Superman ‘78: The Metal Curtain #3 – Robert Venditti, Writer; Gavin Guidry, Artist; Jordie Bellaire, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Last issue saw Superman face off with Metallo for the first time—and lose decisively, as the cyborg soldier unleashed Kryptonite for the first time and left Superman on the brink of death and Lois stranded at the Fortress of Solitude. But this issue finds an unexpected savior for him—in the form of the US military and their leader, General Sam Lane. This is another case where the comics are able to introduce a new character who never made it into the movies but is key to the franchise, and it’s also good to see a version of the General who seems more morally ambiguous rather than overtly corrupt or evil. He’s cold-blooded, but deeply patriotic and sees Superman as America’s secret weapon—so he’s not fond of Kal’s tendency to go off half-cocked and risk himself. But he doesn’t seem to have any of the comic version’s all-too-common anti-alien xenophobia.
Thanks to Sam Lane’s intervention, Superman is able to get back to the fortress and bring Lois back to Metropolis—where Perry is none too pleased that they’ve disappeared in the middle of a global conflict brewing. But while Clark survived the Kryptonite, he’s not out of the woods yet—he’s still suffering from the effects of Kryptonite poisoning, which include some hallucinations and disorientation, a dangerous combo for a Superman. And back in Russia, Metallo is not pleased about having to retreat and is already looking forward to finishing the job the next time—with a little too much zeal, which makes me wonder if the Kryptonte heart is affecting his brain as well. With all this tension, what happens in the final page is only going to dial things up even further. It’s another issue proving that Robert Venditti might be the most underrated Superman writer in the last few years.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
