Truth, Justice, and Unprecedented Achievements: Action Comics #1000

The following is my review of Action Comics #1000, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

In June 1938, the first issue of Action Comics came out, introducing the hero by which so many future heroes are still measured. Toady, it's impossible to assess the state of modern superheroes without appreciating the impact of Superman. From the early days of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster to the modern era Geoff Johns and Dan Jurgens, the position Superman holds in the pantheon of the superhero genre is without parallel. He is very much the ideal in terms of just how great a hero can be.

It's hard to imagine how Siegel and Shuster expected their creation to evolve over the years. It's hard to imagine their reaction to the knowledge that this series that began in the latter part of the Great Depression would go on for another 1,000 issues that span eight decades, two reboots, a rebirth, multiple movie franchises, a slew of cartoons, and a never-ending supply of merchandise. Action Comics isn't just special to the brand of DC Comics. It's very much an institution, one in which the milestones carry even more weight.

That's why Action Comics #1000 is a truly momentous achievement for both Superman and the superhero era that he helped to start. It's one of those rare comics for which there is no template to draw from. No other series can offer insight into how such a milestone comic should be handled. That doesn't stopped DC Comics from assembling an all-star team of writers to pack plenty of content into a single comic with a $7.99 price tag.

With so much talent and so many reasons to celebrate, the expectations for Action Comics #1000 are almost too big to contemplate. Then again, much of Superman's entire appeal is his ability to defy the impossible, do what's right, and do it for the right reasons. He already embodies the ideal for multiple generations of superheroes. It's only fitting that he set the bar for such a milestone issue, if only to make things a little less daunting for Detective Comics and Amazing Spider-Man.

Action Comics #1000 doesn't try to reinvent Superman, push him to new extremes, or make him more up-to-date with modern audiences. More than anything else, it's a celebration of who Superman is and everything he represents. It's not just that he can fight off a fleet of alien invaders and make it back to his family in time for dinner. It's not just that he can outwit Lex Luthor, save an innocent woman being held at gun point in the blink of an eye, and even beat an army of alternate versions of himself.

These are all feats of strength and that's par for the course with Superman. There are plenty of superheroes in superhero comics, fiction, and mythology of all kinds with obscene strength. What sets Superman apart isn't in how he uses it. It's in how he inspires others with it. That's what sets Superman apart and makes him the kind of icon who can transcend decades, generations, and trends of all kinds. From upbeat and hopeful to grim and gritty, Superman finds a way to inspire. Of all the impossible things he does on a day-to-day basis, that's the most meaningful.

Celebrating that core ideal of Superman's character is difficult to do with just one story. Action Comics #1000 doesn't bother trying. Instead, it tells a series of short, concise stories that embody the best of who Superman is and why he's such an inspiration. Each story varies in terms of theme and challenge, but the message is the same. Superman doesn't just overcome the impossible. He raises the bar for everyone.

He can even do this without having to throw a single punch. In one story by Dan Jurgans, he attends a special celebration that Metropolis is holding to honor Superman. He's there as Clark Kent, but constantly worrying about other threats. Then, when he finally decides to don his iconic cape and red underwear, he finds out that he doesn't always have to be the one to right these wrongs. The people he inspires, from the heaviest hitters in the Justice League to the ordinary people on the streets, can do the right thing too when the opportunity arises.

In another story by Geoff Johns, Superman confronts the man who he hung from a telephone pole in the first issue of Action Comics in a fitting extension of that historic first issue. Whereas most other heroes are content to either let the man wallow in his humiliating defeat or just throw him in the nearest jail cell, as though that somehow is enough to make someone change their ways. Superman dares to go the extra mile

He talks to the man, but he doesn't talk down to him. Superman tries to relate to him, showing the kind of empathy and understanding that resonates with him. The fact that he can do this while being an alien from another world helps show the strength of Superman's humanity, despite the fact that he's not human. If he, an alien can embody that level of compression, then what's everyone else's excuse?

Through each story, there are insights into Superman's legacy and how he went about crafting it. They cover current and past era, referencing different timelines and iconic moments. Action Comics #1000 doesn't try to tie them all together through some elaborate sub-plot. While that renders the stories disconnected, they still convey the right message with respect to who Superman is and why his legacy matters.

Like the man himself, these insights are crafted to reflect an ideal. They show just how good a hero can be. They demonstrate that just being exceedingly powerful, able to stop a speeding train or break chains of Kryptonite, is not enough. The real power that makes Superman great is in how he uses it, doing the right thing and never hesitating to do so.

A being of his power can do so many other things, right and wrong. He's even tempted at times, both by circumstance and by men like Lex Luthor. No matter the situation or the challenge, Superman will still do what's right and he won't compromise that. He won't make excuses, either. That may make his decisions predictable, but the way he goes about making them only reinforces why he's an icon who has endured for so long.

The fact that Action Comics makes it to 1,000 issues, despite changing trends in culture and the superhero genre as a whole, is a remarkable accomplishment. Action Comics #1000 does plenty to celebrate the past and chart Superman's course for the future. There's still only so much a single issue can do to encapsulate over 80 years of heroics, even with extra content and a higher price tag. Since the stories are so short and focused, it's difficult to show the breadth of Superman's story through the ages.

For a hero like Superman, though, even a 1,000 page comic isn't be enough to tell every aspect of his story or why he's the most iconic hero of all time. It doesn't have to, though. Like the Man of Steel himself, Action Comics #1000 does plenty to raise the bar and bring hope to generations past and present. What started Siegel and Shuster nearly a century ago is still going strong today. It still seems impossible that any character could endear for so long, but that's exactly what makes him Superman.

Final Score: 9 out of 10

Secrets, Convergence, and the Sacred: Doomsday Clock #1

The following is my review of Doomsday Clock #1, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

In the colorful history of comics, there are only a handful of sacred concepts that can never be sullied. They can be refined, reimagined, or expanded, but to twist them is akin to poking the Hulk in the eye. It's just a reckless invitation for outrage and anguish. Whether it's Superman's virtue, Batman's gadgets, or Deadpool's love of tacos, these ideas have a special place in comics lore that may as well be carved in adamantium.

In the annuls of the DC mythos, few stories are as sacred or revered as Alan Moore's Watchmen. Even today, it's impossible to overstate just how groundbreaking this story was for DC and comics, as a whole. That story, in all its dark and cynical glory, shows just how far comics can take a particular concept. Watchmen really went for broke, taking on everything from the merits of heroism to the corruption that comes with god-like power. These are all concepts that play out in countless myths and Watchmen found a way to break new ground on these concepts.

It's for that reason that incorporating Watchmen into the DC universe carries a huge risk. It's one thing to expand the world of Watchmen, which was done in the Before Watchmen series. It's quite another to work it into the ongoing upheavals of the DC universe. Geoff Johns and Gary Frank set these worlds on a collision course with the events of DC Rebirth #1.

Now, with Doomsday Clock #1, the collision is imminent and the sacred status of Watchmen is at stake. Given that Johns and Grank are DC's creative equivalent of the A-Team, this historic gamble is in the best possible position to pay off. Doing so, however, means recapturing the same complexities and quirks of Watchmen. That's exactly what Doomsday Clock #1 spends most of the time doing and while Alan Moore may still resent everything DC does with his creations, it finds a way to succeed.

The world of Watchmen is still as dark as ever, but Doomsday Clock #1 effectively doubles down on it, building upon a world where heroes and men with god-like power set humanity on a dark, dangerous course. In a sense, it picks up where the last panel of Watchmen left off in a very literal sense. Rorschach's journal, which thoroughly documented the events of the original Watchmen, helps expose Ozymandias' elaborate ruse. From there, a world built on cynicism and disillusion somehow becomes even darker.

In a sense, the world of Doomsday Clock is the ultimate extreme in terms of what happens when a lie becomes too big to brush aside as an alternate fact. This concept is wholly relevant in an era where the biggest threat isn't the Soviet Union launching a nuclear attack. It's people who buy into the lies, half-truths, and agendas. A willingness to buy into those lies is exactly what characters like Ozymandias exploit, what Rorschach despises, and what the Comedian laughs at.

It's one thing to brush aside stories of presidents colluding with foreign agents. It's quite another to brush aside a massive deception that unleashes armies of monsters and kills millions in a bid to unite the world. That's a lie that nobody in the world of Doomsday Clock can accept or spin. Even the news media at their worst cannot hope to twist the facts into serving an agenda.

Johns and Frank really channel their inner Alan Moore and David Gibbons, which may be much easier today than it was in the mid-80s. They don't just guide the narrative through a darker, more cynical path. They push it to an extent where extremes like nuclear war feel expected, if not logical. They build a world full of people who find out that their heroes and their most powerful icons lied to them in a way that killed millions. It's a dark world, to say the least, and one where outrage manifests in more than hashtags.

