Superman: Lost #7 – Priest, Writer; Carlo Pagulayan/Jason Paz, Lee Weeks, Artists; Jeromy Cox, Elizabeth Breitweiser, Colorists
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Priest is always one of the most ambitious writers in comics, but he rarely puts it all together like he does in this stunning issue. It’s been two month since Superman returned to Earth after being gone for several hours or ten years, and he hasn’t found his equilibrium yet. He and Lois are finding their relationship suffering, he’s barely leaving the house, and he’s haunted—which leads him to a doctor, a therapist who Kara has been seeing to deal with her trauma about the end of Krypton. The way Kara’s pain is addressed without her even being in the issue is some of the best writing relating to her I’ve seen in a while. At the same time, Lois is increasingly desperate to help her husband, which leads her to make a terrible decision—seeking out Lex Luthor, who would do anything to ensure his nemesis doesn’t fade away. What he does almost casually is one of the most shockingly evil moves Luthor has pulled in some time. How long has he been prepared this way?
However, these excellent segments will likely pale in comparison for most people to the stunning flashback segments, mostly illustrated by Lee Weeks in a guest spot. Last issue saw Superman encounter another, much older version of himself in the star currents as he left his most recent home, and that Superman attempted to knock him off his path. In flashbacks, we see the strange, desperate path that this Superman took, which left him a broken man who pushed himself too far in one timeline. In a world where alternate versions of characters are everywhere, it’s rare to see a comic that takes that old trope and uses it so effectively to evoke a sense of fear, uncertainty, and possibility. This clearly out-of-continuity book has been slipping under the radar a bit amid a great era of Superman comics, but it may be one of the best books DC is putting out right now.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
