So turns out this week’s issues were made available to me at midnight eastern time, so 9pm here in California. I don’t recall this being the case before the Amazon switcheroo, so at least one good thing came out of that. So I read it, and it’s quite good!
The art by Dan Mora is fantastic. Very dynamic and detailed, even in the smaller panels. The issue is basically non-stop action, and it all plays out like watching a movie on the big screen. The classic costumes haven’t looked this good in a long time, with some interesting touches, like the black outline around Superman’s “S” or the inclusion of both pouches and capsules on Batman’s belt. Tamra Bonvillain’s coloring is a major star as well. Rich & vibrant and brings everything to life. They make clever use of lighting to differentiate between the different settings, especially evident when you compare the scenes in Metropolis’ broad daylight, and the red hues of the foundry fight.
The writing is not like anything I’ve read by Waid (granted I’ve only read Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright). It reads like a 90s comic gone nuclear. The pace is frenetic, with nary a moment to catch one’s breath. The number of characters that show up is crazy. Aside from the main players, we see: Perry, Lois, Jimmy, Ivy, Alfred, Metallo, Penguin and… soldiers from Quard! The Doom Patrol! We also see Lex in his power suit and Zod & co, albeit as hallucinations. Then you have the mysterious villain in the shadows who is seemingly orchestrating the whole thing. It’s quite a lot to handle but, to be honest, Wade never misses a beat. When the issue was done, I was left with this feeling like I want more, in a very good way.
This issue doesn’t play the “Batman is brooding and Superman is hopeful” card. Instead focusing on their partnership and how well they work together and respect each other. Then you have Robin, who is not only an integral part of the action, but also provides some moments of much needed levity in the middle of all the sweet sweet chaos.
Superman falling under the random transforming effects of red kryptonite strikes me as very silver age-y. I don’t know why I say that when my silver age knowledge is close to zero, but the zaniness I hear about those older comics feels very much present here, albeit in a very modern 2022 type of way.
There’s some little throwbacks to the old movies and comics, like easter eggs almost:
- Clark calling his hallucination of Lex a “diseased maniac”, ala Superman The Movie.
- The symbol on Batman’s costume is very much the one from the 1989 movie.
- Superman says “It tickles” after being struck by lightning, like he does on the famous Wayne Boring cover.
It’s a lot, I know… and I didn’t even talk about the plot all that much. It’s clever. At first it seems like it can be a classic brawl between The World’s Finest & a couple of villains. Then we learn there’s more at play, with Ivy and Metallo made quick work of, and the shadowy villain happy with what they just started. I especially liked the way the Doom Patrol is brought in. The negative spirit keeping an infected Clark in check was, very unexpected.
Ok, lots of positives. How about negatives? Maybe 1 for me, and it’s admittedly a nitpick. Seeing the classic clueless Lois saying “Where’s Clark?” was a bit weird. The story starts with “The not too distant past”… and Lois not being in on Clark’s secret seems like it was ages ago. I mean she’s known since the early 90s and they’re married and have a kid together. I understand that comic book time can be very different than real time, but it’s not just that. It just feels a bit regressive to go back to explore that status quo, when the relationship has evolved so much over time. I’m chalking it up to the “fun factor” of that whole setup, and will attempt to enjoy it the same way I enjoy an older comic.
And I’ll use that as my segue way to say overall… and I can’t overemphasize this… this book is a lot of fun. It is very well served by the expanded number of pages, which is very necessary, given all that Waid has skillfully crammed in there. I hope future issues are just as long. Great start to what is hopefully a great, long running book.