Doomsday Clock once again puts the world of Watchmen on the brink of destruction. However, it's the ties to the world of DC Rebirth that really raises the stakes. What happens in this world can't just be brushed aside like one of the many elseworlds that build their structures around apocalyptic scenarios. Due to the events of DC Rebirth #1, these worlds are entwined now. That makes the story that unfolds in Doomsday Clock #1 feel so impactful.

That story doesn't rely heavily on DC's biggest heroes, nor does it try to incorporate the entire cast of Watchmen into the mix. It focuses on key characters like Ozymandias and Rorschach with support from secondary characters like Marionette and the Mime. They guide the bulk of the narrative, bringing Superman and the world of DC's heroes at the end. The ties between the two worlds are somewhat loose, but since they are already established thanks to DC Rebirth #1, there's still a strong sense of cohesion.

A big part of what makes Watchmen such a powerful story is how well it reflects the sentiments of a certain period in history. It's something that Before Watchmen didn't attempt, but Doomsday Clock #1 dares to follow that same approach. By nearly every measure, it works. The themes in the story are even more relevant in 2017 than they were in 1985. Adding the impact on the greater DC Universe only heightens the importance of those themes.

Every comic tries to be groundbreaking in its own right, but few have the context and the themes to achieve this. Watchmen succeeded by being ambitious at just the right time with just the right kind of story. That's a big part of why it has such a sacred status in the history of comics. Doomsday Clock can't achieve that same sacred status just yet, but it succeeds in capturing many of the elements that make Watchmen such a powerful story.

The prospect of the world of Watchmen impacting that of the larger DC universe remains intriguing. The events of Doomsday Clock #1 helps set that story up in a way that captures the same sentiments that make both worlds so compelling. Such an effort still has some lofty goals with some long odds, but so far, that gamble is paying off in a profound way.

Final Score: 9 out of 10

Gods, Justice, Secrets, and Spectacles: Justice League #50

The following is my review of Justice League #50, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

Every major comic book event likes to claim it'll shake the foundations of this entire fanciful world to its core. Very few can claim they deliver on a consistent basis. Geoff Johns is one of the few who can make this claim, at least in the context of DC Comics. For the past decade, he has been the architect for many of the important upheavals in the DC Universe. He seems to bring a new upheaval every other year and Darkseid Wars is no exception.

This event is already shaking and shattering the foundations of the post-Flashpoint era of DC Comics. Darkseid is dead. Batman now sits on the Mobius chair. Lex Luthor now wields power, courtesy of the pits of Apokalipse and his unparalleled capacity for deceit. Wonder Woman now knows that Steve Trevor wasn't the first man to visit Themyscira. Johns is putting every character in a position to reassess the fundamental nature of who they are. Some handle it better than others and for once, it's not just Lex Luthor who lets his ego get in the way.

Justice League #50 is the culmination of all these factors on top of being the capstone to the New 52 era. It's a lot to assess, reassess, and reconfigure. Events that started back in the Forever Evil event come into play. On paper, it seems impossible, juggling so many plots and making every outcome feel meaningful. In addition, this all has to be done in conjunction with the world from an inter-dimensional entity that already has one dead universe to its credit and a dead Darkseid as a bonus.

It's the kind of massive threat that brings out the best and worst of the Justice League. In this case, Johns manages to highlight the best, minimize the worst, and complete the Darkseid Wars saga in a meaningful way. He once again proves himself a skilled juggler of all things DC Comics, but with Darkseid Wars, he sets himself apart from any street performer or circus act.

Darkseid Wars is an omega-level DC Comics spectacle and Justice League #50 acts as the finale when all the fireworks goes off, all the dazzling lights shine, and everybody's ears are left ringing in the best possible way. The Justice League doesn't just come together like the scrappy underdog in every sports movie ever made. They navigate a vast, intricate conflict that begins with Forever Evil and ends here.

Like the finale of any great spectacle, it gets pretty chaotic at times. Between Grail using Superwoman's baby to channel the power of the New Gods and the Anti-Life Equation taking a new form, it's like keeping up with the Flash after a dozen cups of coffee at times. However, Johns keeps things concise, using Wonder Woman as a narrator and an anchor for the plot. She provides the context for the emotional and dramatic breadth of the story and its a role she's uniquely adept at.

This context is built around Grail and her connection to Wonder Woman's homeland of Themyscira. The entire catalyst for Darkseid Wars begins and ends with the secrets and lies surrounding Themyscira, which have nothing to do with an illegitimate offspring of Zeus for once. Grail acts as the ultimate disruption to the order these secrets and lies protect, not at all caring that parts of this order kept forces like Darkseid in check.

This helps make Grail the biggest star of this story. For most Darkseid Wars, she carries herself like the antithesis of Wonder Woman. In Justice League #50, she finally demonstrates a level of depth that makes her worthy of being the star rookie of DC Comics' team of premier villains. What she does, how she does it, and how the Justice League opposes her bring out the potential that is undeniably present, but takes longer than expected to realize.

Grail and Wonder Woman help guide the narrative of Darkseid Wars to its conclusion. However, as strong as these characters and the surrounding spectacle are, there are times when it feels rushed. Johns avoids stumbling as he juggles so many plots and themes, but the story still gets ahead of itself, especially at the very climax of the battle. Jason Fabok's art skills seem wasted with how quickly the dust settles. There's a distinct lack of grit that keeps it from having the kind of visceral impact that separates great stories from iconic stories.

This rushed pacing extends to the aftermath and epilogues as well. There are significant implications from the events of Darkseid Wars, but these implications are mostly reduced to teasers. These teasers are tempting and appealing in their own right, but they raise far more questions than they answer and these questions are of the frustrating kind.

This is especially true with the teasers surrounding Batman and Wonder Woman. The revelations they uncover raise more than a few eyebrows, but the impact is muted. This impact can certainly be explored in other comics, but it does little to improve the impact of Justice League #50. There are other developments, like those surrounding Jessica Cruz, that offer a more meaningful and immediate impact. Like most teasers though, it's over too quickly.

The pace and polish in Justice League #50 keep Darkseid Wars from broaching that iconic status. It's still a story that hits all the right notes, evokes the right drama, and balances the right themes. It just doesn't fit together in a cohesive, comprehensive manner in the end. It's a flavorful desert of sorts, being the Justice League story that caps off the New 52 era. It's not completely filling, but it's still very satisfying and previews the menu for DC Comics' next big feast with Rebirth.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

Unholy Grail: Justice League: Darkseid War Special #1

The following is my review of Justice League: Darkseid War Special #1, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

When historians look back on this era of comics, they will likely refer to this era as the silver age of female superheroes. The only thing that might keep it from being a golden age would be the fact that Ant Man got a solo movie before Wonder Woman. Shortcomings aside, it's undeniable that female superheroes have risen to prominence during this era.

Carol Danvers became Captain Marvel. Kamala Khan became Ms. Marvel. Harley Quinn became more than an obsessive Joker fangirl. There are still unresolved issues, such as Power Girl's costume and Starfire's sexuality, but there has definitely been progress in the realm of female superheroes. However, the same cannot be said for female villains.

Female villains create a unique set of challenges that cannot be easily resolved with clones, time travel, and skin-tight costumes. All too often, female villains are reduced to typical femme fatales or glorified Bond girls. It's not enough for a female villain to just be a menacing presence with an hourglass figure. To stand out in an era where it's way too easy to undermine female characters, it takes a novel approach.

This is the approach Geoff Johns has set up with Grail, who has been the main catalyst to the events of Darkseid Wars. He has tried to make the fact that she's a woman secondary to the overall story. It's ambitious in that it's one of those feats that isn't usually accomplished outside of a Joss Whedon movie. For it to work, Grail can't just be a female version of Darkseid. Having an hourglass figure and a desire to exterminate all life in the universe just isn't enough. She's has to be different kind of villain with a different set of motivations.

Justice League: Darkseid War Special #1 attempts to shed light on those motivations. What it offers helps move the plot of Darkseid Wars forward, but it does little to make Grail more than Darkseid's evil daughter. She still comes off as the rotten apple of her daddy's eye, in some cases quite literally when omega beams enter the picture, and her story does little to make that more interesting. If anything, it overly simplifies her persona in a way that might as well be ripped from a Superfriends rerun.

That story doesn't try to make excuses for Grail. It doesn't try to make much of a story of it either. Grail is an evil, devious woman who treats inflicting death with the same glee as a child eating a chocolate cake. There was no real progression to this evil. She basically just follows Lady Gaga's message to the letter in that she was born this way. There's never really a sense that she could be anything else.

