led them to Quex-Ul, she is expendable. Lane turns the tables.

Pumped with the same power-sapping bacteria that Quex-Ul was, Car-Vex knows she has a short amount of time with powers left. Realizing this isn't going to end well, she decides to make it as messy as possible.

This is an absolutely brutal sequence of her wading through the Project's troops. It also shows what one Kryptonian, actively depowering, can do against the best Earth troops. If one Kryptonian like Car-Vex can slaughter this many men so quickly ... how the heck is Earth going to challenge them all in a war?

But some part of the old Car-Vex is still in her. Her internal monologue betrays her. She needs to continue to convince herself that she is an unfeeling stone, that she is not murdering. I think she protests too much.

Just a beautifully brutal scene.



As she descends deeper in to the Project, she discovers Nadira and Az-Rel captured, powerless, and tortured. It was Nadira who tipped off Lane on who 'Officer Romundi' really was.

The ultimate fate of Nadira and Az-Rel was something of a loose end for me so I was glad to see that wrapped up.

But in the end, it is over for Car-Vex. Completely depleted, she gets eliminated up close by Lane himself. Executed.

This story was so great ... tragic really. Congratulations to Trautmann for giving such depth to a minor character in such a short time. We have seen Car-Vex's journey from slave to zealot to war statistic.

Pier Gallo's art meshes so nicely with the story. His Phantom Zone scenes are so clean, with no shading or rough edges. Compare that to the grittier look of the Earth scenes, maybe channeling the grimy nature of war? Ironic that the wraith-like relam of the Phantom Zone has more concrete linework. Regardless of the whys, the slight difference in styles works wonderfully.

This story is one of the high points of 2010 so far.

And this was another entertaining issue in the Last Stand arc.

Overall grade: B+
Overall grade (Car-Vex three-parter): A+

Results: New World's Finest Poll - The Steph's Have It!

Thanks to everyone who voted in my last poll - Who should be the New World's Finest?

In many ways I feel that this was a sham of a poll. Despite this being a Supergirl blog, the truth is there should have been choices that included Superboy/Conner. A strong argument could be made that Superboy/Robin should be the new World's Finest; it's almost obvious.

But this is a Supergirl blog. And I think of Supergirl as the legacy holder of the S-shield. So, if she is one half of the New World's Finest, who did everyone think represented the Bat-half? Thanks to the 69 folks who voted! That was a much bigger turnout than I expected for this poll.

The winner, far and away, was the Supergirl and Batgirl team. Kara and Steph garnered 50% of the vote (35 votes). We have seen them in action only a couple of times now. But in both instances, you could see how they were coming from a similar place and therefore how they could be good friends. The panel above shows just how comfortable I think they would be with each other, joking in the middle of combat. I can completely see the two of them acting as the New World's Finest. Superman/Batman easily leads to Supergirl/Batgirl.

Surprisingly, the second place vote getter was 'leave it as Superman and Batman'. This old school choice got 30% of the votes cast (21 votes). I added this choice because there might be a contingent of fans who simply feel that the name World's Finest is synonymous with Superman and Batman. There has never been a New Beatles ... or a New Doors. How could there be? But I wonder how many of these voted would have gone to a Conner choice.

Outside those two choices, no other choice broke 10 votes.

Supergirl and Batman (Dick) grabbed 11% of the votes (8 votes). This is James Robinson's new World's Finest, acting together in his Justice League of America comic. Again, I equate World's Finest with equal super-hero friends. I think Dick will be more of a mentor to Supergirl. I look forward to seeing that interaction ... but it isn't World's Finest in my mind.

My choice of Supergirl and (Red) Robin (Tim Drake) limped in with 7% of the vote (5 votes). I think Tim and Kara are probably at similar points in their careers, both experienced enough not to be considered rookies, but clearly still learning. I loved their adventure together in Superman/Batman #65. I hope these two have some more adventures together.

Not surprisingly, Supergirl and Robin (Damian Wayne) got 0% of the votes. I think it is obvious that Supergirl and Damian would not easily get along.

