Review: Superman #24

Superman #24 came out last week, the 'finale' of the Psi War storyline that Scott Lobdell has been weaving through both super-titles recently. Lobdell has backed off this story the last couple of months, maybe so he could write all of the upcoming 'Krypton Returns' books. Our old friend from Supergirl, Mike Johnson, once again steps in as writer on this chapter. I do wonder if Lobdell plotted this finale. Johnson does a fine job here, wrapping things up and tidying up some of the hanging questions I have about the plot.

Eddy Barrows is on art here and does a great job. I'm not surprised. Barrows stuff is always sharp and slick. It just seems he can never stay on time with a monthly title. With the wild psionic action and crazy physical brawls in this finale, Barrows really is able to shine here.

I put 'finale' in quotes above because while the acute problem of the various psionic factions vying for control of Metropolis was stopped, all the villains escape, slinking away to plot more. Also it is a brutal issue with some horrific imagery when the Psycho Pirate cuts loose on the citizens of town. It seems a bit much for a Superman comic. Lastly, there is one key panel which shows the new 52 attitude towards the man of steel, something mirrored in the recent movie.

I still think this was one of the better arcs in the 2 years of Superman stories in the New 52 (Morrison's run is exempt from inclusion in my mind). These villains with mental powers just pose a bigger threat in my mind than Mongul for instance. And Lois has a decent sized role here, albeit with powers. I want to see Lois the reporter more than Lois the novice psionic.

The book opens up right where the last book ended. Lois, infected and energized by psionic power, battles the Psycho Pirate who simply shut down Superman last issue.

There are some leaps here. The Psycho Pirate is powerful enough to have defeated Hector Hammond and Queen Bee. He is strong enough to be battling Superboy in a High School somewhere (still idiotic given what he is doing here. What would he gain from antagonizing teenagers). And he is replete with power having sucked Superman dry. So how Lois, who just inherited her powers, is able to parry effectively for a bit.

This opening splash is a great representation of Barrows' work here. The snakes from the Medusa mask, the cityscape. The odd angle, putting Lois and the Pirate upright when really they are at wild angles (Superman being the 'ground' X axis) all works.

And this page works as well, the panels formed by the splayed out psionic snakes. That is nice. There is even a sort of 'emotional spectrum' here, with the panels colored vividly with one major tone.

The Pirate is impressed enough with Lois to leave her alive. He tells her she must decide quickly ... join him or be killed by him. It is a bit of hubris on his part. Perhaps that is his flaw. But off he goes to strip the citizens of Metropolis of their civility and let their emotions run wild.

Lois uses her new powers to jump start Superman's mind. He is shocked by her appearance and her willingness to fight the Pirate. Before they can dwell too much, the other villains show up.

First Hector Hammond arises.

And then we see the Queen Bee in her real form. I have to say I was very happy to see this. All of the Twenty, those touched by psionics, have slowly mutated into monstrous forms with bulbous brain-heads. I wondered how the Queen Bee could be so super-model perfect. Turns out that was just her glamour. She actually looks more like the Aliens Queen. So thanks to Johnson for removing that slight problem I had.

With the Pirate being the biggest threat amongst them, Superman and Lois decide to team up with the Queen and Hammond.

Sure I have read Superman stories where he has briefly teamed up with villains to fight villains but it is usually with a wry smile. It usually ends with Superman imprisoning all the villains, even his temporary allies. We don't see that here.

And I suppose the Pirate is a bigger threat. Hammond and the Queen simply want to enslave the city. Heck, the Queen wants them to be fodder for Brainiac. These 'allies' aren't saints.

But the Pirate is the more pressing issue. He has removed all civility and reason from people. And it is here that we see some terrible imagery. People fighting and shooting and looting and lighting fires. Okay ...

But children becoming cannibals? Gnawing on the recent dead like the Vendol from The Thirteenth Warrior? It seems excessive. It reminded me of the horror we saw in the last arc of Alan Moore's Miracleman. This seemed gratuitous.

