Hi! We’re your new neighbors! I’m sure we’re going to be the best of friends
I reviewed the first installment of New Krypton yesterday, just in time to get to the second chapter of the title-spanning series. New Krypton #1 was really an anthology of plot setups, written by the key writers in the Superman titles. In Superman #681, James Robinson is alone behind the wheel, and focuses on the next big moment for the New Kryptonians – meeting their neighbors.
I kind of feel bad for Clark. Even though he has the best of intensions, you know events will never play out as the Man of Steel expects. His big plan is to have a delegation of Kryptonians meet the President of the United States in Metropolis. The city is selected because it’s not only the city that loves Superman the most, but is also the city that needs the biggest healing following the attack from Zod and his followers. There is certainly a great amount of distrust among the citizens, and rightfully so, and it isn’t going to be any easier when Kara is asked to join her parents in meeting the leader of the nation.
As a reader, do I trust the Kryptonians? Only to the point where someone breaks a major law or social norm, and the Kryptonians begin to think they are better than humans. The citizens of Earth Prime think the same way, as they’ve enlisted their own powered beings to protect the president – after all, during Amazons Attack, his plane was brought down by Supergirl.
Speaking of Amazons, Diana and representatives from the rest of the superhero community pay a visit to Superman – yes, he’s called Superman and not Clark by his trusted friends. I wonder if this has anything to do with super hearing and the desire to protect his Earth family, or something you just say to Superman when he’s in costume. The heroes have the same concerns, wondering how Superman will handle ten thousand Kryptonians when things get rough.
Probably the biggest failing for Superman is his general “gosh-golly†attitude toward his fellow man. While I too try to see the good in everyone, I know it is only a matter of time before those failed expectations in the back of my head materialize, and everything goes to pot. Superman doesn’t have that gnawing, and thus he’s always let down when the worst in people come out. Even though it doesn’t occur in this issue, I think that moment is coming, and coming soon.
I really didn’t care for the way the issue ended. Yes, I’m saving the spoiler here, just to keep someone from getting all in a tizzy. The villain that appears was fine 16 years ago, but to have him/it appear again and again and again is getting really old. When I turned to the last page, my eyes rolled. My guess is this isn’t the real deal, but he/it is more likely another clone. In any case, the dozens of Kryptonians hanging around should be able to take him/it down without a problem. The only questions that remain are, “Where’d he/it come from?†and “Why now?â€
I do like that a single story is being told; the arrival of the Kryptonians in Metropolis as viewed from multiple perspectives. It makes everything seem less jarring than the first chapter. I thought the art was fine, but think Renato Guedes should stick to drawing fictional presidents as his attempt to caricature W missed the mark.
The second chapter in this new saga really takes off, and is able to hold my attention to the end. Without a lot of fanfare, DC is releasing a major event story without the hoopla that was Final Crisis or Amazons Attack. I think this story has promise, but when the story reaches its conclusion, I hope there is a definite change to the status quo, and not a return to normalcy. I liked this issue better than my previous review, but that villain reveal cause me to deduct a few points. I’m giving Superman #681 3.5 out of 5 Stars.
24/24
9 Comments
Wait, didn’t I read in Legion of Super Heroes that after Kandor was de-shrunk they moved to a red sun and isolated themselves from the rest of the universe? Is that how this will end then? Then again it’s not like continuity has any meaning as of late…
I remember that issue. Also they had the entire planet but still had one large city the shape of a bottle sitting in the middle of a desert because they had got used to being close together.
I’m enjoying this. It’s a long time since I thought Superman was worth reading, but the Brainiac story in Action caught my attention. I’m interested to see how this will play out and wonder whether it’s going to have a “kingdom Come” storyline (without looking, the panel where the Kryptonians land in Metropolis looks very much like a KC pose).
Is it me, though, but is Geoff John’s trying to rework the old “Lois & Clark” tv series in Action?
doomsday clone more than likely came from luthor and general lane
Stephen – love the site brother. Truly. But “saving the spoiler” on a site called, wait for it, “Major Spoilers”? If anyone gets a tizzy coming to this place and reading a spoiler then they’re on their own. Please.
must agree with orgullo, give us the spoilers that why alot of people come here for spoilers.
“the dozens of Kryptonians hanging around should be able to take him/it down without a problem” True, and that’s probably the point. No better way to scare the people then by showing them how much power these new Kryptonians have, if a handfull of them can do that to stone face imagine what they could do if they all unite for a single effort (let’s say, I don’t know, take over Earth for exemple?). A few civilian casualties wouldn’t hurt either everyone else looks scare yet the head of Kryptonian security has that “finaly! Action!” look on her face. They’ll stop the baddy, probably killing him and a bunch of civilians and probably hurt/kill the president in the process. After all humans are not their first priority, Kryptonian security is there to keep the Kryptonians safe.
They don’t know how to control their powers, let alone use them in a real fight, it’s gonna get ugly real fast…
Or they might get slaughtered, we know those “room” thingies can neutralise/weaken Kryptonians, like they did against Supergirl in the fight against Atlas.
The current president of the USA in the DCU is not W, if I recall…the one we see in this issue is, I believe, president Horne, the same whose plane got hijacked by Wonder Girl and Supergirl in Amazons Attack. But maybe Guedes was trying to make him a Bush caricature, I couldn’t say.
Robinson’s still a very good storyteller, and while reading I couldn’t wait to see what would go wrong (because something had to go wrong). The twist at the end was a “oh snap” moment, but it’s true that guy has been a bit overused. Poor Doomsday…that whole “man who squished Big Blue” thing is really sticking to him…
On the other hand, it makes you shudder to think of the resources General Lane has ; because obviously, he and his military conspiracy are the one to blame. First Atlas, then Doomsday ? And he has a Lexie in store, to boot…This feels like quite the big badaboom coming. And that’s a bit of a problem for me.
On the one hand, you can’t have a Superman story without big things crashing and exploding everywhere (it’s called Actions comics, after all), and that twist at the end really got me. But on the other hand, I’m a little afraid that the story will focus on the military conspiracy, and leave the Kryptonian problem under-developed. But hey, it’s Geoff Johns and James Robinson : what could go wrong ?
Btw, did you see Agent Liberty and Thara Ak-Var smiling in the middle of all the panic ? I’m not surprised about the American cape (military superhero with ridiculous name = possible bad guy), but what does it mean about the Kryptonian chief of security ? Is she in on the conspiracy ? How could she, when Kandor only just arrived ? I think Kara’s going to have to talk to her “friend” soon…
Anyway, a good issue that keeps the pace, with interesting bits and hints (Robinson for the win), a good review, and I can’t wait to see the next “New Krypton” episode.
PS : I almost forgot ; I LOVE James Robinson’s Krypto (and I think the super-dog is the only thing I really like by Renato Guedes).
Orgullo Says:
November 2nd, 2008 at 9:14 am
Stephen – love the site brother. Truly. But “saving the spoiler†on a site called, wait for it, “Major Spoilersâ€? If anyone gets a tizzy coming to this place and reading a spoiler then they’re on their own. Please.
AMEN, Orgullo, amen.