The bottom line is that Supergirl/Batman (Dick) will be working together in JLA and I will be there. But, like most of the voters, I hope to see more of the Supergirl/Batgirl friendship.

Thanks again to everyone who voted!

Review: Tales Of The Legion Of Super-Heroes #315

We are approaching the end of my review of Supergirl during the Paul Levitz years of the Legion of Super-Heroes. This more thorough review began with the announcement of the re-invigoration of the Supergirl/Brainiac 5 relationship in the Last Stand storyline and the Supergirl title.

One thing that caught my eye about the solicit for Supergirl #52 was the idea that Brainiac had already met Supergirl Maybe Brainy is aware of the pre-Crisis continuity and the Silver Age Supergirl? Maybe these stories 'really happened' in some sort of Hypertime?

Anyways, Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes #315 marked the end of the Trial of Ontiir storyline as well as this Supergirl's last appearance with the Legion. Written/plotted/designed by powerhouse Legion creators Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen with art by Terry Shoemaker and Karl Kesel, the issue marks the end of Brainy and Supergirl's relationship.

Next week we will read about the new beginning of their relationship.

For those just catching up, Ontiir was a Science Police officer apparently in bed with the Dark Circle and the Emerald Empress. He was captured by the Legion and put on trial. During that trial he stated he was actually a double agent working for the SciPo to gather intel on the Circle ... something the Legion didn't quite believe given how close Ontiir came to killing them

Before the UP could find him guilty, Ontiir was rescued in a brazen attack by the Dark Circle on Weber's World. The Legionnaires present, Supergirl, Sun Boy, and Brainiac 5 didn't take his escape lying down and pursued him to the Dark Circle home world. And so we pick up the story.

The story opens up with Supergirl crashing through the ceiling of the Dark Circle's meeting hall.

One thing I liked about Levitz' Supergirl was just how confident she was in using her powers and seeking out justice. There is a hint of impetuousness on her part ... she wants answers, justice, action and she wants them fast. While others might have waited to see just what the political fallout would be from attacking the Dark Circle head on, Supergirl simply scooped up her friends and took off.

Here we don't see her knocking on the door. She's a bit flashy as she crashes through the ceiling. This whole scene is something of a mirroring of the Dark Circle's attack on Weber's World, showing just how much Ontiir is playing the two sides against each other.

Before the action can get to heated, the Dark Circle and Ontiir disappear off the planet! There is no evidence of them at all.

Brainy seems willing to give up the chase. But Supergirl isn't ready to give up. She wants Ontiir to face justice. And in a way to keep Brainiac 5 interested, she flirts a bit telling him only his brilliant mind would be able to find where they disappeared to. I love how shalen Brainy is, even by this fairly innocuous interaction.

But more importantly, I love this other aspect of Supergirl's confidence in Levitz and Giffen's hands. She knows her feelings for Brainy and is willing to put them out there, as the more pro-active member of the couple.

Brainy is able to give Kara a sort of left-handed compliment, telling her that he will try puzzle things out. She is faithful to her impulses. He will act on them too.

Supergirl doesn't know quite how to respond. I think this trip to the future showed maturity on her part, her attempt to resolve her relationship with Brainiac 5 once and for all. So to be called impulsive by him could be considered an insult, that he feels she is immature. But it also shows that he knows her, accepts her.

I love her response, crumpling a gun and tossing it away. It seemed like a way to relieve some of the tension she was feeling.

Her instincts are right about Brainy's intelligence though. He quickly realizes that the only nearby energy source that could teleport a planet's population away is that system's sun.

With that info in hand, the Legionnaires are off once more.

Despite having been rescued by the Dark Circle, Ontiir is not out of the woods yet. He finds himself on trial again. Ontiir has claimed loyalty to both sides, that he acted as a double agent for both sides, and that he did what he was ordered to do for both sides.

I have no idea who he is really working for which I think is what Levitz' point here.