That's not to say the overall story is bland. If Justice League: Darkseid War Special #1 has an intriguing character, then it's not Grail. It's her mother, Myrina Black. She's the only character whose motivations feel compelling. She's a mother trying to protect her daughter, but she's also a mother fighting a losing battle. Any mother who has dealt with a rebellious teenage girl can empathize. With Grail, though, this battle is taken to an unreasonable extreme.

There's nothing in this story that would make anyone sympathize with Grail. Geoff Johns doesn't try to make her a tragic villain in the tradition of Two-Face, Sinestro, or Joel Shumacher. He only ever reinforces the notion that Grail is just inherently evil and everything she does is intended to make children and puppies cry. To her credit, Myrina Black still tries to love her daughter as any mother would. However, despite what nearly every song by the Beatles may claim, love is simply not enough.

Even if love isn't enough, the greatest strength of the story is that it's told from Myrina Black's perspective. Geoff Johns includes plenty of rich dialog and inner musings that offer insight into Myrina's personality. She's very much an Amazon. She has more warrior spirit in her pinkie than most people not named Bruce Wayne have in their entire bodies. She sets herself apart from Wonder Woman in that her mission as a mother converges with her mission as a warrior. In the end, however, it's a mission that was doomed to fail.

If Myrina Black's perspective is a strength in this story, then Grail's progression is its greatest weakness. There's no real sense that she ever even tried to become more than Darkseid's daughter. There's never a sense that anything Myrina Black did would've had any impact on Grail or how the events of Darkseid Wars played out. Justice League: Darkseid War Special #1 basically amounts to Myrina Black's failed efforts to help her daughter and Grail's utter lack of effort in heeding her mother's help.

It's basically a perfect storm for failed parenting. There's never a sense that a little extra therapy, a little more honesty, and a few more self-help books would've changed the situation. Grail still walked the same path as her father and she did it with a smile. While that might make her the kind of female villain who can take down the Justice League without breaking a sweat, it doesn't make her the kind of character that would be any more compelling than an evil Supergirl.

Grail is still a menacing character with a great deal of potential. Justice League: Darkseid War Special #1 is able to realize some of this potential, but for the most part it just moves the Darkseid War arc forward. It nicely ties in with the events in other books, incorporating ongoing plots involving Jessica Cruz and Steve Trevor into the mix. However, if the purpose of the story was to make Grail a more compelling character, then it came up short.

It didn't fall flat on its face, but it didn't break new ground either. Grail is evil. Grail is her father's daughter. Her mother never stood a chance at helping her. It's a depressing message, but most stories that begin on Apokolips usually are.

Final Score: 5 out of 10

Justice League #41 Chronicles a Catalyst of War

The following is my review of Justice League #41, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

War tends to bring out the bad in good people and the worst in bad people. Circumstances and situations tend to get simplified in a very callous sort of way. If Randolph Bourne is right and war truly is the health of the state, then it’s the kind of health that can only be maintained by powerful medications. And as with many medications, the side-effects are sometimes worse than the disease. Darkseid is by far one of the DCU’s worst cancers. However, it’s often the side-effects he incurs that do the most damage.

Darkseid isn’t just bad in terms of the Justice League’s many enemies. He’s a force of nature. He sees himself as the embodiment of entropy. He doesn’t trigger war. War itself follows him. He’s like the Joker, but without a sense of humor. There’s nothing funny about what he does and nobody’s laughing when he does it. That’s what makes him such a daunting foe. He’s the kind of force that few are equipped to fight. In the same way one person can’t fix a broken dam with a shovel, no one person can fight him. That makes him an ideal adversary for the Justice League, as shown in the very first arc with the New 52. Now that Convergence has passed, there’s a new brand to refine. And just like before, Darkseid is the catalyst for it.

This is what unfolds Justice League #41, laying the foundation for the Darkseid War and building an impressive structure on that foundation. The prologue established Darkseid’s new target in the Anti-Monitor. Between these two characters, it’s like throwing a universe-sized cherry bomb into the DCU. But unlike Darkseid’s first battle with the Justice League, this battle has more layers of complexity.

Like any good sequel that’s not directed by Joel Shumacher, there are new paths to explore. The Justice League has undergone numerous developments and changes. Two of its members have hooked up. One of their greatest enemies has joined the team. They even found time to clash with the Justice League of America the way. They’re not overly vulnerable, but they have more to exploit this time around. And it isn’t just Darkseid who exploits them.

Like the inaugural arc of Justice League, the conflict in the Darkseid War starts with a mystery. Someone has decided to blatantly rip off the first Terminator movie and kill every woman named Myrina Black. It’s not exactly the same as John Smith, but it does ensure plenty of innocent women whose parents thought the name was completely innocuous face an untimely end. There isn’t an obvious link to Darkseid at first, but there are plenty of connections forming behind the scenes.

In addition to this mystery, there are several other sub-plots that effectively tie into this mystery, giving that added complexity that no parademons invasion can match. These ties include a nasty confrontation between Darkseid and Mr. Miracle, as well as few terse exchanges between Superman and Lex Luthor. They all have their unique appeal. There will always be an appeal to seeing Superman goad Lex Luthor into doing something crazy like curing cancer on a dare. But what makes the appeal more relevant is how each sub-plot converges on the main conflict.

These plots don’t converge completely like the final season of the Wire, but they come very close. The spark that turns the catalyst for the Darkseid War into a full-blown firestorm is the arrival of Grail, the daughter of Darkseid. She’s a new character with next to no history, but she’s akin to a top five pick in the NBA draft. And when she enters the conflict, she carries herself like Michael Jordan in his prime.

Grail does the kind of damage to the Justice League that might actually make Darkseid crack a smile. She takes down their heaviest hitters and does it with a creepy smile every step of the way. And unlike Darkseid, she does it with a lot more personality. Whereas Darkseid voice comes off as a less polite version of Robocop, Grail has some genuine charisma. She even finds a way to reveal her connection to the Amazons, which makes her defeat of Wonder Woman even more satisfying. And the artwork of Jason Fabrok helps makes it appropriately visceral.

In some respects, Grail is more imposing than Darkseid and not just because she’s more emotive than a tortoise shell. She has Amazon-type skill to go along with Apokolips-level brutality. That’s like putting Peyton Manning’s skill inside Cam Newton’s body with Michael Vick’s legs. It’s entirely believable that she could take down the Justice League single-handedly, something her father failed at the first time around. He’s either very proud or incredibly bemused.

Grail steals the show, but she doesn’t derail the plot. The complexity formed by the various sub-plots don’t get incoherent either, a testament to Geoff Johns’ attention to detail. It offers additional twists along the way. They don’t feel too forced, but some components feel like a last minute reshoot. It still doesn’t mitigate the impact. Each conflict and twist help ignite the spark that kicks off the Darkseid War. Like kickoff at the Super Bowl, it begins the spectacle in all the right ways.

The plot surrounding the first shots of Darkseid War is pretty dense, full of meaningful character interactions and heart-stopping action. The sheer density and complexity can be overwhelming at times, but it never gets convoluted. There’s never a point where the reader has to scratch their head and take notes to make sense of what’s going on. Everything is neatly organized and perfectly laid out for those willing to appreciate the detail and don’t just want to see a beautiful woman beat up the Justice League.

Few spectacles outside Breaking Bad can say they accomplished what Justice League #41 accomplished. It succeeded in kick-starting the Darkseid War. Anyone who is a fan of big summer blockbusters or volatile stories with the flare of illegal fireworks is going to want to get some popcorn.

Final Score: 9 out of 10

Revealing Strengths and Vulnerabilities: Superman #39

The following is my review of Superman #39, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

The concept of a secret identity is a lot harder to contemplate in an era where identities are only as secretive as a botched instagram post. It was probably a lot easier decades ago when only the CIA, the DEA, and George Lucas utilized elaborate camera tricks. So someone like Clark Kent could get away with having a secret identity, especially with all the skills and powers that come along with being Superman. Over his history, he’s had to elaborate and creative. He’s not like Batman, who has enough money and gadgets to make most of his identity issues go away. But in this era, elaborate and creative just isn’t enough.

This creates a logistical problem of sorts for Superman. He lives in an era where phone booths are as extinct as eight-track tapes and everyone has a camera in their pocket. Yet somehow he’s still able to keep his identity secret from his friends, his family, the NSA, and Fox News. It’s one of those issues that’s easy to shrug off because it’s been part of Superman’s mythos since the 1940s, a time when a camera cost a mortgage payment. But after discovering a new power and keeping all his secrets solely amongst the Justice League, he’s taken a chance and revealed his identity to someone.