And now my biggest problem with the book ... once again we see Superman willing to kill if the threat is big enough. Or at least willing to consider a killing move before exhausting all other options.

Lois deduces the mask is what is making the Pirate so powerful. Superman has to remove it.

Look at his face as he acknowledges that removing the mask might kill the Pirate. She even says it might effect the crowd. So what does Superman do? While the Queen and Hammond distract the Psycho Pirate, Superman flies and rips off his mask.

It might kill the Pirate. It might make things worse for those he controls. But that is the first thing he does.

Not fly him away from the crowd. Not fly him up to the thin air to see if he can knock him unconscious. Not fly around him like a cyclone to shock the air out of his lungs. Not use his superbreath to make him hypothermic. Nope ... head straight for the jugular, human life be damned.

It is a subtle change in Superman isn't it. Now it is implied that if the threat is big enough he could kill.

And it feels wrong.

Of course, it doesn't kill the Psycho Pirate. But that isn't the point. The point is Superman was willing to do it knowing it might kill him. Especially when other options hadn't been explored.

Then a very nice wrinkle.

The mask seems to have a will of its own and tries to seduce Superman into putting it on. That would be a decent wrinkle alone.

But then psionic Lois uses her power and influence to have Superman take it off. And she ends her plea by calling him Clark! Shaken free by her voice, he removes the mask and incinerates it with his heat vision.

But Lois knows Superman is Clark! Was it her psionics? Did she 'know' deep in her heart and her psionics revealed the truth to herself? Who knows? But that is a great twist.

Of course, with the adrenaline rush over, Lois lapses back into her human form and her coma.

So we get this scene at the end where Superman proclaims that Lois is his best friend. So tell me, is this a case of him protesting too much? Trying to convince himself not to be in love with her because she is with someone else? Or is this DC shoving the Clark/Diana thing down our throats more, pushing Lois away more?

I suppose best friend is better than enemy or absent.

Lois ends up back in the hospital, brought there as Clark who happened to 'stumble upon her'. As for the villains ... they all get away. All of them. Sure, they are hurting and weakened. But Superman let them all escape to wreak havoc later.

So it is sort of a non-end. The Pirate and Lois know now that Clark is Superman. And Superman is willing to use a kill option to end a threat.

The action scenes were engaging and the art was vibrant. So overall this ends up being a decent issue. The ups are high. The lows are low.

Overall grade: B/C+

Review: Superman #23

Superman #23 came out this week, the latest chapter in the Psi-War. Psi-War has been the most interesting and entertaining arc of the Scott Lobdell era on the book with a lot of moving parts and a formidable number of foes aimed at taking out the Man of Steel.

This issue moves the arc forward by adding another faction to the war, bringing in another player that needs to be dealt with. And while that makes this story that much more complicated, it also made me ask a couple of questions about the future of some of these characters. And Superman is almost a spectator in this issue, thrust into the background of the psionic maneuvers of the combatants.

The book also seems something of a substitute special. Old Supergirl scribe Mike Johnson is listed as writer. I can't believe he wrote this issue de novo; I have to believe this was plotted by Lobdell. But there is no plotting credit to be found. I was glad to see Johnson's name because I thought he was moving things in the right direction on Supergirl before H'El on Earth derailed all the progress he made with the character.

And art on the book is done by Jesus Merino over thumbnails by Eddy Barrows. I am not surprised to see that Barrows can't finish the book. He never seems to be able to put even 2 issues in a row on a title. Merino has a rougher style than Merino. But you can feel the Barrows-ness of the art throughout.

I do like the Kenneth Rocafort cover here, a sort of classic montage character piece. In particular I liked the 'army in silhouette' on the left upper corner, adding just a hint of action to the piece.

We start with the origin of the Psycho Pirate, a villain we just met over in Superboy.

An omnisicent narrator, observing presumably psionically, calls him a 'sweaty nerd' who grabs the Medusa Mask out of a museum display. The mask is supposed to have tremendous powers.

