Superman ‘78 #2 – Robert Venditti, Writer; Wilfredo Torres, Artist; Jordie Bellaire, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: The first issue of this retro revival reminded us of where our heroes were, but now it’s time to catch up on the bad guy. As soon as Lex Luthor shows up, this series takes a level up. This is very much Gene Hackman’s Lex, an arrogant criminal genius who has just been released from prison after his real estate scam. He boasts about his genius to someone hiring him as a temp worker, and then slinks home to remove his toupee—only to find Superman waiting in his living room holding the skull of a Brainiac probe. This is a very Superman thing to do—trying to give Luthor a second chance and enlist his genius for the greater good. The two rivals have a fun rapport here, with Luthor being very susceptible to flattery. Does Luthor actually intend to help Superman fend off the alien threat, or is he planning something darker? That suit of armor in the back room might indicate it’s the latter.
But right now, there’s a much bigger threat to be dealt with. Clark and Lois are on the tail of the alien invasion, and Lois gets a call from a contact in the government that tips her off that something big is coming. Hm, that name was familiar—could we be looking at a crossover? But when Brainiac lands on Earth for the first time in person, it becomes clear this is going to be a huge-scale story. Brainiac’s invasion comes with a massive spaceship, hundreds of probes, and one big message—Superman is a threat to your planet. It’s clear why this wasn’t a story that could actually be told in the movies—even today it would look ambitious. But there’s actually an intriguing ethical question here—namely, is Superman unbalancing the ecosystem of Earth? Brainiac, like Luthor here, is dangerous but seems to have some shades of grey—seeing himself as a protector of natural ecosystems. It’s a fascinating look at a world that feels both familiar and new.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