It’s overdue and it lacks impact, but it’s still an important development. Superman #39 explores that development in wake of the conflict surrounding Ulysses. It’s a development that didn’t have much of a transition, but it still counts as a pivotal moment for Superman. It even ends up being more than pivotal. It offers a refreshing insight into what makes Superman the ideal by which all heroes are measured.

The revelation itself isn’t the center of the story. It essentially starts a conversation that ends up going way beyond the merits of a secret identity in the 21^st century. Jimmy Olson’s reaction is fairly predictable. It’s not overdone or overly dramatic. For a character like Jimmy Olson, that’s appropriate. He’s still this wide-eyed kid who sees the world from the perspective of someone whose spirit hasn’t been crushed by mortgages, bills, and the IRS.

To Jimmy Olson, his best friend being Superman is like finding out his best friend just bought a Ferrari. It’s shocking, but in a good way. Nobody faints. Nobody gets mad. He doesn’t whine about his friend lying to him all these years. He just accepts it and embraces this revelation. It might come off as bland, but it’s not callous. He doesn’t shrug it off or get overly worked up. And it’s because Jimmy’s reaction is so healthy that Superman can offer some perspective about what he’s going through.

In addition to revealing his identity, Superman is also dealing with not having his powers for a day. It’s one of the unfortunate side-effects of his latest Dragonball Z derived ability to generate a solar flare. But not having his powers doesn’t cripple him. He doesn’t tremble with fear and he doesn’t carry himself like he’s not Superman anymore. He actually embraces the opportunity to be fully human and having someone like Jimmy Olson to share the experience with makes it meaningful.

It’s probably the most mature way anyone has ever responded to a loss. Most people have a nervous breakdown whenever they drop their cell phone in the toilet. Superman lost the power that makes him Superman. That’s a lot more serious than simply not being able to Tweet from an elevator. But this loss doesn’t cause Superman to curl up into a fetal position and pray to Rao for the strength. It doesn’t even stop him from being Superman and this is where the true impact of the story shows.

Even though he’s fully human and completely vulnerable, Superman still doesn’t hesitate to help people in need. When a girl falls out of a tree, he helps her. When a crazed gunman takes a hostage, he does something about it. He does it when he’s just Clark Kent in normal street clothes. He also does it while he’s wearing his Superman armor. Not having his powers doesn’t change that in the slightest. He’s still Superman. He can still be the hero everyone needs him to be without his powers. In that sense, even other heroes who might complain about not being able to lift a freight train have no excuse.

The story doesn’t contain much in the form of style, nor does it offer anything decidedly epic like Superman’s final battle against Ulysses. But it does offer a beautiful reminder of why Superman is so iconic. It shows that Superman doesn’t do what he does because of his powers. In fact, his powers wouldn’t even rank in top five in terms of reasons why he’s the ideal by which all heroes are measured. He does the right thing, regardless of whatever power he may or may not have. That ideal is and always has been Superman’s greatest power.

This underlying theme is the greatest strength of the story. It’s a theme worth reinforcing. It’s easy to forget in between clashes with Lex Luthor and battles against alien warlords that Superman is more than the breadth of his powers. There will always be some satisfaction to the stories where he decks Lex Luthor and flies off with Lois Lane into the sunset. But there’s a different kind of satisfaction in stories that show why Superman embodies the ideals of so many heroes before and since his creation. It could be argued that him punching out Lex Luthor is more satisfying, but reinforcing those ideals is definitely more meaningful.

The story in Superman #39 isn’t overly epic. Revealing his identity to Jimmy Olsen doesn’t make for an overwhelming narrative, but it still does so in a meaningful way. It just ends up becoming secondary once Superman gets a chance to be Superman without his powers. It’s easy to be inspired by a man who isn’t afraid to do the right thing even when he can’t punch through a brick wall. But with or without Superman’s powers, it still doesn’t make glasses a viable disguise.

Final Score: 8 out of 10

The (Lost) Promise of Paradise: Superman #36

The following is my review of Superman #36, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

Many people, at some point in their lives, have been stuck living somewhere they would rather not be. Sometimes it's a bad neighborhood. Sometimes it's a bad roommate. Sometimes it's the girlfriend of a roommate that makes an otherwise bearable living situation into a test Job himself would fail miserably. In many of these situations, the best recourse is to leave and find someplace else. But what if that wasn't an option?

For many people, Earth itself is akin to living in a dilapidated housing project in downtown Detroit with a crack house on one floor and a team of insomniac tap-dancers on the other. It is estimated that there are approximately one billion people living in extreme poverty. If these people were offered an easy escape for themselves and their families, most would take it without a second thought. It's perfectly logical for any rational human to escape from a bad situation. But being logical and rational in a world where Duck Dynasty is a hit show is not always enough. This is the dilemma Superman faces in Superman #36.

It's no secret that Superman, with his limitless powers and access to technology that makes the iPhone look like it runs on vacuum tubes, could fix a lot of the world's problems. However, he doesn't do that for the same reason we wouldn't give cavemen an atomic bomb. It would create more problems than it solved. He wants to make the world better in a more noble, albeit tedious way. His new ally, Ulysses, has a different approach and it doesn't involve the typical General Zod approach either.

Ulysses is a lot like Superman in many ways, so much so in some respects that Superman could probably sue him for identity theft and win with the right legal team. His desperate parents tried to save him from a catastrophe, he grew up on another world, and he became imbued with great power. The main difference is that he is fully human and he returned to Earth thinking that it had been destroyed, much like Krypton had been destroyed. It put him in a position to be another hero on Superman's level, capable of inspiring mankind to be better while making the Lex Luthor's of the world cry themselves to sleep at night. But this is where the two characters diverge in a way that no legal team could argue around.

Whereas Superman sees hope in mankind's future, Ulysses came to a very different conclusion. He sees all the racism, poverty, bigotry, and reality TV shows as a sign that mankind is beyond hope. No amount of inspiration can save them. Ulysses says outright that he could help mankind cure all disease, end all war, and even help them create an iPhone uses Adobe Flash, but it wouldn't be enough. Mankind would still find a reason to be miserable, like some self-immolating goth kid in high school. So he offers them a different solution that Superman has never dared to offer.

He makes what is essentially a limited time offer on an infomercial. For six million lucky humans, he will transport them in his ship to his former home in the Fourth Dimension. He claims that this is a place where humanity can have a brighter future, one free poverty, fear, and internet video ads that can't be skipped or muted. It's an enticing offer that's very different from the usual, "I'm strong enough to bench press a planet so do as I say," type deal. Naturally, it's an offer many people embrace like a Black Friday sale.

It's a powerful concept and one that puts Ulysses at odds with Superman in a way that goes beyond a typical Zod-style clash. These two men are very similar in terms of their powers and their desire to help humanity. The primary difference is that Superman believes mankind has a future worth saving. Ulysses does not. Maybe Superman missed the recent uproar over Kim Kardashian, but it's a profound difference that tests Superman's entire purpose.

Initially, Superman comes off as the unreasonable one. He doesn't think Ulysses is right to just broadcast this glorified infomercial to the whole world, offering them a planetary get-out-of-jail-free card. There might be some merit to that argument, but Ulysses resists the urge to channel his inner Lex Luthor. He makes clear that he's not forcing this on anyone. He's not threatening anyone. He's just giving people a choice. And for anyone who's behind on their mortgage or just happens to be a New York Jets fan, that's a pretty enticing choice.

It's the kind of struggle that could test Superman's underlying philosophy of how and why he does what he does. There's so much merit to what Ulysses is doing. He's almost more heroic than Superman on some levels. Unfortunately, this is not the struggle that unfolds. While he doesn't become another Zod or Lex Luthor overtly, he does imply that he's interested in their fan club.

This is where the struggle becomes vague yet predictable. When Superman confronts Ulysses and his parents, he essentially just Hulks out. There's no real debate. There's no test. There is a super-powered fight, but it's nothing that hasn't already been seen in the Man of Steel movie. But what makes it too predictable is Ulysses himself, going from someone who just has a different approach to saving humanity to someone whose willing to throw people in a meat grinder if it serves his goal.

There are still aspects to Ulysses' plan that haven't been revealed, but his quick reversion to a proto-Zod takes away from what was such a compelling concept. Superman #36 put Superman in an uncomfortable position where he had to confront some uncomfortable truths about his principles. Then, like a kid getting a snow day before mid-terms, he ends up not having to confront anything. It turns into just another struggle against a Superman wannabe gone bad. Ulysses' offer is still a viable concept, but now somebody else will have to steal it to see if it could work.