But the man is also identified as one of The Twenty. Remember, these are twenty people who went and stayed missing after the Brainiac attack, granted ultimately fatal psionic powers, and living amongst us hidden telepathically. The Twenty folks we have met have all sported massive Brainiac-like heads and end up dead, burned out by the virus.

This person thinks the mask's powers will protect him from the virus. I have to assume it will because I don't think a new Psycho Pirate will be killed so soon after introduction. Nor do I think he'll end up with a huge head.

Meanwhile, Superman battles the Queen Bee. The HIVE leader was kicked out of her headquarters by Hector Hammond last month and she is trying to gain control of Superman to use him as a weapon-drone.

We also learn that the Queen is also a member of The Twenty (how many have we officially met now? Five?). So I doubt the svelte and sultry Queen is going to end up sporting a huge brainy cranium either. Could her headgear somehow protect her too?

And it is interesting to see the different motivations of those effected by Brainiac. Some want to simply hide. The Senator wanted to try to defend the Earth from aliens. The Queen wants to subjugate everyone. I like how Superman calls her plans to eliminate free will as condemning people.

Nice art here, especially the crackling Queen, showing her power.

But I also like how the Queen belittles Superman, calling him primitive for trying to solve matters with his fists.

And the story does a good job showing how tough it would be to fight someone who can basically cast illusions, fight physically with telekinesis, and attack the mind on top of things. Even super-senses can't help.

It is Superman's difficulty with psionics that makes as compelling a story as it is.

Despite Orion's mental blocks, Superman actually succumbs to the Queen's attack, falling under her sway.

And at that moment where he is enslaved, Lois (who recently has become a member of the Twenty) is psionically startled out of her slumber. Most will know that I am not a big fan of her new boyfriend Jon. It must be rough on him to be holding a bedside vigil only to have Lois' first word be 'Superman'.

The snarkiness of the omniscient narrator who comes along for the whole issue should have tipped me off about who that voice belonged to.

The two warring factions in this PsiWar are Queen Bee and Hector Hammond.

Hammond arrives at the Queen's stronghold and prepares to attack.

While some of the Twenty want to prepare for Brainiac's return to fight him. It turns out the Queen's motives are very different. She wants to enslave humanity to prepare the world for Brainiac's arrival, serving up the populace on a platter. She is loyal to Brainiac. Now that is an interesting wrinkle. She seems so independent and narcissistic. I can't imagine her serving anyone. It also makes Hammond the lesser of two evil I guess. He wants to save the world.

Lastly, I don't show it here (outside of the snippet of her head in the lower middle) but Barrows really adds to the feeling that the Queen is bigger than life, or certainly perceives herself as greater than everyone, by having her on the page outside of panel borders, breaking down artistic walls.

Hammond takes over the minds of some of the citizens the Queen has enslaved and a drone war ensues. I love how Hammond's slaves are easily recognizable by their large heads. I have to assume that is some psionic projection as they are able to move around easily and fight.

It turns out that Hammond is actually physically still in the HIVE headquarters. His presence is an illusion. Angrily, the Queen flies off to confront him and that frees Superman. He then has to work his way through the attacking citizens.

I do think it odd that the Queen seemed so surprised that Hammond was at HIVE. Didn't he just kick her out of it last issue? Isn't that why she is sort of holed up somewhere to begin with?

When Superman arrives at HIVE he finds a battered and somehow normocephalic Hammond lying in rubble. So someone has basically depowered Hammond. And Hammond actually says that the Queen Bee is dead at the hands of someone ...

Nice view here, looking down at Hammond's shattered body. The emphasis should be on him because we have seen him dominate over that last couple of issues. And his frame and head has been such a important visual on this arc. So this angle helps move the story. Despite everything we have seen and know, Hammond is defeated.

And the Queen ... dead??