The Dark Circle isn't quite as nicey-nice as the UP though. Regardless of who he is truly working for, his usefulness to the Circle has ended. They ask him to take his own life to prove himself to them. Not exactly the type of people who I would like to work for.

Continuing to ignore doors throughout this mission, the Legionnaires once again crash into the Circle's council chambers. It is great to once again see Kara leading the charge.



And make short work of the low level circle troops. Supergirl scatters them with a blast of super-breath. Levitz always seemed to have a soft spot for that power.

Unfortunately, as she is taking out the infantry, Sun Boy is in pitched battle with a super-powered Circle member.

Ontiir, momentarily forgotten in the battle, grabs a gun and aims it in the direction of Sun Boy and the alien warrior. He even says that his shot will finally prove his loyalty. But who is he aiming at?


We will never know as Science Police Chief Zendak (who finally caught up with the Legion) feels he can't put Sun Boy at risk. He has a shot and he takes it ... killing Ontiir.

With Ontiir eliminated, there is no point of contention between the UP and the Dark Circle. They stop fighting and separate.

Was Zendak's act one of justice? Murder? The answer isn't clear. And while Ontiir did nothing to help himself, he may have been SciPo. He may have died by friendly fire.

The act really disturbs Supergirl who simply can't get her head around it. If the future is like this, if killing (potentially) replaces truth and justice, then maybe she shouldn't be a part of it. And just like that she is off ... into the time stream and back to her present.

It is a remarkably fast turn around. Throughout these issues, Kara has seemed at home and happy ... both in the future and with Brainy. To suddenly fly off like this seemed somewhat rushed. It was sort of an unsatifying ending for me. And unfortunately, Supergirl never made it back into the Legion book before Crisis came out.

Still, outside of this hiccup, all these issues guest starring Supergirl that Levitz and Giffen were part of were really great representations of the Girl of Steel. She was strong and heroic. She knew her feeling for Brainiac 5 and she acted on them. And she was funny and charming. I wish Supergirl could always be written as well as she was here.

Terry Shoemaker and Karl Kesel draw a lovely Supergirl here ... strong, healthy, beautiful.

Just one more Supergirl/Brainiac 5 issue to review before next week's release.

Overall grade: B+

Sales Review: March 2010

The sales numbers for March came out last week and, as usual, ICv2 does a great job breaking down the numbers. Here is the link to the top 300 comics of last month: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/17243.html. What better day to review sales than on Tax Day here in America.

Each month I review the Supergirl title sales here and it seems like I am reporting on soil erosion. It has felt like sales numbers on all the Super-titles have slowly crept down over the last year or so.

That said, I was curious to see where sales for Supergirl #51 would fall. Certainly it had a strong lead-in with last month's anniversary issue. This also was an early chapter in Last Stand which has started strongly.

Would sales be up?


Well, Supergirl #51 sold 29,845 units, which was down 11% from the 33,338 units that the Turner cover/variant cover/Helen Slater fueled Supergirl #50 sold.

But I think everyone, including me, expected a slip in sales from that special anniversary issue. The question in my mind was always 'how much will sales drop?'

So a better gauge of sales might be to look back at Supergirl #49's sales which were around 27,728. So the title gained 2,000 readers since that issue. Maybe Last Stand helps. Or maybe some people who sampled the title with the fiftieth issue liked what they read and stuck around. Either way, I look at 30,000 in sales as being 'healthy' in this market and we are there. The product is of such high quality too.

As a side note, this is the first time that I can remember since I began these sales reviews that Supergirl outsold Action Comics. Do you think it is time for Superman to return to his titles?

And how were the sales of R.E.B.E.L.S. #14, which finished the Starro storyline back in March?

It sold 11,362. The book continues to sell around 11,000. (R.E.B.E.L.S. #13 sold 11, 836.) Sales are remarkably stable for this title. Outside the Blackest Night crossovers, this seems to be its level.