Final Score: 6 out of 10

Scanned Thoughts: Superman Unchained #7

I'm going to skip the usual anecdotes about my last trip to Tijuana or my high school horror stories this time so I can get one thing out of the way. Yes, I know I used to review a lot more DC comics on this blog. And yes, I know seeing this review for some is like seeing Walter White going from meth cook to weed grower. My goal is still the same. I want to get everybody who reads this high on the awesome of comics. It would definitely help if more people drank or smoked pot while reading these books, but I can only provide so much without the DEA riding my ass like the IRS rides Willie Nelson. And Superman Unchained is to DC comics what Walter White's blue meth is to tweakers. It doesn't come often, but fuck if it doesn't embody everything that's awesome about Superman. And since this week is the 4th of July and I'm feeling patriotic, it's only fitting that I review a comic about the hero that embodies truth, justice, and the American Way. Fittingly enough, Superman Unchained #7 is a book that has the American way attacking Superman on his own fucking property because he has something they want and for once it isn't weed, blow, or Edward Snowden's address. So in the spirit of Independence Day, I'm going to salute and gorge on apple pie while getting drunk and watching Superman kick the asses of the Dick Cheney's of the world. God bless America indeed!

The situation is simple enough for even Bill O'Riley to understand. Lois Lane now possesses the Earth Stone, which to the American military is like possessing nuclear launch codes and the keys to Bill Clinton's porno stash. Superman, naturally, attempts to protect Lois by sheltering her in his Fortress of Solitude. So General Lane, who happens to be Lois' father and probably has voted republican since 1980, does what any reasonable American with an army and an obscene budget. He attempts to invade Superman's home armed with a bunch of big fucking AT-AT style tanks that are probably overbudget as fuck. This kind of shit might give Rush Limbaugh a boner, but this is as un-American as it gets. Nobody needs to know the full story of the Earthstone or why Lois Lane has it. They just need to know that General Lane wants it and he looks at Superman the same way Vladimir Putin looks at watered down vodka. It's not the first time the American military has harassed Superman, but on the same week as Independence Day, it feels that much more relevant.

Naturally, Superman's first inclination is to protect Lois from the attack. Unlike him or Wonder Woman, she's composed of frail fleshy bits that don't stand up to a typical artillery shell. Lois, knowing her father is a bigger asshole than anyone gives him credit for, warns him that he's packing weapons specifically designed to hurt him. With a budget like his, he can probably afford to cover those weapons in gold. But even though Lois is probably telling the truth and as a great ass, Superman doesn't heed her warning and is prepared to fight back. If for no other reason than to make Lois horny at the sight of someone attacking her asshole father.

Beyond the obvious daddy issues, there's actually a much more profound conversation going on that only makes sense for those who read the earlier issues in the series. For a good chunk of this series, it has basically criticized and deconstructed Superman's approach to helping people. General Lane and Wraith, a far less sexier but far more pro-American superpowered alien, basically tell him he's pissing into the wind with what he's doing. Being Clark Kent and Superman is a setup that can't work in the long run, no matter what he does. But Lois points out that he makes the choice to follow this path because he believes it. And since he's fucking Superman, it has to be right on some levels. It's a nice moment that is fittingly ruined when General Lane jumps the gun and starts shooting at the fortress. It causes both property damage and I imagine it probably causes some pretty awkward moments with hookers.

Speaking of Wraith, who basically looks like the bastard child of Kratos from God of War and Drax the Destroyer, he has his hands full as well. After slugging it out with Superman in a few early issues, he opts for what he probably thinks is an easier fight against one of the allies that helped him secure Lois. He's just a man in that he has no powers. By all accounts, this should be as easy for Wraith as killing a fly with a shotgun. The problem is that man happens to be the goddamn Batman. And unlike most flies, Batman has a kickass cave and a fleet of awesome cars.

Now I won't want the comments section of this review to turn into another bullshit Batman vs. Superman argument. There have been enough of those going on since the 1950s and we don't need to have that argument until Ben Affleck skews it in Dawn of Justice. But I will say that pitting Wraith against Batman helps create a welcome change of pace in the action, which to this point has basically been super-powered aliens punching each other. Now it's the goddamn Batman, armed with a fleet of cars and a fucking jet, against a super-powered alien. Sounds like a fair fight to me and unlike Dawn of Justice, we know who to root for.

There's no ambiguity here on who deserves to get punched. Batman battles Wraith. Superman battles General Lane and his overbudgeted army of "Fuck the Constitution, let's bomb some shit until the problem is solved" friends. That doesn't mean there aren't tough decisions to make. Despite Lois' insistence that she have a front row seat so she can watch Superman beat up her father and pleasure herself during every glorious second, Superman turns her down. He sticks her in some protective cell, much to her dismay. I doubt she'll be able to pleasure herself to the thoughts of her father getting his ass kicked there. But this is part of the hard choices Superman has to make. I know fans of Superman/Lois don't want to hear this and Superman/Wonder Woman fans will dance naked in the streets to this, but Lois is human. She's vulnerable and even if she doesn't want to be protected, Superman is going to protect her, damn it. General Lane certainly doesn't give a shit that there might be human casualties. I'm sure he thinks that's the kind of shit that hippies, the ACLU, and communists only care about.

In that respect, he's taught Wraith well because he treats Batman and his private Batcave the same way. I know I made it seem like a fair fight when I said he's the goddamn Batman and he's got a fleet of awesome cars to fight with. But let's face it, this is a fair fight in the same way our tax laws are fair. Wraith brushes off the attacks by Superman's cars the same way Brett Favre brushes off a concussion and a broken thumb on game day. That means Batman has to fight unfair and rely on more than just his gadgets, his money, and his brilliance. I know that's like the Koch brothers winning an argument without bribes, but Batman just happens to have a power ring that he keeps handy in case he has to fight a Superman-level villain. Why does he have this and where the fuck did he get it? It doesn't matter. He's the goddamn Batman. It evens the odds, but Wraith still has the upper hand. Like General Lane and assholes like him, he prefers an unfair fight.

Batman is smart enough to know Wraith's preferences. He doesn't become the goddamn Batman without taking them into account when choosing to confront someone who could crush his bones like a stale cracker. So he finds a way to make it an unfair fight in the opposite manner. How? He invites Superman's girlfriend, Wonder Woman, to join the battle. So now Wraith has to take on the goddamn Batman and Superman's pissed off girlfriend, who probably doesn't appreciate him or General Lane fucking up his bachelor pad. It's as lopsided as it sounds, but anyone who has been following this series to this point has already developed a burning hatred for Wraith. So seeing him get his ass kicked by both Wonder Woman and Batman is more satisfying than a beer and a blowjob on a Saturday.

The battle between Superman and General Lane is slightly more balanced, but only slightly. Once he has Lois secured and has blocked out her angry bitching, he dons a little war gear of his own and unlike General Lane's, it didn't cost the taxpayers a goddamn thing. I'm not sure where the armor came from, but seeing as how he's currently sleeping with the daughter of Zeus, I'm just going to assume he has connections. With this armor, he is basically a cross between Iron Man and Hulk, but with less alcoholism and anger issues.

The fight is once again pretty basic, but it's not all punching and whining. Along the way, Superman finds the time to educate General Lane on this whole bullshit approach to using war and weapons to do the right thing. That's like drinking to get sober or using orgies to promote chastity. These weapons, he argues, detach people from their humility. And given the long history of unjust, bullshit wars that people have raged over the centuries, he's not wrong either. Of course, General Lane isn't going to suddenly realize how wrong he is and join the Libertarian Party. But it's a nice response to his bullshit criticisms from earlier issues.

It's a pretty epic struggle that finds a way to stay balanced. General Lane hits Superman with some badass weapons that probably make defense contractors jizz their pants. Superman hits back with some badass weapons of his own. Along the way, General Lane and Superman keep debating their respective philosophies. It makes me wish they had used this approach during the last presidential debate. It would have been way more entertaining. But before they can start pandering to independents, a certain complication enters the battle. She has dark hair, a nice ass, and a knack for getting into trouble. Yes, it's Lois again. And apparently, the Earthstone didn't like being protected either.

To be fair to Lois, she contributes to this battle thanks to the Earthstone. She uses it to block an incoming attack. I'm sure she didn't want Superman to have all the fun of pissing off her father. That's supposed to be her job. The role of the Earthstone is still somewhat ambiguous. In fact, it's the only real ambiguity in this whole issue. Seven issues in and I'm still not sure what the fuck they're supposed to do or why it warrants a full scale invasion by General Lane. I mean it's not like it's oil. But that doesn't make the battle any less satisfying.

It's even more satisfying when Superman finally manages to get to General Lane, who is probably confused and even more pissed off at seeing his daughter caught up in all this. I doubt this would have stopped him from launching his precious invasion. I'm pretty sure nothing short of personal kick in the balls from the President would have stopped that. But this gives Superman a window to end this battle before General Lane can fuck up his home and piss away more tax dollars than he already has. I know it doesn't seem American, Superman taking on an American General. But it's not like he's choking Ben Franklin or anything. This is General Lane, who would probably have been Benedict Arnold's prison bitch back in the 18th century. In that sense, the way Superman confronts him makes him the most American son-of-a-bitch in the goddamn world.