At last we learn that the narrator is The Psycho Pirate, who was narrating his own story at the beginning of the issue. And he sounds even more powerful than the old Crisis-era Pirate. And to have taken out Hammond and the Queen so easily is unreal. Calling Superman Clark is a nice line to end on.

But if he really controls all the minds on Earth, why he is flitting around a high school over in Superboy?

I think this was a fine issue. It does what a middle chapter should do, move the plot along, add some new wrinkles, and bring us closer to an ending. Things are different at the end of this issue than they were at the beginning with the two big players in the war now defeated/dead and a new player on the board.

This read very much like a Lobdell book so Johnson kept the feel of the story unruffled. And I actually think that Merino can channel Barrows enough to keep the book looking slick. I have enjoyed this Psi-War arc making the imminent Krypton Returns that much more scary in my mind.

The lingering questions I have involve these members of The Twenty staving off death and mutation as well as Superman's mental blocks no longer working.

Overall grade: B

Review: Superman #22

Superman #22 came out this week, another good issue for writer Scotty Lobdell, a trend that has been true for this title since H'El on Earth played itself out. The Psi-War brewing between HIVE and Hector Hammond is certainly an engaging plot, one that Superman isn't well-equipped to deal with. But even within this arc, each issue has slightly improved from the last. It has been a while since I have looked forward to the Superman title. Right now, I am.

It helps that this issue actually gives us some time with Clark as well as with supporting cast members Cat Grant and Jimmy Olsen. Yes, Lois is completely absent from this issue. But I hope that means in the future she will get good moments like Cat and Jimmy get here. It also helps that Lobdell recaps the story so far by having Superman review the events in his head. It brought me up to speed and helped clear up the initial confusion of why H.I.V.E./Hammond are fighting when the last time we saw them (in Action Comics) they are allies. I knew that flash forward in Action would flummox me.

The art in the issue is done mostly by Eddy Barrows. I have always liked Barrows art but I have come to realize he just can't get things done on time. This issue is no difference. While Barrows does the bulk of the art, recent Smallville artist Daniel HDR pencils pages 13-15 and Geraldo Borges who did art on some of the Legion issues of Adventure Comics filled in on 16-18. Hat tip to blog friend Mart Gray of the great
Too Dangerous For A Girl comic review blog for the art breakdown. HDR and Borges style is cleaner, with less line work. But it is all good.

As usual, Kenneth Rocafort does stellar work on this cover. The whole point of the Queen is she is supposed to seduce you or fill you with honeyed word so you will obey her. This image works for that feel.

Last issue Hector Hammond was kidnapped by H.I.V.E. and brought to their headquarters. Unfortunately, Hammond's powers have been augmented by a sudden surge of electric energy. Still, the H.I.V.E. headquarters is Queen Bee's domain. Her troops surround Hammond and she demands that Hammond recognize his role as a mere tool in her plans to dominate the world.

I love this panel structure by Barrows. With the Queen apparently in charge, the panel is shaped like a honeycomb. The point of view here, looking up at the Queen gives her the feel of power, as if we are kneeling before her as well. Nice.

That art riff is flipped on its head on the next set of pages. It turns out the gun-wielding drones were psionic illusions by the Queen, a feint that Hammond saw through quickly.

Suddenly, the ordered honeycomb panels give way to round bulbous panels, not unlike Hammond's head. Suddenly the perspective is different, the Queen looking much less larger-than-life. As always, when art and words complement each other, comics are at their best.

I also have to say, I love that Hammond needs his own slaves to help him with even the most menial tasks. To see this soldier propping up Hammond's arm as he chokes the Queen added a slight element of humor to this scene.

As fun as this mini-skirmish was, the following scenes of Clark and the supporting cast were even better.

We get to hear Superman talk about how ill-prepared he is for a psionic war. He can't punch or heat vision a telepathic attack. And if it weren't for Orion's defenses, he would be helpless.

There is something about this sequence where we see multiple images of Superman turning into Clark that smacks of old-school comic fun. I thought this was great.