The R.E.B.E.L.S. characters are crossing over in Last Stand giving them some added exposure. The Starro storyline is over so this is something of a jumping on point for new readers. And next month the book adds an established draw in the character of Starfire.

I'll be interested to see what R.E.B.E.L.S. sales will be next month. Will those waiting for the Starro story to end jump ship? Will Starfire bring readers in? Or will the same 11,000 diehard fans keep buying this nifty little underappreciated title?

Boston Comic Con - Joe Quinones Commission

Next up on the commission hit parade from the Boston Comic Con 2010 is this great piece from Joe Quinones.

I first became enamored of Quinones' work on the Green Lantern strip in Wednesday Comics. There was really a nice retro feel to that strip which worked for the 'cold war' time frame of that story. I was also impressed with Quinones' ability to handle the different settings in that strip ... from air force base to happy hour in a bar to outer space battles. When I saw the advance solicits of his covers on Adventure Comics I knew I would want to try and grab a piece from him at the con.

He was a day two commission and I was lucky to get on his list.

I can tell that this is going to be one of my favorite pieces in my collection. For one, it is a very original pose and composition. Many of my commissions have a similar look to them ... Supergirl flying gracefully in the clouds or striking a classic heroic pose. So when an artist is struck somehow to do something a little different, it really resonates in the collection.

This is such a playful pose, Supergirl balancing a huge boulder or moon on one finger, sporting a half-smile. It really is fantastic. Add to that the shadowing over her face and hands as well as the splash of color (always a big deal in these convtention comminssions) and you have a really phenomenal piece. It stands out and grabs you. That is what good art should do.

I really feel lucky that the timing of these commissions worked out such that I was able to get Quinones my sketch book early on the second day and that he was able to get it done. I will definitely keep my eye out for his work in the future.

Review: Superman Secret Origin #5

Superman Secret Origin #5 came out last week and continued to explore the early years of Superman in Metropolis.

It's hard to believe that there is only one issue left in this series. In some ways it has felt like Byrne's Man of Steel, snapshots of the formative moments of Superman's origins. In other ways, it has felt like 2 mini-series - the Smallville years and the Metropolis years. The last issues have read like a standard comic so some resolution should happen. That said, we all know how these stories end so it isn't like we need to see everything wrapped up in a bow.

Like prior issues, one of the things I have really liked here is the comparison of Superman and Luthor and their different leadership styles. How they shape the feel of the city ... inspire the citizens.

Unlike prior issues, this one adds some new elements to the Superman mythos rather than just re-imagining or re-inventing the Silver Age, streamlining some elements of Superman's origin into the current continuity and current storyline. Specifically, it was interesting to see General Lane added to the early years as an adversary for the Man of Steel.

The issue opens up with Superman helping out with a fire, saving some people trapped in the burning building.

But he is still new to the city and Metropolis is still under the thrall of Luthor and his ethics and morals. Look at how the people he rescued act. One guy doesn't trust him. One acknowledges the save. The last one is incredulous as to why Superman would save them ... as if there needs to be a reason or reward for doing the right thing. It is that sort of distrust or 'what's in it for me' attitude that Lex exudes.

And Superman is just the opposite.

The blaze was part of this Lex/Superman battle for the soul of the city. The fire was deliberately set at one of the Daily Planet's distribution centers. The Planet is later shown to be the only paper consistently showing Superman in a positive light.

The knowing glances between Superman, Lois, and Jimmy speaks volumes. Luthor had to be behind the fire. If he controls the media, he will control how Superman is perceived.

One thing I liked about this scene was Lois' flirting with Superman, coyly bringing up how Superman and her keep meeting. Funnier still is Jimmy jumping in and spoiling the moment.

The groundswell of support for Superman, as put forward by the Planet, bothers Luthor to no end.

He looks down from his penthouse and laments that the people of Metropolis are 'looking up into the sky'. It is such a small but powerful moment. Luthor looking down at the people, the size of ants. He doesn't want them to be inspired, to look up for hope ... that line works both literally (to see Superman) and metaphorically.