Once he has a little face time with General Lane, Superman is able to simplify things pretty fucking fast. He doesn't give him a lecture on the 5th Amendment or the balance of power. He just asks him where the fuck Wraith is so he can end this bullshit and probably make his daughter horny in the process. General Lane might be a hard-nosed military asshole the likes of which make up at least half the villains in every Michael Bay movie, but he understands that there's no way to win a battle against Superman once his overbudget toys have been destroyed. He breaks faster than a North Korean smart phone and Superman finds out that Wraith is busy fighting Batman. So after leaving Lane to face his pissed off daughter and contemplate all the ways he just pissed on the constitution, he flies to the batcave where he's prepared to have a little chat with Wraith. But unlike previous issues, this one promises to involve more punching and less bullshit.

The overarching themes in this book would make both Glenn Beck and Rachel Maddow cry tears of joy in many respects. There's a tyrannical, asshole authority figure in General Lane attacking Superman on his own property and Superman is there defending it in ways that would make George Washington himself proud. I almost felt like raising a flag over my front door, saluting it, and singing the star spangled banner. Unfortunately, I could not find my pants or my keys. There was a time in comics where Superman never went against the American government and the American government didn't go against its citizens, provided they were white, Christian, tax-paying, working, married, straight, and whatever traits wouldn't get them lynched by the KKK. But this is the post George W. Bush America where freedom means only as much as what the NSA, the DEA, the FBI, and Congress agrees. For Superman, he has the power to give a massive middle finger to this kind of bullshit freedom and embrace the truly American freedoms. The NRA might bitch and complain that he didn't defend his property with an assault rifle, but I'm pretty sure Superman gave them the finger too in standing up to the All-American asshole that is General Lane. My patriotism is literally oozing out of every pore here and I proudly give Superman Unchained #7 a very American 9 out of 10. So for all the patriots out there, turns off Fox News and stop giving Cliven Bundy the attention he doesn't deserve. Pick up this comic and see what true American values look like. It wears red and blue, it kicks the asses of invading armies, and it hooks up with pretty Greek demigoddesses. What could be more American than that? Nuff said!

Evil Defeats Evil: Forever Evil #7

The following is my review of Forever Evil #7, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

Kids are often told that working hard and doing the right thing will get them ahead in life. By the time they're teenagers, they suspect this was a big lie. By the time they become adults, they know for certain that it's a lie and they're often pretty bitter about it. Anyone who isn't in the top income bracket eventually learns that getting ahead rarely involves working the hardest or being the strongest. It involves working smarter, having resources, and utilizing ruthless cunning to get things done. It's practically a commandment for every lobbyist, politician, and business mogul. Even Steve Jobs understood that being too nice meant being left behind, but Steve Jobs was no Lex Luthor. And Lex Luthor's ambitions are much greater than inventing a better way to listen to music.

Working smart, exploiting resources, and ruthless cunning are not defining traits of a hero. They can be, but most heroes aren't ruthless enough. Batman won't kill. Superman has strict morals. Wonder Woman follows a strict warrior code. There's no question that they're smart, but they will never be as ruthless as Lex Luthor. And in Forever Evil #7, that ruthlessness is the key to defeating the Crime Syndicate. Despite being delayed to the point where the ending was spoiled in books that came out a week earlier, it still sends the same powerful message.

The Crime Syndicate being defeated is only a secondary theme to this story. Nobody is going to be shocked that this sadistic incarnation of the Justice League didn't win the day. However, they aren't defeated by the heroic efforts of the Justice League and their allies. That would make too much sense and feed directly into that lie about working hard and doing the right thing that only kids believe. It's Lex Luthor who defeats the Crime Syndicate. This man, who embodies many of the worst qualities in man, is able to defeat a team that is immensely powerful and exceedingly ruthless. On the surface, his genius doesn't seem like an advantage. But when Lex Luthor adds it to his own ruthless cunning, it might as well be a cheat codes in a video game.

It's a striking case of fighting fire with fire, evil with evil, and ego with ego. Unlike Superman, Lex Luthor doesn't fight for truth, justice, and the American way. He fights for deceit, selfishness, and getting his way. These don't seem like the kind of qualities that would directly motivate him into stopping the Crime Syndicate and saving the world. But over the course of Forever Evil, these anti-Superman qualities provide a kind of indirect motivation that helps make him the most formidable foe in the DC Universe.

The Crime Syndicate made it so that in order for Lex Luthor to get what he wanted, he had to be the hero. He also had to convince other villains who share his very unheroic values to help him and he succeeded. And a big part of that success was playing into the egos of his fellow villains. He understood that letting the Crime Syndicate win would be like Donald Trump letting a competitor drive a nicer car than him. The thought alone disgusts them so much that they're willing to be heroes so that they can protect their precious ego.

This is what gives Forever Evil its devious theme. The heroes couldn't save the world from the Crime Syndicate. It took the ruthless cunning of someone like Lex Luthor to defeat them. It's a narrative that has unfolded before. A villain will play the part of a hero, but only so they can keep being villains. They'll do it begrudgingly, but immediately go back to their sinister ways as soon as the dust settles. That isn't the case with Forever Evil. Lex Luthor is willing to go even further, even if his fellow villains are not. He sees in the aftermath of defeating the Crime Syndicate how he can serve his own selfish ends by continuing to play hero. He's like a ruthless CEO or Walls Street banker who creates charities not because they believe in the cause, but because appearing charitable increases their influence and bumps up their stock price.

As the title itself suggests, Lex Luthor will never be a hero. In the aftermath of the Crime Syndicate's defeat, he may carry himself as such. He may even genuinely desire being labeled a hero, but he doesn't do it because it's the right thing to do. He does it because it serves his own selfish interests. He takes Ayan Rand's philosophy to the extreme and by being good, he can be more evil than ever. He by no means fits the criteria for an anti-hero. Even anti-heroes have a certain code of conduct that keeps them tied to their humanity. Lex Luthor gladly casts that aside like an old pair of socks because trivial things like codes and humanity only hold him back.

So much of Forever Evil #7 is dominated by Lex Luthor serving his ego that a number of smaller details get glossed over. He goes from defeating the Crime Syndicate to being the world's greatest hero in the eyes of the public. The rest of the Justice League, now free, don't really get a chance to react or even confront Luthor. The only one who really acknowledges what he did is Batman, but he did so in the least begrudging way possible. There were plenty of loose ends, but some were left unresolved on purpose, if only to make way for the next story. But by lacking some of the smaller details, the conclusion of Forever Evil feels incomplete.

Even without these details, the core of the story is strong. From the beginning, Lex Luthor set out to further his agenda by whatever means possible. In Forever Evil #7, he succeeded. The way in which he achieved this success and the way he exploited it to the utmost is what gives the story its strength. Nobody is going to be rooting for Lex Luthor or think he's a genuine hero. Yet in the same way hippies will begrudgingly shop at Wal-Mart, readers cannot deny what Lex Luthor has achieved. It's a disturbing thought, yet it affords plenty of intrigue for everyone not named Clark Kent.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

Deconstructing Superman's Philosophy: Superman Unchained #6

The following is my review of Superman Unchained #6, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

When it comes to battling Superman, history shows that beating him physically is like trying to win a tug-of-war with a black hole. He has taken on aliens, gods, evil geniuses, deranged clones, and a whole host of other threats that the Lex Luthors of the world can only fantasize about. But Superman has his share of vulnerabilities. Kryptonite is the most well-known and the method of choice for those looking to bring the Man of Steel down a peg. But there is another vulnerability that is rarely attacked. It may not make Superman as weak as a mountain of Kryptonite, but it can shake the foundation of who he is and why he does what he does down to its core. It’s a vulnerability that even Lex Luthor usually doesn’t exploit, if only because it seems so underhanded for someone of his genius. But in Superman Unchained #6, this vulnerability is attacked on an unprecedented level. And for once, Superman’s power and ideals cannot protect him.

When Superman Unchained began, Superman faced yet another physically demanding challenge from Ascension. On the surface, Ascension isn’t too different from the usual run-of-the-mill terrorists. They see all this progress and civilization in the same way a pyromaniac sees a pile of matches and a gallon of gasoline. It’s just meant to be destroyed. So using alien technology, they launch every nuclear missile on the planet. It sounds like the kind of thing Lex Luthor would do when he’s bored on a Saturday afternoon. But what Ascension does isn’t the greatest source of conflict. Them capturing Lois Lane isn’t even cause for much conflict. The true meat of the story comes from Superman’s tentative ally/enemy, Wraith.