Lastly, I am glad that Clark seems to get the same weird vibe off of Dr. Veritas. She studies him closely. She makes veiled double entendres at him. She seems to know more about his capabilities than he does. I wouldn't be surprised if she becomes some New 52 version of Maxima or Rampage.

Clark meets up with Cat Grant. Clarkcatropolis.com, the revolutionary news blog site the two are trying to set up, is struggling. I love how Clark notices the small things about Cat that show she is hurting a bit financially. An empty Starbucks coffee cup and cheap shampoo. That doesn't sound like Cat.

But more importantly, it adds a bit of character to Cat Grant. This is the first incarnation of Cat I kinda-sorta like. She isn't vapid or hateful like prior versions. It would be easy for Cat to give up on this dream when things got tough but she isn't walking away. I am pretty sure the old Cat would never stick it out this long, let alone do this to begin with. Kudos to Lobdell for tweaking her character like this.

Now we can talk journalistic integrity at some other point but Clark decides it is time to break a big story on the site ... specifically a story he learned via his super-powers.

After last month's tip on The Twenty, Clark does some digging. It turns out that STAR Labs is holding some powerful young super-powered individuals as 'test subjects'. These are part of this mysterious Twenty.

Now I don't know if I like STAR Labs being turned into another big bad corporation instead of the upstanding research firm it has always been. Holding people against their will and experimenting with 'treatment'? Sounds nefarious. And knowing the DCU, it will turn out the military is funding this.

Lastly, I thought for sure the Twenty were going to be something mundane like The Hundred or Intergang. We learn that the Twenty are Twenty people who went missing during Brainiac's attack on Metropolis (as seen in Morrison's run). How the heck didn't more than twenty go missing? Are these people still missing? Or known to have been missing and then found? Since they are a legend ... how did that start?

Back at HIVE, we are again shown that Hammond is suddenly much more powerful than anticipated. The Queen is only able to escape by flashing an image of Hammond being shot by guns into Hector's head. There is a page of Hammond being literally blown to bits by guns that all turns out to be illusion. It is one of the things that I like about this story so far. I have to keep on my toes a bit because I might not be able to believe everything that I see.

The bottom line is Hammond suddenly has all that is H.I.V.E. at his disposal.

In a bit of a stretch to set up a scene, Superman decides to 'check in' on Jimmy. Last issue, Jimmy manifested Superman's personality trait of feeling utterly alone. (Now I don't think Superman ever feels that way ... but whatever).

Jimmy is living it up on his parents dime. Last month we heard they were dead and Jimmy inherited their billions. Here we learn they are famous and have 'gone missing', like many famous people do. There has to be more than this here.

My guess? The elder Olsens are 2 of the Twenty.

The conversation is broken up by a sudden earthquake as tentacles like those seen in Brainiac's attack on the city suddenly spring from the ground and start shaking the block apart. And then Superman's brain seems to overload and he crashes through the ground.

Did that tentacle attack really happen? Or were they also more illusion?

That is two references to Brainiac in this issue. We know from the solicits that he is on his way back to Earth.

Superman crashes right into the arms of the Queen Bee on the run.

And from her we learn even more about the Twenty. She is one of them. She (or they) has been preparing for Brainiac's return. She seems to have a lot of anti-Brainiac sentiment here. So she is an enemy of an enemy. Heck, she says she is trying to protect the city.

We should start ticking off the members of The Twenty we know of/suspect. Queen Bee. That actor from last issue. That ninja women from last issue. The Olsens. What about Dr. Veritas??

As for art, I love this sort of anti-pieta. Sure it looks like Michaelangelo's Pieta. But that is one evil looking Queen Bee. And I doubt she is supposed to be comforting/mourning Superman. It is a dark reflection of the classic Pieta and that works here.

So overall an entertaining issue on all levels. The PsiWar plot proceeds with Hammond and HIVE duking it out. We get some quality Clark/Cat moments. We learn Brainiac is enmeshed in this whole thing. And the art was solid throughout.

Not bad.

Overall grade: B/B+