Luthor is perfectly portrayed here ... not outwardly evil wearing a purple jumpsuit and shooting laser guns. He is more slyly malevolent, eroding the hope of the city. Wonderful!

And Luthor knows how to play all the angles to get what he wants. He not only brings in the military to investigate Superman, he brings in General Lane. This way he can attack the Lois aspect of Superman's emergence as well.

What better way to bring General Lane into the fold than by playing up the alien/human relationship twist. This 'unnatural' relationship won't sit well with the spit-polished rigid military father. It is here where we see the seeds of hatred planted which bear the bitter fruit we currently see in Lane in the New Krypton continuity.

And is it me or did Gary Frank model General Lane after Lee Marvin.

John Corben is also re-introduced into the mythos, as the junior officer hand-picked by General Lane to court his daughter. At least we now know who the flower-sending John from the earlier issues is.

Not surprisingly he is a cad, physically throttling Lois when she rebuffs his advances. When it turns violent, Clark steps in and coolly defuses the situation with the old 'handshake test of strength'.

It is classic Clark. Look at the 'aw shucks' smile on his face as he silently humiliates Corben. What a clever way of maintaining the Smallville exterior while fighting for truth and justice.

Meanwhile, Luthor and Lane talk about how to defeat Superman if he becomes a national threat. It all revolves around Kryptonite.

In a twist of Superman's history, Luthor deduces that Kryptonite can hurt Superman the waste produced by experimenting on the Green K is what mutated Rudy Jones into the Parasite. And the Parasite in turn hurt Superman. Luthor sees causation.

For some reason, the Kryptonite basis of the Parasite's origin doesn't sit as well as me as other new imaginations in this series have. It feels more like a Smallville the show 'meteor freak' origin.

While the Parasite twist was the weakest part of the book for me, the next scene was the strongest.

Lois is so impressed with Clark's stare down of Corben that she invites him out to lunch. A lunch date! She can sense something deeper to Clark then his stumbling and bumbling ... something attractive.

But when she calls him on it, when she asks him who he 'really is', he slips into pure Clark and spills his milk all over her.

Ridiculous and retro as it may be, it shows how even early on Lois might fall for Clark. I thought this just worked.

While away, Clark senses a nearby fire and rushes to the scene to assist. What he finds is General Lane and the military waiting for him.

It hearkens back to a simpler time where Superman's main job was disaster assistance, not battling super-villains.

Lane starts interrogating Superman ... asking him about his alien roots, his purpose on Earth. Despite Superman saying he considers himself an American, Lane continues to push. It forces Superman to declare that he is no one's enemy and leave.

Unfortunately, that gives the military an excuse to attack Superman. Included in their forces is the Green K powered Metallo suit driven by John Corben.

I have read 'the first encounter with Kryptonite' story a couple of times, most recently in Superman Confidential. It is always great to see that astonished look on Superman's face when he is injured for the first time. Here the bullets still bounce off him, but they cause damage. We see the blood stains.

The last volley of bullets ricochet into the Kryptonite causing the Metallo suit to explode. Even injured, Superman's first thoughts are for Corben ... first apologizing for the accident, then imploring the troops to get a medic.

Superman then weakly flies off.

The news begins to trumpet Superman's 'attack on the military' and just like that it's all out war on Superman. The army is called in to shut down the Planet. Meanwhile, Lex claims he can save Corben with the Green K. And Superman ... he is hiding out in the sewers, healing.

The ending reminded me a bit of Batman vs the police in Batman: Year One. But it is such a downbeat ending. My hope was that this series would end with the city embracing Superman and his attitudes. It will be hard to get there in the 22 pages left. I hope we do get there.

For me, the strongest scenes in this issue were those with Lois. I think Johns just feels comfortable writing her and her banter with Clark. Those scenes just clicked.

I wish this series could go a full 12 issues and really flesh out the background. I'll be sad to see this end.

As usual, Gary Frank's art really sizzles.

Overall grade: B+/B