In many ways, Wraith is an eerie reflection of Superman. He’s no Bizarro and not just because he can speak in complete sentences. He has Superman’s power and even shares his desire to use it for the greater good. But the concept of “the greater good” is very different for Wraith. Part of what makes Superman such an icon and an ideal is his willingness to save the whole world and everybody in it. This all seems so noble and for the most part it is. But in the same way communism sounds good on paper, that nobility hides an unpleasant complication to Superman’s approach to his mission.

This approach has to do with serving mankind in a more pragmatic way. Wraith constantly berates Superman about making hard decisions. For Wraith, that means allying himself with the likes of General Lane and the United States military. To Superman, that makes him a puppet whose strings are attached to easily corruptible men. Any old liberal would probably agree with that. However, this is what makes Wraith’s decision so hard. He understands that allying himself with General Lane is dangerous and makes him prone to acting as their trained pit-bull. But he’s willing to accept that danger in order to serve the greater good.

General Lane already showed Superman just how much good Wraith has done over the past few decades. He goes so far as to call Superman a coward for choosing to be adored by the world rather than getting his hands dirty and actually changing the world for the better. And he’s not wrong either. He and Wraith look at Superman like a man with a gun aimed at someone who is about to kill an innocent bystander. Superman would rather not fire that gun and not take that life, even if it means putting that bystander at risk. It’s difficult for someone who isn’t a four-star general to see because nobody ever hears about a war that is averted or a crime that is never committed. Superman has the power to stop those wars and those crimes, but he chooses not to.

That’s not to say that General Lane and Wraith’s choices are somehow more noble than Superman. When Ascension launches the missiles, Wraith’s first inclination is to protect the United States from destruction. That’s where he chose to place his loyalty. That means he is loyal to protect only one house from the path of a hurricane rather than save the neighborhood. But Superman goes after Ascension and once again defies all odds to stop every nuclear missile. This effectively demonstrates why Superman’s approach has merit. By not allying himself with only a segment of humanity, he is better able to save the entire world when it is threatened. Wraith thinks locally. Superman thinks globally. That’s what sets them apart, aside from Wraith looking like a World of Warcraft monster.

Superman Unchained #6 acts as a response of sorts to General Lane’s challenge for Superman. By not making the same choice as Wraith, he is able to save the world. Wraith didn’t even try to save the world. The puppet strings that General Lane attached wouldn’t allow him. But Superman takes it a step further. When Wraith comes back to attack him, Superman shows that being an idealist doesn’t mean he can’t be cunning. With help from Batman, he humbles Wraith in a way that is probably more satisfying than Superman would ever admit. He essentially finds Wraith’s version of Kryptonite and shoves it in his face. It doesn’t completely undermine Wraith’s approach, but it makes clear that Superman doesn’t share it.

At the same time, however, this clash of philosophies feels incomplete. Wraith gave his reasons for doing what he does. Now Superman has given his. But neither one of them really confronts the flaws in their approach. They both come off as stubborn. They choose to resort to mindless fighting as if that ever won an argument outside a boxing ring. That takes away from the larger conflict that has linked all the physical struggles that have manifested throughout Superman Unchained. But by the end of Superman Unchained #6, both sides show that they’re as cunning as they are stubborn so this philosophical divide might not be over. It’s a divide that can’t be resolved by resorting to Kryptonite, but for now it seems to be the favored approach.

Final Score: 8 out of 10

Evil Triumphs: Justice League #23

The following is my review of Justice League #23, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

Reading a typical superhero story these days is like going to a movie that has already been spoiled. The ending is usually a foregone conclusion in that the villains are defeated, the heroes are triumphant, and the right guy ends up with the obligatory pretty girl. It's a story that has played out so many times that it has come to be expected. But what if the hero didn't succeed? What if evil won out in the end? It would be like the first Die Hard movie ending with John McClane falling 32 stories off the Nakatomi Tower and the final scene shows Hans Gruber laying on a beach top a pile of money.

This kind of resolution does not sit well with most people. There is almost a pathological need for people to see the heroes win and the villains lose to satisfy some primordial need for good to triumph over evil. Evil triumphs so many times in the real world. Former football stars get acquitted of murder, and nobody on Wall Street went to jail when the economy crashed. In the real world, good only seems to triumph when evil can't pay for an expensive enough lawyer. But when it comes to the modern superhero mythos, it is assumed that the heroes will triumph no matter how devious the villain may be.

For that reason, some people may be disturbed by how Justice League #23 plays out. It is the final chapter in DC's Trinity War event. On the surface, it looked like DC was trying the leech off the success Marvel captured with Avengers vs. X-men. There is a long tradition of comicbook publishers trying to one-up each other like contestants in "Dancing With The Stars" and at the beginning of the event, there were plenty of parallels. Two different teams of heroes clashed over the murder of Dr. Light and from there, Trinity War could have devolved into a typical super-powered WWE brawl, but with slightly less gaudier costumes. In the end this story took a different path and that path leads to an ending that sets it apart from any superhero brawl or Die Hard movie.

Throughout the many conflicts in Trinity War, there has been a sinister figure pulling the strings of the warring Justice Leagues. The identity of that figure has been a mystery, but in Justice League #23 this figure steps into the light and makes his presence known. He doesn't just taunt the leagues for dancing to his tune. This figure essentially brags about how he has been following the Justice League, working behind the scenes, forming connections with his Secret Society, and setting the stage for this final battle. And while the heroes work valiantly to uncover his plot, they fail to stop him. The only thing missing was a sinister Dr. Evil style laugh to taunt all the heroes for doing exactly what he needed them to do.

And what they do is expose the truth about Pandora's Box and the murder of Dr. Light. Even Pandora, the one whose name is attached to the box, had no idea what she was dealing with. Like it has from the beginning of Trinity War, the box corrupts everyone around it. The heroes of every league fail to stop it and they attack each other. And unlike Avengers vs. X-men there are no sides. It's like a bar fight with superpowers wherein petty differences, rivalries, and emotions boil to the surface. It exposes these heroes as petty, insecure, anxiously, and vindictive. It's akin to the downfall of Tiger Woods, a clean cut and upstanding role model being being exposed as having very egregious flaws.

To add insult to injury, a traitor is exposed within the Justice League of America and this traitor reveals that they were never close to solving the mystery about Dr. Light's murder. Even with all their god-like powers and the world's greatest detective on their side, they didn't find out who was behind the spark that triggered this conflict until it was too late. This revelation wounds Cyborg while setting the stage for the true purpose of Pandora's Box. Once again, it is revealed that the Justice League was never even close to figuring out its true nature. They kept treating it like magic, but it wasn't magic. As Arthur C. Clark once articulated, magic is merely science that isn't yet understood. And because the Justice League didn't understand Pandora's Box, they had no hopes of stopping it. They might as well have been trying to fly a plane by channeling ghosts.

In some respects, Pandora's Box still stays true to its mythological origins. While it wasn't the magical source of all evil, it did contain a very potent evil that has now been unleashed within the DC Universe. And since the three leagues were generous enough to soften each other up, this world is now ripe for the taking. There is no deus ex machina. A wizard doesn't appear to undo everything. Nobody reveals they have a secret weapon akin to Bat Shark Repellant. And nobody from an apocalyptic future shows up to warn anybody. The most powerful heroes of the DCU fail and evil prevails.

There's no getting around it. Trinity War is a big loss for the heroes of the DC Universe. Yet it feels like a satisfying loss in the same way that the end of the Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back felt like a satisfying loss. Evil did triumph, but the heroes weren't destroyed. They were just humbled. In a sense Trinity War is a how-to guide on humbling beings with god-like power. They were outsmarted, exposed, and turned against one another. Now they have a much bigger threat to deal with and nobody to blame but themselves.

Justice League #23 doesn't just end an event. It forcibly injects humility into the DC Universe's most powerful heroes. It may lack substance in certain areas, but there's no denying its impact. In the end heroes and even demigods don't always win. In the saga of Trinity War, they defeated themselves and now they have to deal with the consequences.

Final Score: 8 out of 10

Corruptive Influence: Justice League Dark #23

The following is my review of Justice League Dark #23, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

Abstract concepts like evil are difficult to quantify in the same way that it’s difficult to quantify the appeal of boy bands. There’s nothing to count, measure, or touch. It’s like trying to determine the flavor of water in that the concept itself has no depth. But it’s a concept that is often at the center of many famous stories, going all the way back to the days of Greek mythology. In that sense, it’s fitting that the primary source of evil in DC’s latest event, “Trinity War”, has been Pandora’s Box.

Even in the DC universe, evil that takes form and substance is difficult to deal with. I’m sure Superman would much rather be punching Brainiac’s head off than having to deal with being poisoned by some ancient box that was literally shoved into his hands. Even for Superman, a tangible object imbued with pure evil is too much to handle. In that is a theme that has played out in many different ways throughout “Trinity War”. And as Justice League Dark #23 demonstrates, such an object is too much for even the entire Justice League to handle.

Like foolish hikers that chase after a bear that just mauled a herd of deer, the Justice League and the Justice League of America fight over possession of Pandora’s Box. And not surprisingly, they had no better luck at avoiding the influence of the box than Superman. It corrupts the likes of Wonder Woman and Shazam, two heroes that, like Superman, are supposed to be personifications of all things good. Yet this object that isn’t much bigger than a laptop corrupts Earth’s most powerful heroes to the point where a good portion of the comic consists of them fighting over possession of the box. It’s like Lord of the Rings if Hobbits had superpowers.

But “Trinity War” hasn’t just focused on ancient artifacts that can corrupt angels and demigods. Other sources of corruption have emerged within each respective league. Amanda Waller and the Justice League of America may not be as evil as a sinister ancient box forged by actual gods, but the corruption behind their heroics is every bit as damaging. Now Waller’s intentions have been exposed for both leagues. She organized the JLA to effectively counter the Justice League, right down to picking heroes with certain abilities that would match or neutralize certain members in the opposing league. She even had Firestorm learn to make kryptonite with his powers. What makes it all the more distressing to both leagues is that she did this in secret. And the JLA doesn’t take too kindly to this revelation. I doubt anyone would blame Green Arrow for threatening to shoot Waller with one of his non-boxing glove arrow.

This kind of hidden agenda is something that is only possible under the guise of corruption. However, it’s not the same corruption caused by Pandora’s Box. The entire conflict behind “Trinity War” has been fueled by suspicion and paranoia about how supremely powerful beings such as Superman can be controlled if they ever became corrupt. It’s a very real and logical concern for those who aren’t more powerful than a locomotive. And to an extent, Amanda Waller was vindicated at the beginning of “Trinity War” when Superman was corrupted by Pandora’s Box. Like Dean Rooney in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, she was right in the grand scheme of things.

Waller may claim ignorance in the face of hostility from both the Justice League and the JLA, but on some levels she has to know that she was right. Superman was corrupted and because of that, he may have killed someone. Even though it was revealed several issues ago that there is another sinister force working behind the scenes, it is still a clear manifestation of Waller’s concerns. If there was no plan in place to deal with a corrupted Superman, who or what could possibly stop him? He’s Superman and his power is nothing short of god-like. Yet he’s not a god in that he can be corrupted, as Pandora’s Box has shown. So why shouldn’t there be a plan in place to deal with him and his team of demigods?

While this recourse makes intuitive sense, it too is prone to corruption. And that’s exactly how it plays out in this issue. Each Justice League team fights for control of Pandora’s Box, getting corrupted along the way, until they eventually reach Madam Xanadu, who was imprisoned before she could uncover the secrets of Pandora’s Box. She is the one that finally reveals the source behind the power of the box. This also leads to the reveal of the sinister figure who has been manipulating all three leagues from the beginning. And at this point, he doesn’t even need to hide anymore. The damage has been done and he didn’t even have to do that much. Unlike Lex Luthor, this nameless figure works smart and lets heroes destroy themselves so he doesn’t have to. It may seem like a lazier form of evil, but there’s no denying its effectiveness.

This is the most telling message of “Trinity War”. In attempting to create a balance of power between the Justice League and the JLA, both sides became corrupted. Paranoia and fear created the circumstances under which Pandora’s Box could be so effective. It didn’t have to be an object of pure evil. It just needed to give these heroes the right nudge to start attacking one another. In doing so, the corruption ensured that they couldn’t figure out whom or what they were dealing with until it was too late.

Justice League Dark #23 offers a painful lesson about what happens when corruption blinds otherwise good people. Even superheroes with all their power end up playing into the hands of a skilled manipulator. The scale of the conflict and the potential for it to get worse help this issue up the stakes in “Trinity War” to extreme levels. It also shows that while kryptonite is Superman’s greatest weakness, corruption is the greatest weakness to every hero, no matter how powerful they are

Final Score: 9 out of 10

Frustrations Boil Over: Justice League of America #7

The following is my review of Justice League of America #7, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

In every great mystery, there are a certain number of dead ends and red herrings. Like trying to navigate Lower Manhattan blindfolded, the heroes will inevitably butt heads with people who stumble into the crossfire and the villain will grow bolder and probably get a few laughs out of it along the way. Add escalating tensions between two superhero teams to the mix and the final product is akin to Sherlock Holmes meets Wrestlemania. That is the backdrop for DC’s Trinity War and in Justice League of America #7, those tensions become more volatile than the Hulk in a traffic jam.

The first few issues of the Trinity War crossover focused having the Justice League, the Justice League of America, and Justice League Dark converge in a central conflict. Now that conflict is moving in many different directions, so much so that keeping up requires a certain level of multi-tasking. That may be well-suited for typical sales representative at Goldman Sachs, but for a comicbook. Pandora, the one who first set things into motion by confronting Superman with her evil box, has not gone to the opposite end of the spectrum and sought out Lex Luthor for his help. It shows that she’s growing increasingly desperate or has a very flawed definition of insanity.

Pandora’s role is somewhat secondary in this issue because both the Justice League and the JLA are focused on uncovering the truth about Dr. Light’s death. Unlike the unfettered brawl that defined Avengers vs. X-men, both teams managed to contain themselves long enough to agree that there are other forces at work behind this conflict. The very first issue of Trinity War revealed this and now each team is seeking answers from a different source. And both sources end up being a dead end or a red herring. At one point, both leagues seem to be getting frustrated and ongoing mistrust between both teams isn’t helping. At times it feels like Harry Potter trying to work with Lord Voldermort.

One source involves certain members of each league tracking down Dr. Light’s dead soul with the mystical resources provided by Justice League Dark. Yet even though Dr. Light probably was in the best possible position to know the truth, he told them nothing. And they only found this out after spending nearly two pages trying to enter the house in the first place. It was supposed to be comical, but came off as a bit of a waste that didn’t add much to the narrative. And maybe that was the point. It showed that the sinister forces they’re up against is smart enough to make them waste time.

Another group of leaguers follow another lead with Dr. Psycho and while this ends up being a red herring, it’s not a dead end and it actually does provide something more to the story. It also provides some brief but intense action that nicely conveys the desperation and frustration the three Justice Leagues are feeling at this point. The artwork nicely details the corruption Superman is still struggling with as a result of his encounter with Pandora. It also nicely describes Martian Manhunter not holding back when probing Dr. Psycho’s mind. He’s able to surmise that Dr. Psycho was in Kahndaq when the Justice League and JLA clashed. However, he was not the one controlling Superman. And for the first time, the Secret Society is mentioned, finally putting a name on the sinister force that has been tormenting the leagues.

This alone is an important clue to the mystery, but it quickly gets lost by another revelation that seems ill-timed yet not out of place. It has been hinted at before that the JLA has had a spy keeping tabs on the Justice League. Well that spy finally comes clean, also revealing these covert activities were why the JLA knew that the Justice League was in Kahndaq in the first place. It fills in one significant blank, but it has no emotional weight. Some of her teammates are dismayed, but nobody seems all that upset about it. There’s no angry outburst or anything. It lacks the emotional weight that was so apparent in the first few issues when everyone was concerned about Superman. Without that emotional weight, the mystery loses suspense. It’s like Bruce Willis stopping for fast food in the middle of a Die Hard movie.

While this revelation didn’t carry much weight, the momentum of the story remains intact. The Secret Society has been revealed and another group of leaguers has caught up with Pandora. They manage to catch up with her just before she can give Lex Luthor her box. But in the process, Wonder Woman takes it and now she endures the same corruptive force that Superman experienced earlier. In a ways, this reflects the frustrations of the three leagues boiling over. Wonder Woman already knows what the box is capable of because she saw what it did to Superman. But since the Secret Society has been several steps ahead of them and they keep hitting dead ends, they have no choice but to confront the most immediate threat. And in doing so the DC universe now has two of its most powerful figures, Superman and Wonder Woman, corrupted by a force they don’t understand.

The mystery and the desperation of the three Justice Leagues were what made this issue compelling. The tension between each team is still there, but it wasn’t quite as volatile as it was at the beginning of the story. This issue did fill in a few blanks. It just didn’t do so in a way that felt coherent. It was like a dance routine where the song started skipping in the middle of the act. Never-the-less, Justice League of America #7 successfully maintains the momentum that Trinity War has established. The challenge is making sure it doesn’t lead to anymore dead ends.

Final Score: 8 out of 10